robot? It might sound like science fiction, but professors at the university of Tokyo have taken the first steps
toward making that scenario a reality. The team recently introduced a humanoid kitchen robot that can pour
tea and other drinks into cups and serve them to guests. When teatime is over, the robot can also wash the
dishes and put them away.
In California, another interesting kitchen robot has been developed. Called the Readybot, it can pick up
objects and either store them in cabinets or put them in the trash. It also carries a separate floor-cleaning robot
that can operate by itself. Unlike the Japanese robot, Readybot is not humanoid. Instead, it looks more like a
large box with arms and wheels.
Readybot was created by engineers and designers who established a club called the Readybot Challenge.
They believe that in the future millions of robots will be needed in homes to perform ordinary household tasks.
Readybot is just the first step in their plan to create a robot that can tackle jobs not only in kitchens but in other
rooms of homes and in offices as well.
Clearly there are technological hurdles to overcome before robots can cook a complete dinner, and there
are also many safety concerns. Not everyone (especially parents) would be comfortable with the idea of robots
in their house, manipulating hot pans and sharp knives. The European Commission recently funded a project
to study these concerns.
B. It looks more like a person than Readybot does.
C. It speaks more languages than Readybot does.
D. It costs 1ess to manufacture than Readybot does.
B. In automobiles
C. On playgrounds
D. At companies
B. They don"t have strong opinions about kitchen robots.
C. They might think that kitchen robots could be dangerous.
D. They can"t wait to buy kitchen robots for their homes.
B. It has printed manuals
C. It has hired workers
D. It has provided money
an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. Do you prefer grey and blues? Then you are probably
quiet,shy and you would rather follow than lead. If you love green, you are strong-minded and determined. You
wish to succeed and want other people to see you are successful. At least this is what psychologists (心理学
家) tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference,
and the effect that colors have on human beings. They tell us that we don"t choose our favorite color as we
grow up. If you happen to love brown, you did so as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you
could see clearly.
A yellow room makes us feel more cheerful and more comfortable than a dark green one, and a red dress
rings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand,black is depressing (压抑). Light and
bright colors make people not only happier but more active. It is a fact that factory workers work better, harder,
and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or dark gray.
Remember, then, that if you feel low, you can always brighten your day or your life with a new shirt or a
few colorful things. Remember also that you will know your friends and your enemies better when you find
out what colors they like and dislike. And don"t forget that anyone can guess a lot about your character when
you choose a piece of handkerchief.
B. one is born with his color preference
C. one"s color preference is changeable
D. one has to choose his favorite color as soon as he can see clearly
B. colors may have effect on our work and study
C. light and bright colors make people happy
D. you can know your friends better by the colors they like or dislike
B. you can brighten your lire with wonderful colors
C. psychologists have been studying the meaning of color preference
D. one"s color preference has something to do with his character and colors have effects on human beings
love _____.
B. red
C. black
D. green
No matter what he is doing, every human being gives body heat. The usual problem is how to dispose
of it. But the designers of the Johnstown campus of the university of Pittsburg set themselves the opposite
problem-how to collect body heat. They have designed a collection system which uses not only body heat
but also the heat given off by such objects as light bulbs and refrigerators as well. The system works so
well that no conventional fuel is needed to make the campus"s six buildings comfortable.
Some parts of most modern buildings-theatres and offices as well as classrooms-are more than heated
by people and lights and sometimes must be air-conditioned even in the winter. The technique of saving
and redistributing it is called "heat recovery". A few modern buildings recover heat, but the university"s
system is the first to recover heat from some buildings and reuse it in others.
Along the way, Pitt has learned a great deal about some of its heat producers. The harder a student
studies, the more heat his body gives off. Male students emit more heat than female students, and the larger
a student, the more heat he produces. It is tempting to conclude that the hottest prospect for the Johnstown
campus would be a hard-working, overweight male genius.
B. collect
C. get rid of
D. place in suitable positions
B. six buildings are heated by the heat system on the Johnstown campus
C. the heat is supplied by human bodies, other heat-omitting objects
D. the heat from human bodies, other heat-omitting objects is only used in cold winter
B. a thin male who studies hard
C. a thin female who does not study hard
D. a large male who studies hard
B. objective
C. serious
D. humorous
scientists. But recent studies suggest that the problem of alcoholism (酒精中毒) should also be the focus
of investigation by biologists.
While such things as hard jobs, boredom, and unhappiness can lead to alcoholism, researchers at a
prominent university have found that there may also be a genetic factor involved in alcoholism. In the study,
children of alcoholic parents were surveyed. The result showed that the children of alcoholic parents were
more likely to become alcoholics themselves than were children of non-drinking parents.
This evidence in itself is not conclusive (令人确信的) about anything. After all, it may be the constant
exposure (接触) and easy access to alcohol that cause the children of alcoholics to become alcoholics
themselves. But there is more evidence. The study found that children born of alcoholic parents but raised
by non-drinking foster (抚养的) parents also were susceptible to alcoholism. This group of offspring (后
代) was more likely to take up drinking than youngsters who were born of and raised by non-drinking
parents.
Other evidence found in the study suggests that environment does not play as important a role in the
development of alcoholism as had been previously thought. The study found that the likelihood of alcoholism
was better predicted from the characteristics of the parents than from such environmental characteristics
as type of job or level of income.
B. To study the psychological factor in the development of alcoholism.
C. To describe how the children of alcoholic parents become alcoholics themselves.
D. To describe the close link between genetic make-up and alcoholism.
B. Non-drinking parents.
C. Hard jobs, boredom and unhappiness.
D. Foster parents" raising.
B. A person who was born of alcoholic parents.
C. A person who was raised by drinking foster parents.
D. A person who was born of and raised by non-drinking parents.
B. An environmental problem.
C. A biological problem.
D. An educational problem.
been recycled from their urine (尿), sweat and water got from air. They said "cheers" to NASA workers
on the ground.
The urine recycling system is needed for astronaut stations on the moon and Mars. It also will save NASA
money because it won"t have to ship up as much water to the station by space shuttle or cargo rocket.
Besides, it"s important as the space station is about to expand from three people living on board to six.
The recycling system had been brought up to the space station last November, but it couldn"t be used until
samples (样品) were tested back on earth. So when it came time to actually drink up, NASA made a big deal
of it. The three-man crew stood holding their drinks and congratulated engineers in two NASA centers that
worked on the system.
"This is something that had been the stuff of science fiction," American astronaut Michael Barratt said
before taking a small mouthful. The taste is worth trying.
The new system takes the combined urine of the crew from the toilet and moves it to a big tank, where
the water is boiled off, and the vapor is collected. The rest of the urine is thrown away. Then the water vapor
is mixed with water from air, and then it goes through filters (过滤器). When six crew members are aboard,
it can make about six gallons from urine in about six hours.
"Some people may find the idea of drinking recycled urine distasteful, but it is also done on earth, but with
a lot longer time between urine and the tap," said Marybeth Edeen, the space station"s national lab manager.
The technology NASA developed for this system has already been used for quick water purification after
the 2004 Asian tsunami.
B. with it NASA won"t need to ship any water up to the space station
C. it protects the environment in space by reducing the amount of waste
D. it can help meet the need for more water after the crew is expanded
a. The samples of the recycled water were tested on earth.
b. Astronauts celebrated the space"s first making water from urine.
c. The recycling system was brought up to the space station.
d. The technology for the system was used to quickly purify water.
B. a, c, b, d
C. d, c, a, b
D. d, a, c, b
B. the effect of the recycling system
C. an opinion on recycling urine
D. the theory behind the recycling system
B. New Technology Is Used in the Space Station
C. The Research of NASA Has Made Great Progress
D. Good News: Water Recycled from Urine Tastes Good
admit that their spoken English is poor. Whenever I speak to a Chinese student, they always say, "My
spoken English is poor." 1_____ I would like to suggest that there may be some reasons for their problems
with spoken English.
First, they fail to find suitable words to express themselves due to a limited vocabulary. 2_____ However,
you can speak with a limited vocabulary, if you choose a positive attitude. Others will follow you as long
as you use the words that you know.
3_____ Sometimes they make mistakes when they are speaking because they are shy and nervous. Yet
students should remember that their goal should be FLUENCY NOT ACCURACY. Your aim in writing is to
be accurate following the rules for grammar and using the right words and spelling them correctly. However,
in speaking your aim is fluency. You want to get your message across, to talk to someone in English, as
quickly and as well as you can, even though sometimes you may use a wrong word or tense, but it doesn"t
matter. 4_____
The third reason is that not enough attention is paid to listening. You have one mouth but two ears! All
that hearing is necessary for you to start speaking.
Fourth, most Chinese students are reactive rather than proactive language learners. Instead of actively
seeking out opportunities to improve their spoken English they passively wait for speaking opportunities to
come to them and wonder why their English always remains poor. 5_____
B. They may try to avoid making similar mistakes next time.
C. Obviously the better answer is to expand their vocabulary.
D. If you have this proactive outlook, then you will see English opportunities wherever you go.
E. However, their spoken English does not have to remain "poor"!
F. Second, they are afraid of making mistakes.
G. The second reason lies in the reluctance of using what has just been learned.
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