Researchers are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people's depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated (刺激),” Edwards points out. “The problem is how we promote that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”
In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activities before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.
“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady. “When I'm watching TV, he'll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his own.”
The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.
“At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog because it was metal and not furry,” Beck says. “But it's amazing how quickly we have given up that belief.”
“Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people's minds.”The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to ____.
| A．understand human-animal relationship |
| B．find the causes of old people’s loneliness |
| C．make lonely old people’s life better |
| D．promote the animal-assisted research |
In the research, the old people are asked to ____.
| A．note the activities of AIBOs |
| B．keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks |
| C．analyze the collected information |
| D．record their feelings and activities |
What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?
| A．It can watch TV with its owner. |
| B．It can help the disabled people. |
| C．It responds to all the human orders. |
| D．It is easier to keep at home. |
The author seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may ____.
| A．keep old people active | B．cure certain diseases |
| C．change people's beliefs | D．look more like real dogs |
I fell in love with England because it was quaint (古雅) — all those little houses, looking terribly old-fashioned but nice, like dolls’ houses. I loved the countryside and the pubs, and I loved London. I’ve slightly changed my mind after seventeen years because I think it’s an ugly town now.
Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentlemen, fair play, and good manners. The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good manners —people shut doors heavily in your face and politeness is disappearing.
I regret that there are so few comfortable meeting places. You’re forced to live indoors. In Paris I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs. To meet friends here it usually has to be in a pub, and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman. The cafés are not terribly nice.
As a woman, I feel unsafe here. I spend a bomb (a lot of money) on taxis because I will not take public transport after 10 pm. I used to use it, but now I’m afraid.
The idea of family seems to be more or less non-existent in England. My family is well united and that’s typically French. In Middlesex I had a neighbour who is 82 now. His family only lived two miles away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone.The writer doesnt like London because she _________.
| A．is not used to the life there now |
| B．has lived there for seventeen years |
| C．prefers to live in an old-fashioned house |
| D．has to be polite to everyone she meets there |
Where do people usually meet their friends in England?
| A．In a café. | B．In a restaurant. |
| C．In a nightclub. | D．In a pub. |
The underlined part it (in para. 4) refers to_________.
| A．a taxi | B．the money |
| C．a bomb | D．public transport |
The writer took her neighbour to France for Christmas because he _________.
| A．felt lonely in England |
| B．had never been to France |
| C．was from a typical French family |
| D．didnt like the British idea of family |
Perhaps you have heard a lot about the Internet，but what is it?
The Internet is many different networks around the world. A network is a group of computers put together. These networks joined together are called the Internet．
Maybe that doesn’t sound interesting. But when we’ve joined the Internet, there are lots of things we can do．We can find lots of interesting information on the World Wide Web(www)．We can use the Internet instead of a library to find all kinds of information for our homework. We can find information about our favourite sports or film stars and do shopping on the Inter-net. We can also send messages to other people by e-mail. It is much cheaper and quicker than calling our friends or sending a letter.
Thanks to the Internet, the world is becoming smaller and smaller. People can now work at home with a computer in front of them, getting and sending the information they need. They can buy or sell whatever they want by the Internet. But do you know 98％of the information is in English? So what will English be like tomorrow?The passage is mainly about________.
| A．the Internet | B．information |
| C．computers | D．e mail |
The quickest and cheapest way for people to send messages to their friends is________．
| A．by post | B．by e mail | C．by telephone | D．by TV |
The Internet cannot be used to__________.
| A．find information for our homework |
| B．get some information about our favourite sports stars |
| C．do some shopping |
| D．do our housework |
.Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The Internet is a big computer． |
| B．The Internet is lots of computer networks． |
| C．The Internet is very helpful． |
| D．People can work at home with the help of the Internet． |
What does the writer try to tell us with the last two sentences?
| A．The Internet is more and more popular． |
| B．All the information is in English． |
| C．English is important in using the Internet． |
| D．Every computer must join the Internet． |
It was just three degrees above zero. “That’s cold,” thought Jane as she got ready to deliver her morning papers. Jane has 50 customers, and on cold mornings when she couldn’t ride her bike, it took her more than an hour to make her rounds.
As she collected her papers and put them into a big canvas bag, Jane regretted that she hadn’t finished her math homework the night before. There was still time. She’d hurry with the papers and finish the math before breakfast.
Less than an hour later, Jane was nearly finished. She had only five customers to go. She could then head for home to complete her math while her mom fixed breakfast. As she rounded the corner, she saw a car in the middle of the street. It was Mr. Zimmerman, the elderly man who walked with a walking stick. His car was out of gas.
“I’d like to help Mr. Zimmerman,” thought Jane. “but if I do, I won’t have time to do my homework.” She hated to think what Mr. Roberts would say if she hadn’t completed her papers.
“It’s his own fault for running out of gas,” Jane talked to herself, “the station is only a half mile down the street. Surely Mr. Zimmerman can walk that far, even on a cold morning like this… can’t he?” As she walked down the street, Jane wondered what to do.Jane delivers her papers _____.
| A．before she goes to school |
| B．on cold mornings |
| C．with the help of Mr. Zimmerman’s car |
| D．on the way to school |
Mr. Zimmerman was old and ______.
| A．couldn’t drive well |
| B．would have nobody to help him |
| C．was not rich enough to buy gas |
| D．was not able to walk a long way |
We know from the reading that_______
| A．Jane couldn’t find any time to finish her homework |
| B．it took about an hour for Jane to send the papers |
| C．Jane would have her breakfast in the school |
| D．Jane likes to deliver papers on cold mornings |
The reading doesn’t say but we can infer that_____
| A．Jane bought the gas for Mr. Zimmerman |
| B．usually Jane delivers papers by bike |
| C．Mr. Robert doesn’t like Jane at school |
| D．Mr. Zimmerman had to leave the car for Jane |
The best title for this reading should be ______
| A．Fifth Customers | B．There’s no Easy Answer |
| C．No Time to Finish Homework | D．A Cold Morning for Jane |
你听说过波兰首都华沙(Warsaw)一词的由来吗? 这里有一个美丽的传说。
Long long ago，there was a young man．His name was Wars．He lived in a little house near the River Vistula．He went there fishing every day for a living．
One day he saw a beautiful girl in the river．The girl's name was Sawa．From then on，the young man and the beautiful girl met every day．They fell in love with each other．When Wars asked Sawa to marry him．Sawa was very sad．She told him that she was mermaid (美人鱼) and she couldn't marry man．But she said she would give him something when they met again．
The next day，Wars went to the river and met Sawa. Sawa was waiting for him with a sword in her
right hand and a shield(盾)in her left hand．She told Wars that they wouldn't meet again．She gave the
sword and the shield to him．She said he would be successful with the sword and the shield and become a great hero．Then she went away．
Wars missed Sawa very much．He always remembered his first love．What the mermaid had told him came true．Wars became a great hero．He got the land by the River Vistula．There he set up a city. He called it Warsaw.Wars was a ___________when he met Sawa for the first time
| A．hero | B．fisherman | C．mermaid | D．soldier |
Sawa couldn't marry Wars because _______________
| A．Sawa was a mermaid | B．Sawa didn't love Wars |
| C．Wars was very poor | D．Wars didn't love Sawa |
Sawa told Wars_____________
| A．they would marry later |
| B．they would leave together |
| C．he would become a hero |
| D．he would get much money |
The name of Poland's capital came from _________________
| A．the name of a house |
| B．the name of a river |
| C．the name of a mountain |
| D．the names of Wars and Sawa |
From this passage, we know that _____________
| A．Wars lived in a big house near the River Vistula before he met Sawa |
| B．Sawa was kind but not pretty |
| C．Sawa gave Wars nothing but a sword |
| D．Wars named the city Warsaw to remember his first love |
At the age of seven I started taking violin lessons. I practiced half an hour every day, went to lessons once a week, and occasionally played in a group concert. Like most kids, I always thought practicing was boring. If my parents hadn’t been there to make me practice, I probably would have put down my violin and never have picked it up again.
I met Moira when I was 11 at an Irish music party. Moira hosted the party that night, playing the violin, singing and dancing. She made sure that everyone in the room got involved and had a great time. I immediately fell in love with the music she played and the energy that she brought to it. Just a few days after that party, I took my first lesson with Moira, and I continued taking lessons with Moira throughout middle school.
When I started playing the violin with Moira, playing music became something that I loved. She introduced me to so many types of music, from Irish to Old Time, to Cajun. Moira also taught me to play the guitar. Soon we started performing together and were shocked to discover that people actually wanted to hear us! When I began to play the violin, practicing was something that I did at home in my living room, but with Moira’s influence it quickly became something that I did everywhere. I played on street corners, at festivals, at the beach, at parties, at weddings, and late at night in my friends’ kitchens.
Moira took the music out to the classroom and brought it to life. Her passion(激情)was not only for playing music, but also for sharing it. My time with Moira allowed me to grow both musically and personally. I have met so many special people and had so many invaluable(无价的) experiences. Moira has proven to be the most important influence in my musical development, and also my invaluable friend. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The writer had her violin lessons every day. |
| B．The writer disliked the kids who hated the violin. |
| C．The writer usually played music in school concerts. |
| D．At first the writer was not active in learning the violin. |
The passage didn’t say directly but we can learn that.
| A．Moira was a good neighbor |
| B．the writer was a good singer |
| C．Moira was a good organizer |
| D．the writer was a music teacher |
What can we know from the last paragraph?
| A．Moira didn’t like to play music in the classroom. |
| B．Moira helped the writer a lot with her personal life. |
| C．Moira had great influence on the writer’s life |
| D．Moira was very thankful for the writer’s support. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．My Way to Success. | B．My Invaluable Friend. |
| C．My Middle School Life. | D．How I learned the Violin. |