Researchers are placing robotic dogs（机器狗）in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people’s depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated（应急的） ,”Edwards points out. “The problem is how we promote that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”
In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.
“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady, “When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his own.”
The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled(行动不便的) and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes（免除） exercise and feeding concerns.
“At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry.” Beck says，“But it’s amazing how quickly we have given up that belief.”
“Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people’s minds.” The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to .
| A．understand human-animal relationship |
| B．find the causes of old people’s loneliness |
| C．make lonely old people’s life better |
| D．promote the animal-assisted research |
In the research, the old people are asked to .
| A．note the activities of AIBOs | B．record their feelings and activity |
| C．keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks | D．analyze the collected information |
What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?
| A．It is easier to keep at home. | B．It responds to all the human orders. |
| C．It can help the disabled people. | D．It can watch TV with its owner. |
“It hurts me more than you” and “This is for your own good” — these are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin, clean my room, stay home and do homework.
That was before we entered the permissive period in education in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school. The schools and the educators made it easy for us. They taught that it as all right to be parents who take a let-alone policy. We stopped making our children do homework. We gave them calculators, turned on the television, left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation.
Now teachers, faced with children who have been developing at their own pace for the past 15 years, are realizing we’ve made a terrible mistake. One such teacher is Sharon Klompus who speaks of her students “so passive” and wonders what has happened. Nothing is demanded of them, she believes. Television, says Klompus, contributes to children’s passivity. “We’re talking about a generation of kids who've never been hurt or hungry. They have learned somebody will always do it for them, instead of saying 'go and look it up’, you tell them the answer. It takes greater energy to say no to a kid.”
Yes, it does. It takes energy and it takes work. It’s time for parents to end their vacation and come back to work. It's time to take the car away, to turn the TV off, to tell them it hurts you more than them but it's for their own good. It's time to start telling them no again. Children are becoming more inactive in study because _______.
| A．they watch TV too often | B．they have done too much homework |
| C．they have to fulfill too many duties | D．teachers are too strict with them |
By “permissive period in education” (L.1, Para. 2) the author means a time _______.
| A．when everything can be taught at school |
| B．when every child can be educated |
| C．when children are permitted to receive education |
| D．when children are allowed to do what they wish to |
The main idea of the passage is that _______.
| A．parents should leave their children alone |
| B．kids should have more activities at school |
| C．it's time to be more strict with our kids |
| D．parents should always set a good example to their kids |
| WHERE TO STAY IN BOSWELL YOUR GUIDE TO OUR BEST HOTEL |
|||||
| Name / Address |
Numbers of Rooms |
Single |
Double |
Special Attractions |
|
| FIRST HOTEL 222 Edward Road Tel. 414-6433 |
120 |
$25 |
$35 |
Air-conditioned rooms, French restaurant, Night club, Swimming-pool, Shops, Coffee shop and bar, Telephone, radioand TV in each room, Close to the city center |
|
| FAIRVIEW HOTEL 129 North Road Tel. 591-5620 |
50 |
$12 |
$18 |
Close to the air-port, Telephonein each room, Bar, Restaurant, Garage, Swimming- pool |
|
| ORCHARD HOTEL 233 Edward Road Tel. 641-6646 |
120 |
$15 |
$20 |
Facing First Hotel, European restaurant, Coffee shop, Dry-cleaning, Shops, TV, Night-club |
|
| OSAKA HOTEL 1264 Venning Road Tel. 643-820 |
180 |
$30 |
$50 |
Air-Conditioned rooms, Japanese and Chinese restaurants, Shops, Swimming-pool, Large garden |
The number of the rooms in the best hotels in Boswell is_______.
| A．120 | B．450 | C．240 | D．470 |
If a Japanese traveller likes to eat in French restaurant, _______ is the right place for him to go to.
| A．233 Edward Road | B．1264 Venning Road |
| C．222 Edward Road | D．129 North Road |
Which hotel faces the Orchard Hotel?
| A．The Osaka Hotel. | B．The Fairview Hotel. | C．The First Hotel. | D．No hotel. |
Mr. Backer is a kind-hearted man. Once he gave some food to a poor woman . Mr White, the boss of the restaurant, found it and became angry. He often gave the leftovers(剩饭菜) to some poor workers. Mr. Backers lost his work for it. It was difficult for him to find work in the small country though he was an able cook. The war made all stop. Children couldn't go to school, most shops were closed, even some farmers were hungry. Some people were made to leave their houses and they had to find the safe places. It was an autumn night. Mr Backer hadn't any food to eat and went to bed, but he couldn't fall asleep, because he was very hungry . suddenly he heard a noise in his room. He saw a man looking for something useful there. He said nothing and watched it carefully. At last the man took a few old clothes out of a broken paper box and took them away. He got up from his bed quickly and followed him gently(文雅地), with his quilt on his back. The man didn't find him and went into a small and wet house. Mr. Backer also went in and saw there was nothing in the room. The thief(贼) saw him and was surprised. He asked, “What did you come here for?” “You have carried my things here,” said Mr. Backer. “I have to move here, too!”Mr White sent Mr. Backer away because .
| A．he couldn't cook | B．he didn't work hard |
| C．he didn't like him at all | D．he gave some leftovers to the poor woman |
, so the people in the small country got into trouble.
| A．The war broke out(爆发) | B．It didn't rain |
| C．Children couldn't go to school | D．Shops and factories were closed |
Mr. Backer couldn't go to sleep because.
| A．the weather was cold | B．the weather was hot |
| C．he was hungry | D．he was ill |
Mr. Backer said nothing when the thief went into his room because .
| A．he wanted to send him to the police station | B．there was nothing expensive there |
| C．he was afraid the man could hurt him | D．he hoped the man could help him |
The underlined word “quilt” in this story means.
| A．珠宝 | B．钱箱 | C．被子 | D．鞋带 |
All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy, happy and help them to live longer.
Sports change with the season. People play different games in winter and summer.
Games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities. The Arab use horses or camels in much of their daily life; they use them in their sports, too.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers.
Some sports or games go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese boxing, for example , has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person’s character(性格品质). One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace（体面）.According to this passage we know that ________.
| A．people began to play about one hundred years ago |
| B．about 100 years ago people ran or jumped when they played |
| C．basketball has a long history than volleyball |
| D．not all the games have long history |
According to the passage, which of the following isn’t true?______
| A．Sports help to train a person’s character. |
| B．People swim only because there are a lot of rivers in their country. |
| C．People from different countries may not be able to understand each other before a game. |
| D．Sports and games can develop the friendship between people all over the world. |
The writer didn’t tell us in this passage that ______.
| A．basketball was invented in America |
| B．sports change with seasons |
| C．games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities |
| D．football is played all over the world |
In today’s world, English is the most wildly used language. It is our duty to learn English in the new situation of the reform and opening (改革开放) to the outside world. How can we master the English language ? I’d like to give you some good advice.
First, get interested in it. I enjoy listening to foreign friends talking when I was a child. At the same time I watched the English programme Follow Me on TV. From then on, I kept on learning English. The more I learned, the more progress I made.
Second, practice makes perfect. Many people study English very hard, but they are very shy to speak it in public, for they are afraid of making mistakes. Remember you have to make a mistake before you can correct it. A native English speaker makes mistakes sometimes, too.
Third, the beginners should be encouraged to pay attention to idioms. The English language has many idioms. For example, you should say “ He is as strong as a cow.” The writer wants to tell us ____________.
| A．the importance of learning English |
| B．the new situation of the reform and opening to the outside world |
| C．some good ideas on how to master English |
| D．the wide use of the English language |
If we want to learn English, we must first __________.
| A．show interest in it | B．enjoy listening to it |
| C．watch English programmes on TV | D．practice speaking it |
When we are learning English, ____________.
| A．remember the mistakes and correct them | B．try not to make any mistakes |
| C．avoid mistakes before making them | D．don’t be afraid of making mistakes |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 means “_______________.”
| A．Remember to make a mistake before you can correct it |
| B．You are sure to make a mistake before you can correct it |
| C．Remember you have to make a mistake and then correct it |
| D．You’ll make a mistake after you can correct it |