In some science fiction movies, evil robots refuse to die, no matter how hard people fight back.
Now science fiction has become science fact. For the first time, scientists have made a robot that can take a beating and keep on going. Scientists from Cornell University made the robot, which looks like a spider with four legs.
Until now, even the most advanced (先进的) robot was almost certain to break down when it was damaged (毁坏). That is because its computer inside simply doesn’t know how to make the machine work after its shape has changed.
To deal with this problem, the scientists put eight motors (发动机) and two sensors (传感器) that read how the machine is working. They all give signals to the machine’s software. Using this information, the computer can then figure out the machine’s shape at any moment.
The new technology is a big advance in robot-making, scientists say, and it’s far from scary. It may someday help scientists create better artificial (假的) arms and legs and give new freedom to people who lose them. It might also help scientists understand how people and animals figure out their own sense of place in space.
“It has been difficult to design robots that can work well when the environment changes or when it’s damaged,” says Olaf Sporns of Indiana University in US. “With this work, we are nearer to solving this problem.”Why do robots easily break down when they are damaged?
| A．They cannot repair themselves. |
| B．The computer has changed a lot. |
| C．They have no computers inside. |
| D．The computer cannot work if the robot changes. |
The new technology(技术) allows the robot to .
| A．keep working after being damaged |
| B．tell people where it is |
| C．do house work for humans |
| D．remember a lot of information |
The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 5 refers to .
| A．sensors | B．robots | C．scientists | D．arms and legs |
How do the sensors in the robot work?
| A．They can replace the computer when it’s broken. |
| B．They help the computer learn the robot’s condition. |
| C．They can find out where the damage comes from. |
| D．They can send signals to the person who uses the robot. |
"Everything happens for the best," my mother said whenever things weren’t going my way. "Don’t worry. One day your luck will change."
Mother was right, as I discovered after I had finished my college education, I had decided to try for a job in radio. One day, I wanted to host a sports programme. I went to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station. But I got turned down every time.
In one station, a kind lady said my problem was that I hadn’t got enough experience. "Get some work with a small station and work your way up," she said.
I went back home. I couldn’t get a job there, either. Then my dad told me a businessman had opened a store and needed someone to help him. But again, I didn’t get the job.
I felt really down. "Your luck will change," Mom said to me. Dad lent me the car to help me to look for my job. I tried another radio station in Lowa. But the owner, a nice man, told me he had already had someone.
As I left his office, I asked, "How can someone be a sports announcer(播音员) if he can’t get a job in a radio station?"
I was waiting for the lift when I heard the man call. "What did you mean? Do you know anything about football?" He put me in front of a microphone and asked me to try to imagine that I was giving my opinion on a football game, I succeeded.
On my way home, Mom’s words come back to me, "One day your luck will change, Son. And when it happens, it’ll feel doubly good because of all the hard work you’ve had." At that moment I knew just what she meant.
16. What’s the writer’s ideal job?
A. A sportsman. B. A shop assistant.
C. A sports announcer. D. A businessman.
17. Why didn’t the writer get the job in Chicago?
A. Because he was too young.
B. Because he didn’t get college education.
C. Because he’s got a good-looking person.
D. Because he hadn’t got enough experience.
18. The sentence "But I got turned down every time. "means" ".
A. But I was refused every time
B. But I was successful every time
C. But I lost my way every time
D. But the door of every station was always closed
19. What made the writer succeed in the end?
A. His mother’s words. B. A kind lady’s help.
C. His father’s car. D. His own hard work.
20. What’s the best title of this passage?
A. Mother’s Words. B. Everything Happens for the Best.
C. No One Is Always Lucky. D. To Find a Job in Radio Is Difficult.
When I was 16 years old, a boy gave me an important gift. It was a smile.
It was the early autumn of my first year at a junior high school, and my old school was far away. As a result, no one knew who I was. I was very lonely, and afraid to make friends with anyone.
Every time I heard the other students talking and laughing, I felt my heart break. I couldn’t talk about anyone with my problems. And I didn’t want my parents to worry about me.
Then one day, my classmates talked happily with their friends, but I sat at my desk unhappily as usual. At that moment, a boy came into the classroom. I didn’t know who he was. He passed me and then turned back. He looked at me, without a word, only a smile.
Suddenly, I felt the touch of something bright and friendly. It made me feel happy, lively and warm.
That smile changed my life. I started to talk with other students and made friends. Day by day, I became closer to everyone in my class. The boy with the lucky smile has become my best friend now.
One day I asked him why he smiled, but he couldn’t remember smiling at me!
It doesn’t matter because all the dark days have gone. I believe that the world is what you think it is. If you think it lonely, you might always be alone. So smile at the world and it will smile back.
11. Why was the smile an important gift?
A. Because the writer’s old school was far away.
B. Because the writer didn’t know who the boy was.
C. Because the smile didn’t mean anything to the boy.
D. Because it made the writer feel happy, lively and warm.
12.The writer didn’t talk to anyone in her new school about her problem because .
A. she was always unhappy
B. she didn’t have any friends there
C. she was in the first year at the junior high school
D. she didn’t want her parents to worry about her
13. How did the smile change her life?
A. She started to make friends.
B. She became the best friend with the boy.
C. Her parents didn’t worry about her any more.
D. She realized that she was lonely.
14. Where does she now think her feeling of unhappiness came from?
A. From her old school B. From her parents.
C.. From herself. D. From her classmates at the new school.
15. Who has become the writer’s best friend now?
A. The writer herself B. The writer’s parents
C. The writer’s classmates D. The boy with the smile
He is quiet and shy. He likes to hide his eyes behind his hair. He doesn’t smile very often. However, if you talk to him about music, he’ll have a lot to say.
This is Jay Chou, the 24-year-old Taiwanese pop king. His fans are so excited because he will sing songs in Beijing on September 12. Those songs are from his album(唱片), "Ye Huimei", and the album was released(发行) in July and was named after his mother.
Chou grew up just with his mother. He did not talk much and did badly in many
school subjects.
His mother noticed the boy’s special interest in music and sent him to learn piano when he was only three years old. He loved it and kept on practicing.
Chou is not very handsome. He does not speak clearly when he sings or talks. But the singer has huge crowds of fans. "He is really good at music, it makes him attractive(有魅力的) to me." said Liu Jiajun, a Junior 2 student in No. 101 Middle School in Beijing.
"He is true to himself. He never follows others." said Zhang Yujie, a Junior 1 girl at Huaibei Middle School in Sihong, Jiangsu Province.
6. From this passage, we know that Jay Chou .
A. is very handsome B. has a bright smile
C. often makes too much noise D. is a pop music star
7. His fans are so excited because .
A. he released a new album in July
B. he will sing new songs in Beijing
C. he can play the piano very well
D. his new album was named after his mother
8. When he was a little child, he .
A. talked a lot every day B. did well in his study at school
C. started to like music D. had huge crowds of fans
9. According to one of his fans, Jay .
A. is a good student B. has long and beautiful hair
C. is a well-known pianist D. is very attractive to them
10. The sentence "He never follows others" in the last paragraph means .
A. he always has his own style
B. he likes to walk alone
C. he doesn’t like other people’s songs at all
D. no one can catch up with him
5. Which of the following is TRUE according to the information in the form?
| A．Australia isn’t English-speaking countries. |
| B．Rome is a city in Southern Europe. |
| C．Canberra is the capital of Italy. |
| D．London has a population of 56 million. |
Vanilla is my best friend. She is a lovely girl with two big, beautiful eyes. But she always hides them behind a pair of black glasses.
One day, though, I nearly ended our friendship. I remember that day clearly. We were sitting in class. The teacher was giving us our results for a Chinese test. I had done badly. I felt so sad that I wouldn’t talk to anyone. At lunchtime, I even stayed in the classroom alone. Suddenly, I heard a voice. It was Vanilla. “You look very unhappy,” she said. “What’s wrong?” I looked up at her, but said nothing. I knew Vanilla had got a good mark in the test. I thought she was making fun of me. I stayed silent (安静), but Vanilla didn’t go away. She kept asking me questions: “Is it because of the exam? Do you want me to show you the right answers?” I looked away from her. When I looked up again, Vanilla had gone. And so had my exam paper! I didn’t know what to do. I looked everywhere for my paper, but couldn’t find it.
In the afternoon, Vanilla came up to my desk and gave me my exam paper back. I looked at it and got a big surprise. Vanilla had written the right answer next to every one of my mistakes（错误）. My face went red. Vanilla had been trying to help me all along. How mean (卑劣的) I had been to her when she was being so nice. I wanted to hug her, but all I did was to hold her hands and said, “Thank you.” That afternoon, Vanilla and I walked home together. I felt so happy that I had to thank her again. We were still best friends.
( ) 6. The sentences “ But she always hides them behind a pair of black glasses.” Really means _________.
A. she doesn’t want others to see her eyes
B. there is something wrong with her eyes
C. she likes to wear dark glasses
D. she is often shy
( ) 7. The writer felt sad because ________ in the Chinese test.
A. she got a good mark B. Vanilla had done better than her
C. she didn’t have a good mark D. the teacher was angry with her
( ) 8. Vanilla really came to the writer to _______.
A. make fun of her B. help her
C. find out what had happened to her D. show her the right answers
( ) 9. Vanilla left the writer because she __________.
A. wanted to write the right answers for the writer
B. didn’t know what to do to help her friend
C. was angry with the writer
D. wanted to go home for lunch
( )10. Which of the following phrases has the same meaning as “make fun of”?
A. Saying “hello” to. B. Seeing me off.
C. Looking after. D. Laughing at.
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