Robots have proved to be valuable tools for soldiers, surgeons and homeowners hoping to keep the carpet clean. But in each case, they are designed and built specifically for the job. Now there is a movement under way to build multipurpose machines—robots that can move about in changing environmentssuch as offices or living rooms and work with their hands.
All-purpose robots are not, of course, a new idea. "It's been five or 10 years from happening for about 50 years, " says Eric Berger, co-director of the Personal Robotics Program at Willow Garage, a Silicon Valley organization. The delay is in part because even simple tasks require a huge set of capabilities. For a robot to fetch a mug, for example, it needs to make sense of data gathered by a variety of sensorslaser scanners identifying potential blocking objects, cameras searching for the target, force feedback in the fingers that grasp the mug, and more. Yet Berger and other experts are confident that real progress could be made in the next decade.
The problem, according to Willow Garage, is the lack of a common platform for all that computational effort. Instead of enlarging the capabilities of a single machine, everyone is designing robots and the software to control them, from the ground up. To help change this, Willow Garage is currently producing 25 copies of its model PR2 (for "Personal Robot 2"), a two-armed, wheeled machine that can switch off the electricity, open doors and move through a room. Ten of the robots will stay in house, but 10 more will go to outside research groups, and everyone will share their advances. This way, Berger says, if you want to build the robotic equivalent (等同物) of a Twitter (推特网站), you won't start by constructing a computer. "You build the thing that's new."The robots are mentioned to do some specific jobs EXCEPT in __________.
| A．battle fields |
| B．operation room |
| C．people's houses |
| D．wild fields |
The multipurpose robot may be identified as a machine that __________.
| A．can move about in changing environments and work with their hands |
| B．can make sense of data gathered by a variety of sensors |
| C．has a huge set of abilities to finish all the simple tasks |
| D．has identifying laser scanners, searching cameras and force feedback |
According to Willow Garage, we will make realprogress in building all-purpose robots if __________.
| A．everyone is designing robots and the software to control them |
| B．they can produce 25 copies of its model PR2 |
| C．people can enlarge the capabilities of a single machine |
| D．people can start by constructing a computer |
任务型阅读: 下面的五个人都想找房子,以下各题是他们的个人情况介绍.阅读所给出的六则广告简介(A---F).选出符合个人需要的最佳选项.选项中有一项是多余的.
__Mr. and Mrs. Robinson have four children. They haven't got a car, so they want to live downtown. They can pay $500 a month, but they can't pay more than that.
Mr. Smith has been retired and he is alone. He is now not in good health. He wants a house in the country which is very quiet and near to see the doctor.
__The Williams are very rich, and they want to find a clean and comfortable house. They have a lot of friends and often invite them to spend the weekend in their house.
__ Mrs. White has a young daughter who is only seven years old, but she doesn't want to spend too much time sending her child to school. And she also likes a house near a park or the forest.
__ Mr. Jackson is a truck driver and he has two children, one of whom has a car and is going to get married. So they want to find a house where they can park their car and truck easily.
A: A small house in the country, two miles from a village but near a hospital, 450 dollars a month. Call 821-7146 for an evening or Sunday appointment.
B: Now available at Franklin Park, one block from a primary school. Two bedrooms at $225. Utilities included except electricity. One month's deposit(押金）required.
C: A flat of 120 square meters, with three bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen is in a building on New Street, which is not far from the center of the city. In each bedroom there is a bed, a sofa, a desk and two chairs. The rent is $480 per month. Five or six buses take you straight to the school, the hospital, the supermarket, and the train station.
D: Nice modern apartment with nine bedrooms, a swimming pool and lovely gardens, start Jan. 1, partly furnished, with water and dryer, central air conditioning, 1800 dollars a month.
E: A house available for rent-furnished. Street Croix, Virgin, pool, wide ocean view. No buses but a parking lot nearby, $200 weekly. November--April. SR Box Y---680.
A new study（研究）warns that about thirty percent of the world’s people may not have enough water by the year 2025.
A private American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It says more than three hundred thirty-five million people lack enough water now. The people live in twenty-eight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa or the Middle East.
Population Action International researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three thousand million people may lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have severe water problems. The demand for water keeps increasing. Yet, the amount of water on earth stays the same.
Mr. Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing faster than in other parts of the world. He says population growth in these countries will continue to increase.
The report says lack of water in the future may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking water is not safe. Mr. Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases, such as cholera, which is carried in water. Lack of water may also result in more international conflict. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. This is true of Egypt, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Syria, Sudan and Iraq. And the report says lack of water would affect the ability of developing to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.
The Population Action International study gives several solutions to the water problem. One way, it says, is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third way is to use less water of agriculture.
The report also says long-term solutions to the water problem must include controls on population growth, It says countries can't provide clean water unless they slow population growth by limiting the number of children people have. According to the writer’s opinion, the first serious problem caused by lack of water is ______.
| A．health problem | B．war | C．economy | D．industry |
Robert Engelman may be _______.
| A．an Englishman | B．an American | C．a Japanese | D．an Australian |
Which of the following is NOT the way to solve the water problem?
| A．To control population growth |
| B．To teach people not to waste water. |
| C．To find ways to use water for only one purpose. |
| D．To use less water of agriculture. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．How to get more water in the future. | B．Problems caused by water |
| C．The Lack of water | D．A new study of water |
Creativity(创造力) is the key to a brighter future, say education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.
Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily an indicator(标志) of high intelligen
ce(智力). Just because a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using his resources to produce new ideas that are good for something.
It is important to let children choose. From an early age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it's choosing food for lunch, making decision helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money, but not help them too much if they make the wrong decision. The child may have a hard time, but that is all right. This is because the most important characteristic of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.Creativity is something ______.
| A．that people are born with |
| B．that depends on intelligence |
| C．that is a way of using what one has learnt to work out new problems |
| D．that is not important |
What should the parents do when their children decide how to spend their money?
| A．Try to help them as much as possible. |
| B．Take no notice of whatever they do. |
| C．Help them if their decision is wrong, but not too much. |
| D．Leave them as they are. |
What is the proper title of the passage?
| A．The Problems in Education | B．Let Children Choose |
| C．Children Need Creativity | D．A Brighter Future |
Pressure too much?
In our daily life we are used to hearing these words, “I can't wait for my holiday,” “I wish I could stay home today” And “I'm very tired.” These words come from pressure at work. Now the “iron rice bowl”(铁饭碗) is being broken into pieces. Workers may be fired if they don’t perform their duties well. They have to do their jobs better.
People feel pressure not only because they might find themselves out of work but also because they get no real pleasure from their work. For most of the workers, work is just a way of earning money. It appears to be meaningless and worthless.
But pressure is a natural part of work. There is no way to keep away from it. We should face up to it.
Work should be
a cause of happiness and pride rather than a punishment or a burden .In fact, a certain amount of pressure can provide challenge and chance for learning. To a modern man who is worried and low in spirit, developing a hobby and finding a new interest is of first importance. I like listening to pop music, which makes me calm and gives me pleasure.
If pressure becomes difficult to deal with, we should turn to our friends or families. We can have a drink with our friends and talk about the problem. We should always discuss our problems with our families. Good advice, warmth and happiness that families bring to us can reduce our pressure and encourage us to smooth away all difficulties.Peopel feel pressure at work mainly because ______.
| A．they will lose their jobs |
| B．most of them find less interest in their work |
| C．they can make more money after work. |
| D．they want to stay at home. |
Which of the following is WRONG in the writer’s opinion?
| A．Where there is work there is pressure. |
| B．Work shouldn’t be regarded as punishment or burden. |
| C．All modern men are worried and low in spirit. |
| D．A certain amount of pressure is necessary. |
From the text we can know that when pressure is too big, ________.
| A．we should drink coffee with our friends |
B． we can get help and comfort from our friends or families. |
| C．we can go home because it is warm |
| D．to talk out the problem to our friends and families is the best way. |
There was once an 11-year-old boy who went fishing every time he went to an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake.
On the day before the bass（鲈鱼） opened, he and his farther were fishing early in the evening, catching other fish with worms. Then he tied a small silver lure（鱼饵） put it into the lake. Suddenly the boy felt that something very big was pulling on the lure. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully brought the fish beside the bank. Finally he lifted the tired fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the big fish. The father struck a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 pm—two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, and then at the boy. ”You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said.
“Dad!” cried the boy. “There will be other fish,” said his father. “Not as big as this one,” cried the boy. He looked around. No other fishermen or boats could be seen in the moonlight. He looked at his father again.
Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he had caught the fish, the boy could tell from his father’s voice that the decision couldn’t be changed. He threw the huge bass into the black water.
The big fish disappeared. The boy thought that he would never see such a big fish again.
That was 34 years ago. Today the boy is a successful architect in New York city. He often takes his own son and daughters to fish at the same place.
And he was right. He has never caught such a large fish as the one he got that night long ago again. But he does see the same fish---again and again—ever time he has an ethical(道德的) decision to make. His father had taught him that ethics are simply a matter of right or wrong, but it is only the practice of ethics that is difficult. Why did the father strike a match?
| A．To check the time. |
| B．To light his cigarette. |
| C．To have a closer look at the fish. |
| D．To find whether there was somebody nearby. |
What happened when they found it was two hours before the season opened?
| A．The boy threw the bass back into the water willingly. |
| B．The father asked the boy to put the fish back into the lake. |
| C．The boy and his father discussed what to do with the fish. |
| D．They worried other fishermen might discover what they had done. |
Why did the architect go fishing with his children at the same place?
| A．It was a good place for fishing. |
| B．It brought the past to his mind. |
| C．They could catch a big fish there. |
| D．He wanted to give them a moral lesson. |
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