Thirteen vehicles lined up last March to race across the Mojave Desert, seeking a million in prize money. To win, they had to finish the 142-mile race in less than 10 hours. Teams and watchers knew there might be no winner at all, because these vehicles were missing a key part—drivers.
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, organized the race as part of a push to develop robotic vehicles for future battlefields. But the Grand Challenge, as it was called, just proved how difficult it is to get a car to speed across an unfamiliar desert without human guidance. One had its brake lock up in the starting area, Another began by throwing itself onto a wall. Another got tied up by bushes near the road after 1.9 miles.
One turned upside down. One took off in entirely the wrong direction and had to be disabled by remote (远距离的) consol. One went a little more than a mile and rushed into a fence; another managed to go for six miles but stuck on a rock. The “winner,”if there was any, reached 7.8 miles before it ran into a long, narrow hole, and the front wheels caught on fire.
“You get a lot of respect for natural abilities of the living things,” says Reinhold Behringer, who helped design two of the ear-size vehicles for a company called Sci-Autonics, “Even ants (蚂蚁) can do all these tasks effortlessly. It’s very hard for us to put these abilities into our machines.”
The robotic vehicles, though with necessary modern equipment such as advanced computers and GPS guidance, had trouble figuring out fast enough the blocks ahead that a two-year-old human recognizes immediately. Sure, that very young child, who has just only learned to walk, may not think to wipe apple juice off her face, but she already knows that when there’s a cookie in the kitchen she has to climb up the table, and that when she gets to the cookie it will taste good. She is more advanced, even months old, than any machine humans have designed.DARPA organized the race in order to ______.
| A．raise money for producing more robotic vehicles |
| B．push the development of vehicle industry |
| C．train more people to drive in the desert |
| D．improve the vehicles for future wars |
From the passage we know “robotic vehicles” are a kind of machines that ______.
| A．can do effortlessly whatever tasks living things can |
| B．can take part in a race across 142 miles with a time limit |
| C．can show off their ability to turn themselves upside down |
| D．can move from place to p1ace without being driven by human beings |
In the race, the greatest distance one robotic vehicle covered was_____ .
| A．about eight miles | B．six miles | C．almost two miles | D．about one mile |
In the last paragraph, the writer implies that there is a long way to go____ .
| A．for a robotic vehicle to finish a 142-mile race without any difficulties |
| B．for a little child who has just learned to walk to reach the cookie on the table |
| C．for a robotic vehicle to deal with a simple problem that a little child can solve |
| D．for a little child to understand the importance of wiping apple juice off its face |
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
请阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
In ancient times the most important examinations were spoken, not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome, testing usually was made up of saying poetry aloud and giving speeches.
In the European universities of the Middle Ages, students who were working for advanced degrees had to discuss questions in their field of study with people who had made a special study of the subject. This custom exists today as part of the process of testing candidates(应试者) for the doctor’s degree.
Generally, however, modern examinations are written. The written examination, where all students are tested on the same questions, was probably not known until the nineteenth century. Perhaps it came into existence with the great increase in population and the development of modern industry. A room full of candidates for a state examination timed exactly by electric clocks and carefully watched over by managers, looks like a group of workers at an automobile factory. Certainly, during examinations teachers and students are expected to act like machines.
One type of test is sometimes called an “objective” test. It is intended to deal with facts, not personal opinions. To make up an objective test, the teacher writes a series of questions, each of which has only one correct answer. Along with each question the teacher writes the correct answer and also three statements that look like answers to students who have not learned the material properly.
56. The main idea of Paragraph Three is that ___________ .
A. workers now take examinations B. the population has grown
C. there are only written exams today D. examinations are now written and timed
57. The kind of exams where students must select answers are ___________ .
A. objective B. personal C. spoken D. written
58. Modern industry must have developed ____________ .
A. around the 19th century B . before the Middle Ages
C. in Greece or Rome D. machines to take tests
59. It may be concluded that testing __________ .
A. should test only opinions B. should always be written
C. is given only in factories D. has changed since the Middle Ages
Italians are considered the most handsome men in the world while men who are balding(变秃的) and aging do not necessarily lose their looks, according to an international survey.
A “Male Beauty” survey of nearly 10,000 men and women in 12 countries conducted by market research firm Synovate found that good hygiene (卫生) was actually the top requirement for men to being considered handsome.
The second main requirement to be considered good-looking was confidence, with nearly one fifth of all respondents saying a man must carry himself well, followed by having a “great smile”.
Hair, or a lack of, seemed to have little impact with only one percent of respondents saying that a full head of hair was needed to be handsome.
Older men can also take heart as 60 percent of respondents said a man’s appearance gets better with age, with Americans, Chinese, Greeks and Malaysians agreeing with that the most. “Men are seen like a fine wine – they only get better, which is good news for some of us, ” Bob Michaels, Synovate spokesman, said in a statement.
But looks did also come down to geography. The survey, conducted in October in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Greece, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Britain and the United States, found Italian men were considered to be the most handsome – even though Italy was not in those countries surveyed. They were followed by men from the United States, Russia and Brazil.
In Spain, more men than women consider having muscles and dressing well to be necessarily requirements, while the opposite was true for Greek women, who were more likely to think a macho (男子气概的) look was appealing. Far more British, French and Australian women also seemed to value “a great smile” than men do.
1.How many respondents think hair is the necessary requirement for men?
A. 12. B. 100. C. 10,000. D. 60.
2.According to the survey, the underlined phrase “come down to” can be replaced by “________”.
A. stand for B. equal to C. relate to D. go with
3.By saying “Men are seen like a fine wine” means “________”.
A. men’s appearances get better as time goes by
B. men are almost addicted to a fine wine
C. drinking fine wine is often seem according to the survey
D. a fine wine can make men look better
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Synovate was one of the respondents from Italy.
B. Russian men were ranking the third place.
C. Having a great smile is the most important for Spanish men.
D. There are 12 countries surveyed, including Italy and Canada.
Astronomers (天文学家) say they are on the point of finding planets like Earth orbiting other stars, which is a key step in determining if we are alone in the universe.
A top NASA official and other leading scientists say that within four or five years they should discover the first Earth-like planet where life could develop, or may have already. A planet close to the size of Earth could even be found sometime this year.
At the annual American Astronomical Society conference this week, each discovery involving so-called “exoplanets” —those outside our solar system — pointed to the same conclusion：Quiet planets like Earth where life could develop probably are plentiful.
NASA’s Dew Kepler telescope and a lot of new research from the suddenly hot and competitive exoplanet field caused noticeable buzz at the meeting．Scientists are talking about being at “an incredible special place in history” and closer to answering the question. “Are we alone? For the first time, there’s an optimism that sometime in our lifetimes we’re going to get to the bottom of that,” said Simon Worden，an astronomer who heads NASA’s Ames Research Center. “If I were a betting man, which I am, I would bet we’re not alone.”
“These are big questions that reflect upon the meaning of the human race in the universe,” the director of the Vatican Observatory, the Rev. Jose Funes, said Wednesday in an interview at this week’s conference.
Worden told The Associated Press: “I would certainly expect in the next four or five years we’d have an Earth-sized planet in the habitable (可居住的) zone.”
1.What is very important in determining if we are alone in the universe?
A. Finding an Earth-like planet. B. Orbiting other stars.
C. Developing new telescopes. D. Finding more exoplanets.
2.What’s an exoplanet?
A. It’s a planet like Earth. B. It’s a planet outside our solar system.
C. It’s a planet orbiting the sun. D. It’s a planet where life have developed.
3.The underlined phrase “get to the bottom of” probably means “__________”.
A. understand fully B. make full use of
C. search for D. do more research on
4.From the passage we can learn that __________.
A. an Earth-like planet has been found
B. it’s been proved we are not alone in the universe
C. Jose Funes has found the meaning of the human race in the universe
D. the discovery of an Earth-like planet could happen in the near future
It is important that you make a good impression at work. If you make a good impression on your boss, he or she is more likely to give you more responsibilities which can lead to promotions (晋级) and raises. Here are some ways to make a good impression at work.
Use Proper Office Etiquette (礼仪)
Using proper manners will help you make a good impression on your boss and also your co-workers. Office etiquette includes everything from the proper way to e-mails to knowing when, where, and how to use your cell phone at work.
Face up to Your Mistakes
When you make a mistake at work, which everyone inevitably (不可避免地) does at some points, face up to it. Don’t ignore your error or place the blame on others. Take responsibility and come up with a solution to fix your mistake. Your boss may not be too happy about it, but she will at least be impressed with your response.
Know to Call in Sick
Do you think coming to work when you are sick instead of staying at home will impress your boss? Reasonable bosses know that a sick employee not only is unproductive but also he or she can spread an illness around the office. Call in sick when you are ill.
Come Through in a Crisis
When the unexpected happens at work, who will make a better impression on the boss? Of course it’s the employee who deals with the crisis quickly and effectively.
1.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. How to Use Good Etiquette
B. How to Deal with Mistakes at Work
C. How to Be a Good Worker in the Future
D. How to Make a Good Impression at Work
2.What should you do if you make a mistake at work?
A. Try to ignore the mistake.
B. Put the blame on others.
C. Think out a solution to your mistake.
D. Leave the company as soon as possible.
3.According to the writer, when you are ill you’d better _________.
A. go to work on time as usual
B. stay at home without telling others
C. go on working but stay away from others
D. stop working and ask for a leave
4.Who will make good impressions on the boss?
A. Employees who deal with the crisis quickly and effectively.
B. Employees who often make mistakes.
C. Employees who go to work though they are ill.
D. Employees who often use their cell phones at work.
Two teaching staff stood in court last week, in different parts of Britain, each charged with assault (人身侵犯) after attempting to remove a troublemaking student from the classroom. In both cases the men had been suspended(使暂时停职) from their schools and each had spent almost a year waiting for their cases to come to court. One man, Mark Ellwood, was cleared. The other was found guilty. Both cases show the almost impossible position teachers are now in as they try to keep order in schools. They have the responsibility for what goes on in classrooms, but it’s naughty pupils who have the power.
Ellwood was the comparatively lucky one. He was brought in to work with children with behavioral difficulties. When he asked a boy to take off his jacket and put away his phone, the pupil threatened to stab（刺） him. Ellwood removed the boy from the class, and when the boy started kicking him, Ellwood swept his feet from under him and lowered him to the ground. Weeks later he was charged with assault. Social services decided that the charge made him a potential risk to any child, so he was ordered to leave his wife and teenage daughters and move out of his home. The judges told him that they hoped he would now forget his nightmare and restart his life.
Sixty-two-year-old Michael Becker is the man who lost his case and will now lose his job. He taught in a special school. On the day of the incident, they were making pinhole cameras when the 15-year-old pupil arrived late. He refused to sit down, and instead walked around the classroom, telling jokes. He ignored several requests to start work and refused to leave the classroom when asked. Eventually Becker seized the boy by his belt and sweatshirt and removed him to a nearby storeroom, with the boy falling down as he struggled to break away. A teaching assistant, sent to check on him a few minutes later, found him sitting in the corridor, clearly unharmed. Becker considered the incident over, but the next day he was suspended as the subject of a police investigation.
1.Why did two British teachers stand in court?
A. Because they were charged with assault on their students.
B. Because they removed a troublemaking student from a classroom.
C. Because they were suspended from their schools.
D. Because they tried to keep order in schools.
2.According to the passage Ellwood __________.
A. was found guilty and lost his job B. was too strict with his students
C. often punished his students D. was lucky not to lose the case
3.When the incident happened, Michael Becker __________.
A. lost his case and will lose his job
B. was teaching his students to make pinhole cameras
C. ignored several requests to start work
D. was suspended as the subject of a police investigation
4.From the two cases we can learn in Britain __________.
A. removing students from the classroom is not allowed
B. teachers have no power to keep order in schools
C. students can do whatever they like in the classroom
D. it’s very difficult to be a teacher