Have you heard of snake robots? Scientists and doctors are already using tiny snakes that coil through the human body armed with sharp surgical tools to perform operations on hearts, prostate cancer, and other diseased organs. The snake robots that carry tiny cameras, scissors and forceps, and even more advanced sensors are being developed.
The next generation of the robots will be wireless, and will explore inside your body on their own--- not attached to any cables. For now, they are powered by cables that humans control. Experts say the day is coming when some robots will roam around the body on their own. But the experts in robotics say the new creations work best when they are designed for very specific tasks.
Howie Choset has been researching and building robots, particularly snake robots. He believes that his snake robot and others like it can help reduce medical costs by making complex surgery faster and easier. Choset says his new design is smaller and more flexible than earlier models.
The size of surgical robots allows surgeons to operate with far less damage to the body, helping the patient heal faster. Choset has also built larger snake robots designed for search and rescue, or just exploration. They can climb poles and trees and then look around through a camera in the head and slither through places that humans cannot reach.
“ We sent our snake robots into these caves in the Red Sea to look for evidence of ancient Egyptian ships,” he said. “ To me, archeology is like search and rescue, but everyone has been dead for 5,000 years.”
The doctors are very excited about the potential for surgical robots to do things that humans can’t do. The variety of sensors available for surgical robots keeps expanding. As they get smaller, maybe one day they will be able to test chemicals or blood in the body, or even the electrical connections in nerves.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．The doctors carry out surgery using snake robots mainly for heart disease. |
| B．The doctors are very satisfied with the new snake robots during surgery. |
| C．Snake robots are completely free of human control today. |
| D．Other supplementary appliances will be added to snake robots. |
Which of the following is true, according to the passage?
| A．Snake robots are only used in the medical field. |
| B．Snake robots can reduce the patients’ medical costs. |
| C．Scientists are uncertain about the prospects for snake robots. |
| D．Scientists are forced to spend a lot of time researching snake robots. |
How can snake robots work best, according to the passage?
| A．When they carry tiny cameras, scissors and forceps. |
| B．When they are operated by experienced doctors. |
| C．When they are given a wireless function. |
| D．When they are designed for particular tasks. |
Why do we know about Howie Choset, according to the passage?
| A．He thought snake robots of different sizes can be used for different types of surgery. |
| B．He thought patients’ pain had been slightly reduced with the help of snake robots. |
| C．He also made snake robots for search, rescue and exploration. |
| D．He is very interested in researching ancient Egyptian ships. |
The writers attitude towards the new technology is ______.
| A．optimistic | B．doubtful | C．objective | D．negative |
Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea．People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.
Tea remained scarce and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.
At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea．Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added．She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk.
At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess (公爵夫人) found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o’clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her and so, tea-time was born.Which of the following is true of the introduction of tea into Britain?
| A．The Britons got expensive tea from India. |
| B．Tea reached Britain from Holland. |
| C．The Britons were the first people in Europe who drank tea. |
| D．It was not until the 17th century that the Britons had tea. |
This passage mainly discusses_____________.
| A．the history of tea drinking in Britain |
| B．how tea became a popular drink in Britain |
| C．how the Britons got the habit of drinking tea |
| D．how tea-time was born |
Tea became a popular drink in Britain.
| A．in eighteenth century |
| B．in sixteenth century |
| C．in seventeenth century |
| D．in the late seventeenth century |
People in Europe began to drink tea with milk because.
| A．it tasted like milk |
| B．it tasted more pleasant |
| C．it became a popular drink |
| D．Madame de Sevinge was such a lady with great social influence that people tried to copy the way she drank tea |
We may infer from the passage that the habit of drinking tea in Britain was mostly due to the influence of ________.
| A．a famous French lady | B．the ancient Chinese |
| C．the upper social class | D．people in Holland |
People in the United States honor their parents with 2 special days: Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May and Father’s Day on the 3rd Sunday in June. These days are to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer an opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home and more fathers must help with childcare.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On mother’s Day, people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It’s also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery(grave). On these days families get together at home as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecue for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are more valued than those bought in stores. It’s not the value of the gift that is important, but “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakers, phone companies and other stores do lots of business during these holidays.Which is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?
| A．Parents bring up children. |
| B．Parents give love and care to children. |
| C．Parents educate children to be good persons. |
| D．Parents pass away before children grow up. |
What do you know from the passage?
| A．Both festivals are in May. |
| B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past. |
| C．Not all the children respect their parents. |
| D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home. |
Which do you know about “carnation”?
| A．It only has two kinds of color. |
| B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day. |
| C．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes. |
| D．People can wear them only on the second Sunday in May. |
On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day ___________.
| A．people sometimes have family parties |
| B．everyone goes to the cemetery |
| C．children always go to parents’ home |
| D．hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts. |
What do you think “florists” do ?
| A．They sell flowers. |
| B．They make bread or pastry. |
| C．They offer enough room for having family parties. |
| D．They sell special clothes for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. |
A fad diet is a diet that suddenly becomes popular, usually because it promises people that they will lose a lot of weight overnight. Although dieters may really show weight loss from a fad diet, they will almost certainly get back the weight if their usual eating habits (习惯) remain unchanged. Moreover, fad diets continuously call for special products of questionable value or for “health foods” that may cost twice as much as supermarket(超市) foods. Worse yet, certain fad diets don't include nutrients(营养)good for health. People have been known to become very ill as a result of following medically unhealthy diets.
The worse fact of fad diets, though, is that they keep people who are over-weight or sick from receiving the medical care that they truly need.The word “fad” in the first sentence means ______.
| A．new | B．wonderful | C．popular quickly | D．loved by people |
From the text we know that ______.
| A．people refuse to accept fad diets |
| B．fad diets can help people to lose weight |
| C．a man can lose weight after eating a fad diet |
| D．fad diets are now welcomed by people |
In the writer's opinion, fad diets______.
| A．are very helpful | B．are not healthy diet |
| C．won't cost much | D．include lots of nutrients |
A fad dieter has to ______.
| A．spend more money | B．lose much weight |
| C．keep his usual eating habits | D．go to doctors very often |
The last paragraph tells us ______.
| A．that fad dieters are often overweight |
| B．fad dieters need medical care if they are overweight or sick |
| C．how fad dieters get sick |
| D．overweight or sick fad dieter can’t get medical care in time |
Good health is the most valuable thing a person can have, but one cannot take good health for granted. It is important to remember that the body needs proper care in order to be healthy. There are three things that a person can do to help stay in good shape: eat right food ,get enough sleep, and exercise regularly.
Proper nutrition (营养) is important for good health. Your body cannot work well unless it receives the proper kind of “fuel”(燃料).Don't eat too much food with lots of sugar and fat. Eat plenty of foods high in protein (蛋白质) ,like meat, fish, eggs and nuts. Vegetables and fruits are very important because they provide necessary vitamins (维他命) and minerals. However, don't overeat. It is not helpful to be overweight.
Getting the proper amount of sleep is also important. If you don't get enough sleep, you feel tired and easily get angry. You have no energy. Over a long period of time a little a amount of sleep may even result in a change of personality (人的个性).Be sure to allow yourself from seven to nine hours of sleep each night. If you do, your body will feel strong and refreshed, and your mind will be sharp.
Finally, get plenty of exercise. Exercise firms the body, strengthens the muscles, and prevents you from gaining weight. It also improves your heart and lungs. If you follow a regular exercise program, you will probably increase your life-span (寿命).Any kind of exercise is good. Most sports are excellent for keeping the body in good shapes: basketball, swimming, bicycling, running and so on are good examples. Sports are not only good for your body, but they are enjoyable and interesting, too.
If everybody, were to eat the right foods, get plenty of sleep and exercise regularly, the world would be a happier and healthier place. We would all live to be much older and wiser.According to the passage,_________.
| A．we should always keep fit |
| B．if we were healthy, we could spend our days in doing things with less sleep |
| C．one can eat a lot to stay in good shape |
| D．one needn't take any exercise if he is healthy |
In order to keep good health, ___________ .
| A．we should eat a lot of sweets |
| B．one needs a large amount of fat |
| C．people should eat according to the foods nutrition |
| D．we must try to sleep now and then |
Eating more and sleeping less________.
| A．can keep healthy |
| B．is no good for you |
| C．gets you more energy |
| D．will keep your personality |
The writer explains ________in this passage.
| A．how to eat |
| B．the importance of doing exercise |
| C．how to keep healthy |
| D．what to eat |
The title of the article should be___________ .
| A．Eating and Exercising |
| B．How Vitamins Work in Man's Body |
| C．Staying Healthy |
| D．Sleeping Well |
Agnes Miller was one of the earliest leaders of the Women’s Liberation Movement in the United States. She was born on a farm in Missouri in 1892. Strangely enough she had a very happy life as a child. She was the only daughter and the youngest child of five. Her parents and her brothers always treated her as their favorite.
In 1896 the family moved to Chicago. Three years later they moved back to St. Louis where Agnes spent the rest of her childhood. She enjoyed her years in school and was an excellent student of mathematics. She also was quite skillful as a painter.
It was when Agnes went off to college that she first learned that women were not treated as equals. She didn’t like being treated unequally but she tried not to notice it. After graduating from college she tried to get a job in her major field—physics. She soon found it was almost impossible for a woman.
Agnes spent a full year looking for a job. Finally she gave up in anger. She began writing letters of anger to various newspapers. An editor in New York liked her ideas very much. He specially liked her style. He asked her to do a series of stories on the difficulties that women had in finding a job. And there she began her great fight for equal rights for women.Where did Agnes spend her childhood?
| A．Missouri. | B．Chicago. |
| C．New York. | D．St. Louis and Chicago. |
At school, Agnes was good at .
| A．physics and painting |
| B．maths and painting |
| C．writing and maths |
| D．physics and writing |
What happened in Agnes’s life when she was in college?
| A．She learned to accept the fact that men and women were unequal. |
| B．She learned that it was impossible for a woman to be a scientist. |
| C．She came to know of the inequality between men and women. |
| D．She developed her personal way of writing. |