Autistic (患自闭症的) children may learn better from robots than from human beings, according to a study at a school in Birmingham.
Two robots like humans, Max and Ben, have been helping teach autistic children at Sutcliffe Primary School since March last year. The school is the first in the UK to try the new way.
Ian Lowe, the head teacher, said, “The robots have no feelings, so autistic children find that they are less terrible than their teachers.”
He added, “They are really cute-looking. Autistic children are hard to communicate with adults and other children, but for some reasons they like these robots.
“Some children are not able to communicate with others. But they come into school and start to communicate through the robots.”
The robots are knee-high and move like children. The school is using them to teach phonics (声学) and play cards or memory and imitation (模仿) games with children from five to ten.
Dr Guldberg said, “We do many different activities with the robots acting as a model (模特) for the children’s behavior. It is amazing to see how interested and concentrated the children can be when they are working with the robots. It can be very difficult to get autistic children to concentrate.”
He added, “If you can meet the needs of autistic children, you can meet the needs of all children. And you know, when people feel safe and interested, they learn much better.”According to Ian Lowe, teachers are in autistic children’s eyes.
| A．kind | B．serious |
| C．terrible | D．strict |
Which is TRUE about Max and Ben?
| A．They are robots with feelings. |
| B．The can move like teachers. |
| C．They are interested in autistic children. |
| D．They can make autistic children concentrate. |
The school uses the two robots to teach the following things EXCEPT______.
| A．phonics | B．playing cards |
| C．imitation games | D．sports games |
The best title for the passage is________.
| A．Robots help autistic children learn |
| B．Two cute-looking robots |
| C．How to help autistic children learn |
| D．Autistic children can learn |
A wise man was visiting a village with his students. He found a group of family members shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his students and asked: “Why do people shout in anger at each other?”
His students thought for a while, and one of them said: “Because when we lose our calm, we shout.”
“But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can just as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner,” said the wise man.
Students gave some other answers but none were any good.
“When two people are angry at each other, their hearts become distanced,” the wise man explained. “To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the louder they will have to shout to hear each other and cover that great distance.”
The wise man then gave an example: “What happens when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly because their hearts are very close. When they love each other even more, what happens? They don’t need to talk. They only look at each other and that’s all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.”
He looked at his students and said: “So when you argue, do not let your hearts get distant. Do not say words that distance you from others. Otherwise, there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.”What did they find when a wise man and his students were visiting a village?
| A．A group of people were traveling there. |
| B．A group of family members were playing there. |
| C．His students were shouting with a group of people. |
| D．A group of family members were shouting at each other angrily. |
One of the students thinks family members shout at each other because .
| A．they are not friends |
| B．they don’t like each other |
| C．they lose their calm |
| D．they are far from each other |
What will happen when two people are angry with each other?
| A．They fight with each other. |
| B．Their hearts become distanced. |
| C．They are far away from each other. |
| D．They are too angry to say a word. |
What will usually happen to two people at first when they fall in love with each other according to the passage?
| A．They talk softly. |
| B．They shout at each other. |
| C．They talk more. |
| D．They don’t say anything to each other. |
What’s the topic of the passage?
| A．Shouting is bad. |
| B．Don’t shout. |
| C．Cover the distance with love. |
| D．The distance of love. |
Classes resumed (恢复) Thursday for the students of a school in Newtown, Conn, where a gunman last month killed 20 children and 6 adults in the second-largest school shooting in U.S. history.
With their school still being treated as a crime scene, more than 400 students of Sandy Hook Primary School attended classes in neighbouring Monroe.
Returning students, teachers and administrators were met by a large police presence outside their new school. Several officers guarded the entrance and checked IDs of parents dropping off children.
Law-enforcement officers guarding the new school called it “the safest school in America.”
Students found the same chairs and desks, when possible. Their classroom walls were painted the same colours and hung with the same pictures. Other details, such as the location of bookshelves and cubby holes, were replicated (复制) as much as possible.
The school district said parents who wanted to be close to their children were welcome to visit and stay in classrooms or an auditorium.
Newtown superintendent Janet Robinson said officials would do their best to make the students feel at ease.
“We will be doing a normal day.” She said.The students of Sandy Hook Elementary School resumed classes in a new school in Monroe because .
| A．their school fell down because of a natural disaster |
| B．the government needs to use the land of their school |
| C．their school is too small to hold more than 400 students |
| D．a shooting crime happened in their school and it was still treated as a crime scene |
Why do the law-enforcement officers call the new school “the safest school in America?
A. There are few policemen outside the new school.
B. The school has the newest classrooms and buildings.
C. Any adult who is near the new school needn’t be checked his ID.
D. There are some officers who guarded the entrance of the new school.A lot of things in the new school were replicated as much as possible except .
| A．chairs and desks |
| B．classroom walls |
| C．the location of the fans and air conditioners |
| D．the location of bookshelves and cubby holes |
“… to make the students feel at ease.” The phrase “feel at ease” most likely means .
| A．feel at home | B．feel fresh and curious |
| C．feel happy and lucky | D．feel safe and relaxed |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The students have resumed classes in a new school. |
| B．A shooting crime happened in an American primary school. |
| C．The officials will do their best to make the students feel at ease. |
| D．The school children’s parents are not allowed to stay with their children in school. |
A year ago，I paid no attention to English idioms (习语), though my teacher told us the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be surprised. Gently shaking his head，shrugging his shoulders, he said，“You don’t say!” “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought , perhaps this is not a right topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic.” So I said to him. “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was wonderful.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted (打断) again by his words: “You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t ask you to do so,” he answered, greatly surprised. I said, “Didn’t you say ‘you don’t say’？” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, “ ‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really!’ It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” I realized I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students.A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because .
| A．I had no interest in them |
| B．English idioms were very difficult |
| C．I did not realize the importance of them |
| D．my teacher didn’t tell us the importance of them |
At first, on hearing “You don’t say,” I thought the foreigner meant .
| A．I had talked too much |
| B．I had to stop talking |
| C．he was not interested in the topic |
| D．he was only interested in the Great Wall |
“… was shown in an amusing experience.” The word “amusing” probably means .
| A．interesting | B．important | C．terrible | D．unlucky |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide. |
| B．The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall. |
| C．The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it. |
| D．The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting. |
After the Englishman explained the idiom, ___________.
| A．I felt very silly |
| B．the Englishman became a real fool |
| C．I became more carefully in everything |
| D．I thought the Englishman had made me a fool |
| Guitar Player Wanted Are you a lover of music? Can you play the guitar? Can you sing or dance? Join our Sunshine Rock Band. Please call Mike at 5487-6598 or send email to sunshine@yahoo.com. |
| Hot Club Do you like to play table tennis? Do you want to play it well? Mr Zhang is a good teacher. You can come here every Saturday afternoon from 2：30 to 5：30. Telephone: 8665-7868 Address: Room 15, Lantian Hotel |
| Swimmer Wanted Can you swim? Do you like children? Can you teach them to swim on Sundays? Come and join us. Call Joe at 8472-9999 for more information. |
| Summer Job Do you like to talk with people? Do you like to write stories? Would you like to work for a magazine? Then come and work as a reporter. Please call Karen at 5561-8823. |
Sunshine Rock Band needs .
| A．a guitar player | B．a reporter |
| C．a swimming coach | D．a table tennis coach |
If you can swim very well and like children very much, you will be more interested in theadvertisement.
| A．first | B．second | C．third | D．fourth |
If you like writing, you can call for a job.
| A．8472-9999 | B．8665-7868 | C．5561-8823 | D．5487-6598 |
Your classmate wants to learn table tennis, so you can advise her to call .
| A．Joe | B．Mr Zhang | C．Karen | D．Mike |
The above ads are probably from .
| A．a newspaper | B．a story book | C．a science book | D．a text book |
It’s a long-awaited day for China. The navy now has its first aircraft carrier(航空母舰), Liaoning.
It’s a unique experience to get to know the life in the carrier. The carrier is just like a small city on the sea. It has all the functions for daily life. There are 4 words to sum up its characters: big, small, much and high. The carrier Liaoning is such a huge one that the total length of the whole corridor（过道）could reach over 20 kilometers. But the living space for the sailors（水手）is quite small. That’s because the carrier is designed for researching purposes, rather than comfortable living. Over 1,000 sailors, both men and women, are living onboard. They are arranged among over 3,000 tiny rooms below the deck. For visitors, it’s so easy to get lost. So the first thing the new sailors have to learn is their way around. The number of female sailors is much less than that of the males, taking about 5 percent of the total. But they play a key role in carrying out some special missions.
Also, you will be surprised by the high level of education of today’s sailors. The captain said that over 90 percent of the sailors are college graduates. Six hold Doctor’s Degrees and 45 have a Master’s. The whole team is young but vigorous. The complex work on the carrier requires high management abilities for the commanders onboard(在船上). Why do we visitors get lost easily inside the carrier?
| A．Because they don’t have a map. |
| B．Because the living space is quite small. |
| C．Because there are too many corridors for rooms. |
| D．Because the corridor inside the carrier is too long. |
What does the word “high” in Line 6 refer to（指代）？
| A．The aircraft carrier is high since it is just like a small city. |
| B．Most of the soldiers received good education. |
| C．The expense（花费）to run a carrier is high. |
| D．The high-level of their training. |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Liaoning is our country’s first aircraft carrier. |
| B．Most of the sailors on the carrier are college graduates. |
| C．There are far fewer women sailors than men sailors on the carrier. |
| D．It is comfortable for the sailors to live in the carrier. |