Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to connect the brain with computers. Braincomputer interface(BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.
Recently, two scientists, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytehnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, show a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person’s thoughts.
In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.
“Our brain has billions of body cells(细胞). These send signals through the spinal cord(脊髓) to the body part to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries(脊柱受伤) or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the body part.” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with outer world and also to control machines.”
The scientists designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp(头皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer finds meanings of the signals and commands the wheelchair with an engine. The wheelchair also has two cameras that tell objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.
Prof. Millan , the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that finds meanings of brain signals and turns them into simple commands.” The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two kinds: communication, and controlling objects. One example is this wheelchair.”
He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can get advantages from. And the other is sure that they can use the technology for long. BCI is a technology that can________.
A.help to make computer systems more modern |
B.connect the human brain with computers |
C.help the disabled to be healthier |
D.control a person’s thoughts |
Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?
A.scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair |
B.computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair |
C.scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair |
D.cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair |
The team will test with real patients to_________.
A.make money from them |
B.prove the technology useful to them |
C.make them live longer |
D.learn about their physical condition |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.Switzerland, the BCI research Center |
B.New Findings About How the Human Brain Works |
C.BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled |
D.Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Sickness |
Dear One Family Members,
First, please accept our great thanks for your support, trust and donations towards our Ya’an earthquake relief (救济) work!
Recently, many worries were brought to our attention, and we managed to provide answers to some common questions.
Please read the Q&A in the following:
Q: Where may I find the latest news on One Foundation’s Ya’an earthquake relief work?
A: We warmly welcome you to visit our website, Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo and you could get
all the news from there.
Q: How may I donate to One Foundation from abroad?
A: Thank you for your kind heart and support. At present, there are two official channels for
donations from abroad: Bank transfer and PayPal.
Q: How may I get a donation receipt (收据)?
A: If you have donated more than 20 U.S. dollars, please send your personal information to
idonation@one-foundation.com. We will send the e-receipt by the end of May.
Because of the large number of donations we have received recently, try as we might, we may
not be able to send the receipt soon enough. Thank you very much for your patience.
Once again, we give our faithful thanks to you. We will carefully plan and use the donations from every One Family Member and we will do our best to help those who need your support. One Foundation
May 9, 2013______ about donating to One Foundation are answered in this passage.
A.Some questions | B.Few questions | C.All the questions | D.No questions |
You can get up-to-date information by visiting the following websites except ______.
A.Tencent Weibo | B.Sina Weibo |
C.the website of Red Cross | D.the website of One Foundation |
How many official channels for donations from abroad are mentioned?
A.One. | B.Two. | C.Three. | D.Four. |
Why can’t One Foundation send the receipt soon?
A.Because there aren’t enough receipts. |
B.Because there are a large number of donations. |
C.Because the people in the foundation are not experienced. |
D.Because the people in the foundation are not hard-working. |
Which of the following sentences is TRUE according to the passage?
A.One Foundation won’t accept donations from abroad. |
B.One Family Members are trying to help people in Ya’an. |
C.No worries were brought to One Foundation’s attention. |
D.One Foundation will send e-receipts to all the people who have donated. |
If you have dinner with people in the west, I think you must pay more attention to the table manners. Here are some good table manners for you.
When you eat something, try not to make a noise or burp (打嗝) at the table. Because people think that is not polite. People will say “Excuse me” when they want to burp.
Talking with food in the mouth is very rude. So you must eat the food quietly and slowly. If you eat too fast, people think you are rude too. Do not talk with others when you have food in your mouth.
It is good to eat all the food on your plate. This means you like the food very much. Remember to say the food is nice. And this can make the host very happy. When you finish eating, you can place your knife and fork together.The topic of this passage isin the west.
A.how to burp | B.what to eat | C.school rules | D.table manners |
Which of the following is NOT good manners?
A.To eat all the food on your plate. |
B.To eat the food quietly and slowly. |
C.To talk with others when you have food in your mouth. |
D.To place your knife and fork together after finishing eating. |
According to the passage, which of the following is good?
A.To eat the food on the plate quickly. |
B.To tell the host that the food is not tasty. |
C.To say “Excuse me” when you want to burp. |
D.To talk with people loudly when you have food in your mouth. |
Which team got the lowest score in total ?
A.Phoenix. | B.Memphis. | C.Indiana. | D.Charlotte. |
How many teams took part in the games according to the scoreboard above?
A.Two. | B.Four. | C.Six. | D.Twelve. |
When you watch TV and play video games you make global(全球的) warming worse! It may seem hard to believe, but when electricity is made, so are greenhouse gases(温室气体). This means that every time you use electricity you help make global warming worse!
Cars are also making global warming worse. They burn fossil fuels(化石燃料) in their engines, and send lots of greenhouse gases into the air.
Global warming may be a big problem, but we can all help stop it. People can try to drive their cars less. Or even get ones that run on sunlight! You can also help. Let’s try one of these top ideas:
(1) Try to use less electricity. Turn off lights, your television, and your computer when you’ve stopped using them. To make electricity, fossil fuels are burned in big factories. But burning fossil fuels also makes greenhouse gases. You should also try to watch less TV.
(2) Plant trees. Not only is it a fun thing to do, but it is also a great way to lower the number of greenhouse gases in the air. Trees take carbon dioxide out of the air when they grow.
(3) Don’t throw away your rubbish, try to recycle it. If rubbish is not recycled, it is put in the ground. There it rots(腐烂) and makes a greenhouse gas called methane(甲烷).So try to recycle cans, bottles, plastic bags and newspapers. It’ll make you feel great! And it’ll help the Earth.If we _____, we may make global warming worse.
A.use less electricity | B.drive a car on sunlight |
C.plant trees | D.throw away rubbish |
We may use more electricity by______.
A.turning off lights | B.shutting down computers |
C.turning up CD players | D.turning off TV |
______ will make global warming worse.
A.Methane | B.Cans | C.Newspapers | D.Bottles |
Using less electricity does good to global warming because_______.
A.the less electricity is used, the more greenhouse gases are produced |
B.the more electricity is used, the more greenhouse gases are produced |
C.more electricity is used, less greenhouse gases are produced |
D.less electricity is used, more greenhouse gases are produced |
Which is the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A.Driving cars on sunlight helps to stop global warming. |
B.When cars burn fossil fuels, they produce greenhouse gases. |
C.When trees grow, they send carbon dioxide into the air. |
D.By planting more trees, we can lower the number of greenhouse gases in the air. |
That warm day was the only day of the week without rain. I opened the door, took a seat and began to enjoy the wonderful sunshine. Suddenly, I noticed that the house near mine had been sold. An elderly lady was in front of the door, with some beautiful flowers beside her. I walked to her. She looked to be in her early eighties and had the prettiest white hair.
“ Hi! My name is Karmen,” I said smiling brightly at the old lady. She smiled back and said,” Hello, Karmen. I’m Kitty.” Her voice was very strong for someone at her age. Later, I learned that she was alone and had no family or relatives to help her. From that day on, I often visited her and helped her with her housework and sometimes she gave me some delicious food. A year passed, and I considered her to be one of my best friends.
One day, I walked over for my morning visit and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knocked again, and she didn’t still turn up. So I let myself in, using the key she had given me. I checked her living room and then her kitchen. I finally went into her bedroom, and she was lying peacefully on her bed. Beside her there were two notes. One was her will(遗嘱), which said all that she had would be given to me. The other was a thank-you note. I went to her bedside and cried sadly.
Though several years has gone by, I still miss her deeply. Whenever I look at the beautiful flowers in front of her house, I remembered the wonderful friendship we had.The writer came out of the house to________.
A.look at an old lady | B.enjoy some flowers |
C.enjoy the sunshine | D.clean the house nearby |
Through visiting the old lady, the writer learned that the old lady_______.
A.disliked all her relatives | B.had no one to look after her |
C.didn’t want to live with her family | D.was looking for someone to look after her |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.The old lady was not kind. |
B.The writer didn’t have any good friends. |
C.The old lady didn’t know how to make food. |
D.The writer got along very well with the old lady |
What does “ turn up ” mean in Paragraph 3?
A.appear | B.leave | C.try | D.change |
In order to thank the writer, the old lady decided to_______.
A.give the writer her favourite flowers |
B.let the writer know she was her best friend |
C.give the writer a key to her house |
D.leave all that she had to the writer |