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 found out one time that doing a favor for someone could get you into a lot of trouble. I was in the eighth grade at the time, and we were having a final test. During the test, the girl sitting next to me whispered something, but I didn’t understand. So I leaned over her way and found out that she was trying to ask me if I had an extra pen. She showed me that hers was out of ink and would not write. I happened to have an extra one, so I took it out of my pocket and put it on her desk..
Later, after the test papers had been turned in, the teacher asked me to stay in the room when all the other students were dismissed（解散）. As soon as we were alone she began to talk to me about what it meant to grow up; she talked about how important it was to stand on your own two feet and be responsible (负责任) for your own acts. For a long time, she talked about honesty and emphasized（强调） the fact that when people do something dishonest, they are really cheating（欺骗） themselves. She made me promise that I would think seriously（认真地） about all the things she had said, and then she told me I could leave. I walked out of the room wondering why she had chosen to talk to me about all those things.
Later on, I found out that she thought I had cheated on the test. When she saw me lean over to talk to the girl next to me, it looked as if I was copying answers from the girl’s test paper. I tried to explain about the pen, but all she could say was it seemed very very strange to her that I hadn’t talked of anything about the pen the day she talked to me right after the test. Even if I tried to explain that I was just doing the girl a favor by letting her use my pen, I am sure she continued（继续） to believe that I had cheated on the test.The story took place（发生） exactly ____ .
| A．in the teacher’s office | B．in an exam room |
| C．in the school | D．in the language lab |
The girl wanted to borrow a pen, because ____ .
| A．she had not brought a pen with her |
| B．she had lost her own on her way to school |
| C．there was something wrong with her own |
| D．her own had been taken away by someone |
The teacher saw all this, so she asked the boy ____ .
| A．to go on writing his paper | B．to stop whispering |
| C．to leave the room immediately | D．to stay behind after the exam |
The thing(s) emphasized in her talk was(were) ____ .
| A．honesty | B．sense of duty | C．seriousness | D．all of the above |
The boy knew everything ____ .
| A．the moment he was asked to stay behind |
| B．when the teacher started talking about honesty |
| C．only some time later |
| D．when he was walking out of the room |
What is colour? Why do some of the things around us look red, some green, others blue?
Colours are really made by reflected(反射)light. We see colour because most of the things reflect light. Something is red, for it reflects most of the red light. In the same way, if something is green, it reflects most of the green light. If something reflects all light, it is white. If it doesn‘t reflect any light, it is black.
Some of the light is reflected and some is taken in(吸收)and turned into(变成)heat(热能).The darker the colour is, the less light is reflected, the more light is taken in. So dark-coloured(深色的)clothes are warmer in the sun than light-coloured clothes.When something reflects light, we can_______.
| A．see its colour | B．see its heat | C．not see its colour | D．see nothing |
In summer _____make people feel cool.
| A．dark-clolured clothes | B．red-coloured clothes |
| C．green-coloured clothes | D．light-coloured clothes |
(Originally created) Why does the author use a question at the beginning of this passage?
| A．The author doesn’t has a knowledge of colour. |
| B．The author shows off his knowledge of colour. |
| C．To ask the readers to answer this question. |
| D．To draw the readers’ interest in reading this passage. |
(Originally created) In which of the following you can find this passage?
A. A travel book B.A history book
C. A popular science magazine C, An entertainment newspaper.What’s the best title(题目)of this passage(短文)?
| A．Dark colour | B．Colour | C．Heat | D．Clothes |
Is there anything more important than health? I don’t think so. “Health is the greatest wealth.” wise people say. You can’t be good at your studies or work well when you are ill. If you have a headache, toothache, backache, earache or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you should go to the doctor.
The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, test your eyes, check your teeth or have your chest X-rayed. After that he will advise some treatment, or some medicine. The only thing you have to do is to follow his advice. Speaking about doctor’s advice, I can’t help telling you a funny story.
An old gentleman came to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs. The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease. He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest. He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks. In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule: “Eat at pleasure, drink with measure and enjoy life as it is.” The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn’t smoke more than one cigarette a day. A month later the gentleman came into the doctor’s office. He looked cheerful and happy. He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man. “But you know, doctor,” he said, “it’s not easy to begin smoking at my age.”The writer thinks that_____.
| A．health is more important than wealth |
| B．work is as important as studies |
| C．medicine is more important than pleasure |
| D．nothing is more important than money |
The doctor usually tells his patient what to do______.
| A．without examining the patient |
| B．after he has examined the patient |
| C．if the patient doesn’t take medicine |
| D．unless the patient feels pain |
The underlined part in paragraph 3 means “________”.
| A．he was feeling better than ever |
| B．he wasn’t a healthy man |
| C．he was feeling worse than before |
| D．he will be well again |
From the last sentence of the passage, we learn the man_______ before the doctor told him not to smoke more than one cigarette a day.
| A．was a heavy smoker | B．didn’t smoke so much |
| C．didn’t smoke | D．began to learn to smoke |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The doctor usually tests his/her blood pressure when a person is ill. |
| B．The man told the doctor he couldn’t remember things. |
| C．The man thanked the doctor. |
| D．The man didn’t follow the doctor’s advice. |
There are many famous museums throughout the world where people can enjoy art, Washington, D.C. has the National Gallery of Art(美术馆); Paris has the Louvre; London, the British Museum. Florida International University(FIU) in Miami also shows art for people to see. And it does so without a building, or even a wall for its drawings and paintings.
FIU has opened what it says is the first computer art museum in the United States. You don't have to visit the University to see the art. You just need a computer linked to a telephone.
You can call the telephone number of a University computer and connect your own computer to it. All of the art is stored in the school computer. It is computer art, produced electronically (采用电子手段) by artists on their own computers. In only a few minutes, your computer can receive and copy all the pictures and drawings.、
Robert Shostak is director of the new computer museum. He says he started the museum because computer artists had no place to show their works.
A computer artist could only record his pictures electronically and send the records, or floppy discs(软盘), to others to see on their computers. He could also put his pictures on paper. But to print good pictures on paper, the computer artist needed an expensive laser(激光) printer.
Robert Shostak says the electronic museum is mostly for art or computer students at schools and universities. Many of the pictures in the museum are made by students. Mr Shostak said the FIU museum will make computer art more fun for computer artists because more people can see it. He says artists enjoy their work much more if they have an audience. And the great number of home computers in America could mean a huge audience for the electronic museum.The main purpose of this text is to give information about ______.
A. famous museums throughout the world.
B. a computer art museum in Miami, U.S.A.
C. art exhibitions in Florida Intentional University
D. latest development in computer artTo see the art in FIU museum, your special needs include ______.
| A．floppy discs |
| B．a computer and a printer |
| C．pictures and drawings on paper |
| D．a computer connected to the museum by telephone line |
What are stored in this museum?
| A．Paintings drawn by means of computer. |
| B．Different styles of paintings. |
| C．Drawings done by art students of FIU. |
| D．Old paintings. |
The museum was started when ______.
| A．Robert Shostak wanted to do something for computer scientists |
| B．Robert Shostak wanted to help computer artists |
| C．art students needed a place to show their works |
| D．computer scientists wanted to do something about art |
The words "an audience" in the last paragraph here refer to ______.
| A．art students |
| B．owners of computers |
| C．exhibits in the museum |
| D．those who can enjoy art |
King Midas used to love gold. One day he met a fairy who allowed him to make a wish for something. The king replied at once , ‘‘I love gold . I want everything I touch to change into gold”. ‘‘Very well , tomorrow morning, everything you touch will turn into gold .”Saying this, the fairy disappeared.
The king waited excitedly till the next morning. To his joy ,everything he touched changed immediately into gold. ‘‘I’m the richest man in the world now.” He shouted.
Soon Midas became hungry. He sat down at his table. All the foods and drinks turned into gold in his hand . ‘‘I’m dying of hunger.” He cried.
Just then his daughter came running in . ‘‘Why are you so sad , dad ?” she asked, putting her arms around him. There and then she became a golden statue. The king loved his daughter very much .Seeing this ,he began to cry. He looked up and suddenly saw the fairy before him. ‘‘Don’t you like the golden touch?” asked the fairy. ‘‘ Please take it away,” begged the king, ‘‘ give me back my daughter.” ‘‘Well, you have learned your lesson. Go and wash in the river. Then the golden touch will be gone.” The king ran quickly to the nearby river.The fairy allowed the king to make a wish because_____
| A．she hoped to make the king the richest in the world. |
| B．She loved gold too. |
| C．She wanted to teach the king a lesson. |
| D．She wanted to turn the king’s daughter into gold. |
When the foods and drinks turned into gold the king was _____
A. excited B. hungry C. worried D happyThe king’s daughter became a golden statue when _____
| A．she saw her father |
| B．the king went to meet her |
| C．she put her arms around her father |
| D．the king loved her very much |
Which of the following might have happened afterwards?
| A．The king died in the river. |
| B．The king’s daughter changed back from gold to a lovely girl. |
| C．All the things the king had touched changed back into real ones. |
| D．Both B and C |
What do you think the story tries to tell us?
| A．Gold makes people unhappy. |
| B．More gold , more happiness. |
| C．Gold is not the thing that makes life happy. |
| D．People feel happy if they have not gold. |