It is reported that in the near future robots and humans will probably work together to create jazz. A singing robot is being taught to create jazz with human being in a project.
Antonio Chella from Italy is working with a Telenoid robot. To start with， the Telenoid will be trained to imitate the movements and simple sounds made by a human singer， and then connect music with different human emotions.
Previous(以前的) robots had the ability to find common connections between things. But Chella suggests that a conscious(有意识的) robot should be able to go a step further and find new connections. The Telenoid is of this kind.
“This work raises interesting questions about the connection between consciousness and music creating.” says Philippe Pasquier， a musician needs a physical body.
Pasquer argues that the robot musician is faced with a big challenge. “Its software has already been developed and it can imitate The Beatles， a famous band. However， what made The Beatles famous were not only their songs but their wonderful performance of the songs，” he says.
It is not clear how a robot would perform music a new way. But by imitating humans， the Telenoid robot could provide some useful information. What is important is that human musicians often listen to and compare music made by others for a long time before creating music of their own. So the Telenoid robot had better listen to more jazz music first.
1.What’s the possible meaning of the underlined “imitate”?
A.制造 B.编曲 C.模仿 D.发出声响
2.What will the Telenoid robot be taught to do first?
A. Communicate with human beings
B. Connect music with human emotions
C. Live and work comfortably with human beings
D. Imitate the movements and simple sounds of a human singer
3.In Pasquier’s opinion， the Telenoid robot_________
A. will replace human musicians soon.
B. may have trouble performing music.
C. will become more popular than The Beatles.
D. can find connections between things that humans cannot find
4.Which of the following could be the best title of the passage?
A. The Telenoid， future robot musician.
B. How to teach robots to perform music.
C. The right music the robots should listen to.
D. Differences between a human singer and a robot musician.
5.In which part of a newspaper do we most probably read this passage?
A. Arts B. Entertainment
C. Medicine D. Science
So many of us expect everything we do to be successful. We look forward to success to show us our value or to be the top of the group wherever we are. How many times in our schooling did we hope for a high mark? We want it and then feel like a failure when we don’t achieve what we want. Even when we succeed we still pass that and go onto the next success and then the next. We are not often taught how to face failures.
For me， failure taught me more than success did. Success is of the moment and temporary(暂时的)but failure means we have ever done. It makes me stop and think. It opened my eyes and brain to different possibilities. Failure is just a choice in redoing not in giving up. Experiencing failure，I looked deeper and further.
I have a grandson who plays hockey(曲棍球) and as all players do，he went through a slump. So I saw he was unhappy with himself. Then I said to him， “Why don’t you think of it differently rather than being unhappy?” And I asked， “Scoring is your goal， right?” He answered，“Of course.” “Why aren’t you scoring now? Do you need a readjustment(重新调整)?”All of a sudden he calmed down--he was thinking of what I had just said. So in the next game I saw him trying different things to do better. Later he started scoring. Now when something is wrong， he takes the time to think it over rather than just keeping the “failure” mode(方式).
Look at failure differently. Failure is what gives us power to try a different way of doing things.
It teaches us to rethink， redo， and then success will come about. Don’t give up but learn to use a different way.
1.According to the author，when we succeed we .
A. are quite proud
B. are usually wild with joy
C. usually set up a higher goal
D. usually think of our failure over and over
2.According to the author，failure .
A. is the thing that troubles people
B. is of the short term or temporary
C. makes us learn more than success does
D. can make him unhappy from time to time
3.What does the underlined word “slump” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Course of winning the game.
B. Chance of being well-known.
C. Situation where one works hard.
D. Time of losing heart or being upset.
4.Why did the author’s grandson do better in playing hockey in the end?
A. He grew up and learned more skills.
B. He thought and tried in a different way.
C. He used the skill his grandma taught him.
D. He didn’t make a change and kept the “failure” mode.
5.Which is the best title for the text?
A. Expect Success. B. Face Failures Differently.
C. My Grandson and I. D. Keep Failure Mode.
When I was eleven years old， God gave me a gift of happiness and I had a carefree childhood in France.
One day， on my way home from school， a truck ran over me and my legs were cut off. As I lay there bleeding， I suddenly realized that I might have to live the rest of my life without legs. How depressed I was at that moment! But then I realized that depression won’t get my legs back. So I decided not to waste my life feeling depressed. When my parents arrived at the hospital， they stood there quietly， looked so shocked and sad. I told them， “I’ve already accepted the fact. Now you also have to get used to this.”
Ever since then， I often see my friends getting worried about little things： The buses comes late； they get bad grades on the tests and so on. But I just enjoy life.
I was lucky to realize that it is a waste of energy to pay attention to what you have lost， and that the key to happiness is to take pleasure in what you have. Sounds simple， doesn’t it? So why are many people unhappy?
People often think happiness is based on what they achieve. “My whole life would improve if I had a new car.” But when they get the car and what happens? For a whole week they are walking on air. Then they go right back to be unhappy.
Happiness is not a happening； it’s a state of mind. Even though you have the whole world and you’ll still be unsatisfied. And you have relatively(相对地)little but feel full of joy. Happiness comes from mastering the art of enjoying and taking pleasure in what you already have.
1.The word “depressed” most probably means“_____________”.
A. sad and disappointed B. painful and annoyed
C. smart and strong D. calm and quiet
2.After the accident， the author didn’t feel depressed anymore because_____________.
A. the doctors could help him and get his legs back
B. he must comfort his parents at that time
C. he knew depression made no difference to him
D. he was just a childish and forgettable kid
3.In the author’s opinion， the main cause of most people’s unhappiness is they_____________.
A. don’t want to achieve more for future.
B. pay so much and get so little.
C. always compare with others
D. pay so much attention to what they have lost.
4.In paragraph 5， when the man gets the car he had expected， _____________.
A. he will choose to walk on foot for a week.
B. the car will bring a lasting happiness to him.
C. he will find the car is no help for him at all.
D. he will go back to be unhappy after a few days.
5.The author wants to tell us____________.
A. how one person enjoys a life without legs.
B. we should forget the loss and the gains in life
C. happiness is just a state of mind
D. our life will be improved if we fight for our dreams
完形填空
阅读下面的短文，根据短文内容从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出一个可以填入空白处的最佳答案， 使短文完整、通顺， 并在答题卡上将该标号涂黑。
The plane took off. A passenger needed a cup of water to take his medicine. An air hostess(空姐) told him that she would bring him the ________ soon. But the air hostess was ________ busy that she forgot to bring him the water. ________ ， the passenger couldn’t take his medicine on time. About half an hour later， she hurried over to him with a cup of water， but he ________ it.
In the following hours， each time she ________ the passenger， she would ask him with a smile whether he needed help or not. But the passenger ________ paid notice to her.
When it was time to get off the plane， the passenger asked her to ________ him the passengers’ booklet(留言簿)， she was very ________ . She thought that he would________ bad words in it， but with a smile she handed it to him.
Off the plane， she opened the booklet and then ________ . The passenger put it， “In the past few hours， you have asked me whether I needed help or not for twelve times in all. How can I refuse your twelve faithful(真诚的) smiles?”
1.A. medicine B. water C. cup D. coffee
2.A. very B. too C. quite D. so
3.A. With her help B. As a result C. On the one hand D. To tell the truth
4.A. drank B. accepted C. refused D. received
5.A. looked at B. listened to C. talked about D. passed by
6.A. usually B. never C. sometimes D. often
7.A. hand B. take C. keep D. work
8.A. interested B. happy C. excited D. sad
9.A. break down B. get down C. write down D. go down
10.A. smiled B. cried C. wondered D. worried
—Will you join us to play basketball on Saturday afternoon?
—____________， but I promised to go swimming with Eric.
A. Never mind B. Thanks a lot
C. Take it easy D. You’re welcome
— My new iphone was stolen when I took a bus yesterday.
— ____________.
A. I’m sorry to hear that B. It doesn’t matter
C. Don’t be silly D. I’d love to
