Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers．Brain-computer interface（BCI） technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines．
Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated（展示）a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person’s thoughts．
In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand．He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts．
“Our brain has billions of nerve cells．These send signals through the spinal cord（脊髓）to the muscles to give us the ability to move．But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles,” Tavella says．“Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices．”
The researchers designed a special cap for the user．This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp（头皮）and sends them to a computer．The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair． The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path．They help the computer react to commands from the brain．
Prof．Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands．“The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices．One example is this wheelchair．”
He says his team has set two goals．One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from．And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time．BCI is a technology that can .
| A．help to update computer systems |
| B．link the human brain with computers |
| C．help the disabled to recover |
| D．control a person's thoughts |
How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?
| A．By controlling his muscles． |
| B．By talking to the machine． |
| C．By moving his hand． |
| D．By using his mind． |
The team will test with real patients to .
| A．make profits from them |
| B．prove the technology useful to them |
| C．make them live longer |
| D．learn about their physical condition |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Switzerland, the BCI Research Center |
| B．New Findings About How the Human Brain Works |
| C．BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled |
| D．Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries |
Mrs. Blake teaches English in a large school in the inner area of a big city on the west of coast. Even since she was a young girl,she has wanted to become a teacher. She has taught eight years now and hasn‘t changed her mind.
After she graduated from high school， she went on to college. Four years later， she received her bachelor’s degree （B A） in English and her teaching certificate（证书）. Then she went to teach in the secondary schools of her state. In the summers， Mrs. Blake takes more classes； she hopes to get a master‘s degree （M A）. With an MA， she will receive a higher salary and if possible. She hopes to get a doctor’s degree as well.
The school day at Mrs. Blake‘s high school， like that in many high schools in the United States， is divided into one hour each. Mrs. Blake must teach five of these periods. During her free period， which for her is from 2 to 3 P.M. Mrs. Blake must meet with parents， make out examinations， check assignments at al.， Mrs. Blake works continuously from the time she arrives at school in the morning till the time she leaves for home late in the afternoon.
1. How long is it since Mrs. Blake graduated from middle school？
A. four years B. eight years C. twelve years D. twenty years
2. According to the article，which is the right order of the degrees a person can receive after going to university？
A. a doctor‘s degree – a bachelor’s degree – a master‘s degree
B. a bachelor’s degree – a master‘s degree – a doctor’s degree
C. a master‘s degree—a bachelor’s degree – a doctor‘s degree
D. a bachelor’s degree – a doctor‘s degree—a master’s degree
3. How many degrees has Mrs. Blake achieved so far？
A. one B. two C. three D. none
4. Which of the following sentences is not true？
A. Mrs. Blake teaches in the inner area of big city on the east of the United Sates
B. Mrs. Blake has turned her wish of becoming a teacher into reality.
C. Mrs. Blake is still studying in her holidays in order to get higher degrees.
D. The working hours in the school where Mrs. Blake works are similar to those of many other high schools in the states.
5. According to that third paragraph，Mrs. Blake is ______ during the school day.
A. lonely B. free C. funny D. busy
第三部分阅读理解 （共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分）
阅读下列短文,从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present．On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin （顽童） was walking around the shining car．“Is this your car, Paul?” he asked.
Paul answered, “Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was surprised．“You mean your brother gave it to you and it cost you nothing? Boy, I wish…” He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for．He wished he had a brother like that．But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.
“I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.” Paul looked at the boy in surprise, and then he said again, “Would you like to take a ride in my car?”
“Oh yes, I’d love that.”
After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, “Paul, would you mind driving in front of my house?”
Paul smiled a little．He thought he knew what the boy wanted．He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car．But Paul was wrong again．“Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.
He ran up to the steps．Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast．He was carrying his little crippled （残疾） brother． He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.
“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs．His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent．And some day I’m going to give you one just like it… Then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas window that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car．The shining-eyed older brother climbed in and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.
56．The street urchin was very surprised when __________．
A．he saw the shining car B．Paul told him about the car
C．he was walking around the car D．Paul received an expensive car
57．From the story we know that the urchin __________．
A．wished to give his brother a car
B．wished Paul’s brother to give him a car
C．wished Paul could be a brother like that
D．wished he could have a brother like Paul’s
58．The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ______.
A．to show he had a rich friend B．to show his neighbors the car
C．to let his brother ride in the car D．to tell his brother about his wish
59．We can infer from the story that __________.
A．Paul couldn’t understand the urchin
B．the urchin’s wish came true in the end
C．the urchin wished to have a rich brother
D．the urchin had a deep love for his brother
60．The best title for the story probably is __________．
A．A Christmas Present B．A Street Urchin
C．A Brother Like That D．An Unforgettable Ride
Women with an hour glass figure have brains to go with their curves(曲线)，scientists claim.
Going in at the waist is said to be a sign of intelligence which leads to brighter children, too,Wonmen such as Nigella Lawson with a big difference between thir waist and hip measurements scored significantly better in tests than those with thinner,straighter frames,, Researchers concluded that it was not necessary for a woman to be skinny-what mattered was that her waist should be smaller than her hips, A ratio of 3:5 was found to be idea,
The study ,
by the Universities of Pittsdburgh and California,involved 16,000 women and girls,
According to the scientists，the results are no mere quirk of nature．They claim that the fat
Around culvy hips and thighs(大腿)holds higher levels of-3 fatty acids which are essential for
the growth of the brain during pregnancy．The fat which collects around the waist，howover．is
more likely to contain-6 fatty acids，which areless suited to brain growth．
Reporting in the joumal Evolution and Human Behaviour，the researchers found that the children of curvy mothers are more likely to do well in cognitive tests than others．they claim that this could help explain why the children of teenage mothers．who might not yet be physically mature enough to have developed real curves-tend to do less well in school．
As wel las boosting(提升)brainpower,一3 fatty acids found in oily fish arc considered to be of huge health benefit Although the study analysed women’s bodies only,一3 fatty acids are also stored in men’s hips ,However it is not known whether men with wide hips benefit from the same brain power boost,．
72.Which shows the possible shape of an hour glass?
73．Suppose the following measurements are taken from four women．Which of them is more likely to have bright children?
A. Waist：60cm；Hip：100 cm B．Waist：60cm：Hip：80cm
C. Waist：55 cm；Hip 1 60cm D．Waist：120cm；Hip：110cm
74.The underlined sentence‘'the results are nomere quirkofnature，'possible tells us the results
A. can be explained scientifically B are strange and hard to explain
C. have just come about by chance D are very interesting
75．According to the researchers，teenage mothers tend to have less bright children because
A．they aren’t so good at child care
B．they usually have less fat than mature women
C．they area’t physically strong enough
D．their waist and hip measurements differ less
Federal regulators Wednesday approved a plan to create a nationwide emergnecy alert(警报) System using text messages delivered to cell phones.
Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people, The wireless industry’s trade association, CTIA, estimates(估计)more than 48 billion text messages are sent each month,
The plan comes from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act,a 2006 federal law that requires improvement to the nation’s emergency alert system. The act tasked the Fedral Communications Conmmissino(FCC)with coming up with new ways to alert the public about emergencies ．
“The ability to deliver accurate and timely warnings and alerts through cell phones and other mobile services is an improtant next step in our offorts to help ensure that the American public has the information they need to take action to protect themselves and their families before, and during, disasters and other emergencies.” FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said following approval of the plan,
Participation in the alert system by carriers-telecommunications companies-is voluntary, but it has received solid support from the wireless industry,
The program would be optional for cell phone users, They also may not be charged for receiving alerts.
There would be three different types of messages, according to the rules.
The first would be a national alert from the president ,likely involving a terrorist attack or natural disaster, The second would involve “approaching threats.” Which could include natural disasters like hurricanes or storms or even university shootings, The third would be reserved for child abduction(绑架)emergencies,or so –called Amber Alerts,
The service could be in place by 2010
68．What is the purpose of the approved plan?
A．To warn people of emergencies via messages．
B．To popularize the use of cell phones．
C. To estimate the monthly number of messages．
D. To promote the wireless industry．
69. The improvement to the present system is in the charge of
A.CTIA B．THE Warning Alert and Response Network
C.FCC D．federal regulators，
70．An alert message will NOT be sent if
A. a child loses his way B．a university shooting happens
C. a natural disaster happens D．a terrorist attack occurs
71．Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Cell Phone Alerts Protecting Students
B. Cell Phone Alerts by Wireless Industry
C. Cell Phone Alerts of Natural Disasters
D. Cell Phone Alerts Coming Soon
How can you create a great science fair project？．You can start by asking yourself some
questions．
What is interesting to me?
You can connect ainroot any topic to science, Your topic could be plants, worms,dogs，the sky or something else．If you can not think of a topic，search books or the Internet for ideas .Seek help from your teacher or a librarian．Your parents may have some good thoughts too．
What question do I have about this topic?
A great science project always includes an experiment．Make sure that your question can be
answered through an experiment．Here are some examples of questions：Does the amount of light have an effect on how fast plants grow？How much salt is in different kinds of cookies sold at the store? Why does the sky change color at different times of the day?
How much time do I have before the scienc fair?
A great science project always includes an experiment. Make sure that your question can be answered throuth an experiment, Here some examples of questions,Does the amount of light have an effect on how fast plants grow? How much salt is in different kinds of cookies sold at the store? Why does the sky change color at different times of the day?
How much time do I have before the science fair?
A science fair to be held in two weeks will not give you time for some experiments ,such as growing plants, carefully plan your project so that you allow enough time to perform your experiment accrately.
What do I think is the answer to my question?
Why do I think this? The answer you choose is your hypothesis,You will prove it right or wrong by perfoming an experiment,. If you were to think about the sky question, your hypothesis might be that the color of the sky is related to the position of the
sun,
How can I prove my hypothesis?
This is where the experiment comes in．You have to test your hypothesis．If you wanted to find out how light affects plant growth，you could plant seeds in a number of containers．Then you could expose the plants to different amotmts of light and compare the growth rates．
How can I present my results?
You might display your question and hypothesis on poster boards．You might then add pictures and graphs．A great science project also states a conclusion．A conclusion of the plant experiment might be The plants that got the most light grew the fastest．
When you have finished your project，you may have more questions．A great science project makes you want to learn even more．
64．A great science project always includes ．
A．plants in pots B．results
C．an experiment D．poster boards
65．A hypothesis is a(n) ．
A．question 
B．idea C．performance D．proof
66．We can learn from the passage that ．
A．all science projects take about the same amount of time
B．a science project involves several step
s
C．a science project should start with a conclusion
D．a science project raises many questions
67．To find out whether cold water freezes faster than hot water,you would first ．
A．make a chart to explain your steps
B．state your conclusion to convince other people ，
C．think of an experiment to give an answer
D．display your hypothesis to prove
粤公网安备 44130202000953号