A study by St.. Louis University has found that a lovable dog named Sparky and a robotic dog, AIBO, were about equally effective at reducing the loneliness of nursing home residents. The study confirmed previous findings that dogs have a good effect on nursing home residents.
Dr. Andrew Smith led the Stanford University team that built a home-assistance robot. “If humans can feel an emotional tie with robots, some day they could be not just our assistants, but also our companions,” he said.
To test whether residents responded better to Sparky, a trained dog, or the Sony-made robotic dog, researchers divided 38 nursing home residents into three groups at three long-term care centers in St. Louis.
One group had weekly 30-minute one-on-one visits with Sparky; another group had similar visits with AIBO; a control group had no contact with either dog. The groups’ respective levels of loneliness were tested by having them answer a number of questions at the beginning and near the end of the visits.
After two months, both groups that had contact with the dogs were less lonely and more attached. Most of the elderly regarded Sparky, a 9-year-old dog, as an audience for their life stories, said investigator Marian Banks.
“He listened attentively, wagged his tail, and allowed them to pet him,” said Banks, who adopted and trained Sparky after finding him in a street behind her home seven years ago.
Those who were together with AIBO took a little longer to warm to the robotic creature. Over time, however, they grew comfortable with him, and petted and talked to him. He would respond by wagging his tail, vocalizing, and blinking his lights..
“AIBO is charming once you start to interact with him,” said the study’s author, Dr. William Banks, “He’s an attractive sort of guy. He gives a feeling of being personal, not just a robot.”Before the new study, it was known that ____.
| A．robots were effective at reducing people’s loneliness |
| B．robots could build close connection with humans |
| C．dogs could help get rid of old people’s loneliness |
| D．dogs and robots were equally effective at reducing loneliness |
Those who had contact with the robotic dog found that ___.
| A．they didn’t feel comfortable with it |
| B．it was hard for them to interact with it |
| C．they weren’t comfortable with it at first |
| D．the robot’s vocalizing and blinking confused them |
The findings of the researchers tell us that___.
| A．robots are better at caring for old people than nurses |
| B．robots can to some degree replace dogs as companions for old people |
| C．it’s easy for people to become close with robots |
| D．every home will have a robot assistant one day |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Robots Serve People Better Than Thought |
| B．No More Lonely Old Age with Emotional Robots |
| C．Advanced Technology Used to cheer up the Elderly |
| D．Robots and Dogs Can Equally Cheer up the Elderly |
I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route．He replied, “You mean fortunately．”He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided．
My attitude to the hill has now changed．I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following．This hill will exercise my heart and lungs．It will help me to lose weight and get fit．It will mean that I live longer．This hill is my friend．Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free．I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill．
Problems are there to be faced and overcome．We cannot achieve anything with an easy life．Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree．Her activism and writing proved inspirational．She wrote
，“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet．Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened，vision cleared，ambition inspired and success achieved.”
One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity(逆境)．From time to time we all face hardships，problems．accidents、afflictions and difficulties．Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own．While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it．
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 193l he had both legs cut off following a flying accident．He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans．He was an inspiration to others during the war．He said, “Don't listen to any-one who tells you that you can’t do this or that．That's nonsense．Make up your mind，you'll never use crutches(拐杖)or a stick，then have a go at everything．Go to school，join in all the games you can．Go anywhere you want to．But never，never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies（传记）of great people are full of
examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced．The common thread is that they did not become depressed．They chose their attitude．They chose to be positive．They took on the challenge．They won．
Nevertheless．there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity．Which of the following is true according to the author of the passage?
| A．Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise． |
| B．People are silly to pay to go to the gym． |
| C．Those who want to achieve success can't expect to live all easy life． |
D．People's attitude towards adversity is the only factor that determines whether they will succeed． |
By quoting what Douglas Bader said，the author intends to tell us“ ．”
| A．Failure is the mother of Success． |
B．A fall into t he pit，a gain in your wit． |
| C．If you venture nothing，you will have nothing． |
| D．Nothing is difficult to the man who will try． |
Following this passage，the author will further talk about ．
| A．how his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the adversity he faced |
| B．what steps to take to change your attitude towards the adversity you face |
| C．what great people have in common |
| D．why it is important to keep optimistic in face of adversity |
Which of the following can best function as the title of the passage?
| A．Face adversity with a smile | B．Different attitudes towards adversity |
| C．Nothing is impossible | D．Life is full of adversity |
Each Indian(印第安人) was supposed to keep his birth name until he was old enough to earn one for himself. But his playmates(游戏伙伴) would always give him a name of their own. No matter what his parents called him, his childhood friends would use the name they had chosen. Often it was not pleasing, such as Bow Legs or Bad Boy. But sometimes a name fit so well that the youngster found it difficult to shake it off. If he could not earn a better one from a war later, he could be stuck with a name like Bow Legs for the rest of his life.
The Indian earned his real name when he was old enough for his first fight against the enemy. His life name depended on how he acted during this first battle. When he returned from the war, the whole tribe would gather and observe the ceremony in which he would be given his name by the chief. If he had done well, he would get a good name. Otherwise he might be called Crazy Wolf or Man-Afraid-Of-a-Horse. So an Indian’s name told his record or described the kind of man he was.
A man was given many chances to improve his name, however. If in a later battle he was brave in fighting against the enemy, he was given a batter name. Some of our great fighters had as many as twelve names—all good and each better than the last.
An Indian’s names belonged to him for the rest of his life. No one else could use them. Even he himself could not give them away because names were assigned by the tribe, not the family. So no man could pass on his name unless the chief and the tribe asked him to do so.
Sometimes an Indian would be asked to give his name to a son who had performed a noticed deed. I know of only three of four times when this happened. It is the rarest honor for a person—the honor of assuming(承担) his father’ name.An Indian could be given the second name by__________.
| A．his father | B．the enemy | C．the chief of the tribe | D．his childhood friends. |
The greatest honor an Indian could earn was__________.
| A．a victory in his first battle against the enemy. | B．a name given by the chief. |
| C．a ceremony to get his real name. | D．the right to use his father’ name. |
If an Indian had more than ten names, it means that___________.
| A．many people in the tribe liked him. | B．he was a great fighter. |
| C．he had a lot of friends. | D．he had fought in fewer than ten battles. |
Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?
| A．The names given by the playmates of an Indian were usually not pleasant. |
| B．The life name of an Indian was earned in battle. |
| C．An Indian could throw away his birth name when he was old enough to earn one for himself. |
| D．The Indians themselves were not allowed to give their names away. |
Dog owners now have a little help understanding their furry friends．A new device（装置） called Bow-Lingual “translates” dog barks into English, Korean or Japanese．Bow-Lingual Japanese inventors spent much time and money analyzing dog barks．They found that dog noises can be broken down into six different emotions: happiness, sadness, frustration, anger, assertion and desire．
Part of the Bow-Lingual device hangs on the dog’s collar．The other part is a handle-held unit for the owner．When the dog barks, the unit displays translated phrases．
Some people have scoffed at Bow-Lingual．“Who would pay $120 to read a dog’s mind?” they ask．
But those who have purchased（购买） Bow-Lingual praise the device．Pet owner Keiko Egawa, of Japan, says it helps her sympathize（同情） with her dog Harry．“Before we go to the park, he always says he wants to play,” says Egawa, “and after a walk, he always says he is hungry．”
Bow-Lingual is not yet available（可用的） in Chinese．So you’d better keep studying Studio Classroom, or soon your dog may know more English than you do!This passage is mainly talking about _____．
| A．Bow-Lingual’s inventors | B．dog barks and their different emotions |
| C．talking dogs | D．a little help for dog owners |
Which of the following sentences is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Dog owners now can understand their dogs better． |
| B．Bow-Lingual enables dogs to talk in English, Korean or Japanese． |
| C．People who have used Bow-Lingual say it helps them better understand their dogs． |
| D．More and more Chinese dog owners would keep studying Studio Classroom in order to know more English than their dogs． |
What does “scoffed at” mean in the fourth paragraph?
| A．Shouted at． | B．Questioned about． |
| C．Laughed at． | D．Doubted about． |
The writer of this passage is most likely to be _____．
| A．a reporter | B．a dog owner |
| C．an advertiser | D．an expert on dog barks |
There are many colors in nature. But do you know if a color has weight? I think you’ll say “no”. But I am afraid you are wrong. If you don’t believe, you may do a small experiment.
First, put two objects with the same weight into two boxes. Then cover the box. Third, wrap one box with a red piece of paper, the other with a white piece of paper. OK. Now hold the boxes with your hand one by one. It is certain that you will think the red one is a little heavier.
Why do you think so? A scientist found that different colors have different weight in a man’s mind. So he did man tests and at last he got the result. That is to say, every color has its own weight in our mind and their order is the same. The heaviest color is red, then blue, green, orange, yellow and white.
The scientist told us that colors also have smell. Can you smell the color? Of course not. Then why did the scientist say so? That is because every color stands for a kind of light with a certain wavelength. It reaches our brain through sense organs (感觉器官).
According to this discovery, scientists say that people accept the colors they like, and refuse the colors they hate. So your body and mind will be healthy by using the colors you like. Or you’ll be nervous or even get ill. For example, if you stay in a room with red windows, wallpapers and furniture for two hours, you’ll feel you have been there for four hours. But if the room is blue, you’ll feel you have been there for only an hour. Another example, if a person walks out of a red room and into a blue room, his temperature will fall. That means our body temperature will change with different colors.The purpose of the second paragraph is to tell us ___________.
| A．a red box is heavier than a white one |
| B．a color has weight in one’s mind |
| C．white paper is lighter than red paper |
| D．you can know the weight of a color by holding it |
Why did the scientist say colors have smell?
| A．Because people can sense the light from colors. |
| B．Because we can smell colors with our nose. |
| C．Because every color has its own sweet smell. |
| D．Because every color can give off light of the same length. |
If a person walks from a blue room to a red room, his body temperature will ___________.
| A．rise | B．fall | C．stay the same | D．change now and then |
It can be implied from the text that ___________.
| A．colors have orders in weight |
| B．colors can change the weight of an object |
| C．people would stay longer in a room with red windows |
| D．colors can affect our mood and health |
This passage is probably a ___________.
| A．book review | B．fiction novel | C．fairy tale | D．science report |
One of the most exciting and attractive fields of work today is the fashion industry. Some of the most well-known people in this industry are the fashion designers with unbelievable financial (金融的) Kingdoms. But most of the clothes that you wear have been designed by people that the world has never heard of. Although these unknown fashion designers will never make a very large amount of money as their famous workmates, most still would not think of changing their careers. They are doing what they love.
If you spend hours looking through fashion magazines and like making your own clothes, a career as a fashion designer might be right for you. You do not have to go to design school to become a fashion designer, but many people who want a career in this field do. One of the most famous places to study is the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. It is located in the heart of the “garment” district on Eighth Avenue, also known as Fashion Avenue.
Becoming a fashion designer is not just a matter of classroom education. Students know that they cannot just leave school and start designing on their own. Many think that they need at least four years’ experience working for someone else after they graduate. The best schools encourage students to work closely with the fashion industry while they are still studying.
You need ambition (抱负) and hard work to get a career in fashion. Students often work 12 hours a day. They are encouraged to have realistic ambitions and not to expect success overnight, if ever. Success means finding a job in the fashion industry and more years of hard work.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．Some famous fashion designers can make a lot of money. |
| B．Most of the clothes are designed by famous designers. |
| C．Most fashion designers don’t like their own jobs. |
| D．Unknown fashion designers can earn a large amount of money. |
In order to have a career in fashion design, one had better ___________.
| A．look through magazines |
| B．go to New York City |
| C．study in a design school |
| D．graduate from high school |
The following can lead to the success of a fashion designer EXCEPT___________.
| A．working with the fashion industry | B．realistic ambitions |
| C．hard work | D．expectation of success overnight |
Which of the following old sayings shows the writer’s opinion about learning fashion design?
| A．Better late than never. |
| B．Experience is the best teacher. |
| C．Well begun is half done. |
| D．Seeing is believing. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．To be a fashion designer, design school education is a must. |
| B．All famous design schools are located in New York City. |
| C．Design school students had better do some practice while studying. |
| D．All students have to work with famous designers first. |
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