Researchers are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people's depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated, Edwards points out. "The problem is how we promote that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution. ”
In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, re-searchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.
“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice，” says a seventy-year-old lady, “When I'm watching TV, he'll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his own. ”
The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.
"At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry，" Beck says. "But it's amazing how quickly we have given up that belief. "
"Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters' blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people's minds. " The purpose of Beck and Edwards' study is to __________.
| A．understand human-animal relationship |
| B．make lonely old peoples life better |
| C．find the causes of old people's loneliness |
| D．promote the animal-assisted research |
In the research, the old people are asked to __________
| A．note the activities of AIBOs |
| B．keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks |
| C．record their feelings and activity |
| D．analyze the collected information |
What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?
| A．It is easier to keep at home. |
| B．It can help the disabled people. |
| C．It responds to all the human orders. |
| D．It can watch TV with its owner. |
The author seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may __________.
| A．cure certain diseases |
| B．keep old people active |
| C．change people's beliefs |
| D．look more like real dogs |
Last year, two days after Christmas, we kicked China out of the house. Not the country obviously, but bits of plastic, metal, and wood with the words “Made in China”. We kept what we already had, but stopped bringing any more in. because it had coated our lives with toys, and useless stuff. Sometimes I worried about jobs sent overseas, but price triumphed over virtue at our house. We couldn’t resist what China was selling.
But on that dark Monday last year, an unease feeling washed over me as I sat on the sofa. It wasn’t until then that I noticed a fact: China was taking over the place.
It stared back at me from the empty screen of the television. I spied it in the pile of tennis shoes by the door. It glowed in the lights on the Christmas tree and watched me in the eyes of a doll lying on the floor, I slipped off the couch and sorted gifts into two piles: China and non-China. The count came to China, 25, the world, 14. Christmas, I realized, had become a holiday made by the Chinese. Suddenly I wanted China out.
I persuaded my husband, and on Jan. 1 st, we started a-year-long household embargo on Chinese imports. The idea wasn’t to punish China. And we didn’t fool ourselves into thinking because we wanted to measure how far it had pushed in. We wanted to know what it would take in time, money, and worry to kick our China habit!
In the spring, our 4-year-old son started a campaign to support “China things”. “It’s too long without China,” he cried. He kept at me all day. I have discovered for myself that China doesn’t control every aspect of our daily lives, but if you take a close look at the underside of boxes in the toy department, I promise it will give you pause. “When we can buy China things again? Let’s never stop.” My son said.
After a year without China I can tell you this: You can still live without it, but it’s getting costlier by the day. And a decade from now I may not be brave enough to try it again. The best title for the text could be _______.
| A．China Free Living: A Trouble One |
| B．A Year without “Made in China” |
| C．Why I Choose “Made in China” |
| D．“Made in China”: Good or Bad |
According to the passage, why did the author stop bringing in things “Made in China”?
| A．Because she wanted to bring back job opportunities for her natives. |
| B．Because she has a strong sense of nationalism against “Made in China”. |
| C．Because she wanted to learn what life would be like without “Made in China”. |
| D．Because too much stuff made in China was take over her house. |
The Underlined word “embargo” in the forth paragraph means ________.
| A．reaction | B．ban |
| C．restriction | D．cancellation |
The writer’s purpose in writing this passage is ________.
| A．to tell the readers an interesting experience |
| B．to describe the trouble facing a housewife |
| C．to explain the importance of Chinese goods |
| D．to show the difficulty without Chinese goods |
Old age may not sound exciting. But recent findings offer good news for older people and for people worried about getting older.
Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty. In fact, they say by the age of eighty-five, people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than three hundred forty thousand adults in the United States. The Gallup Organization questioned them by telephone in two thousand eight. At that time, the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty-five.
The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry. They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five.
The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties.
Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.
The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.
The findings appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be linked to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age. What is the report about?
| A．The relationship between happiness and age. |
| B．The influence between happiness and unemployment. |
| C．The tendency between family and health. |
| D．The expectation between age and children. |
Suppose John is 90 years old and Mike is 24, which of the following is True about them according to the research?
| A．John is happier and more energetic than Mike. |
| B．Mike is happier but weaker than John. |
| C．John is more sad and worried than Mike. |
| D．Mike is more worried and depressed than John. |
One of the possible reasons why the older one gets, the happier one becomes is that _______.
| A．they have had enough bad experiences |
| B．they become more grateful about the things they own |
| C．they have found it easy to forget their pains and pressures |
| D．they have lost their ability to control themselves |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Having young children affects the levels of happiness of the old. |
| B．Emotional patterns can change the physical structures of human’s brains. |
| C．It’s reported that women at all ages are happier than men. |
| D．Why happiness increases as people get older is still an unsolved mystery. |
“Soon, you’re going to have to move out!” cried my neighbor upon seeing the largest tomato plant known to mankind, or at least known in my neighborhood.
One tiny 9-inch plant, bought for $1.25 in the spring, has already taken over much of my rose bed, covering much of other plants, and is well on its way to the front door.
Roses require a good deal of care, and if it weren’t for the pleasure they give, it wouldn’t be worth the work. As it is, I have a garden full of sweet-smelling roses for most of the year. Bushes must be pruned(剪枝) in early spring, leaving ugly woody branches until the new growth appears a few weeks later. It was the space available in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant. A big mistake.
Soil conditions made just perfect for roses turn out be even more perfect for tomatoes. The daily watering coupled with full sun and regular fertilizing have turned the little plant into a tall bush. The cage I placed around it as the plant grew has long since disappeared under the thick leaves.
Now the task I face in harvesting the fruit is twofold; First, I have to find the red ones among the leaves, which means I almost have to stand on my head, and once found I have to reach down and under, pick the tomatoes and withdraw(缩回) my full fist without dropping the prize so dearly won. I found two full-blown white roses completely hidden as I picked tomatoes in June. But they were weak and the leaves already yellow for lack of light.
Here I am faced with a painful small decision: To tear up a wonderful and productive tomato plant that offers up between ten and twenty ripe sweet tomatoes each day or say goodbye to several expensive and treasured roses. Like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, I’ll think about that tomorrow. What ate the requirements for the healthy growth of rose?
| A．A lot of care and the right soil. |
| B．Frequent pruning and fertilizing. |
| C．Tomato plants grown alongside. |
| D．Cages placed around the roots. |
The writer planted the tomato because ________.
| A．it cost only $1.25 |
| B．the soil was just right for it |
| C．there was room for it in the garden |
| D．the roses’ branches needed to be covered |
This year the writer’s roses were _______.
| A．removed from the rose bed |
| B．picked along with the tomatoes |
| C．mostly damaged by too much sunlight |
| D．largely hidden under the tomato plant |
By saying “the prize so dearly won” in paragraph 5, the writer wants to _______.
| A．show the difficulty in picking the tomatoes |
| B．show the hardship of growing the roses |
| C．express her liking for the roses |
| D．express her care for the tomatoes |
When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother has realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker(股票经纪人). I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs. Tan.”
And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he don’t send me cheek already two week long.”
And then, in prefect English I said, “I’m getting rather concerned. You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.”
Then she talked more loudly. “What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t tolerate any more excuse. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.
When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world. Why was the author’s mother poorly served?
| A．She was unable to speak good English. |
| B．She was often misunderstood. |
| C．She was not clearly heard. |
| D．She was not very polite. |
After the author made the phone call, __________.
| A．they forgave the stockbroker |
| B．they failed to get the check |
| C．they went to New York immediately |
| D．they spoke to their boss at once |
What does the author think of her mother’s English now?
| A．It confuses her. |
| B．It embarrassed her. |
| C．It helps her understand the world. |
| D．It helps her tolerate rude people. |
We can infer from the passage that Chinese English _________.
| A．is clear and natural to non-native speakers |
| B．is vivid and direct to non-native speakers |
| C．has a very bad reputation in America |
| D．may bring inconvenience in America |
AAAGH! The Generation 90s is coming!
Wearing earphones, using complex Net language and constantly text messaging friends, the Gen-90s following the Gen-80s begin to make their world debut (初次登台).
Each generation or age group has its own symbols and lifestyle. Read on and judge for yourselves if you fit the Gen-90s group
Earphones
These little devices seem to grow on the heads of the Gen-90s. They might lead to MP3, MP4 or MP101 players, giving these young people a plugged-in, cool and perhaps self-addicted look, of course, life is not always music to the ears.
Martian language
They have created their own code-like online language. It’s a mixture of English, Japanese and Chinese that perhaps only Martians can understand. This is an imaginative generation, though they need to be careful to keep it out of their term papers.
Self-Portrait
Saying “cheese” to their own digital cameras is usual for this generation. A little bit of narcissism (自恋) never hurts anyone. It helps them reflect a little on their own lives．But be aware of the risks of posting private photos online.
Text-messaging
They can type their mobile phones as fast as they can speak. This is a generation that respects efficiency. However, oral communication is important and will never go out of style.According to the passage, if you belong to the Gen-90s , you will ____________ .
| A．just appreciate yourself and ignore others’ strengths. |
| B．have your own symbols and lifestyle. |
| C．have the same symbols and lifestyle of the Gen-80s． |
| D．like music and dance very much. |
According to the text, the writer will choose ______ as a good example to the Gen-90.
| A．Li Hua likes music and always wearing ipod |
| B．Zhang Chao is not only an imaginative boy but do everything efficiently. |
| C．Lily is a shy girl and she doesn’t like making friends. |
| D．Fangfang likes being taken photos and often posting them on line. |
According to this passage, which is FALSE?
| A．Not all teens are cautious about posting photos． |
| B．They type their mobile phones so fast that it can catch the speed of speaking. |
| C．The Gen-90s have a preference for some music players, and even regard them as a necessary part of life. |
| D．They don’t use the cool and complex online language in formal writing. |
The main idea of the passage is about________.
| A．the Gen-90s’ happy life |
| B．the difference between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s |
| C．the Gen-90s’ unique lifestyle and some practical warnings |
| D．the similarities between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s |
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