The end of the 2014 World Cup does not mean the end of the international competition in Brazil. A major football event which is known as RoboCup will be held in the coastal city Joao Pessoa. Teams of robots from around the world will take part in it and play the game known as soccer in the United States. The robot teams are guided by teams of human beings.
Watching robots play football is similar to watching children play the game. The kicks are not good, there are a lot of falls , and people are there to guide and support the robot players. Students of the University of Pennsylvania are trying for their fourth victory at the competition. The students have won the last three RoboCup competition in the Netherlands, Mexico and Turkey.
Jian Qiaoli is one of the leaders of the University of Pennsylvania team. He says one goal he has set for his team is to make sure the robots can find the ball and know where they are on the playing field. And he wants the team to be able to better control the walking ability of the robots. They should pay more attention to the kicking ability, which is the key to winning the game.
Qin He is another leader of the robot team. She says the abilities of the robots improve every year. The robots know the difference between the colors green and red, and they can decide where to go and where the ball is on the playing field. She says the robots are self-learning and don’t need to be told what to do. If there are three robot players on the playing field at the same time, they will communicate with each other to decide different responsibility for each of them. They have very good team play right now.
As long as the radar detection(雷达探测) works well, the robots will be very competitive. So RoboCup will be an exciting technology competition. Each team develops their own software. Actually, it’s a competition of who has the best software. Some RoboCup participants hope to develop a team of robots that can play against human beings.What does the underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refer to?
| A．The 2014 World Cup | B．Joao Pessoa |
| C．RoboCup | D．A basketball game |
What can we learn about the robot players?
| A．They look like children. |
| B．They are from Joao Pessoa. |
| C．They are not very skillful. |
| D．They are against human beings. |
What is the deciding factor for the robots to win the game?
| A．The ability to find the ball. |
| B．The ability to know the position. |
| C．The ability of walking. |
| D．The ability of kicking. |
What’s the best title for the text?
| A．The technology competition—RoboCup |
| B．The international competitions in Brazil |
| C．How to develop robot players? |
| D．Can robot players play football? |
D
Many thousands of Chinese are studying at schools in the United States. And writer Liel Leibovitz says the students are following an example that began in the eighteen seventies.
Mr. Leibovitz and writer Matthew Miller joined forces to tell the story of the students in their book, “Fortunate Sons.” The book says China sent one hundred twenty boys from 1872 to 1875 to America to learn about developments that could help modernize their country.
Mr. Leibovitz got the idea for the book about the boys a few years ago when he was traveling with his wife in China.
Mr. Leibovitz learned that Qing government sent a whole delegation(代表团) of boys to learn the ways of the West. The goal was for them to return to China and help their country.
The book says the boys received their American training in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It must have been a very good education. Mr. Leibovitz says the first prime minister of the Chinese Republic completed this program. And so did the first engineer to build a large-scale railroad without foreign help. The same was true of the fathers of Chinese education, diplomacy and the Navy.
The book-writers had only to open some boxes containing the writings of these men to learn about them. Their notebooks, journals, letters and postcards were in English. Mr. Leibovitz said he was lucky to have so much information from events that took place long ago.
The students returned to China after about nine years. They no longer spoke Mandarin(国语) well enough to answer questions. Police welcomed them home by putting them in jail. The young men were released after about a week. But they were given low-level jobs.
Mr Leibovitz says it took about ten years for them to rise to higher positions. He said their story continues today with large numbers of Chinese studying in the United States.
How many exchange children did Qing government send to America?
| A．1872. | B．1875. |
| C．120. | D．210. |
The Qing government send the boys to America because it .
| A．wanted them to help their country |
| B．lost the war |
| C．expected them to destroy the culture of the West |
| D．wanted the Western to help the boys |
Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?
| A．Many thousands of Chinese are studying at schools in America． |
| B．Some of the boys received their American training in California． |
| C．Police welcomed the boys home by putting them in jail． |
| D．One of the boys became the father of Chinese education． |
C
Thirteen can be a challenging age. Not only did I have to adapt to my changing body, I also had to deal with my parents’ bitter divorce, a new family and the upsetting move from my country home to a crowded town.
When we moved, my beloved companion, a small brown pony had to be sold. I was heartbroken and terribly lonely. I couldn’t eat or sleep and cried all the time. Finally, realizing how much I missed my pony, my father bought me another horse, Cowboy.
Cowboy was without doubt the ugliest horse in the world. But I didn’t care. I loved him beyond all reasons.
I joined a riding club. When Cowboy and I entered the events where the horse was judged by appearance, we were quickly ”shown the gate”. I knew nothing could turn Cowboy into a beauty. My only chance to compete would be in the timed speed events. I chose the jumping race.
For the whole next month we practiced running and jumping for hours in the hot sun and then I would walk Cowboy home, totally exhausted.
All of our hard work didn’t make me feel confident by the time the show came. One girl named Becky rode a big brown horse in the race events. She always won the blue ribbons. I sat at the gate and sweated all out while I watched Becky and her horse charge through the court and finish in first place.
My turn finally came. At the signal, we dashed toward the first fence, jumped over it without trouble and raced on to the next one. Cowboy then flew over the second, third and fourth fences like a bird and I turned him toward the finish line.
No cheers filled the air. The end of our run was met with surprised silence. Cowboy and I had beaten Becky and her fancy horse by two seconds.
I gained much more than a blue ribbon that day. At thirteen, I realized that no matter what the odds, I’d always come out a winner if I wanted something badly enough to work for it. I can be the owner of my fate.Why did the author like Cowboy so much in spite of its ugliness?
| A．Because she loved horses more than anything else. |
| B．Because Cowboy was a strong and smart young horse. |
| C．Because Cowboy had a lot in common with her pony. |
| D．Because she was sad and lonely and needed a companion. |
The audience fell into silence at the end of the run probably because_________.
| A．they didn’t expect Cowboy would win the event |
| B．they were unhappy that Becky was beaten in the event |
| C．they didn’t like cowboy, for it was too ugly |
| D．they never saw a horse running as fast as Cowboy |
After the competition, the author came to realize that _______.
| A．she ought to gather the courage to solve all the problems |
| B．it was time to forget her pony and treat Cowboy better |
| C．she needed to work harder to win more blue ribbons |
| D．she could be the god of her own fate if she tried hard enough |
It can be inferred from the story that _________.
| A．all of their hard training was totally in vain |
| B．a blue ribbon must be the second highest prize |
| C．Cowboy lost in the event of being judged by appearance |
| D．both Becky and the author won in the jumping event |
B
2014 TFK Poetry Contest
Calling all poets! TIME For Kids has a challenge for you：Write a funny, rhyming poem. It must be an original poem that does not copy another poet’s work. Enter it in the TIME For Kids Poetry Contest. As fewer and fewer children are interested in writing poetry of their own, TIME For Kids decides to organize and sponsor such a contest to change the situation.
Contest Rules
1. How to enter: This contest begins 12:01 am on March 6, 2014 and ends 11:59 pm on July 24, 2014. To enter, mail the following information to 1271 Avenue of the Americas, 32nd Floor, New York, New York 10020: (a) an original and previously unpublished poem that is humorous and has a rhyme scheme(韵律); (b) Entrant’s first name only and a parent’s mail address. Limit one entry per person. By entering, Entrant promises that the entry (1) is original, (2) has not been published in any medium and (3) has not won an award.
2. Judging: All entries will be judged by poet Kenn Nesbitt, based on the following criteria: creativity and originality (50％), use of language and rhyme (25％) and appropriateness to the theme of the contest (25％). The length of the entry will not be taken into consideration.
3. Prizes: Our judge will select four semifinalists(半决赛选手)from which one grand-prize winner and three finalists will be chosen. The one grand-prize winner will receive an online class visit from Children’s Poet Kenn Nesbitt and a signed copy of his newest book of poetry, The Armpit of Doom：Funny Poems for Kids, approximately value: $275. The three finalists will each get a signed copy of Nesbitt’s newest book of poetry，The Armpit of Doom: Funny Poems for Kids，and both their poems and that of the grand-prize winner will be published at timeforkids.com.
4. Eligibility(参赛资格)：Open to legal citizens of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are primary school students and are 8 to 13 years old at time of entry．
5. Winner’s list：For names of the winner and finalists，visit timeforkids.com(after August 1, 2014, available for a period of 10 days)．The purpose of the contest is to__________.
| A．encourage children to learn from other poets |
| B．help children realize the dream of poetry writing |
| C．encourage children’s interest in poetry writing |
| D．encourage children to read more original poems |
Which of the following characteristics of a poem is valued most in judging?
| A．Being creative and original． |
| B．Using a proper number of words． |
| C．Using proper language and rhyme． |
| D．Being appropriate to the contest theme． |
What can be known about the finalists of the contest?
| A．They will get a great deal of money. |
| B．Their poems can be read at timeforkids.com. |
| C．They will receive an online class visit from Nesbitt． |
| D．Their poems will appear in Nesbitt’s newest book of poetry. |
According to the contest rules,____________.
| A．poems can be sent to the organizers by e-mail |
| B．all children have the right to take part in the contest |
| C．the number of poems to enter the contest is not limited |
| D．the result of the contest will be unknown before August, 2014 |
A
You've probably heard about sports coaches, fitness coaches, voice and music teachers, career counselors, psychiatrists(精神病医师) and other specialists who teach skills and help us cope with daily life.
But there's a rapidly growing kind of professional who does a little bit of everything. She or he is called a “ life coach ”. People who are at crossroads in their lives, and corporations that want to give certain employees a career boost, are turning to them for help.
The idea that one person’s success story can change other people’s lives for the better goes back at least to the 1930s. Dale Carnegie’s famous self-improvement program “How to Win Friends and Influence People” came along soon thereafter.
But this new style of life coaches includes more than enthusiastic speakers or writers. They use their own experiences in business, sports, military service, or psychotherapy (心理疗法)to help others make critical life decisions.
They often give their approach a slogan, such as “energy coaching” or “fearless living” or “working yourself happy”.
Dave Lakhani in Boise, Idaho, for instance, works with salespeople to develop what he calls a “road map”. He says an ongoing relationship with a coach is like having a personal fitness trainer for one’s career and life outside work.
Lakhani’s Bold Approach coaching firm also donates some of its time to help people who are anything but successful---including battered women and struggling single mothers.
But others in the so-called “helping professions” are not thrilled about the life-coaching movement. They say that anyone, trained or untrained, can call himself or herself a life coach, and that slick(华而不实的) promoters who mess with people’s lives can do more harm than good.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Working Yourself Happy. |
| B．Life Coaches Help with Tough Decisions. |
| C．How to Cope with Daily Life with Life Coaches. |
| D．The Life-Coaching Movement. |
The underlined phrase “life coach” in Paragraph 2 means“_______”.
| A．The career counselor who teaches skills |
| B．The psychiatrist who helps us cope with daily life |
| C．The fitness coach who teaches us lessons |
| D．The specialist who helps us make important life decisions |
The last paragraph is mainly about__________.
| A．the introductions of life coach |
| B．the disagreements of life coach |
| C．the effects of life coach |
| D．the experiences of life coach |
What is the author’s attitude towards life coaches?
| A．Cautious． | B．Approving． |
| C．Casual． | D．Disapproving． |
C
Dreams can be familiar and strange, fantastical or boring, but some dreams might be connected to the mental processes that help us learn. No one knows for certain why people dream, but some dreams might be connected to the mental processes that help us learn. In a recent study, scientists found a connection between nap-time(打盹时的) dreams and better memory in people who were learning a new skill.
In the study, 99 college students between the ages of 18 and 30 each spent an hour on a computer, trying to get through a virtual maze (迷宫). The maze was difficult, and the study participants had to start in a different place each time they tried --- making it even more difficult. They were also told to find a particular picture of a tree and remember where it was.
For the first 90 minutes of a five-hour break, half of the participants stayed awake and half were told to take a short nap. Participants who stayed awake were asked to describe their thoughts. Participants who took a nap were asked about their dream after sleep---and they were awakened within a minute of sleep to describe their dreams.
Stickgold, a neuroscientist (神经科学家), wanted to know what people were dreaming about when their eyes weren’t moving, during sleep.
Four of the 50 people who slept said their dreams were connected to the maze. Some dreamed about the music that had been playing when they were working; others said they dreamed about seeing people in the maze. When these four people tried the computer maze again, they were able to find the tree faster than before their naps.
Stickgold suggests the dream itself doesn’t help a person learn --- it’s the other way around. He suspects that the dream was caused by the brain processed associated with learning.
All four of the people who dreamed about the task had done poorly the first time, which makes Stickgold wonder if the dreams show up when a person finds a new task particularly difficult. People who had other dreams, or people who didn’t take a nap, didn’t show the same improvement.Before having a short nap, participants of the experiment were asked to ___________.
| A．stay in different place in the maze |
| B．design a virtual maze which is difficult to get through |
| C．experience the experiment and try to remember something |
| D．get through a virtual maze on a computer from the same place |
After doing what they were asked on computers, participants ___________.
| A．were divided into two groups to do different things at break |
| B．were so tired as to fall asleep |
| C．felt bored with the experiment and they were sleepy |
| D．were asked to remember their experiment separately |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Participants who took a nap were required to express their thought. |
| B．Some dreams may encourage people to invent something new. |
| C．Participants who dreamed about films could finish the task more easily. |
| D．Participants whose dreams had something to do with the maze could find the tree faster. |
According to Stickgold, ____________.
| A．every person may dream about what they learned |
| B．people’s brain processes may still be connected with their learning in their dreams |
| C．once people’s eyes stop moving, they are sued to dream about something |
| D．no matter fantastical or boring, dreams are connected with peoples life |
Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
| A．Strange Dreams |
| B．Stickgold, a Dream Expert |
| C．Dreaming Makes Better |
| D．Not All Dreams Are True |
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