A cute invention was revealed this month at the International Robot Exhibition (IREX) in Tokyo. It’s called Jukusui-Kun (“deep sleep” in Japanese) ---a robotic pillow in the shape of a polar bear.
The pillow is in fact a serious technological innovation hidden under a cute cover. It was developed by a group of scientists and engineers at Tokyo’s Waseda University to help people suffering from snoring (打鼾) and those who live with them. This is how the robotic pillow works: a microphone detects the noise level of the snoring, and if the snoring becomes very loud, which can be the sign of sleep apnea (睡眠窒息), the bear will raise its hand and carefully touch the face of the sleeper, leading to a change in the sleeper’s position without waking him or her up.
This is definitely the world’s first anti-snoring machine and an important potential treatment for sleep apnea. This sleeping disorder involves pauses in breathing, and can lead to heart attacks during sleep. In Japan, around 2 million people are struggling with the problem. When a sleeper starts snoring, the sleeper’s blood oxygen level drops. The new device tracks (追踪) the level of oxygen in the sleeper’s blood and wirelessly sends the information to the polar bear. But the only problem is that people not only have to sleep on a bear-shaped pillow with robotic hands, but also have to insert （插入）their hands into a monitor that keeps track of blood oxygen levels. If these levels fall below a certain point, it gives the bear another cue (提示) to lift its hand.
The bear is not yet on sale, and it remains to be seen whether a robotic hand reaching up to touch one’s face is any more effective than one’s partner giving one a good shove (推).What do we learn from the passage?
| A．Snoring can cause the blood oxygen to increase. |
| B．The bear pillow will be available worldwide soon. |
| C．A partner’s shove is more effective than the new robot’s touch. |
| D．With this device, the sleeper’s hands can’t move freely while sleeping. |
What do we learn about the robotic bear?
| A．It’s comfortable to sleep on. |
| B．It stops people snoring by waking them up. |
| C．It’s the first machine made to deal with snoring. |
| D．It uses a monitor to detect the loudness of the snoring. |
We would find the passage in the ________ section of a magazine.
| A．entertainment | B．lifestyle |
| C．technology | D．fashion |
What’s the author’s attitude to the new device?
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Objective. | D．Doubtful. |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Useful Robotic Polar Bear |
| B．The Disadvantages of Snoring |
| C．The Different Ways to Deal with Snoring |
| D．How New Technology Changes Your Sleep Pattern |
At five he was collecting old newspapers to make money.And when he was fifteen he signed his schoolmates up to start a baby-sitting circle(保姆中心).
Now 20,third- year Cambridge University student,Peter Blackburn is the managing director of company with a 30,000 pounds plan.And he thinks he will make more than $15,000 by next summer.
He set up Peter Blackburn Company last year to bring out a new color term-planner(学期计划)that now students all over the UK are using.
“I felt that most of the planners going around were pretty unimaginative,”he says.”I believed that I could do a better job and decided to have a go.”
Blackburn agrees that he is putting far more effort into business than his computer studies course at university.While fellow students are out with their friends,he keeps in touch with his business office in Lancashire by mobile phone.Before he set up the company he spent one holiday preparing a plan that would persuade the bank to lend him money.
“Most students work hard for a good degree because they believe that will help them get a job to support themselves,”he says.”I work hard at my company,because that is what will support me next year,after I leave college.”
Friends believe that Blackburn will make one million pounds within five years.
He is not quite so sure,however.”There is a lot to be done yet,”he says.When he was quite young,Blackburn______.
| A．already made a lot of money |
| B．already had a business brain |
| C．was already a managing director of a company |
| D．already set up his own business |
The underline expression in the fourth paragraph “have a go”means______.
| A．give up his job and have a new one |
| B．leave the company |
| C．have a try |
| D．develop my business quickly |
Which of the following best explains why Blackburn works hard at his company?
| A．He wants to do more business practice before he leaves college. |
| B．He wants to make more money before he leaves college. |
| C．He wants to get a good job like most students after he leaves college. |
| D．He depends on the company for his living in the future. |
Choose the right order of the facts given in the passage.
a.He spent his holiday preparing a plan.
b.He collected newspapers.
c.He set up his own company.
d.He asked the bank for money
e.He set up a baby-sitting circle
| A．e,b,c,a,d | B．b,e,a,d,c | C．b,e,d,a,c | D．b,e,c,a,d |
To communicate well with other people,you must learn to speak well,right?
Yes,but speaking isn’t everything.Some experts say that only thirty percent of communication comes from talking.Your gestures and other non-verbal(非语言的)actions matter,too.But in different cultures,the same action can have different meanings.
When you have to meet someone from a different culture,be prepared.Do you know what kind of gestures and customs are appropriate(合适的)？If you understand culture differences,you’ll be a better communicator—even before you open your mouth!
In many Western cultures,men stand up before they are introduced to someone important.Standing up shows politeness and respect.After that,somepne usually offers to shake hands.
But in the east,typical(典型的)introductions often begin and end with bowing(鞠躬)rather than shaking hands.Sometimes even a small nod(点头) of the head is enough.Some Westerners visiting Asia misunderstand shaking hands as a sign of unfriendliness.Such a mistake could be harmful to the start of a new frienship.According to the passage,which of the following is true?
| A．All experts agree that only 30% of communication comes from talking. |
| B．Typical introductions often begin and end with shaking hands in Western culture. |
| C．In different countries,the same gesture may mean different meaning. |
| D．If you don’t know the culture of a country , you will not misunderstand the gesture. |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Misunderstanding will stop the frienship from developing. |
| B．Nodding is just OK. |
| C．Introduction can build friendship. |
| D．Shaking hands is most important. |
Which is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．You must stand up when you are introduced. |
| B．You should show your politeness when you are introduced. |
| C．You will do the same when you are introduced. |
| D．Our gestures and other nonverbal actions are very important. |
How do you understand the underlined sentence?
| A．Before you speak. |
| B．Knowing the different cultures is clever. |
| C．As soon as you talk. |
| D．Understanding the different cultures can help you communicate well. |
In the past,when people had problems,they went to their families or friends to get advice.Today it is possible to get advice from radio shows.TV programs or telephone hot lines,too.A hot line is a telephone line that offers a direct way of getting in touch with advicers.Most hot lines are completely anonymous(匿名的)—callers do not have to say their names or telephone numbers.Most hot lines are usually free,too.Callers do not have to pay for their advice or the phone calls—even if the calls are long distance.At some hot lines,the advicers are volunteers.Other hot lines pay their advicers for their work.Usually the advicers are full-job people with years of education and experience,but sometimes the advicers have only taken a short class before starting to work on the hot line.All the advicers listen to the people and help them solve their problems.A hot line is a telephone line ______.
| A．that is hot |
| B．through which people get advice |
| C．whose number no one knows |
| D．through which callers take a short class |
When people call the hot line advicers,they______.
| A．often give their names and telephone numbers |
| B．generally have to pay for the long distance calls |
| C．usually pay nothing for most of the calls and advice |
| D．always try to get in touch with the volunteer advicers |
The advicers working at hot lines______.
| A．are not all paid |
| B．have all been trained for a short time |
| C．are all volunteers |
| D．all have years of education and experience |
The writer of the article seems to think that______.
| A．with hot lines people won’t get advice from their families and friends |
| B．hot lines help the callers a lot |
| C．people had better pay for the advice and phone calls |
| D．the hot line advicers will solve all of the callers’ problems |
Education cuts(削减) have become routine (惯常的) over the past few years, which has made it difficult for students to learn. The results of a survey of 1,850 Los Angeles County high school students show just how much the cuts are affecting students.
Because of teacher layoffs (解雇), class sizes at some high schools have risen to 50 students — even in math and English classes. Some 37 percent of students report that they sometimes don’t have a desk to sit at. Sixty-seven percent say crowded classrooms make them feel the teachers don’t have enough time to teach, and 30 percent say they’ve not been able to join in a program because it’s no longer offered at their school.
At a time when technology is an important skill, 52 percent of students say there aren’t enough computers. Or they’re often broken, and there’s no one to fix them. Fifty-one percent say they’ve had to share textbooks with a classmate because there aren’t enough copies to go around. Fifty-seven percent say they’ve had to copy information because their school doesn’t have enough paper to make copies.
“We have only one science teacher for the entire(整个的) high school,” writes Felix Ruano, a 16-year-old student. He goes on to describe how that teacher, who is only qualified to teach chemistry, is teaching physics — or, at least, is trying to do so. “He shows physics videos and we teach ourselves from our textbook,” says Ruano. And, as has been seen elsewhere, “all but one of the restrooms” at Ruano’s school “have been closed because we don’t have enough people to clean them.”
Ruano notes that though faced with the challenges, 97 percent of students say they plan to go to college. But without “properly trained teachers and the best resources,” says Ruano, it’s not likely that every student will achieve that goal. “Unless schools fix these problems,” he says, “students could lose hope.”According to the text, education cuts have led to the following results EXCEPT that _____.
| A．class sizes at some high schools have risen |
| B．some students don’t have a desk to sit at |
| C．some students have to share textbooks |
| D．some students have to leave school |
The underlined word “qualified” in the fourth paragraph can best be replaced by “_____”.
| A．fit | B．willing | C．bored | D．worried |
According to Ruano, _____.
| A．he is good at teaching himself |
| B．most students plan to go to college |
| C．his school is going to be closed |
| D．most students are hopeful about their school |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．What caused education cuts? | B．Education cuts, right or wrong? |
| C．Education cuts have hurt students | D．How to deal with education cuts |
The other day I heard a few local musicians talking, "I hate all the pianos in this town and I hate that rubbish they play on the radio. They cannot even understand rhythm (韵律).""Nobody wants to pay musicians anything. I’m sick of all the people who want you to play without paying you.” One younger musician said, "There are a couple of clubs who want me to play for a few nights a month, and I’m trying to find other places to play. I’m also planning to join in several summer festivals this year." I really liked what the younger musician said so I made friends with him.
Attitudes are important. Whether they’re positive or negative (消极的), they’re all rubbing off on you. If you’re around people who are always complaining(抱怨) or blaming (责备) others, it is possible that you will start doing the same as well. If you spend lots of time with people who don’t support your dreams, it is time to take a look at the people you call "friends".
There is an easy exercise you can try. Make a list of the people who you often stay with, and simply stop spending time with the negative people on your list. Set a new standard for yourself and don’t become friends with people who fall below that standard. The choice is always yours to make. Of course, this exercise is entirely different from making friends only for the good of oneself. We really should try to help and spend time with those who are working towards a goal or dream.The musicians’ conversation at the beginning is to show that ______.
| A．musicians’ living conditions are not good |
| B．people in that town have poor taste in music |
| C．different people have different attitudes |
| D．young people are more likely to succeed |
The underlined part "they’re rubbing off on you" in Paragraph 2 means ______.
| A．they’ll push you ahead |
| B．they’ll have an influence on you |
| C．they’ll keep you from moving on |
| D．they’ll help you realize your dreams |
Why did the author want to make friends with the younger musician?
| A．He is more active than the others. |
| B．He can earn more than the others. |
| C．He has more things to do than the others. |
| D．His attitude is more positive than the others. |
By doing the exercise mentioned in Paragraph 3, you can ______.
| A．make the right kind of friends |
| B．improve your ability to make friends |
| C．develop a better relationship with your friends |
| D．make some new friends with the same interests as you |