Although most hitchhikers (搭便车的人) are people, passers-by tend to ignore them because they are cautious about giving rides to strangers. But what will they do if they come across a hitchhiking robot? Will they take it to its destination or will they just leave the helpless machine by the wayside?
That is the answer Canadian professors, David Harris Smith and Frauke Zeller, who study the relationship between humans and technology, are seeking for after they came up with the idea of building a hitchhiking robot.
HitchBOT is built with cheap household items. Thanks to a PC tablet, GPS tracker and camera, hitchBOT not only can send its thoughts and pictures to the general public, but also can answer general questions and keep drivers entertained with small talks. The smart robot is even able to quote interesting facts about the areas it has passed through.
Not surprisingly, many people are doubtful about hitchBOT’s ability. Most people think the cute robot will be damaged by someone. Actually, they are all wrong. The robot hitchhiked all the way from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Victoria, British Columbia, a distance of 3,700 miles. It was first picked up on July 27th by an elderly couple. It not only reached its destination on August 21st, but also had some amazing adventures along the way. It visited national parks, went fishing, went camping, and even attended a wedding where it experienced its first dance and interrupted the bride’s speech.
In addition to helping it get to its destination, its Canadian fans have gone out to ensure its safety from covering the robot with a plastic cape (披肩) to help keep it dry to ensuring that it stays healthy with motor oil.
1.Why is the hitchhiking robot built?
A. To help passers-by reach their destinations.
B. To find out how people might react to it.
C. To see if it will give rides to strangers.
D. To entertain drivers on their way.
2.The hitchBOT can do all of the following except . .
A. talking with the driver B. dancing with people
C. sending its thoughts and pictures D. answering any question raised
3.How long did it take the hitchBOT to reach its destination?
A. Nearly a month. B. Over one month.
C. Two months. D. One week.
4.What can we learn about the hitchBOT?
A. It was ignored by an elderly couple.
B. It didn’t meet with any danger along the way.
C. It experienced a long and amazing journey.
D. It will be put into the market quickly.
It’s said that you don’t know a man until you walk a mile in his shoes. And you also don’t know what it’s like for older people to travel until you accompany one on a trip.
After flying with my elderly father from Washington, D.C. to L.A. in July, I began to realize that a companion has important tasks that can make a journey easier for older people. I booked non-stop tickets on JetBlue to avoid tiring, confusing connections, and we flew directly into small, manageable Long Beach Airport. Even though my father could walk, I arranged with the airline for wheelchair assistance, which meant we got on board first.
When I took him back to the airport for his return flight to Washington, I got permission from JetBlue to wait with him at the gate instead of saying goodbye at the security checkpoint. I wished he’d had a first-class seat and access to a comfortable airline club. Better yet, I wish I had flown with him both ways. As I watched the attendant wheel him to the lift that took him from the tarmac（飞机跑道）to the plane, I felt like an anxious mom sending her child to school for the first time.
Things can go awry on a plane trip. And then there is the horrifying story about Joe and Margie. When they landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, a wheelchair attendant met them to help with a connection. But somehow Margie, who had Alzheimer’s disease, disappeared.
I didn’t need to worry about my father wandering away. At 82, his mind was sharper than mine. But his hearing was poor, so I worried about what would happen if he missed an important announcement. Fortunately, everything went just fine. Careful planning made the trip successful.
Next time I travel with a senior, I’ll know better. I hope there will be a next time.
1.Why did the man buy nonstop tickets?
A. His father was tired of flights.
B. He had important tasks to do.
C. He cared about his father.
D. His schedule was tight.
2.How did the author feel when seeing his father off?
A. Disappointed. B. Delighted.
C. Worried. D. Sad.
3.What does the underlined part “go awry” probably mean?
A. be amused. B. carry on as usual.
C. live up to one’s expectation. D. be away from the correct course.
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Taking a trip does great good to seniors.
B. It is a pleasant experience to travel with seniors.
C. To have a long journey with seniors is unpractical.
D. A good arrangement ensures seniors to take a nice trip.
The annual World Economic Forum took place in Davos, Switzerland, in Jan. 23-26, 2018. What did Chinese entrepreneurs speak in the forum? Are there some quotable quotes for you?
★Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group
“I think globalization cannot be stopped — no one can stop globalization, no one can stop trade. If trade stops, the world stops. Trade is the way to dissolve (结束) the war not cause the war,” said Ma in Davos, “Google, Facebook, Amazon and Alibaba — we are the luckiest companies of this century. But we have the responsibility to have a good heart, and do something good.”
★Richard Liu, founder and chief executive officer of JD
“Business is not only a way to make money but also a way to contribute yourself, to help people,” Liu said in a speech in Davos. “How can we face the fractured (分化的) world? That’s the topics of the Davos this year. I think a very important thing in business is cooperation. If we can unite, work together, if we work very closely, I think we can bring more hope to the people and we can build more trust between the people, countries and companies and partners,” he said.
★Jane Sun, CEO of Ctrip
“Tourism is a sunrise industry. Since I entered Ctrip, every year there are new comers, which, first of all, shows that tourism is booming.” Sun told Sina.com in Davos. “We invested heavily in ABC. A refers to AI, B is big data, and C is cloud computing. As we continue to expand overseas, these three will be very good weapons for us. So we think those mean opportunity,” she said.
★Hu Xiaoming, president of Aliyun
“In 2018, people will see the development in various countries more closely connected with cloud computing. More manufacturing enterprises and financial institutions will start to use ‘cloud’, and cloud computing will increase the efficiency of technology and finance,” Hu told Xinhua in Davos.
1.What do Chinese entrepreneurs like Jack Ma and Richard Liu focus more on?
A. More huge jumps in profits. B. The joined efforts of mankind.
C. Reducing production costs. D. The role of science in business.
2.What is the main business of Ctrip?
A. Tourism. B. The creation of AI.
C. Computer. D. Financial service online.
3.What does Hu think will promote global economic development?
A. Economy recovery. B. The World Economic Forum.
C. Cloud computing. D. Financial efficiency.
假如你是李华，你的美国笔友Jim Smith打算参加央视举办的“汉语桥(Chinese Bridge)”大赛。请根据下表内容用英语给Jim写一封信，介绍相关情况。
注意：
1. 100词左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Jim，
How are things with you recently?_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Yours，
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。错误仅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(＼)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’m Li Lei，a high school student from China. I was here in Britain for my holiday. At around 8：30，in the morning of February 8th，I found out a lost suitcase near the exit of Heathrow Airport. I waited patient for some time，so nobody came for it.
I had no choices but to hand them in to the information center. It’s a black square suitcase，what is just as big as a school bag. When picking，the suitcase was half open and there were some documents and a camera in it.
I hope owner can come back and get it soon!
单词拼写
1.Outwardly she seemed confident but in r__________ she felt terribly nervous.
2.No matter how ordinary a job is, it plays a part in society and t__________ deserves our respect.
3.I’d a__________ it if you would like to teach me how to use the computer.
4.He didn’t _________（后悔） saying what he did but felt he could have expressed it differently.
5.The company has adopted a firm ______(政策) on shoplifting.
6.It took him a long time to r__________ from the loss of his pet dog Cala.
7.When asked about his achievements, he ___________ （归因）them to good luck.
8.She was _________（流利的） in her own language by the age of two, and in French by the time she was five.
9.The hostess had the i _____________ delivered a week before the party.
10.Decisions were often made on the b _____________of incorrect information.
