Robots have come a long way since 15th century. We’ve got robots to build cars, carry heavy things, work in dangerous places and explore planets. But things haven’t stopped there.
In 1986, Honda made a robot called ASIMO. And now, it has been developed greatly. Standing at 130cm and weighing 54kg. ASIMO is very much like a small astronaut wearing a bag on the back. And he can walk, flight, climb and run fast. Isn’t it wonderful?
The world’s first robot teacher is Saya. With her human-like face, she can show expressions like happiness, surprise, sadness, dislike, fear and she can even smile or show anger at students, which look much like a real teacher’s. To do this, her rubber skin is pulled from the back with motors inside. And her eyes and mouth have wires(电线) too. She can also say some simple words like “hello” or “thank you”.
In the UK, the development of robots is exciting. The mini-robots will send food, clean floors, collect and throw away waste. These robots can open doors by themselves and stop if anything or anyone is in the way.
These mini-robots are very useful for controlling infection(传染). Usually clean and dirty work is done by the same person, but here, you’ll have robots that do”dirty work”, like collecting dirty sheets, or taking away hospital waste; and you’ll have robots that do”clean work”, like bringing meals or clean sheets to patients. The robots have separate work so there’s no way for infection, which is great. But of course, robots would not take the piece of humans, but would free up more time for nurses to be with patients.
But if this is what it’s like in 2011, what’s it going to be like to 2021?
In the following, which is ASIMO’s behavior?
A.Smiling at people, saying “hello”. |
B.Sending food or opening doors by himself |
C.Fighting, climbing or running fast |
D.Collecting waste for patients |
What makes Saya look real?
A.Her face and rich expressions | B.Her clothes and shoes |
C.Her walking and running speed | D.Her rich knowledge |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Robots have come a long way since 1986. |
B.The first robot teacher was made by Honda. |
C.Saya looks like a small astronaut. |
D.If anyone or anything is in the way, mini-robots will stop. |
The main idea of Paragraph 5 is that _______.
A.nurses would have more free time with patients |
B.robots would not take the place of humans |
C.dirty and clean work is always done by the same person |
D.mini-robots are useful for controlling infection |
The earth moves round the sun, and the moon moves round the earth. When our part of the earth turns to the moon, it is night.
The sun is much bigger than the moon. But sometimes the moon looks bigger than the sun, because it’s much nearer to the earth.
The sun is very bright. It gives a very strong light. The moon looks quite bright, too. But it doesn’t give any light at all.
The moon looks much bigger and brighter than the stars. But actually the stars are much bigger and brighter than the moon. They look smaller than the moon because they’re much farther away from us.
Read and choose the right answer
____moves round________.
A.The earth; the moon | B.The moon; the earth |
C.The moon; the stars | D.The sun; the earth |
Sometimes the moon looks bigger than the sun, because_________.
A.it is much bigger than the sun |
B.it comes out only at night |
C.it is much nearer to the earth than the sun |
D.it doesn’t give a strong light |
The sun_______________.
A.is very bright, and it gives a very strong light |
B.isn’t bright, but it gives a very strong light |
C.is very big, but it doesn’t give any light at all |
D.is very round, but it can’t move round |
The stars______________.
A.look much bigger than the moon |
B.look much bigger than the sun |
C.are a lot brighter than the moon, but they are not bigger than the moon |
D.are much farther away from us than the moon |
We live in “computer age(时代)”. People like using computers to do ___21__work. But more than 20 years ago, ___22__couldn’t do much. They were very big and expensive. Very __23___people were interested in them and knew how to use them. Today computers are smaller and ___24___.Since they are useful, many people like to use them, even at home.
Computers ___25___very important because they can work ___26___than men and make fewer mistakes. Computers can ____27___people do a lot of work. Writers can use computers to write. Teachers can use computers to help teaching and students use them to study. Computers can also remember what you put ___28____ them. Computers are very___29___. They are our good friends. Do you want to ___30____a computer.
A.all kinds of B.many C.very much D.a lot
A.teachers B.students C.computers D.scientists
A.a few B.few C.little D.a little
A.cheaper B.cheap C.expensive D.more expensive
A.is becoming B.becomes C.become D.became
A.quickly B.quick C.fast D. faster
A.help B.tell C.ask D.stop
A.on B.into C.up D.to
A.heavy B.careful C.beautiful D.helpful
A.lend B.pay C.have D. sell
Dolphins are our friends. They can use tools to solve problems although they don’t have hands. For example, scientists have ever found that a dolphin can make a shy eel(鳗鱼) come out of its hole with a dead fish.
Dolphins use different sounds to exchange information with each other. Scientists in Hawaii have developed a sign language to give instructions to dolphins, and the results are amazing. They find that dolphins not only understand the meaning of individual (个别的) words, but also understand the importance of word order in a sentence.
Most animals enjoy playing — but dolphins seem to like making their games as challenging as possible. On a beautiful day in 1997, scientists at a beach watched a little dog going into the sea and swimming towards the dolphins. To their surprise, the dolphins came up to the dog and then started throwing it into the air. The dog seemed to enjoy the "game" and continued playing with the dolphins for more than an hour.
Dolphins live in a very different world from ours, but they are very good at our "IQ tests” . For example, they will jump out of the water when they hear a whistle (口哨) noise. They do this because they will get a fish as a prize.
There is still much to learn about these cute problem-solvers, but it is certain that watching a dolphin show is fun.
根据短文内容,选择最佳答案。
What can a dolphin use to make an eel come out of its hole?
A.Its mouth. | B.Its head. | C.A dead fish. | D.A little dog. |
How do dolphins exchange information with each other?
A.By using tails. | B.By using tools. |
C.By using words. | D.By using sounds. |
Where did the dolphins throw the dog when playing?
A.Onto its back. | B.Into the air. |
C.Onto the beach. | D.Into the water. |
Why do the dolphins jump out of the water when they hear a whistle noise?
A.Because they want to get a fish as a prize. |
B.Because they enjoy playing on the water. |
C.Because they want to play with other dolphins. |
D.Because the dolphin keepers want them to come out. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Dolphins understand many languages. |
B.Dolphins are a kind of clever animals. |
C.Scientists have known dolphins well enough. |
D.Dolphins seem to make their games relaxing. |
The earth(地球)moves(移动)round the sun ,and the 36 moves round the earth. When our part of the earth turns(转) 37 the sun ,it is 38 .When our part of the earth turns 39 from the sun ,it’s Night.
The sun is 40 bigger than the moon. But sometimes the moon looks bigger than the sun , because it is much 41 to the earth.
The sun is very bright. It 42 very strong light. The moon looks quite bright, too, but it doesn’t give 43 light 44 .The light from the moon comes 45 the sun .
A.moon B.earth C.sun D.star
A.round B.to C.with D.from
A.hot B.cold C.Day D.Night
A.out B.away C.on D.of
A.quite B.a little C.very D.much
A.near B.far C.nearer D.farther
A.takes B.gets C.bring D.gives
A.very B.any C.many D.some
A.more B.too C.much D.at all
A.on B.out C.from D.of
Computers are useful machines. They can help people a lot in their daily life. For example, They can help people to save much time to do much work, and they can help people to work out many problems they can’t do easily. Our country asked everyone except the old people, to learn to use computers before the twenty-first century.
Today more and more families own computers. Parents buy computers for their children. They hope computers can help them improve their studies in school. Yet, many of the children use computers to play games, to watch videos or to sing karaoke, instead of studying. So many teachers and parents complain that computers can’t help children to study but make them fall behind. So computers are locked in boxes by parents.
In some other countries, even some scientists also hate computers. They say computers make millions of people lose their jobs or bring them a lot of trouble.
Will computers really bring trouble to people or can they bring people happiness? It will be decided by today’s students themselves!
Our country asked everyone to learn to use computers except the ________ .
A.young people | B.old people | C.students | D.adults |
Why do we say the computer is a useful machine? Because _____
A.Our country asks us to learn it. | B.it can help us to do a lot of things. |
C.We can use it to play games only. | D.it can help us to find jobs only. |
What do many teachers and parents complain about? They complain about _____ .
A.their students and children use computers to learn well. |
B.computers let them lose their jobs |
C.computers make their students and children fall behind |
D.computers bring people a lot of trouble |
In this passage we know computers _____
A.also bring us trouble | B.bring us happiness only |
C.are hated by people | D.are good for people’s health |
How do you understand the last sentence of this passage? It means ____
A.computers are used by people |
B.people can live well without computers |
C.one must decide how to use computers |
D.computers are strange machine |
We’ve talked about snails (蜗牛) and their slow move. But much of the time snails don’t move at all. They are in their shells (壳) —sleeping.
Hot sun will dry out a snail’s body. So at the least sign of hot sun, a snail draws its body into his shell. A snail will die in a heavy rain. So when it rains, a snail does the same thing, too. A snail can sleep for as long as it needs to. It spends all the winter months in its shell, asleep.
In the spring the snail wakes up. Its body, about three inches long, comes out from the shell. When hungry, the snail looks for food. Its eyes, at the end of the top feelers (触角), are very weak. But its sense (感觉) of smell is very strong. It helps the snail to find food and the new greens.
A snail’s mouth is no bigger than the point of a pin (大头针). Yet it has 256,000 teeth! The teeth are very small, and you can’t see them. If you put a snail in a hard paper box, it will eat its way out! And if a snail wears out its teeth, it will grow new ones.
A snail _________.
A.moves more slowly at night | B.has thousands of feet |
C.doesn’t move at all | D.sleeps much of the time |
In the sentence “A snail draws its body into its shell”, the word “draw” means _____.
A.to make with a pencil | B.to push | C.to pull | D.to move away |
From the story, we know _________.
A.a snail’s shell is very thin | B.a snail can’t see well |
C.a snail’s nose is quite short | D.a snail’s body changes in different seasons |
A snail goes to sleep when _____.
A.it feels hungry | B.it is put into a paper box | C.spring is coming | D.it rains heavily |
Which of the following is wrong?
A.In winter the snail doesn’t eat or move. | B.A snail doesn’t like living under the sun |
C.The snail’s teeth can’t be worn out. | D.The snail’s nose helps to find food. |
When you look at the sky at night, the moon looks bigger than the stars. Actually, the moon is much smaller than the stars and the sun. It’s much smaller than the earth. But the moon is much closer to us than any star. That is why it looks so big. If you hold a coin close to your eye, it looks big. If you look at it across the moon, it looks small.
The moon moves around the earth. It makes one trip in about four weeks. The moon looks flat to us. But it is a round ball, like the earth.
People once thought the moon had fire on it. They thought the fire made it bright. Now we know the moon is like a mirror. It gets its light from the sun.
Our sunlight comes from the sun, too. What is the sun? The sun is a star. The stars we can see have their own light. There are many big stars we cannot see. Their light had burned out. Others are still bright, but they are so far away that we cannot see them. The sun looks bigger and much brighter than other stars because it is the nearest of all stars. The sun and the other stars we see are very hot, but the air around us saves us from the heat of the sun.
The sun gives us light and warmth. It makes plants grow and turns leaves green. It makes life possible on our earth. It is a life giving star.
It takes _______ for the moon to go around the earth.
A.more than a week | B.nearly a month | C.half a year | D.more than a year |
The moon is bright because _______.
A.there is some fire on it | B.it is near the sun, too |
C.there is a big mirror on it | D.it can get light from the sun |
The passage tells us _______.
A.the sun is not the biggest star | B.the sun is bigger than any other star |
C.only the sun can shine | D.the sun is one of the farthest stars to us |
Why do we call the sun "a life giving star"?
A.Because it gives us warmth. |
B.Because there are some living things on it. |
C.Because plants and animals can’t live without it. |
D.Because people have to live in the dark without it. |
We live in the computer age. People use computers to do much of their work. But few people know how to look after them. Remember the following when you use your computer:
1.Keep your computer in a cool, dry room. Too much or too little heat is bad for computers. Damp(潮湿) is also bad for them.
2.Do not let people smoke near your computer. Smoke of all kinds is very bad for many parts of a computer.
3.Do not eat or drink when you are near your computer. Pieces of food and a little water in the keyboard are also bad for a computer.
4.Keep your screen clean and do not have it too bright. They are bad for your eyes. Make sure the screen is not too far from or too near your eyes. Some people use different glasses to protect their eyes when they use a computer.
Computers can people to do a lot of work.
A.use | B.help | C.make | D.take |
Few people know how to their computers.
A.look at | B.try out | C.look for | D.take care of |
A computer works well at a temperature of .
A.0℃ | B.-5℃ | C.20℃ | D.35℃ |
Smoke is not good for many parts of a computer, is it?
A.Yes,it is. | B.No,it isn’t. | C.Yes,a little. | D.Not at all. |
A dirty screen or a very bright screen is for your eyes.
A.bad | B.good | C.useful | D.helpful |
For years scientists have been arguing about whether nature or nurture (后天) decides what people will be like. Is it nature— what people are (41) with— that decides what they will be like? (42) is it nurture —what(43) to people when they are born —that decides what they will be like?
Scientists have been studying twins to (44) if they can find the answer, because twins start out with the (45) DNA. Sometimes twins don’t live together at birth and grow up in different (46) and different places— so the nature is the same for both, but the nurture is different.
When scientists (47) these twins in their later life, they some times find some surprising (48).
Jim Springer and Jim Lewis were adopted(收养)by two different families at birth. They first met each other again thirty-nine years (49) and discovered they had a lot in (50). Both had been (51) twice. Their first wives were both named Linda and their second wives were both named Betty!
Each twin had a son — one called his son James Alan and the (52) called his son James Alan, too. Their children each had a dog called “Toy”. They even arrived at their first (53) in the same color of car.
So far twin (54) seem to show that both nature and nurture are important. What we have from birth, and how and where we live help to build (55) we are.
A.born B.grown C.taught D.made
A.So B.And C.If D.Or
A.pretends B.happens C.falls D.depends
A.hear B.win C.see D.plan
A.nice B.same C.full D.free
A.families B.cities C.countries D.nations
A.believe B.suggest C.receive D.compare
A.numbers B.discoveries C.results D.decisions
A.ago B.later C.forward D.behind
A.common B.fact C.danger D.trouble
A.mentioned B.married C.succeeded D.interviewed
A.either B.else C.other D.only
A.competition B.education C.purpose D.meeting
A.studies B.movies C.challenges D.mysteries
A.what B.when C.where D.who
We have always been warned of the dangers of forest fires. They cause _____ 85 _____ to a forest. They kill many plants and animals in an eco-system, which is a group of living things and their environment. But have you ever heard of a forest fire that can be _____86_____ for a forest? People start some of the fires with a special reason to actually do good to the eco-system.
In fact, fires are a natural part of any eco-system. Without fires, the oldest and largest trees would stop sunlight from reaching the forest floor. Fires can _____87_____ some of these old trees. When the trees die, they provide something good for the earth. New trees can grow strong and healthy in their place.
Some trees even need fires to grow. These trees hold their seeds (种子) inside. Heat from a fire allows the coat of the seeds to open up. Then the seeds fall to the ground and have the _____88____ to grow/
Scientist, who know about nature’s needs, start some of these fires, called controlled burns. A fire is started and kept under control. This way, the fire does not spread out of the area or _____89_____ a after forest fires, they can go hungry _____90_____ their food has been damaged in the fire. Small, controlled fires mean than animals will not have to move far to find food. After some time, small plants begin to grow. Animals return soon after the plants return. This _____91_____ makes an eco-system.
So the next time you hear about a forest fire, think about the good as well as the bad. It may take a new eco-system a while to return, but it will likely come back stronger and healthier than ever.
A.illness B.difficulty C.damage D.flood
A.helpful B.powerful C.harmful D.awful
A.take the place of B. get ready for C. be bad for D.get rid of
A.time B.water C.chance D.skill
A.discover B.cover C.but D.waste
A.because B.although C.but D.so
A.almost B.again C.never D.even
Mosquitoes(蚊子)can be seen everywhere all over the world, especially in summer. And there are more than 2,500 kinds of them.
__43_likes the mosquito, but the mosquito may like you. She thinks your blood is delicious. She? Yes, she. It’s true that the male(雄性)mosquito doesn’t bite(咬)and only the female mosquito bites because she 44 blood(血液)to lay eggs. She is always 45 things or people she wants to bite. If she likes what she finds, she will bite. But if she doesn’t like your blood, she 46 to someone else for more delicious blood. Next time a mosquito bites you, just remember you’re different from others.
If the mosquito likes you, she will land on your body 47 letting you know. She bites you 48 quickly and quietly that you may feel nothing. After she bites, you will have an itch(痒)on your body because she puts something from her mouth together with your blood. By the time the itch begins, she has 49 .
And then what happens? Well, after her delicious 50 ,it’s dark. The mosquito feels 51 . She just wants to find a place to have a good rest. There, on a leaf or a wall, she begins to lay eggs, 52 eggs.
A.Everyone B. No one C. Someone
A.needs B. need C. want
A.finding B. wants C. looking for
A.will turn B. turns to C. turn
A.with B. without C. after
A.so B. such C. very
A.flies away B. flew away C. flown away
A.breakfast B. dinner C. lunch
A.tiring B. tired C. relaxing
A.3 hundreds B. hundred of C. hundreds of
Here's an interview to a pilot about his life.
(R="Reporter;" P= Pilot)
R: How much time do pilots actually spend flying a plane?
P: It varies (WES'J) from about 20 minutes on some domestic (区别) flights to as much as 18 hours on international flights. It all depends on if the flight is a short- or long-haul flight.
R: Do pilots take breaks during flights or do they fly the whole time?
P: Yes, we take breaks during long-haul flights. Airlines assign (指派) three or four pilots to long flights. We take turns flying the plane.
R: If pilots are traveling all the time, how do they deal with jet lag (时差)?
P: Jet lag is annoying for almost all pilots. I try to go to sleep as I would at home.
R: How important is it to know the weight and size of the plane you are flying?
P: It is very important. We weigh almost everything put into the airplane and make estimates (估计) according to the number of people on each flight.
R: Do pilots eat the airplane food?
P: Yes, we eat business class food! Airplane food changes every season and is very delicious if you don't hate eating lobster (龙虾) every day! The pilots on the same plane are supposed to make different meal choices so that if one of the dishes causes food poisoning, only one of them will be sick. That way, at least one pilot will always be well enough to fly the plane!
The number of pilots depends on _.
A.how many hours a plane flies | B.what kind of planes they are |
C.the airline companies assign | D.what the pilot likes |
In order to know the weight of the airplane, the pilots must know_ __.
A.the weight of everything put into the plane |
B.the number of people on the plane |
C.the weight of the things and people on the plane |
D.the importance of the weight |
What's the Chinese meaning of the word "poisoning" in the passage?
A.中毒 | B.难吃 | C.缺少 | D.浪费 |
What does the pilot think of the airplane food?
A.Airplane food is more delicious than lobster. |
B.The pilot suggests having airplane food instead of lobster. |
C.The pilot doesn't like the airplane food at all. |
D.Airplane food is as delicious as lobster. |
What question doesn't the reporter ask in the interview?
A.How to keep passengers safe? |
B.How long do pilots actually spend flying a plane? |
C.How to deal with jet lag? |
D.How to take breaks during flying. |
A. There will probably be no school on Mars.
B. It might take us two or three days to get to Mars.
C. There is a problem for us to live on Mars.
D. Food will not be the same.
E. First, people will have more space.
Many people believe that, by the year 2100, we will live on the planet Mars(火星). Here is what life could be like.
First of all, transport should be much better. By 2100, spaceship can travel at half the speed of light.
Secondly, humans need food, water and air to live. Scientists should be able to find plants that can grow on Mars. These plants will provide us with food and air.
We could easily jump too high and fly slowly away into space. To prevent this, humans on Mars have to wear special shoes to make themselves heavier.
Life on Mars will be better in many ways. It is possible to live in a large building with many bedrooms. Then, robot will do most of the work, so we have more time for hobbies.
Every student can study, do their homework on the computer and take exams in online schools. Each student will also have their own online teacher called “e-teacher”.
However, in some ways, life on Mars may not be better than that on the earth today. Meals will probably be in the shape of pills(药片) and will not be as delicious as they are today. Also, space travel will make many people feel ill.
Nowadays, computer games are becoming more and more popular in many cities and towns. A lot of small shops along busy streets have been made into small game houses in order to get more money. These places are always crowded with people, especially young boys.
In the computer game houses, people spend a lot of money competing (较量) with the machines. It's hard for one to win the computer, but one can make progress after trying again and again. People have a kind of gambling psychology(赌博心理) when they play computer games.The more they lose, the more they want to win. When class is over, the school boys run to the nearby computer game houses.Little by little! (渐渐地), they forget all about their lessons and fall far behind others. Some of them can get enough money from their parents. But some of them are not lucky enough to get the money. They begin to take away other students' money and become thieves.
Who always go to the computer game houses?
A.Young girls | B.Young children | C.Young students | D.Young boys. |
People made small shops into small game houses in order to ______.
A.make computer games more popular | B.get more money |
C.help people to learn computer better | D.make people happy |
What must be brought to play games in the game homes?
A. Tickets. B Paper C. Cards. D. Money.
What will happen to the boys if they keep going to the game houses?
A.They will win a lot of money. |
B.They will make a lot of good friends there. |
C.They will fail in their study and even break laws. |
D.They will live a happy life in the future. |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.Game houses have a bad effect on young boys. |
B.More and more small shops have been made into game houses. |
C.Young boys spend a lot of money playing computer games. |
D.People play games better after trying again and again. |