Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to connect the brain with computers. Braincomputer interface(BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.
Recently, two scientists, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytehnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, show 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 body cells(细胞). These send signals through the spinal cord(脊髓) to the body part to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries(脊柱受伤) or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the body part.” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with outer world and also to control machines.”
The scientists 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 finds meanings of the signals and commands the wheelchair with an engine. The wheelchair also has two cameras that tell 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 finds meanings of brain signals and turns them into simple commands.” The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two kinds: communication, and controlling objects. 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 get advantages from. And the other is sure that they can use the technology for long. BCI is a technology that can________.
| A．help to make computer systems more modern |
| B．connect the human brain with computers |
| C．help the disabled to be healthier |
| D．control a person’s thoughts |
Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?
| A．scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair |
| B．computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair |
| C．scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair |
| D．cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair |
The team will test with real patients to_________.
| A．make money 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 Sickness |
（改编）We sometimes have to meet some difficulties that we never expect, but we should develop a positive attitude to life. Keeping a positive attitude isn't always easy, especially when we go through a difficult time in our life. However, we know, only when we take a positive attitude, can we overcome the difficulties.
On July 23rd, 1993, Wang Jiapeng lost his legs when his plane crashed. Wang was only 12 years old. He felt he was the unluckiest person in the world. When he saw students with their schoolbags on their backs, the sound of his wheelchair made him sick. Wang’s mother took him to a special hospital in Beijing. She looked after him in the daytime and worked at night to make money. But after two years, Wang was still not able to leave the hospital. Wang’s mother became too tired to go on and one day she herself became a hospital patient! One morning she woke up and saw her son holding breakfast for her. Wang’s trip to the food shop was his first time outside the hospital in two years. The five-minute walk took him thirty minutes.
But he was finally able to make an important decision. He didn’t care how other people looked at him. He had to learn to do things himself.
For the next few years, Wang taught himself all his middle school subjects in the hospital and five years after the accident, he won a chance to study in a college in Norway. Wang learned to drive, go rock climbing and ski. He even won two gold medals for skiing in an international skiing competition.
“You are what you think you are,” said Wang. “If you think you’re disabled, you are. If you don’t think so, you aren’t.”
So we know that if you can keep a positive attitude, even when things aren't going well in your life, you are the true winner of life.
根据短文内容判断正、误。（正确A，错误B）Wang Jiapeng, born 1981, lost his legs because of a plane crash at age 12.
According to Wang’s words , we should believe in ourselves.
Positive thinking benefited WangJiapeng and he became good at skating.
He finished the middle school by himself and got a chance to the college.
In order to look after him, his mother had to work at night and was ill at last.
（改编）A TRIP TO SINGAPORE
Child: Aged from 3 to 12
根据表格所提供的信息选择最佳答案。
How do you get to Night Safari ?
A. by Subway
B. by bus
C. first by subway then by bus
If John’s parents take him and his two younger sisters, one aged 5, the other aged 13, to Butterfly Park, how much will they pay?
A. $50 B. $48 C. $46
Mother and father go with their 5-year-old child to _________ with the most money.
A. Undersea World
B. Butterfly Park
C. Night Safari
You can visit _______ after 10:00 pm.
A. Underwater World
B. Night Safari
C. Butterfly Park
Which of the following is TRUE according to the information above?
A. Undersea world opens for the longest time among all these four.
B. You take the bus on the Yellow Line to the zoo to see the dolphin.
C. Butterfly Park has the world’s largest collection of butterflies.
A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms (习语), though my teacher told us the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be surprised. Gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, he said，“You don’t say!” “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not a right topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic.” So I said to him. “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was wonderful.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted (打断) again by his words: “You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t ask you to do so,” he answered, greatly surprised. I said, “Didn’t you say ‘you don’t say’？” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, “ ‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really!’ It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” “_____” Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students.
What does the underlined word “amusing” probably means in this passage?
A. interesting B. important C. amazing
A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because .
A. I had no interest in them
B. my teacher didn’t tell us the importance of them
C. I did not realize the importance of them
At first, on hearing “You don’t say,” I thought the foreigner meant .
A. I had talked too much
B. I had to stop talking
C. he was not interested in the topic
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall.
B. The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting.
C. The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it.
The sentence “_____” will be the missing one in this passage.
A. I realized I had made a fool of myself.
B. You had better pay more attention to it
C. I realized the Englishman made me a fool
When the man’s wife died, their youngest baby was 2 years old. They had six other children — three boys and three girls, aged from 4 to 16. The man’s parents and his wife’s parents came to visit.
“We’ve been talking about how to make this work,” they said. “There’s no way you can take care of all these children and work to make a living. So, we’ve decided to place each child with a different uncle and aunt.” The man refused.
Over the next few weeks, he moved the family to a tiny town and opened a small business. His business developed quickly. He was happy to see people and serve them. He became popular with people for his pleasant personality and excellent customer service. People came from far away to do business with him. And the children helped both at home and at work.
The children grew up and got married. Five of the seven went off to college. The children’s success was a source (来源) of pride to the father.
Then came grandchildren. No one enjoyed grandchildren more than this man. As they became toddlers (学走路的孩子), he invited them to his workplace and his small home. They brought each other great joy.
Finally, the youngest daughter, who was 2 years old when the mother died, got married. With his life’s work done, the father died.
This man’s work had been the lonely but joyful task of raising his family. This man was my father. I was the 16-year-old, the oldest of seven.
根据短文内容，选择正确答案。（共5个小题，每小题2分，满分10分） There were ______ children in the man’s family.
| A．eight | B．seven | C．six | D．five |
The man’s parents and his wife’s parents came to his house to ______.
| A．suggest placing each child with a different aunt and uncle |
| B．talk about finding a new wife for him |
| C．give him money to support the family |
| D．help take good care of his children |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Nearly half of the man’s children went to college. |
| B．The man wanted to give his children to their uncle. |
| C．The man moved his family and opened a business. |
| D．The man thought life was hopeless after his wife died. |
The father died _________________.
| A．before his youngest daughter got married. |
| B．after his youngest daughter got married. |
| C．before his children went off to college |
| D．after his children went off to college |
The story mainly talks about ______.
| A．why the father didn’t give up his family |
| B．how the children succeeded after their mother died |
| C．why the father was lonely |
| D．how the father raised（抚养）his large family |
Recently there are about 55,000 children who don’t go to school each day in England. According to the law（法律）, all children between five and sixteen must go to school on weekdays, and their parents must make sure of this.
The number of children missing school is increasing. The government is worried, because, according to a research, children who often don't go to school are more likely（可能的）to smoke, drink under age or do some other bad things. Also, it’ s difficult for them to do well in exams. What’s more, it’s harder for them to get a job after they leave school. Since 2002,the police have kept checking town centers where truants（逃学者）often go. These happen twice a year. During each check, a student will be stopped and asked why they are not in school. This will happen even though they are with an adult. The police will stop and question（盘问）children who they think do not have a reason for being out of school. The police are not allowed to catch truants, but they can take them back to school. The police said there were nearly twice more boys playing truant（逃学）than girls.
根据短文内容，选择正确答案。（共5个小题，每小题2分，满分10分）According to the law in England, children at the age of _________ must go to school.
| A．4 | B．13 | C．17 | D．19 |
Truants are more likely to _________.
| A．eat much | B．drink water |
| C．fail in exams | D．find a job |
During a check，pupils will NOT be questioned by the police if _________.
| A．they are at school |
| B．they are out of school |
| C．they are with an adult |
| D．they are at town centers |
The underlined“this”in the first paragraph refers to（指的是）all children between 5 and 16 _____.
| A．must do well in exams |
| B．mustn’t smoke or drink |
| C．must go to school on weekdays |
| D．must stay at home on weekdays |
Which of the following is TRUE about the truants in England recently?
| A．The police can not stop girl truants. |
| B．Truants are often beaten by the police. |
| C．Truants are often criticized (批评) by their teachers. |
| D．There are more boy truants than girl truants. |
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