The global population is living longer，and getting older，which presents new challenges. “The question becomes：who will take care of everyone? While people will always be the best caregivers for people，there just aren’t enough people. That’s where robotic technology can really make a difference,” says Professor Maja Mataric at the University of Southern California.
Her group is developing robots to work with stroke (中风) patients and elderly people. The research team has found that people react well to a robot gym instructor，and seem to get less frustrated with it than with instructions given on a computer screen. The robot can act as a perfect trainer，with infinite(极大的) patience.
“People say things like ‘I prefer this robot to my husband！Can I take it home?’” according to Professor Mataric. “In fact there’s a really important point here. As we create these care giving technologies，we’re helping not only the people that need the care，but also the people caring for them. We can give them a break，and help them avoid burnout.”
People are going to have to like，and importantly trust robots before they welcome them into their homes，and several groups around the world are working on making it easier to communicate with them.
Much of human communication takes place through body language. Gestures， eye contact , and concepts of personal space are all things that robots are being taught. In learning about how people interact(互动) with machines，researchers are also discovering new roles for robots in our lives. Robots can communicate with humans in ways that other technologies can not.
“If someone finds the robot to be more persuasive and more reliable，that’s going to affect how they interact with it,” says Dr Cynthia Breazeal, director of the Personal Robots Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “We can now start to think about fields where it’s the social interaction，which is the main means by which a robot helps someone.” Dr Breazeal says that means robots could be used in education，learning，and health care，where social support is important.
1.Professor Maja Mataric mainly focused on robots’ function of ________.
A．teaching B．exploring
C．making things D．giving care
2.Why can robots be wonderful trainers in the gym?
A．Because they are more clever.
B．Because they give correct instructions.
C．Because they cost less money.
D．Because they are more patient.
3.The underlined word “burnout” in Paragraph 3 probably means “________”．
A．feeling tired B．feeling angry
C．getting hurt D．becoming disappointed
4.The scientists are presently working hard to help robots .
A．to use less electricity B．to communicate better
C．to react more quickly D．to have more functions
Once a general manager wanted to test his people, who had come from all over India, about their values of life. He announced that in their folders(文件夹), there is PVC pouch and in it there is a seed. When they return, they must put the seed in a pot with good soil and look after it very well. He would hold a competition at the next year’s seminar and the best plants would be awarded suitably.
Everyone did what was told to him. A year passed quickly. And the next year in a big hall, what a great scene! There were hundreds of pots and a great variety of plants-all except one. In this pot was soil, but no plant! The owner of the pot was standing quietly and feeling ashamed of himself.
The general manager called him on the stage. He asked him what happened and he told him the truth. He planted the seed, which he was given, and did what was to be done - but nothing happened!
The general manager declared(宣布) him the winner! Everyone was shocked.
It was announced, "Gentlemen! The seeds I gave you were boiled seeds. You planted them and nothing happened! You acted smartly and used some other seeds. This man was honest to his work and therefore, he did not cheat me or himself!"
1.What’s the general manager’s purpose of giving a seed to each of his employees?
A．He wanted to get some beautiful plants.
B．He wanted to improve his employees’ planting skill
C．He wanted to enrich his employees’ life.
D．He wanted to know whether his employees are honest.
2.The man in the passage failed to get the plant because .
A．he didn’t take good care of his seed
B．he wasn’t good at planting
C．his seed wasn’t as good as the other people’s
D．the seed had been boiled
3.Why was everyone shocked after they heard the general manager’s declaration?
A．They didn’t understand why the man failed to get the plant.
B．They didn’t understand why the man was the winner.
C．They didn’t know why the manager gave him the best seed.
D．They didn’t know why they couldn’t get the plants.
4.The author wanted to tell us the importance of by writing this passage.
A．being careful
B．being honest
C．knowing how to plant
D．knowing how to please the manager
One of the most important things in the world is friendship. In order to have friends, you have to be a good friend. But how can you be a good friend at school?
Listen—Listen when they are talking. Don’t say anything unless they ask you a question. Sometimes it’s not necessary for you to have anything to say; they just need someone to talk to about their feelings.
Help them—If your friend is ever in need of something, be there to help them. You should try to put them first, but make sure you don’t do everything they want you to do. Try to take an extra pencil or pen with you to classes in case they forget one. Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need.
Be there for them—Be there for your friends to help make them feel better in hard times. Marilyn Monroe, a famous U.S. actor, once said, “I often make mistakes. Sometimes I am out of control, but if you can’t stay with me at my worst, you are sure not to deserve to be with me at my best.” Always remember this! If you don’t want to stay with your friends when they’re in hard times, then you don’t deserve to be with them when they’re having a good time!
_________—Try to make plans with your friends. Go shopping, go for ice cream, have a party, go to a movie and so on. Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy. By planning things together, you both can have a good time. And you’ll remember these things when you’re all old!
1.While your friend is talking to you about his or her feelings, you should __________.
A．give him or her some advice B．calm him or her down
C．just listen unless asked D．share your feelings as well
2.What can we learn from Marilyn Monroe’s words?
A．Life without a friend is death.
B．A friend is easier lost than found.
C．A man is known by his friends.
D．A friend in need is a friend indeed.
3.Which of the following can be put in the blank of the last paragraph?
A．Enjoy yourself B．Make plans
C．Understand your friends D．Play with your friends
4.The passage is mainly about _______.
A．how to find a good friend
B．how to help friends in trouble
C．How to be a good friend
D．how to make more friends
艾萨克·阿西莫夫（Isaac Asimov）是美国科学家兼作家，1920年1月2日出生于俄罗斯， 1992年4月6日于纽约去世。1948年他获得了化学博士学位。第二年在波士顿大学的医学院任生化教师。1958年他放弃了教学工作成为专职作家。一生中，他写过大约480本书，包括怪诞小说、科学和历史方面的书，甚至还写过有关《圣经》和莎士比亚的书。但使他最负盛名的作品是他的科幻小说, 如《基地》三部曲，《我，机器人》等。
短文改错(共10小题; 每小题1分,满分10分)
以下短文共有10处错误,每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏词符号(∧),并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线( \ )划掉
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词。
2.只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
3.必须按上述要求答题,否则不予计分。
Last week, I met a stranger who seemed to be losing. I offered to guide him to a place he wanted to go to, but to my surprise, he refused my offer to helping. I asked him why not. He told me that he was afraid I would ask him money if I helped him in this way. Then I fell into deep thoughts: Was it money which came between us? I agree that money is become more and more important in our society, and it should not be everything. We should try my best to help others and trust each other. If everyone does this, our society will be better and better.
Nowadays a vegetarian lifestyle is becoming more and more popular. Leading health experts agree that maintaining a vegetarian diet is one of the best things we can do for ourselves and our families.
1. . A well planned vegetarian diet provides us with all the nutrients we need and avoids fat, cholesterol(胆固醇) and the pollutants found in animal flesh, eggs, and dairy products. And it can provide protection against various kinds of diseases, including the three biggest killers: heart disease, cancer, and strokes. The American Dietetic Association states that vegetarians have lower rates of death from heart disease, lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension(高血压) . 2. .
Scientists have also found that vegetarians have stronger immune systems than their meat eating friends. 3. Vegetarians live, on average, 6 to 10 years longer than meat eaters.
4. . Animals raised for food consume the vast majority of their calories simply in order to live, just as we do. We feed more than 70 percent of the grains and cereals we grow to farm animals, and almost all of those calories go into simply keeping them alive, not making them grow. Only a small amount of the calories consumed by farm animals are actually turned into the meat that people eat .So it’s really a huge waste, isn’t it? Try your best to find tips for maximizing(最大化) the health benefits of a vegetarian diet. 5.
A. All of these diseases are more likely to happen to meat eaters
B. Living on plants also saves energy
C. Growing all the crops needed to feed animals requires massive amounts of water and land
D. This means that they are less likely to be affected by everyday illnesses like the flu.
E. Vegetarian diets are the only diets that work for long term weight loss
F. It’s never too late to turn over a new page.
G. Healthy vegetarian diets support a lifetime of good health.
