This could be the perfect gift for the partner, who embarrasses you on the dance floor. Smart socks, which can teach to dance, may be the answer for anyone with two left feet.
The socks have been developed as a running tool to help runners improve their skills. Thanks to the socks, users can accurately (精确地)record not only know far and fast they run but also how well. It means the user maximizes(最大化)their performance, and reduces damage to body and prevents hurt. The hi-tech socks are made of special fibers(纤维) that watch the movements of your feet. They look, feel and can be washed like normal clothes.
Sensors (传感器) record each movement and send it by an ankle transmitter (脚踝发射器) to a smart phone. Then a “virtual coach” application shows the information and can tell the user what they are doing wrong, and help to improve skill in any task with feet.
The socks should be useful to athletes and weekend joggers. “People think running is so easy and of course everybody can do it but not necessarily safely and well,” Dr Davide Vigano said. A recent study showed that between 60 and 80 percent of runners got hurt per year. This is pretty much more than any other human activity. Researchers say the technology can also be developed to teach people how to dance, play sports such golf, or even to help to teach women to walk better in high heels.
Mr. Vigano said, “People could all benefit from the idea. We have had interest from all sorts of sports, like skiing, football, cycling and golf. Anything where you have to use your feet can use it. It could even be put in high heels to help women walk in them safely.”
Socks are just the start, and the technology could be used in gloves, hats and boots. The socks, anklet and software package, are expected to be sold for around £120, which will go on sale in March.
What does the underlined part “anyone with two left feet” refer to ?
| A．People who are disabled |
| B．People who are interested in dancing |
| C．People who are not good at dancing |
| D．People who invented the socks |
What’s special about fibers that the socks are made of ?
| A．They feel much softer than normal clothes. |
| B．They can monitor the movement of feet. |
| C．They are expensive to produce. |
| D．They act as a smart phone for users. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the socks?
| A．They can improve the skill of running |
| B．They can help women walk better in high heels. |
| C．They can teach people to dance well. |
| D．They can be worn for days without washing |
According to Dr Vigano, _____
| A．everyone can make good use of the smart socks |
| B．users can run as fast as they like with the socks |
| C．60 to 80 percent of runners would like to buy the smart socks |
| D．no runners will get hurt, thanks to the socks |
There was a story many years ago of a school teacher--- Mrs. Thompson. She told the children on the first day that she loved them all the same. But that was a lie. There in the front row was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. He didn’t play well with the other children and he always needed a bath. She did not like him.
Then Mrs. Thompson got to know that Teddy was actually a very good boy before the death of his mother. Mrs. Thompson was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when, like all her other students, Teddy brought her a Christmas present too. It was his mother’s perfume(香水).
Teddy said, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smell just like my Mom used to.” After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she stopped teaching reading, writing and math. Instead, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. The boy’s mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he improved. By the end of the sixth grade, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class.
Six years went by before she got a note from Teddy. He wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole lift. He went to college. Mrs. Thompson got two more letters from him with the last one signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, M. D.(医学博士).
The story doesn’t end there. On his wedding day, Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson’s ear, “Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. You made me feel important and showed me that I could make a difference.”
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back, “Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.”What did Mrs. Thompson do on the first day of school?
| A．She made Teddy feel ashamed. |
| B．She asked the children to play with Teddy. |
| C．She changed Teddy’s seat to the front row. |
| D．She told the class something untrue about herself. |
What did Mrs. Thompson find out about Teddy?
| A．He often told lies. |
| B．He was good at math. |
| C．He needed motherly care. |
| D．He enjoyed playing with others. |
In what way did Mrs. Thompson change?
| A．She taught fewer school subjects. |
| B．She became stricter with her students. |
| C．She no longer liked her job as a teacher. |
| D．She cared more about educating students. |
Why did Teddy thank Mrs. Thompson at his wedding?
| A．She had kept in touch with him. |
| B．She had given him encouragement. |
| C．She had sent him Christmas presents. |
| D．She had taught him how to judge people. |
From a plane we can see the fields, cities, mountains or seas below．If we go into space, we see more and more of the earth．People and man-made satellites have been sent out into space to look at the earth carefully and people have learnt more about the earth in the last years．
The sea looks very beautiful when the sun is shining on it．But it can be very terrible when there is a strong wind．
The sea is very big, it nearly covers three quarters of the earth．The sea is also very deep in some places．There is one place in the sea is about 11 kilometres deep．The highest mountain in the world is about 9 kilometres high．If that mountain was put into the sea at that place, there would be still 2 kilometres of water above it!
In most parts of the sea, there are many kinds of fishes and plants．Some live near the top of the sea．Others live deep down．There are also a lot of small living things, and lots of fishes live by eating them．
The sea can be very cold．The further people go down, the sea becomes colder and colder．At one time only some men could go down into the deep sea．But, in 1970, five women scientists lived in the deep sea for fourteen days．The sea covers about _________ of the earth．
| A．1/3 | B．1/4 | C．1/2 | D．3/4 |
_________ are not mentioned in this passage．
| A．Fishes | B．Plants | C．Islands | D．Living things |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The sea is usually beautiful when the sun is shining. |
| B．The sea is always very terrible when the wind blows hard. |
| C．The highest mountain is in the deepest place of the sea. |
| D．The deeper the people go into the sea, the colder they will feel. |
One day a teacher was giving her young students a lesson on how the government works ．She was trying to explain the principle of income tax （收入税）．
“You see ,” she began , speaking slowly and carefully , “each person who works must pay part of his or her salary （薪水）to the government ．If you make a high salary , your taxes are high ．If you don’t make much money, your taxes are low ．”
“Is that clear ?” she asked ．“Does everyone understand the meaning of income tax ?” The students nodded．“Are there any questions ?” she asked ．The students shook their heads ．
“Very good !” she said ．“Now ,I would like you to take a piece of paper and write a short paragraph on the subject of income tax ．”
Little Joey was a slow learner ．He had lots of problems with spelling and grammar , but this time he at least seemed to understand the task ．He took his pen and after a few minutes , he handed the teacher the following composition :
Once I had a dog．His name was Tax．
I opened the door and in come Tax．The teacher was trying to explain one day ．
| A．the basic principles of the income tax |
| B．how the government works |
| C．everyone should pay income tax |
| D．how much tax one should pay for his income |
After the teacher’s explanation, ．
| A．all the students shook their heads |
| B．many of the students were still puzzled |
| C．not all the students understood the meaning of income tax |
| D．a few students disagreed with their teacher |
The students were asked ．
| A．to say something about income tax |
| B．to answer some questions on income tax |
| C．to write a composition on “income tax” |
| D．to explain the principle of income tax |
Little Joey ．
| A．was clever |
| B．understood what the teacher said |
| C．was not clever enough |
| D．did as what he was told to do |
Linda Evans was my best friend like the sister I never had．We did everything together; piano lessons, movies, swimming, horseback riding．
When I was 13, my family moved away．Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special times—like my wedding and Linda’s．Soon we were busy with children and moving to new houses, and we wrote less often．One day a card that I sent came back, stamped “Address Unknown”．I had no idea how to find Linda．
Over the years, I missed Linda very much．I wanted to share happiness of my children and then grandchildren．And I need to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died．There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill．
One day I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagmans—Linda’s married name．“There must be thousands of Wagmans．” I thought, but I still wrote to her．
She called as soon as she got my letter．“Ms Tobin!” she said excitedly, “Linda Evans Wagmans is my mother．” Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much, even after 40 years, laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives．Now the empty place in my heart is filled．And there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure: We won’t lose each other again!What happened to me when I was 13?
| A．My father died of an illness． |
| B．I got married and had a son． |
| C．My family removed to a new place． |
| D．Linda moved away with her family． |
Why was the card I sent returned to me?
| A．I forgot to write the address． |
| B．The address couldn’t be found． |
| C．Something was wrong with the card． |
| D．Linda was sent to a foreign country． |
Over the years, I missed Linda very much because________．
| A．Linda could fill my dream |
| B．Linda made a promise that she would visit me |
| C．Linda had a deep effect on my choice of life |
| D．I wanted to share happiness and sorrow with Linda |
What did I notice in the newspaper one day?
| A．A photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda． |
| B．Linda was still looking for me in the newspaper． |
| C．Linda fell in love with a man called Wagmans． |
| D．Linda was still living in the nearby city． |
We walked in so quietly that the nurse at the desk didn’t even lift her eyes from the book．Mum pointed at a big chair by the door and I knew she wanted me to sit down．While I watched mouth open in surprise, Mum took off her hat and coat and gave them to me to hold．She walked quietly to the small room by the lift and took out a wet mop（拖把）．She pushed the mop past the desk and as the nurse looked up, Mum nodded and said, “Very dirty floors.” “Yes, I’m glad they’ve finally decided to clean them,” the nurse answered．She looked at Mum strangely and said, “But aren’t you working late?”
Mum just pushed harder, each swipe （拖一下）of the mop taking her farther and farther down the hall．I watched until she was out of sight and the nurse had turned back to writing in the big book．After a long time Mum came back．Her eyes were shining.
She quickly put the mop back and took my hand．As we turned to go out of the door, Mum bowed politely to the nurse and said, “Thank you.”
Outside, Mum told me “Grandma is fine．No fever.”
“You saw her, Mum?”
“Of course．I told her about the hospital rules, and she will not expect us until tomorrow．Dad will stop worrying as well．It’s a fine hospital．But such floors! A mop is not good．You need a brush.”When she took a mop from the small room what Mum really wanted to do was ______.
| A．to clean the floor |
| B．to please the nurse |
| C．to see a patient |
| D．to surprise the story-teller |
When the nurse talked to Mum she thought Mum was a ______.
| A．nurse | B．visitor |
| C．patient | D．cleaner |
After reading the story what can we infer about the hospital? ______
| A．The nurses and doctors there don’t work hard. |
| B．It has strict rules about visiting hours. |
| C．The conditions there aren’t very good． |
| D．It is a children’s hospital. |
Which of the following words best describes Mum? ______.
| A．Clever | B．Warm-hearted |
| C．Strange | D．Hardworking |