Robots at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai play football，practice tai chi , play the violin, prepare Chinese dishes and care for the elderly. Scrap metal robots created by a Chinese farmer can pour tea and paint pictures.
Global designers of robots are making them more capable, powerful and affordable, so they will play more roles in more sectors, from manufacturing to health care, and they can help around the house.
Now Toyota, the world's biggest car maker, and Canon, the biggest camera maker, have joined research and development to make robots a practical reality, like a PC.
The Expo Shanghai is a place where China can learn about advanced robotics, and a stage for made-in-China robots.
Developers are taking robots from “Star Wars” and top laboratories and putting them into the industrial sector, even in consumer markets. They are used in health care, computer programming, manufacturing and culture.
The goals are to add more practical functions and to cut prices, and lower cost comes with higher volume.
“The World Expo is a unique opportunity to demonstrate French technology，”says Bruno Maisonnier，chief executive of Aldebaran Robotics, which shows Nao robots in the France Pavilion.
More than 700 Nao robots, which cost 1,000 to12,000 euros (US $ 14,640) each, are sold mainly to research organizations, including 60 to 70 in China.
The French-based company aims to promote robots in the general public market starting from late2011，with entertainment or learning functions at a "reasonable price", according to Maisonnier.
Visitors to the Japan Pavilion are struck by Toyota's dextrous Partner Robot playing the Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower on the violin. Other robots play other instruments, but the violin is the most complicated.
Many people were so enchanted by the robotic musician that they overlooked other Partner Robots, designed to be personal assistants especially for Japan's aging population. One can even carry passengers. Robots at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai are designed to be __________
| A．enjoyable and interesting |
| B．practical and affordable |
| C．good-looking and considerate |
| D．funny and relaxing |
Toyota and Canon have joined research and development to make robots, which shows __________
| A．robots are not too difficult to design |
| B．they want to abandon their present career |
| C．they are more fit to make robots |
| D．robot manufacture will become a big market |
From the passage we can see Nao robots are designed __________
| A．to show robots can be made cheaply |
| B．to meet the need of research |
| C．to serve the needs of every one of us |
| D．to show robots can be intelligent |
What's the best title of the passage?
| A．Advanced robots in the world |
| B．Robots in the future |
| C．Robots, practical and affordable |
| D．Robots show at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai |
Spending as little as $5 a day on someone else could significantly boost happiness, the team at the University of British Columbia found.
Their experiments on more than 630 Americans showed they were measurably happier when they spent money on others--even if they thought spending the money on themselves would make them happier.
“We wanted to test our theory that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn,” said Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia. They asked their 600 volunteers first to rate their general happiness, report their annual income and detail their monthly spending including bills, gifts for themselves, gifts for others and donations to charity.
“No matter how much income each person made, those who spent money on others reported greater happiness, while those who spent more on themselves did not, ” Dunn said in a statement.
Dunn’s team also surveyed 16 employees at a company in Boston before and after they received an annual profit sharing bonus of between $ 3,000 and $ 8,000. “Employees who devoted more of their bonus to prosocial spending experienced greater happiness after receiving the bonus, and the manner in which they spent that bonus was a more important predictor of their happiness than the size of the bonus itself,” they wrote in their report, published in the journal Science.
They gave their volunteers $5 or $20 and half got clear instructions on how to spend it. Those who spent the money on someone or something else reported feeling happier about it.
“These findings suggest that very minor changes in spending allocations-as little as $5-may be enough to produce real gains in happiness on a given day, ” Dunn said.The underlined word “boost” in the first paragraph probably means________.
| A．help to find | B．help to increase |
| C．help to bring | D．help to get |
Dunn is ________.
| A．an employee in a company |
| B．a reporter in a journal |
| C．a psychologist at a university |
| D．a volunteer in the experiment |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Those who spend more money on others can get much more bonus. |
| B．People usually think spending money on themselves will make them happier. |
| C．Very small changes in spending your money may be enough to gain happiness. |
| D．Researchers think that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn. |
What is the general idea of the passage?
| A．The more you earn, the greater happiness you will get. |
| B．Spending more money on yourself will make you happier. |
| C．You can spend only $ 5 a day on someone else to get happiness. |
| D．If you spend money on someone else, you will feel happier. |
It can be inferred from the 6th paragraph that ________.
| A．the volunteers not given $ 5 or $ 20 spent their own money on themselves |
| B．those who spent the money on someone or something else felt happier about it |
| C．half of the volunteers could spend the money as they liked |
| D．the volunteers were given $ 5 or $ 20 as a reward for the experiment |
When I was a kid, I was close to my dad, but as I grew older, my dad and I grew further apart. We always had totally different opinions. He thought that college was a waste of time, but for me it was important to finish college. He wanted me to work my way to the top as he had done in his field, but I wanted a different life. There was a time when we did not talk with each other.
A few months ago, I heard that my 84-year-old dad was in poor health. When he called and asked whether I could move from Colorado back to Tennessee to help him, I knew he was seriously ill. I am his only child and so it was time to meet my father’s requirement.
Two weeks after moving back, we bought a boat and started fishing again. Fishing was one of the few things that we did while I was young and that we both enjoyed. It is strange but true that as we are fishing we are able to put things that have kept us apart for so many years behind us. We are able to talk about things that we have never talked about before. Fishing has been healing the old wounds that have kept us apart.
It is not important how many fish we catch. It is about enjoying the relationship that we have not had for years. I’m 62 and he is 84. When we are on the lake fishing, it is like two kids enjoying life. It is far better to find a way to put the unhappy past behind. I am so lucky to spend the happy time with my father in his last years. Now my heart is filled with love. A smile always graces my lips.The author and his father became further apart because_________.
| A．they had different views on things |
| B．they lived very far from each other |
| C．they only communicated by phone |
| D．they seldom went to see each other |
What made the author come back to Tennessee?
| A．Because his father invited him to go fishing. |
| B．Because his father is ill and needs caring. |
| C．Because he decided to live in a different city. |
| D．Because he regretted being rude to his father. |
For the author, fishing with his old father_________.
| A．helps cure his father’s disease |
| B．is a good way to get close to nature |
| C．offers a chance for them to communicate |
| D．makes him realize the importance of exercise |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The writer’s car is always breaking down. |
| B．Father intended me to be a fisherman. |
| C．I was unwilling to come back. |
| D．Father used to think it was useless to attend college. |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Forgiving Is Difficult |
| B．My Beloved Father |
| C．Memories of Old Days |
| D．Fishing Brings Us Together |
Since last year, Where Are We Going, Dad? has become the most popular TV shows. On the show, the five fathers and their children traveled around China riding camels through the western deserts, fishing on the east coast, and selling vegetables for their bus fare home in southwestern Yunnan province.
One dad doesn’t know how to do his daughter’s hair, so some people try to help him. Another one must survive with his son for three days in the desert because the father can’t cook, they only eat instant noodles.
Why is Where Are We Going, Dad? so popular? Because it is about how Chinese parents look after their kids. The show makes modern parents think about what they should do with their kids.” In traditional Chinese culture, the father is strict and the mother is kind. But on the show, we see fathers who are much gentle on their kids and more involved in their upbringing (成长).” said Li Minyi, a professor of early childhood education.
In the past, children were taught their parents’ wishes and look after them in their old age. But today Chinese parents increasingly realize that respecting their children’s choices may be a better way to prepare them for modern society. As they raise their children, parents are growing up at the same time.According to the passage, what didn’t the fathers and their children do on the show?
| A．Rode camels. |
| B．Sold vegetables. |
| C．Climbed the mountains. |
| D．Fished on the east coast. |
One father and his son only eat instant noodles because______.
| A．there aren’t ant vegetables in the desert. |
| B．they have no money to buy something to eat. |
| C．they think instant noddles are the most delicious. |
| D．the father can’t cook. |
In the fourth paragraph, the underlined word “them” refers to______.
| A．modern parents |
| B．the five fathers on the show |
| C．the parents in the past |
| D．the children in the old days |
Why is Where Are We Going, Dad? so popular?
| A．Because there are many famous stars on the show. |
| B．Because it’s about how Chinese parents raise their children. |
| C．Because it’s about how to help the poor. |
| D．Because it’s about how to sell vegetables. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Fathers are much gentle on their kids on the show. |
| B．Children were told to obey their parents’ wishes in the past. |
| C．Parents can also learn something when they raise their children. |
| D．In traditional Chinese culture, parents are both strict with their kids. |
It has been two years since China Daily last interviewed 31-year-old Zhang Chao．The micrograph enthusiast still wears the same hair style, even the same coat．
But one thing is very different: He's become a celebrity in cyberspace almost overnight, after his pictures, which show what the smog in Beijing looks like under his microscope, spread like a virus on China's major micro-blogging site Sina Weibo, since he posted them last Friday．Now the media is always interviewing him．
Zhang's apartment is on the eighth floor, which he says is perfect for capturing the thickest levels of smog．
As a Beijing native, Zhang explains his original purpose is to deconstruct Beijing's smog and expose its mystery．" People have higher and higher standards for the environment," he says," When I was a child, I was annoyed by the frequent sandstorms, so I feel Beijing's air seems much better now all in all because there are hardly any sandstorms in recent years．Now, we've noticed PM2.5, which has long been neglected．"
Although he graduated as a science major from Beijing Normal University, Zhang says it is difficult for him to give an exact definition of what smog is in Beijing. Under his scope, which magnifies（放大）the sample 1,000 times, the smog is found to contain minerals, fragments of animal fur and insects, seeds and burnt dust．But many are compounds, he says, which are more difficult to identify．
Zhang realizes that he may have disappointed the public because he can't show the inner construction of PM2.5 , today's most notorious(.臭名昭著的) element in smog. It is beyond the capacity of his microscope and camera to explore such tiny grains, " You cannot imagine how splendid the micro world is" ! says Zhang Chao.Zhang Chao has become a celebrity in cyberspace because_________.
| A．he has taken many pictures of smog |
| B．he is a micrograph enthusiast |
| C．he graduated from Beijing Normal University |
| D．his smog pictures spread widely on Sina Weibo |
The underlined words " deconstruct Beijing's smog " in paragraph 4 probably mean_____.
| A．collect the smog widely |
| B．give a detailed analysis of the smog |
| C．observe the smog carefully |
| D．emphasize the importance of the smog |
According to the text, which of the following is wrong?
| A．PM2.5 has long been ignored． |
| B．PM2.5 is an element in smog． |
| C．Under the scope the smog can be identified clearly． |
| D．In recent years there are less sandstorms in Beijing． |
From the passage we can infer that _____．
| A．Zhang Chao is interested in the micro world very much |
| B．Zhang Chao can't show the inner construction of PM2.5 |
| C．Zhang Chao was annoyed by the frequent sandstorms when he was a child |
| D．Zhang Chao can give an exact definition of what smog is in Beijing |
The biggest danger facing airlines nowadays may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man with portable computer in business class. In the last 16 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interference (电磁干扰). The source of this interference remains not proved, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic devices such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones.
RTC.A. an organization which advises the aviation (航空 )industry, has suggested that all airlines ban such devices from being used during "critical" stages of flight particularly take-off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights. Currently , rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some air- lines prevent passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are unwilling to carry out a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flight.
The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft's computers. Experts know that portable devices send out radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not.
The fact that aircraft may be fragile to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio systems in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying，though, is the passenger who can 't hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music's too loud.What is said about the over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 16 years?
| A．They may have been caused by the damage to the radio systems. |
| B．They may have taken place during take-off and landing. |
| C．They were proved to have been caused by the passengers’ portable computers. |
| D．They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference. |
Why is it difficult to predict the possible effects of electromagnetic fields on an airplane 's computers?
| A．Because it is extremely dangerous to conduct such research on an airplane. |
| B．Because it remains a mystery what wavelengths are liable to be interfered with. |
| C．Because research scientists have not been able to produce the same effects in labs. |
| D．Because experts lack adequate equipment to do such research. |
Few airlines want to perform a total ban on their passengers using electronic devices because_______
| A．they don't believe there is such a danger as radio interference |
| B．the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved |
| C．most passengers refused to take a plane , which bans the use of radio and cassette players |
| D．they have other effective safety measures to fall back on |
The passage is mainly about_________.
| A．a new rule for all airlines |
| B．the disadvantages of electronic devices |
| C．a possible cause of aircraft incidents |
| D．effective safety measures for air flight |
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