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-colored LED display panel(引擎) across the front.
While on the road, the car constantly monitors the driver’s mood with pulse and sweat 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 compares acceleration, braking and steering with the best performance recorded by professionals. It uses this 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 restaurants that might suit the driver’s taste and take photographs of passengers when they sound particularly happy.
In keep with the moodiness that is the car’s main selling point, Pod expresses a form of road anger. If a driver brakes or swerves(转向) 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. test the driver’s driving skills
C. have a conversation with drivers D. recommend a song to passenger
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.
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco，California is one of the world's most beautiful bridges. It is also one of the most visited places in the world. More than 1800 hundred million vehicles have used the bridge since it opened more than 70 years ago.
The bridge was painted “International Orange” because that color went well with the natural surroundings. The color also is easier to see in the heavy fog that often covers the area. But the Golden Gate Bridge was not named for its orange color. It was named for the body of water that it crosses, the Golden Gate Strait, which is the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean
Planning for the bridge began in the 1920s when the area around San Francisco was growing. People living in the area needed another way to get to the city besides small ferries. Joseph Strauss was the chief engineer for the project. Work began in 1934.Mr.Strauss demanded the strongest safety protections in the history of bridge building. These included the first use of “hard hats” to protect the workers' heads and special glasses to protect their eyes. A special safety net was suspended under the bridge. This net saved the lives of 19 men during the construction.
The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937.It extends 1280 meters across the water. The total length is 2737 meters. It was the largest suspension bridge(吊桥)in the world until 1964.That is when the Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened in New York City. Today, the Golden Gate Bridge is the ninth longest suspension bridge in the world.
1.What was the Golden Gate Bridge named after?
A. The Strait it crosses B. The color of a paint
C. The local climate D. Its natural surroundings
2.How did people cross the Golden Gate Strait before the bridge was built?
A. By plane. B. By train.
C. By road. D. By boat.
3.Why was a special safety net suspended under the bridge?
A. Because it can protect the environment
B. Because it can prevent workers from falling
C. Because it can make construction easier
D. Because it can save building materials from falling
4.What do we know about Joseph Strauss?
A. He built the first suspension bridge in the world.
B. His safety measures were not of practical value.
C. He attached importance to the workers' safety.
D. He demanded strong measures to ensure the safety of the bridge.
Uncle Tom gave little Vicki Black a birthday gift one week before her birthday. He told her not to open it until her birthday. She knew her mother wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to the kind man who helped them out after Vicki’s father passed away; besides, Vicki didn’t want Uncle Tom to get angry. But little Vicky didn’t want to just hold it and guess what was in it. After all, she looked forward to his coming to show her interesting things, like how to turn an old sock into a doll.
All the day, Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about the gift while her teacher was giving a lecture. Vicki sat still in her seat, drawing paper dolls inside the box. When school was done, she raced home. Walking into the room, again, she shook the present, but she heard nothing. Holding her breath, she opened the box and looked inside. Seconds later, she cried. When Mrs. Black saw the box, she said angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to leave it alone?” Vicki sobbed and said, “Mommy, you don’t understand.”
“Don’t cry to me. You have missed everything now, just because you couldn’t wait,” Mrs. Black accused. “What will Uncle Tom think now?”
“Uncle Tom gave me nothing,” Vicki cried and handed the empty box to her mother. “He played a trick on me.”
Mrs. Black said doubtfully, “Uncle Tom is not like that. You must have dropped it.”
Vicki kept crying. Only a rapid knock on the door made the house quiet. It was Uncle Tom. He looked at the empty box. “You have already done it? I told you to wait for your birthday.”
“You didn’t give me a gift.” Fresh tears filled her eyes.
“I try to give you something. I know your birthday is a special day. I tell myself to give you something valuable to last your whole life. I think hard and get the idea to give you an important lesson. If you open it on birthday, I see you learn. Then I will make a big party to celebrate. Maybe next year you listen and then you will understand the gift better.
1.We can learn from the text that Vicki___________.
A. often received gifts from her father
B. liked and respected Uncle Tom
C. was sad because of her father’s death
D. expected Uncle Tom to give her a doll
2.What does the underlined sentence “You have already done it” refer to?
A. You have already opened the box
B. You have already guessed the result
C. You have already realized Uncle Tom’s purpose
D. You have already known what the birthday gift was
3.What kind of person is Uncle Tom?
A. Mysterious B. Humorous
C. Thoughtful D. Generous
4.What did Uncle Tom want to teach Vicki?
A. How to respect others B. The value of a promise
C. How to deal with gifts D. The meaning of gifts
From visiting museums to watching Changing the Guard, there are some amazing experiences for you to get while in London. Here we pick some of the best free activities in London.
Changing the Guard
For a display of British ceremony, watch Changing the Guard outside Buckingham Palace. This is where one member of Queen’s Guards exchanges duty with the old guard. Both guards are dressed in traditional red uniform and bearskin hats, and the handover is accompanied by a Guards band. Guard Mounting takes place at 11:30 am. It is held daily from May to July, and on alternate(间隔的)dates throughout the rest of the year.
Sir John Soane’s Museum
Sir John Soane was an architect. During his lifetime he collected some valuable antiquities(古董) from all four corners of the globe. They are now on display in Sir John Soane’s Museum which gives a real insight into the life of this outstanding Victorian gentleman.
Geffrye Museum
A very unique experience, the Geffrye Museum, located in 18th century almshouses(救济院),gives a fascinating insight into the lives of the British middle classes from the 1600s to the present day. Explore a series of room sets, complete with furnishing and textiles(纺织品)from each period.
Hogarth’s House
Hogarth was very famous and criticized 18th century society in his engravings(雕刻),such as A Harlot’s Progress, A Rake’s Progress and Marriage a-la-Mode. As the name suggests, Hogarth’s House is where he lived before he died in 1764,and it’s here that you’ll find the most extensive collection of his paintings on public display.
Bank of England Museum
The splendid Bank of England Museum traces the history of the bank from its foundation by Royal Charter in 1694 to its role today as the country’s central bank. There are many items you have never expected to see.
1.What can we learn about the ceremony of Changing the Guard?
A. Visitors need to pay when watching the ceremony.
B. Visitors can listen to some music at the ceremony.
C. The ceremony is held at 11:30 am every day throughout the year.
D. Changing the Guard involves two groups of guards every time.
2.For a group of Chinese students of art, the most attractive place might be____________.
A. Buckingham Palace B. Geffrye Museum
C. Hogarth’s House D. Bank of England Museum
3.What can we learn from the text?
A. Sir John Soane’s Museum is a good place to see old and valuable objects.
B. Sir John Soane was a painter who lived in the Victorian era.
C. Hogarth’s paintings were criticized by other painters of his time.
D. The Bank of England Museum no longer functions as a bank now.
假如你是四川省双流中学高三（4）班的班长李华，你班上的同学张明将要留学去澳大利亚的学校学习。请你根据以下要点提示用英文写一封推荐信。
要点提示：
1.你的身份；
2.你对张明的印象，如在校期间的学习情况，表现等；
3.说明张明适合去该校留学学习。
注意：1.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
2.词数不少于100。
3.信得开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Sir/Madam,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。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（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
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。
I am writing this letter to thank you for guidance you gave me. I was a perfectly stranger when reaching this city. Once lost myself in a downtown street, I stopped to ask some people for help. As you know, this is the first time for us to come up to this big city.
I bought a guidebook, and I still had difficulties in going around the city. The streets and shops puzzled me too much that I would rather stay indoors. It is your valuable guidance which has enabled me go about the city without any trouble. Now I begin to know how to take proper buses. Yesterday I went downtown with some of my schoolmates for shopping.
Lessons will begin after a few days. I will come over to sec you some day next week and tell you everything that has happened to me.
