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. |
Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?
| A．scalp → computer → cap →wheelchair |
| B．compute → cap → scalp →wheelchair |
| C．scalp → cap → computer →wheelchair |
| D．cap → computer → scalp →wheelchair |
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 |
GUATEMALA CITY （Reuters） – A fish that lives in mangrove swamps（红树沼泽）across the Americas can live out of water for months at a time, similar to how animals adapted（适应）to land millions of years ago, a new study shows.
The Magrove Rivulus, a type of small killifish, lives in small pools of water in a certain type of empty nut or even old beer cans in the mangrove swamps of Belize, the United States and Brazil. When their living place dries up, they live on the land in logs（圆木），said Scott Taylor, a researcher at the Brevard Endangered Lands Program in Florida.
The fish, whose scientific name is Rivulus marmoratus, can grow as large as three inches. They group together in logs and breathe air through their skin until they can find water again.
The new scientific discovery came after a trip to Belize. “We kicked over a log and the fish just came crowding out,” Taylor told Reuters in neighboring Guatgemala by telephone. He said he will make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year.
In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.
Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in an inactive state. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and remain active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at Canada’s University of Guelph.
Further studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.
“These animals live in conditions similar to those that existed millions of years ago, when animals began making the transition（过渡）from water onto land,” Wright said. The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that _______.
| A．likes eating nuts |
| B．prefers living in dry places |
| C．is the longest living fish on earth |
| D．can stay alive for two months out of water |
Who will write up a report on Mangrove Rivulus?
| A．Patricia Wright | B．Researchers in Guatemala |
| C．Scientists from Belize | D．Scott Taylor |
According to the text, lungfish can________
| A．breathe through its skin |
| B．move freely on dry land |
| C．remain alive out of water |
| D．be as active on land as in water |
What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulus?
| A．It was made quite by accident |
| B．It was based on a lab test of sea life |
| C．It was supported by an American magazine |
| D．It was helped by Patricia Wright |
It's only 4 hours flying time from Sydney, but a world away. What better place to rest than a country where the only place people hurry is on the football field and things are done in "Fiji time"?
Viti Levu is Fiji’s the largest island and here you'll find the capital Suva and the international airport at Nadi Vatoa, on the other hand, is a tiny island in the farthest part of Fiji. Then there are 331 other islands, many of them with places to stay.
With less than a million people living on islands, you'll never feel crowded. And with a climate（气候）that changes only for five degrees between seasons, there’s never a bad time to come. From cities to villages, from mountains to beaches, from water sports to wooden artworks, Fiji can give you more adventures and special experiences than you could find almost any where in the world.
Whenever you come , wherever you go ,you’re sure to see some unforgettable events , from war dances to religious songs, from market days to religious days. It's not just staged for tourists; it's still a part of everyday life in Fiji. And any one of us can enjoy Fiji's spirit by being part of the traditional sharing of yaqona—a drink made from the root of a Fiji plant
So why not join us for the experience of a lifetime? Where is the international airport of Fiji?
| A．In Suva | B．In Sydney | C．On the island of Vatoa | D．On the island of Viti Levu |
What does the text tell us about Fiji people?
A．They invented “Fiji time” for visitors |
| B．They stick to a traditional way of life |
| C．They like to travel from place to place |
| D．They love taking adventures abroad |
One of the things that make Fiji a tourist attraction is
| A．its comfortable hotels |
| B．its good weather all year round |
| C．its exciting football matches |
| D．its religious beliefs |
Where can we most probably read this text?
| A．In a personal diary | B．In a science report |
| C．In a travel magazine | D．In a geography textbook |
How do successful people think? What drives them? Interviews and investigations indicate that there are several keys to success that successful people share.
First of all, successful people never blame someone or something outside of themselves for their failure to go ahead.They realize that their future lies in their own hands. They understand that they cannot control things in life, such as nature, the past and other people. But in the meantime, they are well aware that they can control their own thoughts and actions. They take responsibility for their life and regard this as one of the most empowering things they can do. Perhaps what most separate successful people from others is that they live life “on purpose”——they are doing what they believe they are put here to do．In their opinion, having a purpose in their life is the most important element that enables them to become fully functioning people．They hold that when they live their life on purpose, their main concern is to do the job right. They love what they do—and it shows. People want to do business with them because of their commitment（投身；奉献）. To live their life on purpose，successful people find a cause they believe in and create a business around it. Besides, they never easily give up.Once they have set up goals in their life, they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.Rather than seeing it negative or depressing they use the knowledge to spur themselves on an
d go after what they want energetically and passionately.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．How People Live Their Life on Purpose |
| B．How People Can Be Successful |
| C．How People Can Do Their Own Things |
| D．How People Do Business |
By living life “on purpose”，successful people can __________.
| A．do a lot of work |
| B．concentrate on their jobs |
| C．do business with many people |
| D．do all of the above mentioned |
The underlined word “it’’ in the second paragraph refers to __________.
| A．the main concern of successful people |
| B．the job that successful people do |
| C．the commitment with which successful people do their job |
| D．the business that successful people do with other people |
The underlined word “spur” in the last sentence most probably means________.
| A．encourage | B．excite | C．relieve | D．force |
It is Saturday afternoon. You and your friends are planning to go to the movies and then spend the night together. Just as you start to get ready, your dad reminds you it is your aunt's birthday and the whole family is going out to dinner to celebrate. How can this possibly end without a huge argument?
One of the greatest sources of tension(紧张情绪)between teenagers and their families is the struggle to balance personal desires with family expectations. As you are getting older, you are becoming more independent and more interested in being with your friends.
However, at the same time，your family is trying to figure out how to deal with these changes. While you once spent most of your free time with your family, you are now often absent from home. Parents may get their feelings hurt. Or they might feel that they are losing control of their family during this period. You might feel angry that so many family demands are placed on you.
There are a few things you can try to make it a little easier to ease(缓解)the tension.
* Make your plans in advance．Ask your parents if there is anything else planned at that time.
* When something with your friends interferes(干扰；冲突)with a family event, try to figure out if there is any way you can do both.
* Suggest something you would really like to do with your family. Sometimes parents feel better just knowing their teenager wants to spend time with them.
Some of the time you won’t be happy with the outcome(结果). You might either have to disappoint your parents or have to miss out being with your friends. However, if you show consideration(体谅)for the feelings of both your family and your friends, you can solve the problem in a tender way.The purpose of the first paragraph is to _________.
| A．show a disagreement of views |
| B．serve as a description of teenager trouble |
| C．serve as an introduction to the discussion |
| D．show the popularity of teenager problem |
The tension between teenagers and their families is caused by the fact that____________.
| A．teenagers don’t like to take family demands |
| B．parents want to keep their family under control |
C．parents feel unhappy t hat their children make so many friends |
| D．both parents and teenagers don’t pay attention to each other’s feeling much |
Which of the following is NOT the advice given in the passage?
| A．Don’t feel angry if your parents ask you to do something． |
| B．Try to think of ways to balance family event with friend event． |
| C．Tell your parents before you decide to spend time with your friends． |
| D．Advise your parents to do something that you are interested in with you． |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To inform us of parent and teenager tension． |
| B．To tell us about a common teenager problem． |
| C．To persuade parents to show consideration for teenagers． |
| D．To advise teenagers how to deal with their tension with their family． |
Compared to the other parts of the body, our ears don’t ask for much. They don't need to be brushed once a day like your teeth. But they need some special care, especially if you like listening to music with earphones.
Maybe your mum or dad has told you, "Turn that down before you go deaf!" Well, they are quite right. Loud noise might cause hearing loss for a short time or even forever. Think that earphones are a good way to escape from your parents’ eyes? Well. It may not be as good a way as you expect. American doctors have studied a group of 44,000 people who used earphones more than 15 hours per week. The doctors found that 37,000 of them were getting hearing problems.
If you use earphones for too long a time, your ears might feel painful. You could also lose your hearing for the rest of your life.
So don’t wear your earphones too long. Use them less than one hour a day.
Want sharp hearing? Don’t forget to do the following:
Try to stay away from places where there is too much noise, like a disco. If you have to go, wear earplugs.
When swimming, remember to put earplugs into your ears to stop water from getting in.
Never put anything sharp into your ears. If you think you have too much earwax, ask your mum or dad to help you clean it out.
Keep these things in mind! Then you won't be saying "WHAT???" when you are older.Which is the topic paragraph of the article?
| A．Paragraph One. | B．Paragraph Two |
| C．Paragraph Five. | D．The last Paragraph |
Using earphones "may not be as good a way as you expect" because _______.
| A．your parents know what you're doing |
| B．it can cause hearing problems |
| C．it makes your parents angry |
| D．most of you use them improperly |
If you want sharp hearing, you should _____.
| A．have your ears specially trained |
B．often we ar earplugs and clean out the earwax |
| C．take good care of your ears |
| D．choose what you listen to carefully |
"WHAT???" in the last sentence is an expression showing that the speaker____.
| A．has become impatient | B．speaks in a loud voice |
| C．is slow in understanding | D．asks for a lot of repetition |
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