Researchersareplacingroboticdo-优题课

You may picture firefighters holding a hose （水管） outside of a burning building，but the Golden Eagles Hotshots don't fight fires quite that way．When they go into action，you may not even see a fire truck．
The Hotshots are firefighters who battle fires in wilderness areas．But don't think you'll only find them in California．Wherever there is a national wildfire emergency，the Golden Eagles Hotshots could be there．
But these firefighters don't work the same way as those in big cities．They work where there are large numbers of trees，bushes，and grass．They climb up and down steep hills to clear brush and burnable debris （残骸）．They sometimes use water，but often fight fire with fire！
They do that by lighting what are called “backfires” ---- small，controlled fires that burn up fuel in the path of larger wildfires．That way, when the wildfire gets there, it has nothing to burn and nowhere to go，because all the burnable fuel has already gone up in smoke．
The Hotshots also clear away fuel using old-fashioned hard work．For example，they use a saw to cut away trees and heavy brush that could catch fire．
Of course there are times when the Golden Eagles Hotshots do have trucks to supply water to the fires．But the water is limited，and these guys have to rely on hard work more than anything．Physical fitness is very important．They have to be strong to handle steep hills while carrying a 60pound pack．
Thanks to their efforts，many lives have been saved，many houses not burned，and countless trees still standing．
According to the passage，why do the firefighters light “backfires”？

A．To signal for help．	B．To remove obstacles．
C．To protect trees and bushes．	D．To prevent the fire from spreading．

What can we learn about the Golden Eagles Hotshots？

A．They are firefighters working in big cities．

B．Their work requires physical strength．

C．They are working for free．

D．They usually hold a hose to put out the fires．

All of the following can reflect that the Golden Eagles Hotshots are special EXCEPT their working 　　　　．

A．areas

B．ways

C．achievements

D．tools

What is the author's attitude towards the Golden Eagles Hotshots？

A．Appreciative．

B．Doubtful．

C．Worried．

D．Critical．

When middle-aged Alex gave up his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell surely whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadow land （虚幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a fulltime writer．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly.
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"
Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （坚毅） it takes to stay the course (坚持到底)in the shadow land．
Why did Alex give up his job?

A．Because he didn't like the working conditions．

B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living．

C．Because he felt he had no potential in his job．

D．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer．

What did Alex express when he answered the call?

A．He refused the job offer．

B．He was willing to give them a hand．

C．He expected them to pay him more money．

D．He would write in his spare time．

What kind of person is Alex?

A．Determined．

B．Modest．

C．Shy．

D．Brave．

Which of the following can be the best title of the passage ?

A．Look before you leap．	B．Two heads are better, than one．
C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true．	D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush．

A newly-published study has shown that loneliness can spread from one person to another, like a disease.
Researchers used information from the Framingham Study, which began in 1948. The Framingham Study gathers information about physical and mental health, personal behavior and diet. At first, the study involved about 5,000 people in the American state of Massachusetts. Now, more than 12,000 individuals are taking part.
Information from the Framingham Study showed earlier that happiness can spread from person to person. So can behaviors like littering and the ability to stop smoking.
University of Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo led the recent study. He and other researchers attempted to show how often people felt lonely. They found that the feeling of loneliness spread through social groups.
Having a social connection with a lonely person increased the chances that another individual would feel lonely. In fact, a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. A friend of that person was 25% more likely. The researchers say this shows that a person could indirectly be affected by someone’s loneliness.
The effect was strongest among friends. Neighbors were the second most affected group. The effect was weaker on husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters. The researchers also found that loneliness spread more easily among women than men.
The New York Times newspaper reports that, on average, people experience feelings of loneliness about 48 days a year. It also found that every additional friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent, or two and a half fewer lonely days.
Loneliness has been linked to health problems like depression and sleeping difficulties. The researchers believe that knowing the causes of loneliness could help in reducing it.
The study suggests that people can take steps to stop the spread of loneliness. They can do this by helping individuals they know who may be experiencing loneliness. The result can be helpful to the whole social group.
From the passage, we can learn that .

A．the habit of littering doesn’t spread

B．a lonely person won’t have friends

C．everyone may be affected by others’ loneliness

D．lonely people don’t know the cause of their lone

liness

Which statement about the spread of loneliness is true?

A．The spreading effect was the second strongest among friends.

B．No spreading effect was found on husbands and wives.

C．Women are more likely to be affected than men.

D．Brothers are more easily affected than neighbors.

If you make 10 more friends in a year, the days of your feeling loneliness will be reduced by.

A．48 days

B．25 days

C．20 days

D．15 days

What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Actions should be taken to help lonely people.	B．People feel lonely for many reasons.
C．Ways to fight against loneliness.	D．Lonely people can affect others.

To all of you at Chinese love links.
I am 44 years old and never married. I have always wanted to find that perfect someone that I dream about. For about the last five years I have almost given up the hope of ever finding the one I truly wish to spend the rest of my life with.
I have always tried to be a nice guy. I had found your website some four or five months before. I did not know what to expect. I don’t know how to speak Chinese and never thought truly of how I was to an Asian woman.
Well, I had a lot of replies from some very nice and pretty women. I had a hard time finding only a couple to write to. But one stood out from the rest. She was cute, nice and seemed to hold a lot of the same values as I do. In a short time I had decided to write only to her. We communicate via e-mails 2-3 times a day and phone calls once or twice a week.
I went and met her and her family only a week ago. Her name is Yun and she lives in Nanning. I found Nanning to be one of the most beautiful cities I had ever been to. We had even decided to marry and bring her to the USA under the finance visa. Not only did she meet everything I had ever hoped to find in someone else but turned out to be what every woman should be like, at least the ones I have met. We plan to marry as soon as she is here and start a family together as neither of us has children but we both want them.
So to anyone out there reading this, I can only say this: You may not find what you are looking for if you’re not honest with your partner and yourself. This site worked for me mostly because I was honest with something that I wanted in someone else. When I did find her, love can work even across the other side of the world, between language differences and cultural differences. I wish you all luck in finding your perfect match. I have finally found mine and wish to give all my thanks to those at Chinese love links to help make it happen.
Sincerely yours,
Arthur
We can infer from the letter that Chinese love links is a website to ____________.

A．help foreigners to travel in China

B．help both Chinese and foreigners to find one they want to marry

C．help Chinese and foreigners make friends

D．receive letters from the USA

Which of the following is true about Arthur’s story?

A．He was sure of finding a Chinese woman as his wife at first.

B．He was determined to find a Chinese woman as his wife.

C．He almost lost hope in finding a perfect wife until he found Yun.

D．No women wrote to him before Yun.

Yun stood out from the rest because ________.

A．she was a Chinese.

B．she had much in common with Arthur

C．other women stopped writing to Arthur

D．she was cute and nice and often phoned to Arthur

Arthur thinks _________ is the most important in finding someone one wants to marry .

A．being honest with the partner and oneself	B．help from the website
C．difference in languages and places	D．difference in cultures

What is language for? Some people seem to think it’s for practicing grammar rules and learning lists of words — the longer the lists, the better. That’s wrong. Language is for the exchange (交流) of ideas and information. It’s meaningless knowing all about a language if you can’t use it freely. Many students I have met know hundreds of grammar rules, but they can ’t speak correctly or fluently(流利地). They are afraid of making mistakes. One shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes when speaking a foreign language. Native speakers make mistakes and break rules, too. Bernard Shaw once wrote, “Foreigners often speak English too correctly.” But the mistakes that native speakers make are different from those that Chinese students make. They are English mistakes in the English language. And if enough native speakers break a rule, it is no longer a rule. What used to be wrong becomes right. People not only make history, but they make language. But people can only make its own language. It can’t make another people’s language. So Chinese students of English should pay attention to grammar, but they shouldn’t overdo it. They should put communication first.
Language is used to ________.

A．express oneself	B．practice grammar rules
C．talk with foreigners only	D．learn lists of words

Generally, when an American or an Englishman speaks English, he ______.

A．never makes mistakes	B．often makes mistakes
C．can’t avoid（避免）making mistakes	D．always makes mistakes

“Foreigners often speak English too correctly.” The sentence means that ______.

A．foreigners speak correct English.

B．foreigners speak incorrect English.

C．foreigners speak English according to the grammar rules.

D．foreigners never make mistakes when they speak English.

If too many native speakers break a rule, ______.

A．what they will become right	B．they are against the law
C．they should say sorry to others	D．they will become heroes

When we speak a foreign language, we should _____.

A．speak in Chinese way	B．speak by the rules
C．speak to native speakers	D．not be afraid of making mistakes