A new concept vehicle, Pod was introduced by Toyota and Sony at the Tokyo motor show. The car is intended as a four-wheeled friend. It aims to provide affection, sympathy and encouragement. Like a dog welcoming its master, the car sits up, wags its tail and acknowledges its owner’s presence using hydraulics(液压装置) and a multi-coloured LED display panel(引擎) across the front.
While on the road, the car constantly monitors the driver’s mood with pulse and sweat(汗) sensors on the joystick(操纵杆). Cameras focused on the eyes keep watch for any sigh of drowsiness. If a driver appears to be losing his or her cool, Pod will display warnings, play soft music and blow cold air at the face. Drivers are shaken awake with loud music and a shaking chair.
To improve driving skills, Pod uses a comparison to score drivers, offer advice and rank all Pod owners. Toyota claims that the car will eventually be able to learn its owner’s likes and dislikes by monitoring passenger conversations. If the car hears a favorite song being discussed, it will download the track from the Internet and play it without being asked. It will also recommend(推荐) restaurants that might suit the driver’s taste and take photographs of passengers when they sound particularly happy.
In keeping with the moodiness that is the car’s main selling point, Pod expresses a form of road anger. If a driver brakes or swerves(急转弯) suddenly, the LED panel shows an angry red and the tail rises at the back.
Anger is one of the car’s ten “emotional states”. Another is sadness --- a blue front with tear-shaped lights seemingly dropping from headlights --- which appears after a flat tire or when gas is low.
“We wanted to show that the cars can be cheerful and entertaining,” said Yasunori Sakamoto, part of the Toyota design team. Mr Sakamoto said Toyota has no plans to put Pod on the market. Sad, really.
1.The underlined word “drowsiness” in Paragraph 2 means _________.
A. fear B. boredom C. excitement D. sleepiness
2.According to the text, Pod can ___________.
A. rank the restaurant nearby
B. recommend a song to passenger
C. have a conversation with drivers
D. test the driver’s driving skills
3.If the new concept vehicle is running out of gas, __________.
A. the LED panel turns red
B. the tail rises at the back of the car
C. the front light turn blue and look like tears
D.the car stops and shake with loud music
4.What is the author’s attitude towards Pod?
A. Supportive. B. Doubtful.
C. Pessimistic. D. Tolerant.
When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Doctor Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard, but was always very kind.
When Doctor Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. He had some interesting theories about planting trees. He believed in the principle “No pain, no gain”. He hardly watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional(传统的) wisdom. Once I asked why and he told me that watering plants spoiled them because it made them grow weaker. He said you had to make things tough for the trees so that only the strongest could survive. He talked about how watering trees made them develop shallow roots and how, if they were not watered, trees would grow deep roots in search of water. So, instead of watering his trees every morning, he’d beat them with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Doctor Gibbs died a couple of years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I’d watched him plant some twenty five years ago. They were all tall and strong.
I planted a couple of trees myself a few years ago. Two years of attending these trees meant they grew up weak. Whenever a cold wind blew, their branches trembled. Adversity(逆境) seemed to benefit Doctor Gibb’s trees in ways comfort and ease never could.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I often pray that their lives will be easy. But lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to meet with hardship. There’s always a cold wind blowing somewhere. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won’t be torn apart.
1.With the trees planted, Doctor Gibbs often __________.
A. kept watering them every morning
B. paid little attention to them
C. talked to them to get their attention
D. beat them to make them grow deep roots
2.What does the author think of the way Doctor Gibbs planted trees?
A. strange and harmful
B. interesting and funny
C. original and reasonable
D. cruel and unacceptable
3.Which prayer does the author wish for his sons?
A. Have an easy life, without too much to worry about.
B. Meet people like Dr Gibbs in the future.
C. Have good luck, encountering less hardship in their life.
D. Be able to stand the rain and wind in their lives.
4.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. Growing roots
B. Doctor Gibbs and his trees
C. Prayers for my sons
D. Watering trees
The following are introductions to some programs that BBC I will show on TV.
12:25a.m Tuesday | The Real Swiss Robinson Family Laura worried that her children have had their life too easy due to her husband’s career in big business, so she decides to take her teenagers to the Cook Islands to experience the simple life. They face storms and a lack of food, but Laura is happy as their local guide shows them the island’s wealth of rare fruits and foods. |
11:00a.m Wednesday | A team have come across an armed man who is holding two baby chimps who were trapped. One of them, David, is sent to a medical emergency in the forest. Later a center director, Nielsen, finds a suitable place to set free more rescued animals. |
7:50p.m Thursday | Lost Building of Britain Simon Thurley visits the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey(修道院), which ,before its destruction by Henry VIII, was famous for some of the most amazing stained glasses of its age. It also had a great deal of financial power, acting as the center of an influential business empire. |
1.Why is Laura worried?
A. Because life on the Cook Islands is too simple.
B. Because her husband faces difficulties in his business.
C. Because storms are approaching her hometown.
D. Because her children may not know how to cherish(珍惜) life.
2.Jim enjoys TV programs of organizations that take care of animals. He should probablywatch TV at _______.
A. 7:50 p.m Thursday
B. 11:00 p.m on Wednesday
C. 11:00 a.m on Wednesday
D. 12:25 a.m on Tuesday
3.We can infer from the text that _______.
A. David is a farmer
B. Henry VIII set up a business empire in the Abbey
C. Nielsen is an animal-lover
D. Glastonbury Abbey is famous today for its stained-glass
Don’t talk to me; I’m busy with my iPhone
Riding a London subway, a person from China will notice one major difference: in London, people do not look at each other. In fact, eye contact is avoided at all times. That’s not rudeness—people are just too busy to bother looking.
Busy doing what, you ask? Well, they’re certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet reflection, nor are they reading a book. New technology has replaced quiet habits. Today the only acceptable form of book on the London underground is an e-book.
Apple company must earn a fortune from London commuters. Since the iPhone was put on market in 2007, over 40,000 --- yes, that’s 40,000 “apps” (programs downloaded for the iPhone) have been designed.
Commuters love them because they are the perfect time-fillers. One “app”, called iShoot, is a game that features tanks. Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination. ISteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone. You can then write in the “steam” on your phone screen.
For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be another choice. It’s not just teenagers who “plug in” to their music --- iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages.
And if games, e-books and music aren’t enough to keep you occupied. Then perhaps you would prefer a film. The development of palm DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV show or film on the way to work. With all this entertainments, it’s amazing that people still remember to get off the train.
1.People in London do not make eye contact on the subway because they are busy_______.
A. going to work
B. talking to others
C. thinking private things
D. playing games, reading e-books, listening to music or watching films.
2.Those who like war games can download _______ to their iPhones.
A. iShoot B. Tube Exits C. ISteam D. iPod
3.The underlined word “commuters” in Paragraph 3 probably means _______.
A. students B. passengers
C. designers D. businessmen
4.The article tells us that ____________.
A. London commuters are unfriendly to strangers
B. Apple has earned a lot of money from selling 40,000 iPhones
C. technology has totally changed the way London commuters spend their traveling time
D. with all the new time-fillers, London commuters often forget to get off the train
假如你是李华，最近你在浏览一个新西兰中学网站时，看到一位名叫Tom的中学生的留言，他计划在暑假期间到中国的牡丹江旅游，希望能有一名中国学生作他的导游。你对此很感兴趣，请根据以下要点提示写一封E-mail给他。
主要内容包括：
1．希望作他的导游；
2．打算如何给他作导游:
（1）带他参观名胜古迹及著名景点
(2) 给他讲牡丹江的悠久历史。
(3）享受当地美食。
3．期盼他的回复。
注意：1. 词数100左右。
2. 可适当增加情节，使行文连贯。
3. 信的开头已为你写好。
Dear Tom,
Recently, while visiting a senior high school website of New Zealand, I saw the message you posted on it_______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes!
短文改错
文中共有10处语言错误，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：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
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11处起）不计分。
In common to other new mommies, I find that difficult to balance career with motherhood. Comparing with my life before, my present life is always in hurry. In an attempt to be a qualified teacher, I work hardly in school. At the same time, I want to be referred to as a qualified mother as well as. Therefore, back at home, I have to stay with my babies until she fell asleep. But sometimes I am on the point of falling asleep while she wakes up. Exhausted as I am, I feel everything I have gone through for the past few months are totally worthwhile the moment I catch sight of her smiles.
