Since the 1970s，scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Braincomputer 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 thougts.
“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.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．computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair |
| C．scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair |
| D．cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair |
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 |
Engineers should embrace（接受） the arts，Sir John O'Reilly，a fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology，argued in a lecture．
About 59% of engineering companies in the IET's 2014 survey feared skill shortages could threaten（威胁） business．
"There is nothing as creative as engineering," Sir John told the reporter．He says science，technology，engineering and mathematics - often known as "Stem" subjects，are vital for a modern knowledge economy．But there is a massive shortfall in the number of recruits（招聘） - with a recent study by the Royal Academy of Engineering saying the UK needs to increase by as much as 50% the number of Stem graduates it produces．
Delivering this year's Mountbatten Lecture at the Royal Institution，Sir John argued that engineers should recognise the role of the arts in their work - among other benefits; this could attract more people into the profession．The lecture，Full Steam Ahead for Growth，advocated a wider adoption -- Steam，or science，technology，engineering，arts and maths．Engineers should embrace the arts as being key to creativity and an important component of innovation（创新），crucial to creating new products and boosting future competitiveness，he argueD． "Engineering and technology is an increasingly diverse and creative field," said Sir John．
Some university engineering departments already cooperated with art schools to develop understanding，he told the reporter．In particular he mentioned Cranfield University's Centre for Creative Competitive Design and Imperial College's work with the Royal College of Art．The two sets of people could work well together and more emphasis on the creative side of engineering could improve the success of products，he said．
"Aesthetics(美学) is part of it," he told the reporter，adding that Apple's iPod was not the first digital media player，nor the only one that worked - but it came to dominate the market "because it was nice to have"．
Sir John said he was not suggesting universities started requiring A-level art from engineering applicants - the key subjects for admission would continue to be maths and the sciences．But an emphasis on creative skills would help "broaden the pool and attract more people in"．
According to a recent study by the Royal Academy _______ ．
| A．skill shortages could threaten business |
| B．engineering graduates are not as creative as expected |
| C．there are not enough arts graduates produced in the UK． |
| D．the UK needs more graduates in science，technology，engineering and mathematics |
According to the lecture Full Steam Ahead for Growth，_______ ．
| A．engineers should cooperate with arts majors |
| B．Accepting the arts could attract more people into engineering |
| C．engineers should realize arts play the most important part in their work |
| D．engineering and technology is as diverse and creative as before |
By giving the example of Apple's iPod，Sir John intends to _______ ．
| A．stress the importance of arts |
| B．stress the importance of marketing |
| C．stress the importance of communication |
| D．stress the importance of science and technology |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．More university students should study arts instead of engineering． |
| B．Engineering and technology is increasingly different and unrelated fields． |
| C．The IET's skills survey raised concerns about the number of recruits to engineering． |
| D．Students from some university engineering departments have already transferred to art schools |
What is the passage mainly about?
A． Lack of creativity makes it difficult for the engineering major to find a satisfactory joB．
B． The key subjects for engineering majors remain to be maths and the sciences rather than arts．
C． University engineering departments should cooperate with art schools to improve the success of products．
D． Engineering needs to emphasize its creative side to encourage more young people to choose it as a career．
Cooking programs and classes for children seem to positively influence children's food preferences and behaviors，according to a recent review．And，although the review didn't look at long-term effects of such programs，the findings suggest that such programs might help children develop long-lasting healthy habits．
This research comes at a time when childhood obesity（肥胖） rates have been rising rapidly．More than one-third of adolescents in the United States were obese in 2012，according to the U．S．Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)．This trend has been caused，at least in part，by a significant decrease in the amount of meals that people consume at home since the 1980s，according to background information in the study．
Cooking education programs，such as Food Explorers，teach children about new healthy foods and how to prepare them．They also stress the importance of eating five fruits and vegetables every day．a volunteer parent explains a new food to the group，and the kids make something based on the lesson，such as fruit or vegetable salad． Depending on the program，kids may be sent home with information about healthy foods to bring to their parents，the review explained．
The study team reviewed eight other studies that tested different types of cooking education programs．Children in these classes were between 5 and 12 years old，according to the review．The goal of the study team was to learn more about developing an efficient program to encourage healthy food choices that last a lifetime．The study found that it is particularly important to expose kids to healthy foods on a number of occasions．This makes them feel comfortable with the new foods，which helps them build healthy habits．
The study stressed the importance of getting parents involved in（参与） their children's eating habits．Parents who are unable to enroll their kids in a cooking class can achieve similar benefits by having their kids help them while they prepare meals at home．Children are more comfortable at home，which makes them more receptive to new foods because they will make the connection to a positive experience．
What can we infer from the second paragraph?
| A．Eating out frequently causes obesity． |
| B．Childhood obesity is totally caused by eating habit． |
| C．Childhood obesity rates have been rising rapidly since 2012 |
| D．Food consumption has decreased significantly since the 1980s． |
On cooking education programs，________．
| A．children learn how to prepare foods from their parents |
| B．children will learn how to cook in the company of their parents |
| C．children may learn information unknown to their parents |
| D．children focus more on cooking skills than on information about healthy foods |
Which of the following is true according to the study?
| A．Parents should let their kids cook independently at home． |
| B．A greater willingness to try new foods helps building healthy habits． |
| C．Children who participate in cooking programs are less likely to become obese． |
| D．Children who take cooking courses are more likely to choose fruits and vegetables as adults． |
Which of the following categories does this passage belong to?
| A．Education Systems |
| B．Science and Technology |
| C．Parent-child Relationship |
| D．Public Health Research |
The purpose of the passage is _________．
| A．to inform the reader |
| B．to entertain the reader |
| C．to discuss with the reader |
| D．to warn the reader |
My family moved from Taiwan to a small town in central Georgia，where my dad got a visa for his family and a job． I had just learned English，and from what little I could gather from my classmates，Santa Claus would come down one’s chimney（烟囱） and put toys in one’s stocking on Christmas Eve! What a great country，I thought．After I looked up “stocking” in my Chinese-English dictionary，I knew what I had to do．
On that fateful night，after everyone went to bed，I took my longest，cleanest knee sock and attached it to a nail already on the mantel(壁炉)．Obviously，the previous owners of this house were no strangers to this Santa character．
I woke up before everyone else on Christmas Day and ran to the fireplace．To make a sob story short，I was hit with the reality of an empty sock and the biggest lie ever told． I burst into tears，quickly took down the sock，and stuffed it in the back of a drawer．Santa was dead．
Every December since then，the topic of Christmas memories would unavoidably come up，and I would amuse my friends with my poor-little-me story．I had to make it as funny as possible，or else I would cry．
How could I know that Santa was just late? Nine years ago，on Christmas Eve，an older man with a white beard and a red cap knocked on my front door．He said，“I’ve been looking for you for twenty-five years．” He handed me a bulging red stocking，winked，and left．On top of the stocking was a card． It read: “For Becky—I may have missed you in the second grade，but you’ve always lived in my heart．Santa． ”
Through tear-blurred eyes，I recognized the handwriting of Jill，a friend I had met just two months before．I later discovered that the older man was her father．Jill had seen the hurt little girl underneath the thirty-something woman and decided to do something about it．
So now I believe that Santa is real．I don’t mean the twinkle-eyed character of children’s mythology(神话) or the creation of American holiday marketers．Those Santas annoy and sadden me．I believe in the Santa Claus that live inside good and thoughtful people．This Santa does not return to the North Pole after a crazy delivery but lives each day purposefully，really listens to friends，and then plans deliberate acts of kindness．What does the underlined part “what I had to do” in Paragraph 1 refer to?
| A．Waiting for Santa Claus． |
| B．Putting a stocking on the mantel． |
| C．Asking for gifts from her parents． |
| D．Looking up “stocking” in the dictionary |
It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s parents ____．
| A．didn’t love their child at all |
| B．didn’t know the previous owners of the house |
| C．didn’t know much about Christmas tradition |
| D．didn’t have enough money to buy the author Christmas presents |
When the author told her friends about the story，she felt ______in her heart．
| A．proud | B．amusing | C．hate | D．regret |
By writing the passage，the author speaks highly of ________
| A．friendship |
| B．parenting |
| C．religion |
| D．culture |
The author of the passage is probably ________．
| A．a teenager |
| B．a primary school student |
| C．a middle-aged woman |
| D．a native American |
阅读理解
When Dekalb Walcott III was just 8 years old，his father，a Chicago fire chief，let him tag along on a call． Dekalb says a lot of kids idolized basketball player Michael Jordan when he was growing up in Chicago in the 1990s．Not him．
“I wanted to be like Dekalb Walcott Jr．，”he says of his father．
So when his dad asked if he wanted to go on that call with him when he was 8，Dekalb was excited． “I'm jumping up and down，saying，”Mom，can I go? Can I go?'
The experience changed Dekalb's life，he tells his dad on a visit to StoryCorps．“My eyes got big from the moment the alarm went off．”the younger Dekalb says．“This is the life that I want to live someday．”
Now 27，the younger Dekalb is living that life．He became a firefighter at 21 and went to work alongside his dad at the Chicago Fire Department．Before his father retired，the pair even went out on a call together — father supervising（监督） son．
“You know，it's everything for me to watch you grow，”his father says．But he also recalls worrying about one particular fire that his son faced．
“I received a phone call that night．And they said，'Well，your son was at this fire．' I said，'OK，which way is this conversation going to go?'”Dekalb Walcott Jr．recalls．
“And they said，'But he's OK．And he put it out all by himself．Everybody here was proud of him．'”
“And the word went around，'Who was out there managing that fire? Oh，that's Walcott! That's Walcott up there!' So，you know，moments like that，it's heaven on Earth for a dad． ”
Dekalb Walcott Jr．retired in 2009.The younger Dekalb says he's proud of being a second-generation firefighter．“You know，it makes me look forward to fatherhood as well，because I'm definitely looking forward to passing that torch down to my son．”
The underlined phrase tag along in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______．
| A．put out fire |
| B．watch basketball |
| C．follow his father |
| D．ask his mother’s permission |
Dekalb Walcott III determined to become a firefighter at the age of_________
| A．8 | B．21 | C．27 | D．35 |
What did Dekalb Walcott Jr want to do before he was told that the fire was put out?
| A．Go on with the conversation |
| B．Put it out all by himself |
| C．Supervise his son |
| D．Go to the fire scene |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Dekalb Walcott Jr is proud to be a second-generation firefighter． |
| B．Dekalb Walcott III wants his son to become a firefighter too． |
| C．Dekalb Walcott Jr wants to pass the torch to Dekalb Walcott III． |
| D．Dekalb Walcott III is proud that his son has become an excellent firefighter． |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Passing The Torch: A Firefighter Dad's Legacy |
| B．Putting Out Fire: A Challenging Job for Father and son |
| C．Dekalb Walcott III：A Second-generation Firefighter |
| D．Dekalb Walcott Jr．：A Chicago Fire Chief |
The parents of a troubled teen may feel unsure as to whom to turn to in order to find help for their child. They may feel as if they have exhausted all of their options, and sometimes they are on the verge of giving up. But there is hope. Schools for troubled teens offer discipline and in some cases, drug treatment programs that can provide important life skills, and more importantly, a fresh start.
The following is a list of the most effective types of schools for troubled teens. Not every facility is a match for every child, but by knowing the differences between them, parents can make a better educated decision about where to send their teenager.
Boarding Schools
When a child is unable to deal with the relative freedom of a standard school day, boarding schools might be a good choice. At boarding schools, the child lives in a dorm setting, where almost every minute of the day is scheduled by school administrators.
Treatment Centers
When a teenager has an addiction to drugs or alcohol, a residential center that specializes in young people is an outstanding way to help them break the cycle of addiction. Treatment centers feature individual and group counseling to help identify the root causes of the drug problem and help develop the life skills needed to stay clean when the program is over.
Wilderness Programs
Designed to help improve the discipline and self-reliance of the child, wilderness programs send kids back to nature. By placing them in a foreign and sometimes uncomfortable setting, wilderness programs hope to improve children’s behavior. Programs generally include hikes, exercise programs and team building exercises.
Boot Camps
Boot camps are the most extreme style of school for troubled teens. These facilities are modeled after actual military boot camps, where the individual must get into shape, work as part of a team, and follow a long, hard set of rules and regulations. However, boot camps might not be the best choice for a teen with a drug addiction.Who would be the intended readers of the passage?
| A．Teachers. | B．Parents. |
| C．Students. | D．Experts. |
As the author suggests, schools for troubled teens______.
| A．can be a good choice for some desperate parents |
| B．can completely help and change troubled teens |
| C．are becoming popular with teens in trouble |
| D．care more about discipline than life skills |
According to the passage, boarding schools_____.
| A．provide children with more freedom |
| B．have their students’ time managed carefully |
| C．pay much attention to team building exercises |
| D．can make children feel safer |
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