Scientists are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to test whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert(专家) in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study on the effect of robotic dogs on old people’s depression (沮丧) , physical activity, and life satisfaction.
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, scientists will collect baseline data(数据) for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the scientists will review the data to test if it has produced 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 his own mind.”
The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The scientists 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(与……相关) to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry.” Beck says. “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(心律). AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate(刺激) older people’s minds.”The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to _____________.
| A．understand human-animal relationship |
| B．make lonely old people’s life better |
| C．find the causes of old people’s loneliness |
| D．improve 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．study the collected information |
What does the underlined word “removes” mean?
| A．moves again | B．is movable |
| C．doesn’t need | D．need |
The writer seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may__________.
| A．cure certain diseases | B．keep old people active |
| C．change people’s ideas | D．look more like real dogs |
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Two farmers were on their way home one evening after a hard day's work. Both were tired. They happened to look up at the sky and saw a black cloud overhead.
"Ah!" said one farmer, "tomorrow we shall have rain and the rice will grow well." The second answered, "Nonsense (胡说), the rain will only kill the crops (庄稼)."
So they began to quarrel (争吵). Just then a third farmer came along and asked them why they were quarreling. Both farmers explained about the black cloud.
"What cloud?" asked the third farmer. They all looked at the sky. The cloud was no longer there. The two farmers were _____.
| A．going home | B．going to the field |
| C．going to work | D．going to see their friend |
The two farmers _____ on that day.
| A．had a holiday | B．didn't work |
| C．worked hard | D．wanted to quarrel with each other |
When there are black block clouds in the sky, _____.
| A．it will rain soon | B．it will be fine |
| C．it will get hot | D．the sun is shining brightly |
The two farmers fought in words because _____.
| A．they were hungry |
| B．it rained |
| C．one said the rain would do good to the crops and the other didn't think so |
| D．they both hoped for rain |
The third farmer came with and said to the other two. He _____.
| A．wanted to make friends with them |
| B．joined them in the quarrel |
| C．wanted to know why they were quarreling |
| D．had nothings to do |
How many farmers said that the rain would be helpful? _____.
| A．None | B．One | C．Two | D．Three |
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The favorite food in the United States is the hamburger. The favorite place to buy a hamburger is a fast food restaurant. At fast food restaurant, people order their food, wait a few minutes, and carry it to their tables themselves. People also take their food out of the restaurant and eat it in their cars or in their homes. At some fast food restaurant, people can order their food, pay for it and pick it up without leaving their cars. There are many kinds of fast food restaurant in the United States. The greatest in number sell hamburger, French fries and so on. They are popular among Americans. Besides, fast food restaurant that serve Chinese food, Mexican food, Italian food, chicken, seafood and ice-cream are very many. The idea of a fast food restaurant is so popular that nearly every kind of food can be found in one.
Fast food restaurant are popular because they reflect(反映) American life style. Customer can wear any type of dress when they go to a fast food place. Second, they are fast. People who are busy do not want to spend time preparing their own food or waiting while someone prepares it. In fast food restaurant, food is not expensive. Therefore, people often buy and eat at a fast restaurant, while they may not be able to go to a more expensive restaurant very often.In the United States the favorite food is ____.
| A．Chinese food | B．Mexican food |
| C．French fries | D．the hamburger |
Americans like to fast food restaurant because_____.
| A．they can easily find fast food restaurant |
| B．they like to eat hamburger and French fries |
| C．they are too busy to want to spend time preparing or waiting |
| D．they are so rich that they don’t want to do cooking themselves |
_____ of fast food restaurant sell hamburger, French fries.
| A．All | B．Most | C．Few | D．None |
The food in fast food restaurant is ____ ready before the customers order it.
| A．always | B．usually | C．seldom | D．never |
The best title for the passage is _____.
A. The Fast Food Restaurant in the U.S.A.
B. The Hamburger in the U.S.A.
C. American Life Style
D. All Kinds of Food in the U.S.A.
阅读理解
On 26th January, the biggest earthquake（地震）in India took the lives of 25000 people. In the morning, when everybody was enjoying holiday, earthquake began. It was about 7.5 on the Ritcher scale. “There is nothing left between the sky and the earth any more. Everything has been pulled down,” said one of the villagers alive. “There is no water, no food and no one has come to help.”
Nobody died in Pakistan, a country next to India. The City of Lahore was lucky. In Lahore American school, where I was studying, all of the students were safe. They were on the field, so most children didn’t feel anything. The earthquake was felt by the teachers that were on the second floor. However, though Mrs Young was also on the second floor, she didn’t feel anything. She didn’t know what happened until a teacher told her about it. Those teachers who were on the other floors had different feelings. Mr Emond, the maths teacher from Australia, said that when the earthquake started he thought there was something wrong with him, but then another teacher said that it was an earthquake. After those words Mr Emond felt better. Mrs Davis and
Mr Frost didn’t feel anything either.
My mother didn’t feel anything. She didn’t even know that it was an earthquake till she saw a shaking (moving from side to side) light. My dad saw the computer shaking and then he looked out of the window and saw many people going out.People use “Ritcher scale” to tell ______.
| A．where the earthquake takes place | B．when the earthquake takes place |
| C．how serious the earthquake is | D．how long the earthquake lasts |
We learn that ______ from the sentence “There is nothing left between the sky and the earth any more.”
| A．India is a large country |
| B．the Indian people had nothing after the earthquake |
| C．there is no tall building in India |
| D．the earthquake in India was serious |
The city of Lahore is ______.
| A．in India | B．in America | C．in Pakistan | D．in Australia |
Which one is true?
| A．I was with my parents when the earthquake happened. |
| B．The earthquakes in the city of Lahore wasn’t serious. |
| C．People in the City of Lahore were frightened when they knew if was an earthquake. |
| D．The teachers in Lahore American school were afraid of the earthquake. |
The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you’ll get your words mixed up(混淆) and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can’t understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor(幽默感), you can always have a good laugh at your mistakes you make. Don’t be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It’s better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don’t understand what you are saying. The most important things for learning English is: “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes(犯错).”The writer thinks that the best way for you to learn a language is_____.
| A．writing in it | B．using it |
| C．listening to it | D．learning its grammar |
What should you do in learning English?
| A．We should be careful not to make any mistakes. |
| B．We should write as quickly as we can. |
| C．We should speak English as much as we can. |
| D．we should laugh more often. |
When you make a mistake, you should_____.
| A．keep quiet | B．get angry |
| C．be kind | D．keep your sense of humor |
The story tells us that_____.
| A．only foolish (愚蠢的) people make mistakes |
| B．few people make mistakes |
| C．people never make mistakes |
| D．there is no one who doesn’t make mistakes |
Mark Twain was famous in his days as a public speaker. In his public speeches he always liked to tell funny stories. He also liked to listen to funny stories and play jokes on his friends.
One day one of his friends lost his wallet and asked Mark Twain to pay his train fare （车费）for him.
“But I don’t have enough money to pay both your fare and mine, ”Mark Twain said. The friend didn’t know what to do.
“We can do this, ”said Mark Twain. “We can get on the train and when the conductor(列车员) comes to check the tickets，you can hide(藏) under my seat. ”
Later, however, when the conductor came to check the tickets, Mark Twain gave him two tickets－one for his friend and one for himself . Then he explained in a loud voice. “My friend here is a strange man. When he travels on a train, he doesn’t like to sit on the seat. He prefers （宁愿）to lie on the floor under the seat. ”Of course everybody in the train looked at the poor friend and laughed at him loudly. Mark Twain told him he couldn’t buy him a ticket because ______.
| A．he didn’t have enough money |
| B．he wanted to play a joke(玩笑) on him |
| C．he wanted to save some money |
| D．he didn’t find his wallet, either |
When the conductor came to check the tickets, the friend was ________.
| A．lying under the seat | B．sitting on the seat |
| C．lying on the seat | D．standing nearby |
Mark Twain spoke in a loud voice because ______.
| A．the conductor was standing far away |
| B．his friend was deaf （聋） |
| C．he enjoyed doing so |
| D．he wanted all the people here to know there was a man under the seat |
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