HundredsofpeoplelinedupatGrand-优题课

Robots have proved to be valuable tools for soldiers, surgeons and homeowners hoping to keep the carpet clean. But in each case, they are designed and built specifically for the job. Now there is a movement under way to build multipurpose machines—robots that can move about in changing environmentssuch as offices or living rooms and work with their hands.
All-purpose robots are not, of course, a new idea. "It's been five or 10 years from happening for about 50 years, " says Eric Berger, co-director of the Personal Robotics Program at Willow Garage, a Silicon Valley organization. The delay is in part because even simple tasks require a huge set of capabilities. For a robot to fetch a mug, for example, it needs to make sense of data gathered by a variety of sensorslaser scanners identifying potential blocking objects, cameras searching for the target, force feedback in the fingers that grasp the mug, and more. Yet Berger and other experts are confident that real progress could be made in the next decade.
The problem, according to Willow Garage, is the lack of a common platform for all that computational effort. Instead of enlarging the capabilities of a single machine, everyone is designing robots and the software to control them, from the ground up. To help change this, Willow Garage is currently producing 25 copies of its model PR2 (for "Personal Robot 2"), a two-armed, wheeled machine that can switch off the electricity, open doors and move through a room. Ten of the robots will stay in house, but 10 more will go to outside research groups, and everyone will share their advances. This way, Berger says, if you want to build the robotic equivalent (等同物) of a Twitter (推特网站), you won't start by constructing a computer. "You build the thing that's new."
The robots are mentioned to do some specific jobs EXCEPT in __________.

A．battle fields

B．operation room

C．people's houses

D．wild fields

The multipurpose robot may be identified as a machine that __________.

A．can move about in changing environments and work with their hands

B．can make sense of data gathered by a variety of sensors

C．has a huge set of abilities to finish all the simple tasks

D．has identifying laser scanners, searching cameras and force feedback

According to Willow Garage, we will make realprogress in building all-purpose robots if __________.

A．everyone is designing robots and the software to control them

B．they can produce 25 copies of its model PR2

C．people can enlarge the capabilities of a single machine

D．people can start by constructing a computer

Ed Viesturs grew up in Rockford, Illinois, where the tallest thing on the horizon was the water tower. But on Thursday, Viesturs became the only American to climb to the top of the world's 14 highest mountains.
His last hike was up Mount Annapurna, in Asia's snowcapped Himalayas. At 26, 545 feet, its peak is the 10th highest in the world. It is the mountain that inspired him to start climbing.
"It tends to be the trickiest, the most dangerous, said Viesturs."There's no simple way to climb it. There are threatening avalanches (雪崩) and ice falls that protect the mountain."
In high school, Viesturs read French climber Maurice Herzog's tale of climbing the icy Annapurna. Herzog's story was of frostbite (冻伤) and difficulty and near-death experiences. Viesturs was hooked right away.
Viesturs got his start on Washington's Mount Rainier in 1977, guiding hikes in the summer. Fifteen years ago, he set out to walk up to the world's highest peaks. Finally, he's done.
The pioneering climber talks about mountains as if they were living creatures that should be treated with respect. "You have to use all of your senses, all of your abilities to see if the mountain will let you climb it," said Viesturs. "If we have the patience and the respect, and if we're here at the right time, under the right circumstances, they allow us to go up, and allow us to come down."
What's next for a man who can't stop climbing? "I'm going to hug my wife and kids and kind of kick back and enjoy the summer," says Viesturs. But for a man who's climbed the world's 14 tallest mountains, he will probably soon set off on yet another adventure.
What record has Ed Viesturs set?

A．He has succeeded in climbing to the world's 14th highest mountain.

B．He has been to the top of the world's 14 highest mountains.

C．He has become the first to climb to the height of 26, 545 feet.

D．He has become the first man to climb to the top of 14th highest mountains in the world.

The underlined word "hooked" in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by "__________".

A．frightened

B．discouraged

C．interested

D．upset

The author used Viestures' words in Paragraph 6 to support a view that __________.

A．mountain climbing is a dangerous sport

B．mountains should be regarded as living creatures

C．mountain climbing needs more skills than physical energy

D．those who like mountain climbing won't stop climbing

What's the next probable plan of Viestures?

A．Stopping climbing and staying with his family.

B．Climbing to the top of the world's 14 tallest mountains again.

C．Climbing another one of the highest mountains.

D．Writing down the experiences about his adventure.

One of Britain's favorite pastimes, gardening is to be celebrated during the Olympics. Last week, the Olympics minister Tessa Jowell announced a public competition to design a typical British garden within London's new Olympic park.
Jowell said the idea behind the competition was to show off to the world one of the nation's favorite hobbies. It's likely the government also hopes that the competition will inspire more Brits to take an interest in the Olympics. It's a good plan, as the British love gardens almost as much as they love tea.
Gardening is an iconic activity in Britain. In many ways it defines Brits, perhaps because they are some of the world's keenest gardeners. The garden is seen as a private retreat (清净的场所) in the UK. Most Brits would far rather sit in their garden for instance than visit a park. They see their garden as an extension of their house outdoors, which is why so many Brits are as garden-proud as they are houseproud. There also seems to be something about the nourishing (滋养的) act of gardening that appeals tothe nation's gentle temperament (气质).
Interestingly, gardening has never been as widely enjoyed as it is today in Britain. Its growing popularity is no doubt due to people's increased awareness of the environment and the success of several popular gardening programs.
Historically, Brits are also skillful gardeners. As Jowell noted when she made her announcement, if gardening were an Olympic sport then green-fingered Brits "would win gold, silver and bronze".
Of course, the irony of Brits' passion for gardening is that their climate is so wet that there are very few months in the year they can sit outside and enjoy their gardens. In fact, it may be the very precious-ness of these few warm months that make gardens so prized and valued by Brits.
What's the main idea of the passage?

A．Brits' favorite tea.

B．Brits' favorite pastime in the garden.

C．A public competition.

D．A typical British garden.

The purpose of the competition is __________.

A．to support the 2012 London Olympics

B．to require participants to design a typical British garden in their backyard

C．to attract foreign visitors

D．to show off one of the favorite hobbies

The underlined word "iconic" in the third paragraph means __________.

A．有代表性的

B．活跃的

C．积极的

D．受欢迎的

Which of the following sentences does NOT contribute to people's love for gardens in Britain?

A．Brits think of their gardens as an extension of their house outdoors.

B．Brits value the short warm months when they get to enjoy their gardens.

C．Brits do not have many public parks to relax themselves in.

D．Brits' gentle temperament makes them enjoy something like gardening.

What can we conclude from the passage?

A．Brits love their gardens more than they love their houses.

B．Brits enjoy sitting in their gardens as much as sitting in a park.

C．Brits don't adore gardening as much as before.

D．Brits are known to love gardening as much as they love tea.

Isaac Stern was more than a great violin player. He was one of the most honored musicians in the world, an international cultural ambassador. And hewas also a teacher and activist. For more than sixty years, Mr Stern performed excellent music. He performed in concerts around the world and on recordings.
Isaac Stern was born in 1920 in Ukraine. His parents moved to California the following year. He began taking violin lessons after hearing a friend play the instrument. Later, he began studying music at the San Francisco Conservatory (旧金山音乐学院). He progressed quickly. When he was sixteen, he played with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. The next year, he performed in New York and was praised by music critics.
Isaac Stern became one of the busiest musicians of his day. He played more than one hundred concerts a year. He also became one of the most recorded musicians in history. Isaac Stern also supported artistic development and freedom.
In 1979, Isaac Stern visited China. He met with Chinese musicians and students. He taught them about classical Western music. His visit was made into a film. It is called From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China. It won an Academy Award for best documentary film.
In 1984, Isaac Stern received the Kennedy Center Honors Award for his gifts to American culture through music. He expressed his thoughts about the part that music plays in life. He said music is an important part of a civilized life. He said people need music as much as they need bread.
Isaac Stern died in 2001 at the age of eighty-one. He was a major influence on music in the twentieth century. He leaves the world richer with his many recordings.
What did Isaac Stern think of music?

A．Necessary.

B．Difficult.

C．Entertaining.

D．Interesting.

The passage mentioned Isaac Stern's visit to China mainly to __________.

A．encourage people to develop the international relationship

B．advise the readers to take up music

C．introduce more achievements of Isaac Stern

D．show he acted as an international cultural ambassador

Which of the following statements is TRUE about Isaac Stern?

A．He was born in California in the 1920s.

B．He had visited many countries to advertise his recordings.

C．He played less than one hundred concerts in all.

D．His excellent music life lasted over 60 years.

From the passage, we can infer that __________.

A．Isaac Stern influenced the culture in the 20th century a lot

B．Isaac Stern was one of the most active musicians of his day

C．Isaac Stern was so busy that he couldn't spare time to educate the youth

D．Isaac Stern led a rich life in his later life

What will be the best title for the passage?

A．Isaac Stern and the Awards He Got

B．Isaac Stern's Life of Pursuing Music

C．Isaac Stern: One of the Most Honored Musicians

D．Isaac Stern's Visit to China

Dayron Robles of Cube was disqualified (取消资格) of his mark and the title in the men's 110m hurdles final for disruption (中断，破坏) of the event after the Chinese team made an appeal on Monday "night at the Daegu worlds."
In the breath-taking final, Robles and Chinese legend Liu Xiang were neighbors in Lane 5 arid Large 6, respectively. After the starting gun fire, the two world's fastest-ever hurdlers were almost running neck to neck in the first eight hurdles and took the lead.
In the ninth hurdle, however, Robles, right trailing hand was seen hitting on Liu's left hand. As a result, Liu's rhythm was disturbed and his blistering pace slowed down. Right before the tenth and final hurdle, Robles made further hand contact with Liu, who tripped on the hurdle.
An official with the IAAF told reporters that the Daegu track referee council has decided to disqualify Robles, mark and it was unknown whether the Cuban team would appeal.
Before the disqualification, Robles won the 110m hurdles in 13. 14 seconds, followed by Jason Richardson with 13.16 seconds. Liu Xiang finished third in 13.27 seconds.
Robles, in a televised interview, admitted that he didn't like his technique in Monday night's game and he was tangling with Liu over the last hurdle.
Liu said he "felt like someone touched my elbowand I lost my balance for a while but then I managed to stabilize it".
A member of Liu's coach team had told Xinhua right after the game that the Chinese Athletics Association might appeal for the disruption. While Liu told reporters that he didn't care about the color of the medal.
Daegu on Monday night sees the first Championship clash of hurdling's current big three—Robles, Liu Xiang and 2011's fastest man David Oliver of USA.
They are also the three fastest men in the history of the event—Robles, 12.87 seconds, Liu 12.88, Oliver 12.89. The 110m hurdle final is their first meeting in a final at a global championship.
Who won the gold medal after the disqualification?

A．Dayron Robles.

B．Jason Richardson.

C．David Oliver.

D．Another famous runner.

Robles admitted in an interview that __________.

A．he had quarreled with Liu before the race

B．he had touched Liu's elbow on purpose

C．he had made technical mistakes

D．he had run less faster than Liu

Who is the fastest man in the history of the men's 110m hurdles?

A．Dayton Robles.

B．Liu Xiang.

C．David Oliver.

D．Not mentioned.

Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．After the starting gun fire, Liu Xiang ran faster than Dayron Robles.

B．In the ninth hurdle, Liu's running rhythm was disturbed by Robles.

C．It was still unknown if the Cuban team would appeal.

D．Liu was not disappointed at the results of the competition.

A．To book train tickets.	B．To exchange money.
C．To visit a coin show.	D．To visit the station itself.

A．Each state joined the Union.	B．Each President was born.
C．Each President took office.	D．Each President died.