Gauri Nanda sees a wearable computer as a handbag — one that’s built out of four-inch squares and triangles of fiber, with tiny computer chips embedded (嵌入) in it. It looks, feels and weighs like your typical leather purse.
That’s where similarities end: This bag can wirelessly keep track of your belongings and remind you, just as you’re about to leave the house, to take your wallet. It can review the weather report and suggest that you grab an umbrella. This purse can even upload your favorite songs onto your scarf.
Sure, a computing purse and scarf set may seem like the stuff of science fiction. But these devices, part of next generation of wearable computers, could become commonplace within a few years. DuPont created new super strong fibers that can conduct electricity and can be woven into ordinary-looking clothes. And the chipmaker developed chip packaging allowing wearable computers to be washed, even in the heavy-duty cycle.
As a result, these new wearable devices are different from the heavy and downright silly versions of the recent past, which often required users to be wrapped in wires and type on their stomachs. Unlike their predecessors, these new wearable computers also make economic sense. When her bag becomes commercially available in two to three years, Nanda expects it will cost around $150, which is the price of an average leather purse.
Here’s how the bag works: You place a special radio-signal-transmitting chip on to your wallet. A similar radio in your purse picks up the signal and notifies you that you’ve forgotten to take your wallet. In turn, sensors on your purse’s handles will notify the computer that you’ve picked up the purse and are ready to go.
Already, these new kinds of wearable devices are being adopted for use in markets like auto repair, emergency services, medical monitoring — and even, increasingly, for consumers at large. Indeed, more people will want to cross that bridge in the coming years — making for a booming market for wearable computers that don’t like something out of science fiction.Which of the following describes a wearable computer?
| A．It can be washed in a washing machine. |
| B．It is much heavier than a leather purse. |
| C．It can download songs from the Internet. |
| D．It is made of clothes conducting electricity. |
According to the passage, these new wearable computers ________________________.
| A．require users to operate on the stomach |
| B．pick up the signals through wires and chip |
| C．are being applied in some different areas now |
| D．are smarter but more expensive than the old ones |
What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?
| A．These new wearable computers have become fashionable. |
| B．People would like to learn more about these new computers. |
| C．These new wearable computers promise to sell well in the future. |
| D．The idea of these purse-like computers comes from science fiction. |
The purpose of the passage is ________________________________________.
| A．to introduce a new kind of computer | B．to explain the function of computers |
| C．to compare different types of computers | D．to show how high technology affects our life |
Lying in the sun on a rock, the cougar （美洲狮）saw Jeb and his son, Tom, before they saw it．Jeb put his bag down quickly and pulled his jacket open with both hands, making himself look big to the cougar．It worked．The cougar hesitated, ready to attack Jeb, but ready to forget the whole thing, too．
Jeb let go of his jacket, grasped Tom and held him across his body, making a cross．Now the cougar’s enemy looked even bigger, and it rose up, ready to move away, but unfortunately Tom got scared and struggled free of Jeb．
“Tom, no!” shouted his father．
But Tom broke and ran and that’s the last thing you do with a cougar．The second Tom broke free, Jeb threw himself on the cougar, just as it jumped from the rock．They hit each other in mid-air and both fell．The cougar was on Jeb in a flash, forgetting about Tom, which was what Jeb wanted．
Cougars are not as big as most people think and a determined man stands a chance, even with just his fists．As the cougar’s claws（爪子）got into his left shoulder, Jeb swung his fist at its eyes and hit, hard．The animal howled（吼叫）and put its head back．Jeb followed up with his other fist．Then out of the comer of his eye, Jeb saw Tom．The boy was running back to help his father．
“Knife, Tom,” shouted Jeb．
The boy ran to his father’s bag, while Jeb started shouting as well as hitting, to keep the cougar’s attention away from Tom．Tom got the knife and ran over to Jeb．The cougar was moving its head in and out, trying to find a way through the wall Jeb was making out of his arms．Tom swung with the knife, into the cougar’s back．It howled horribly and ran off into the mountains．
The whole fight had taken about thirty seconds．
16．Why did Jeb pull his jacket open when he saw the cougar?
A．To get ready to fight． B．To frighten it away．
C．To protect the boy． D．To cool down．
17．What do we know about cougars?
A．They are afraid of noises． B．They hesitate before they hit．
C．They are bigger than we think． D．They like to attack running people．
18．How did Jeb try to hold the cougar’s attention?
A．By keeping shouting and hitting． B．By making a wall out of his arms．
C．By throwing himself on the cougar． D．By swinging his fists at the cougar’s eyes．
19．Which of the following happened first?
A．The cougar jumped from the rock． B．Tom struggled free of his father．
C．Jeb asked Tom to get the knife． D．Jeb held Tom across his body．
Our “Mommy and Me” time began two years ago．My next-door neighbor and fellow mother, Christie, and I were out in our front yards, watching seven children of age 6 and under ride their bikes up and down．“I wish I could take one of my children out alone,” said Christie．
Then we worked out a plan: When Christie takes one of her children out, I’ll watch her other three．And when she watches two of mine, I’ll take someone out．
The children were extremely quick to accept the idea of “Mommy and Me” time．Christie’s daughter, McKenzie, went first．When she returned, the other children showered her with tons of questions．McKenzie was smiling broadly．Christie looked refreshed and happy．“She’s like a different child when there’s no one else around,” Christie shared with me quickly．With her mother all to herself, McKenzie didn’t have to make an effort to gain attention．
Just as Christie had noticed changes in McKenzie, I also discovered something different in each of my children during our alone times．For example, I am always surprised when my daughter, who is seldom close to me, holds my hand frequently．My stuttering（口吃的）son, Tom, doesn’t stutter once during our activities since he doesn’t have to struggle for a chance to speak．And the other son, Sam, who’s always a follower when around other children shines as a leader during our times together．
The “Mommy and Me” time allows us to be simply alone and away with each child —talking, sharing, and laughing, which has been the biggest gain．Every child deserves（应得到）to be an only child at least once in a while．
20．What is the text mainly about?
A．The experience of the only child being with mother．
B．The advantage of spending time with one child at a time．
C．The happy life of two families．
D．The basic needs of children．
21．Right after McKenzie came back, the other children were _____________．
A．happy B．curious C．regretful D．friendly
22．What is one of the changes the author finds in her children?
A．The daughter acts like a leader． B．Sam holds her hand more often．
C．The boys become better followers． D．Tom has less difficulty in speaking．
23．The author seems to believe that ___________．
A．having brothers and sisters is fun
B．it’s tiring to look after three children
C．every child needs parents’ full attention
D．parents should watch others’ children
It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005．While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work．On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does．After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone．
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport．Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family．And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live．
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story．Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help．One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up．Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job．It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before．
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so．This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole．And it has influenced（影响）us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others．No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares．And the results can be everlasting．
16．Why was the bike so important to the couple?
A．The man’s job was bike racing． B．It was their only possession．
C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed． D．They used it for work and daily life．
17．We can infer from the text that ____________．
A．the couple worked 60 hours a week． B．people were busy before Christmas
C．the stranger brought over the bike D．life was hard for the young family．
18．How did people get to know the couple’s problem?
A．From radio broadcasts． B．From a newspaper．
C．From TV news． D．From a stranger．
19．What do the couple learn from their experience?
A．Strangers are usually of little help． B．One should take care of their bike．
C．News reports make people famous． D．An act of kindness can mean a lot．
Our “Mommy and Me” time began two years ago．My next-door neighbor and fellow mother, Christie, and I were out in our front yards, watching seven children of age 6 and under ride their bikes up and down．“I wish I could take one of my children out alone,” said Christie．
Then we worked out a plan: When Christie takes one of her children out, I’ll watch her other three．And when she watches two of mine, I’ll take someone out．
The children were extremely quick to accept the idea of “Mommy and Me” time．Christie’s daughter, McKenzie, went first．When she returned, the other children showered her with tons of questions．McKenzie was smiling broadly．Christie looked refreshed and happy．“She’s like a different child when there’s no one else around,” Christie shared with me quickly．With her mother all to herself, McKenzie didn’t have to make an effort to gain attention．
Just as Christie had noticed changes in McKenzie, I also discovered something different in each of my children during our alone times．For example, I am always surprised when my daughter, who is seldom close to me, holds my hand frequently．My stuttering（口吃的）son, Tom, doesn’t stutter once during our activities since he doesn’t have to struggle for a chance to speak．And the other son, Sam, who’s always a follower when around other children shines as a leader during our times together．
The “Mommy and Me” time allows us to be simply alone and away with each child —talking, sharing, and laughing, which has been the biggest gain．Every child deserves（应得到）to be an only child at least once in a while．
20．What is the text mainly about?
A．The experience of the only child being with mother．
B．The advantage of spending time with one child at a time．
C．The happy life of two families．
D．The basic needs of children．
21．Right after McKenzie came back, the other children were _____________．
A．happy B．curious C．regretful D．friendly
22．What is one of the changes the author finds in her children?
A．The daughter acts like a leader． B．Sam holds her hand more often．
C．The boys become better followers． D．Tom has less difficulty in speaking．
23．The author seems to believe that ___________．
A．having brothers and sisters is fun
B．it’s tiring to look after three children
C．every child needs parents’ full attention
D．parents should watch others’ children
It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005．While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work．On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does．After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone．
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport．Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family．And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live．
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story．Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help．One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up．Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job．It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before．
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so．This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole．And it has influenced（影响）us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others．No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares．And the results can be everlasting．
16．Why was the bike so important to the couple?
A．The man’s job was bike racing． B．It was their only possession．
C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed． D．They used it for work and daily life．
17．We can infer from the text that ____________．
A．the couple worked 60 hours a week． B．people were busy before Christmas
C．the stranger brought over the bike D．life was hard for the young family．
18．How did people get to know the couple’s problem?
A．From radio broadcasts． B．From a newspaper．
C．From TV news． D．From a stranger．
19．What do the couple learn from their experience?
A．Strangers are usually of little help． B．One should take care of their bike．
C．News reports make people famous． D．An act of kindness can mean a lot．