WASHINGTON --- It’s a great achievement that inspires concepts of robots with consciousness and independent minds.
When people or animals get hurt, they can usually compensate for minor injuries and keep limping along, but for robots, even slight damage can make them stumble and fall. However, a recently made robot has demonstrated a new ability: it can heal its own damage.
The new robot, which looks like a splay-legged (弓形腿的), four-footed starfish, can sense injury to itself and adapt. That ability sets the new robot apart from earlier machines. Because the robot can recover from unfamiliar places.
“There is a need for planetary robotic rovers (行星机器探测车) to be able to fix things on their own,” says Josh Bongard, a professor in the Univer
sity of Vermont, who is one of the device’s creator. “Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human help if they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth.”
A typical robot functions according to a computer program, but the new robot works differently. First, sensors in its four legs observe the robot’s movements and signals to its built-in computer. From the information it collects, the robot creates its own programs that allow it to adapt to different situations. For example, when the researchers shortened one of the robot’s legs, the smart machine simply adjusted its way of walking—it used three legs instead of four.
The researchers are looking for other places to put the resilient robot to work. One spot is the ocean floor. That dark and dangerous undersea area might be a good choice for a robot that the scientists call the Starfish. “We never officially named the robot, but we usually refer to it as the Starfish, even though a real starfish has five rather than four legs,” says Bongard. “Also, a real starfish is much better than our robot at recovering from injury, because it can actually grow its legs again.” Scientists have created robots that help humans in many ways: by exploring space, fighting fires, and even performing s
urgery.The newly designed robot distinguishes itself from the former ones because it________.
| A．can communicate with people on the earth about their problems |
| B．works according to a certain computer program |
| C．can find its problems and solve them automatically |
| D．can explore unfamiliar places |
An example is given in the fourth paragraph in order to explain that the robot ________.
| A．is used to create new programs |
| B．has typical robot functions |
| C．has sensors to observe its movements |
| D．can gather information and adapt to new conditions |
Which of the following is TRUE about the robot “Starfish”?
| A．It was spoken highly of by people for its special ability. |
| B．It will stumble and fall if damaged. |
| C．It can grow its legs again once they are broken. |
| D．It has started to work on the ocean floor. |
What might be the best title of the passage?
| A．How the Starfish Robot Works |
| B．Do-It-Yourself Robot Repair |
| C．Robots Designed to Work on Other Planets |
| D．New Robot Helping Us in Many Ways |
It was Mother's Day，but the young mother was a little unhappy，because she was 800 miles away from her parents．In the morning she phoned her mother to wish her a happy Mother's Day，and her mother told her about the beautiful lilacs（丁香）in the garden．
Later that day，when she told her husband about the lilacs，he said，“I know where we can find all that you want．Get the children and come on．”So they went，driving down the country roads．
There on a small hill，they saw a lot of beautiful purple(紫色的) lilacs．The young woman ran quickly to enjoy the flowers．Carefully，she picked a few here and a few there．On their way home there was a smile on her face．
When they were passing a nursing home（养老院），the young woman saw an old granny sitting in a chair．She had no children with her．They stopped the car and the young woman walked to the old woman，put the flowers in her hands，and smiled at her．The old granny thanked her again and again．She smiled happily，too．
When the young mother came back to her car，her children asked her，“Who is that old granny？Why did you give our flowers to her？”
“I don't know her，”their mother said．“But it's Mother's Day，and she has no children．I have all of you，and I still have my mother．Just think how much those flowers meant to her．”
56. The young woman was a little unhappy on Mother's Day because．
A．she didn't have a present B．she was a long way from her mother
C．she didn't know it was Mother's Day D．she wanted to see her father
57. The young woman had．
A．one child B．no child
C．more than one child D．a boy and a girl
58.The young woman gave the flowers to the old granny because．
A．she was her mother B．she didn't like those flowers
C．her mother asked her to do so D．she wanted the old granny to be happy，too
59. Which of the following is NOT true？
A．The young woman was kind． B．The young woman was understanding．
C．The young woman was friendly． D．The young woman was surprised．
For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. Some may hide. But all of them have something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They’re called latchkey children. They’re children who look after themselves while their parents work and their bad condition has become a subject of concern（关心）。
Lynette Long was once the principal（校长）of an elementary school. Said, “We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of the kids had chains around their necks with keys attached（附带）。 I was often telling them to put them inside their shirts. There were so many keys that it never came to my mind what they meant.” Slowly, she learned they were house keys.
She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the effect working couples and single parents had on their children Fear is the biggest problem faced by children at home alone. One in each three latchkey children the Longs talked to reported being scared（害怕）.Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety.
The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower stall, under a bed, in a closet. The second is TV. They’ll often play it high volume.
It’s hard to get statistics（统计数字）on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone.
71. The main idea about “latchkey” children is that they ______.
are growing in numbers
are also found in middle-class neighborhoods
watch too much TV during the day
suffer problems from being left alone
72. Which sentence in the second paragraph is the topic sentence?
We had a school rule against wearing jewelry.
A lot of kids had chains around their necks.
I was often telling them to put them inside their shirts.
She learned they were house keys.
73. The main feeling these children have when they are at home by themselves is ______.
A. tiredness B. freedom C. loneliness D. fear
74. The word “nightmare” in the third paragraph probably means______.
A. night suit B. night habit
C. terrible dream at night D. staying up at night
75. We may draw a conclusion that_______.
latchkey children enjoy having such a large amount of time alone
latchkey children try to hide their feeling
latchkey children often watch TV with their parents
it’s difficult to find out how many latchkey children there are
The following table shows some results of a survey （调查）in which 800 Japanese school pupils were asked to give their impressions（印象）of their classroom teachers. The pupils’ impressions were found to differ depending on whether the teacher was new (with less than three years’ experience), middle-standing(ten to twenty years), or veteran（有经验的）（twenty to thirty years）. The numbers in the table show the percentage of the pupils who answered “very satisfied” or “extremely satisfied” for each question item （项目）
| Question Items |
New |
Middle-standing |
Veteran |
| 1.Shows sense of humor in class 2.Explains clearly 3.Teaches in a relaxed（放松的）manner. 4. Writes neatly on the blackboard 5. Lets pupils ask questions in class 6. Makes checks in notebooks 7. Speaks loudly and clearly 8. Treats pupils equally 9. Cares about pupils opinions 10. Spends time with pupils between classes |
42 33 30 9 18 22 45 43 47 25 |
56 58 46 43 30 30 85 58 43 10 |
70 68 65 56 47 43 54 42 17 6 |
67. The pupils’ evaluation（评价）can be said to rise at a steady rate（比率）as their teachers’ experience increases in Question Items______.
A. I and 4 B. 3 and 5 C. 6 and 8 D. 9 and 10
68. In contrast（对比）to the new teachers, the middle-standing and veteran teachers seem to have made a remarkable（显著的）improvement in their ability to _______.
A. be fair to any pupil B. evaluate pupils’ progress
C. present materials clearly D. understand and play with pupils
69. Pupils seem to regard the new and the middle-standing teachers as being more_____.
relaxed in class than the veterans
interested in pupils’ ideas than the veterans
neat in appearance than the veterans
skilful at explaining than the veterans
70. Which of the following statements is true according to the table?
In the new teachers’ classes, pupils seem to ask questions more freely.
Pupils seem to be quite satisfied with the amount（量）of time their teachers spend with them between classes.
The evaluation of the middle-standing teachers is lower than that of the veterans in seven items.
Though veterans do not play games with pupils during breaks, their teaching is rated highly.
Two Englishmen were traveling in France when a policeman stopped their car and gave it a search. He found a bag of white powder, which looked suspicious（可疑的）. “Drogue?” asked the policeman who was sensitive to heroin（海洛因）. “Yes, dog”, the two replied, having the least idea of their misunderstanding of the French word; and in no time they found themselves in prison. Analysis（分析）of the powder disclosed that it was a chemical which gave off a smell, used to discourage dogs from using the sides of the car as a toilet . The two were set free, after promising to take a few French lessons before their next trip in France.
63. The powder found in the car looked very much like______.
| A．heroin | B．gun-powder | C．medicine | D．fertilizer |
64. The French word “drogue” means______.
“dog”, which often used the sides of the car as a toilet
“drunk”, a state caused by the effect of drinking
“drug”, matter such as heroin and cocaine（可卡因）
“medicine”, used to cure people of their illnesses
65. The reason why the two Englishmen misunderstood the word “drogue” was that ______.
the words “drogue” and “dog” are more or less alike in pronunciation
“drogue” happened to be a word they had learned in their French lesson
they knew no French at all, but were shy of showing this
they didn’t know this word, but had a habit of taking things for granted
66.The two Englishmen were free_____.
directly after the analysis was carried out
after they had given a satisfactory explanation of the powder
after the police found out that they hadn’t broken traffic rules
on condition that they should do something to improve their French
Although man has known about asbestos for many hundreds of years, it was not until 160 years ago that it was mined for the first time on the North American continent. H. W. Johns, owner of a New York City Supply Shop for roofers, was responsible for （对……负责）the opening of that first mine.
Mr. Johns was given a piece of asbestos which had been found in Italy. He experimented with the material and then showed its surprising powers to his customers. After putting a pair of asbestos gloves, which looked much like ordinary work gloves, he took red-hot coals from the fireplace and played with them in his hands. How astonished the customers were to discover that he was not burned at all. You can well imagine that he had increasing business in asbestos roofing materials. However, because it was very expensive to transport(carry) them from Italy to the United States, Mr. Johns sent out a young scientist to seek a source nearer home. This young man found great vein（岩脉）
in the province of Quebec in Canada.
Ever since 1881, Quebec has led the world in the production of this unusual mineral, which is made up of magnesium, silicon, iron, and oxygen. When it is mined, the asbestos is heavy, just as you would expect a mineral to be. When it is separated, a strange thing happens: the rock breaks down into fine, soapy fibers（滑腻的纤维）。
Scientists do not know why the rock can be separated easily into threads（线）,but they have found thousands of uses for this fireproof material, often called the “cloth of stone”.
59. The title that best expresses the main idea of the passage is _____.
A. Asbestos mined in Canada B. Fireproof matter
C. A “wonder” mineral D. A new roofing material
60. Johns proved his ability （能力）as a salesman by_____.
going into the roofing business
carrying asbestos from Italy
sending a trained scientist
showing the use of asbestos gloves
61. Which is the most important character of asbestos that the author wants to show us?
A. It is like thread B. It feels soapy
C. It bums easily D. It is unusually heavy
62. The author’s main purpose in writing this passage is to______.
show the need for more scientists
compare asbestos with other minerals
increase the sales of asbestos
present facts about asbestos