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Whether in the home or the workplace, social robots are going to become a lot more common in the next few years. Social robots are about to bring technology to the everyday world in a more humanized way, said Cynthia Breazeal, chief scientist at the robot company Jibo.
While household robots today do the normal housework, social robots will be much more like companions than mere tools. For example, these robots will be able to distinguish when someone is happy or sad. This allows them to respond more appropriately to the user.
The Jibo robot, arranged to ship later this year, is designed to be a personalized assistant. You can talk to the robot, ask it questions, and make requests for it to perform different tasks. The robot doesn’t just deliver general answers to questions; it responds based on what it learns about each individual in the household. It can do things such as reminding an elderly family member to take medicine or taking family photos.
Social robots are not just finding their way into the home. They have potential applications in everything from education to health care and are already finding their way into some of these spaces.
Fellow Robots is one company bringing social robots to the market. The company’s “Oshbot” robot is built to assist customers in a store, which can help the customers find items and help guide them to the product’s location in the store. It can also speak different languages and make recommendations for different items based on what the customer is shopping for.
The more interaction the robot has with humans, the more it learns. But Oshbot, like other social robots, is not intended to replace workers, but to work alongside other employees. “We have technologies to train social robots to do things not for us, but with us,” said Breazeal.How are social robots different from household robots?
| A．They can control their emotions. |
| B．They are more like humans. |
| C．They do the normal housework. |
| D．They respond to users more slowly. |
What can a Jibo robot do according to Paragraph 3?
| A．Communicate with you and perform operations. |
| B．Answer your questions and make requests. |
| C．Take your family pictures and deliver milk. |
| D．Obey your orders and remind you to take pills. |
What can Oshbot work as?
| A．A language teacher. | B．A tour guide. |
| C．A shop assistant. | D．A private nurse. |
We can learn from the last paragraph that social robots will ______.
| A．train employees |
| B．be our workmates |
| C．improve technologies |
| D．take the place of workers |
What does the passage mainly present?
| A．A new design idea of household robots. |
| B．Marketing strategies for social robots. |
| C．Information on household robots. |
| D．An introduction to social robots. |
SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) — Hundreds of families from the two Koreas on Saturday met at the DPRK's (朝鲜人民主主义人民共和国) Mount Kumgang resort (度假胜地)in the first government-arranged reunion since the inauguration（就职）of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
Earlier in the day, 96 South Koreans, of whom more than three-quarters were at the age of 70 or older, crossed the inter-Korean border（韩朝边界）, heading for the Kumgang resort to meet their families separated by the 1950—1953 Korean War.
Arriving at the DPRK's resort in the afternoon, South Koreans met with their long-separated families at a large-scale gathering at around 3 p.m. local time, and later are to have a dining meeting in the evening.
The separate, personal meetings are planned to be held on Sunday.
The South Korean families will come back home on Monday after the three-day gathering, followed by the second-session reunion event which will last from Tuesday to Thursday.
The reunion, which had become a semi-regular event(半定期举行的活动) since 2000 after a historic inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang(平壤), was suspended（取消）in 2007 with a worsening mood in inter-Korean relations.
Saturday's family meeting, however, came as a result of an agreement reached last month between the DPRK leader Kim Jong-il and Hyun Jeong-eun, chairwoman of South Korea's Hyundai Group.
The recovery of the family meetings is regarded as conveying the DPRK's reconciliatory(和解) intentions, along with the country's recent moves including lifting a ban(解禁) on cross-border traffic to and from the Kaesong Joint Industrial Park, local media said.
About 600,000 South Koreans are believed to have relatives in the DPRK. Ordinary citizens were not allowed to make phone calls, send letters or exchange e-mails across the border.. Why were there so many families separated according to the passage?
| A．Because they were from different countries. |
| B．Because of the war which broke out in 1950. |
| C．Because of the ban that ordinary citizens were not allowed to cross the border. |
| D．Because the different policies between the two countries. |
.. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．It is the first reunion since they were separated. |
| B．These separated families haven’t seen their relatives for more than 7 years. |
| C．The first day of the reunion fell on a Saturday. |
| D．Ordinary citizens are now not allowed to make phone calls, or exchange e-mails across the border. |
. The underlined word “reunion” can be replaced by _______________.
| A．living together again |
| B．joining together again |
| C．reaching an agreement again |
| D．meeting together again |
. What’s the best title of this news?
| A．South Korean, DPRK families meet in reunion event. |
| B．A Special Family Gathering. |
| C．The improvement of inter-Korean relations. |
| D．A Peaceful Meeting. |
Read the following reviews for movies that are showing at the moment. And then answer questions.
Happiness(Romance) ★★★★
Happiness tells the s
tory of two people (Lisa Turbot and Danny Roy) who work for different advertising companies. They talk on the phone all the time and don't like each other. But then they correspond by email and fall in love. This movie will be very popular with teenagers and people who like romances. It also has beautiful music.
I Scream (Thriller) ★★
In I Scream, Paul (Colin Jacks) is a young man who joins a thriller club. Each of the members tries to frighten the others. Paul is told to stay in an old house for the night. Everyone who has tried to stay in the house before has died. This movie is very frightening but also quite silly. It doesn't make sense for Paul to stay in the house when things start to go wrong. Only for people who like thrillers.
Paul's Heroes (Comedy) ★★★
This is a very funny war movie set in World War Two. Six soldiers (including Sammy Turblow)
have to get to Italy to take secret messages to the American army there. During the movie, they dress up as women and fight with Italian workers. You can guess the ending, but it's great fun getting there.
______________ (Drama) ★★★★
This is a very good drama with Jack Ross, who pays a hard-working truck
driver. His wife becomes ill a
nd he has to find a doctor who can help her. In his travels he meets Dr. Lloyd (Phil Driver) who has found the cure for the illness, but Jack Ross has only twelve hours to get the medicine back to his wife on the other side of America. This is an excellent movie, which is very exciting..Which of the four movies is the least popular with people?
| A．The 1st one. | B．The 2nd one. | C．The 3rd one. | D．The 4th one. |
. The underlined word "correspond" can be replaced by ______________.
| A．date | B．exchange | C．write | D．communicate |
.A thriller is most probably a film which tells something _______________.
| A．frightening | B．instructive | C．humorous | D．interesting |
. Which of the following is the best title for the fourth film?
| A．A Hard-working Truck Driver. | B．Medicine. |
| C．A Strange Illness. | D．Twelve Hours. |
“Can I see my baby?” asked the happy new mother. The bundle was placed in her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped—the baby had been born without ears. Time, however, proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect except his appearance．
One day when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother’s arms，he cried out bitterly，“A boy, a big boy…called me－a f—…freak．”She sighed, knowing that his life was to be endless of heartbreaks．
He grew up，handsome for his misfortune．A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that．He developed a gift for literature an
d music．
The boy’s father had a talk with the family doctor．Could nothing be done? “I believe we could graft on a pair of outer ears，if they could be donated，”the doctor decided．So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man．Two years went by．Then, “You’re going to the hospital，son．Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need．But it’s a secret,” said the father．
The operation was a brilliant success．His talents blossomed into genius．School and college became a series of successes．Later he married and entered the diplomatic service．“But I must know!” he urged his father．“Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him．”
“I do not believe you could,” said the father，“but the agreement was that you are not to know…not yet．”The years kept the secret, but the day did come …one of the darkest days that ever passed through a son．He stood with his father over his mother’s casket(棺材)．Slowly and tenderly，the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick，reddish-brown hair to let out the secret．.
When the mother unfolded the cloth and looked upon the tiny face we know that the mother________．
| A．suddenly decided to make a sacrifice for the baby |
B．kept the baby’s situation unknown to other s |
| C．felt shocked and disappointed to see her new baby |
| D．complained of her bad luck and regretted having a disabled child |
.
Give t
he closest meaning to the underlined word “freak” in Paragraph 2．
| A．Slow–acting person. | B．Ugly–looking child. |
| C．Badly–behaved student. | D．Strangely–shaped creature. |
.
At last, we may infer from the passage that_________.
| A．The agreement was between the donator and the family |
| B．Finally the boy came to know the donator was a stranger |
| C．The mother may never let her hair be cut to keep her ears from being seen |
| D．The mother donated her ears to her son after she died |
.
What moral lesson can we draw from this reading?
| A．Real love lies in what is done unknown rather than what is done known． |
| B．It is up to parents to help their children heart and soul． |
C．True beauty lies only in the heart not in appearance． |
| D．It is a virtue for young generations to learn to be grateful． |
Bolivia has a population of three and a half million. About one tenth of the total population are white; one-fourth are mixed Indians and white; and more than half are full-blooded Indians. The government and the industries are under the control of the white people.
The Indians today live in much the same way as their ancestors. Most of them are farmers. Many work in the mines, for minin
g is the most important industry on Bolivia’s. Of all the mining products, tin is the most important, which makes up three-fourths of all Bolivia’s exports. The eastern slopes of the Andes, since there are very few roads there, are fertile but not highly developed. The two primary means of transportation are river boats and porters. East of the hill region is the great plains where tropical plants are grown. A serious problem for Bolivia is the transport of food from the warm regions, where it is grown to the mountainous regions, where most of the people live.
Bolivia gained its independence from Spain about a hundred years ago. It has been slow in developing, but its rich resources pr
omise a better future in it..
The majority of the Bolivian population are .
| A．full-blooded Indians | B．mixed Indian and white |
| C．white citizens | D．all whites and mixed-blooded people |
.
. The Indian’s way of life today is .
| A．quite different from that of their ancestors | B．quite interesting |
| C．almost the same as their ancestors’ | D．very exciting |
.
The main product Bolivia exports is .
| A．tropical plants | B．gold and silver | C．tin | D．food |
.
Bolivia has been slow in developing, but it has hope for a better future because of its .
| A．mining products | B．rich resources |
| C．independence from Spain | D．two primary means of transportation |
Pat O’Burke was a poor Irishman with a large family, and one morning, waking up very early from cold and hunger, he decided to go shooting in a wood near his cottage. The wood belonged to Lord Northwood, a rich gentleman, Pat had no right to go there, but in it there were swarms of rabbits and flocks of birds that were good to eat, and Pat determined to take the risk. Suddenly he saw the owner, with a group of friends, coming towards him in the wood. There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood's face as he caught sight of the gun in Pat's hands. Pat's heart sank with fear, but he saw there was no hope of escape, so he walked boldly(大胆) up to the company and said to Lord Northwood, “Good morning, sir, and what has brought you out so early this morning?” Lord Northwood, rather surprised, said he and his Mends were taking a little exercise to get an appetite(食欲) for their breakfast. Then, looking at Pat with suspicion(怀疑), he said, “but why are you out so early in the morning?” “Well, sir” said Pat, “I just came out to see if I could get a breakfast for my appetite.” The whole crowd burst into laughter at Pat's ready wit(机智，风趣), and with a smile Lord Northwood walked on, leaving Pat to try his luck with the rabbits.. This is a story about ________.
| A．a rich man who owned a big wood | B．a poor Irishman who lived all by himself |
| C．a clever man who tried to get something to eat | D．an Irish hunter with a large family |
. There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood's face. Why?
| A．He was not expecting Pat at this early hour. | B．He knew Pat was coming for shooting. |
| C．He didn’t like the poor Irishman at all. | D．Pat had not told him he would come. |
. Why was Lord Northwood surprised?
| A．He had not expected such a bold question from Pat. | B．He wondered why Pat didn’t run away. |
| C．Pat wasn’t afraid of him. | D．Pat had a gun in his hands. |
. What made the whole crowd burst into laughter?
| A．Pat's funny looks. |
B．Pat's interesting  remarks. |
| C．Pat's quick and humorous response. |
| D．Pat's promise to leave fight away. |
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