PITTSBURGH — For most people, snakes seem unpleasant or even threatening. But Howie Choset sees in their delicate movements a way to save lives.
The 37-year-old Carnegie Mellon University professor has spent years developing snake-like robots he hopes will eventually slide through fallen buildings in search of victims trapped after natural disasters or other emergencies.
Dan Kara is president of Robotics Trends, a Northboro, mass-based company that publishes an online industry magazine and runs robotics trade shows. He said there are other snake-like robots being developed, mainly at universities, but didn't know of one that could climb pipes.
The Carnegie Mellon machines are designed to carry cameras and electronic sensors and can be controlled with a joystick (操纵杆). They move smoothly with the help of small electric motors, or servos, commonly used by hobbyists in model airplanes.
Built from lightweight materials, the robots are about the size of a human arm or smaller. They can sense which way is up, but are only as good as their human operators, Choset added.
Sam Stover, a search term manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Indiana, said snake-type robots would offer greater mobility than equipment currently available, such as cameras attached to extendable roles.
"It just allows us to do something we've not been able to do before," Stover said, "We needed them yesterday."
He said sniffer dogs are still the best search tool for rescue workers, but that they can only be used effectively when workers have access to damaged building.
Stover, among the rescue workers who handled the aftermath (后果) of Hurricane Katrina, said snake robots would have helped rescuers search flooded houses in that disaster.
Choset said the robots may not be ready for use for another five to ten years, depending on funding.
1.Which institution is responsible for the development of Choset's robots?
A.Robotics Trends. B.Pittsburgh City Council.
C.Carnegie Mellon University. D.Federal Emergency Management Agency.
2.Choset believes that his invention _________.
A.can be attached to an electronic arm
B.can be used by hobbyists in model airplanes
C.can find victims more quickly than a sniffer dog
D.can sense its way as well as its operators
3.By saying "We needed them yesterday" (paragraph 7), Stover means that snake-like robots ________.
A.could help handle the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
B.should have been put to use in past rescue work
C.helped rescuers search flooded houses yesterday
D.were in greater need yesterday than today
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.Snake-like robots used in industries.
B.Snake-like robots made to aid in rescues.
C.The development of snake-like robots.
D.The working principles of snake-like robots.
Increasingly, Americans are becoming their own doctors, by going online to diagnose their symptoms, order home health tests or medical devices, or even self-treat their illnesses with drugs from Internet pharmacies （药店）.Some avoid doctors because of the high cost of medical care, especially if they lack health insurance. Or they may stay away because they find it embarrassing to discuss their weight, smoking, alcohol consumption or couch potato habits. Patients may also fear what they might learn about their health, or they distrust physicians because of negative experiences in the past. But playing doctor can also be a deadly game.
Every day, more than six million Americas turn to the Internet for medical answers—most of them aren't nearly sceptical enough of what they find. A 2002 survey by the Pew Internet & American life Project found that 72 percent of those surveyed believe all or most of what they read on health websites. They shouldn't look up " headache," and the chances of finding reliable and complete information, free from a motivation for commercial gain, are only one in ten, reports an April 2005 Brown Medical School study. Of the 169 websites the researchers rated, only 16 are scored as "high quality.” Recent studies have found faulty facts about all sorts of other disorders, causing one research team to warn that a large amount of incomplete, inaccurate and even dangerous information exists on the Internet.
The problem is that most people don't know the safe way to surf the Web. "They use a search engine like Google, get 18 trillion choices and start clicking. But that's risky, because almost anybody can put up a site that looks authoritative (权威的)，so it's hard to know if what you’re reading is reasonable or not,” says Dr. Sarah Bass from the National Cancer Institute.
1.According to the text, an increasing number of Americans .
A.are suffering from mental disorders
B.turn to Internet pharmacies for help
C.like to play deadly games with doctors
D.are sceptical about surfing medical websites
2.Why do some Americans stay away from doctors?
A.They find medical devices easy to operate.
B.They prefer to be diagnosed online by doctors.
C.They are afraid to face the truth of their health.
D.They are afraid to misuse their health insurance.
3.What can we learn according to the study of Brown Medical School?
A.More than 6 million Americans distrust doctors.
B.Only 1/10 of medical websites aim to make a profit.
C.About 1/10 of the websites surveyed are of high quality.
D.72% of health websites offer incomplete and faulty facts.
4.Which of the following is the author's main argument?
A.It's cheap to self-treat your own illness.
B.It's embarrassing to discuss your bad habits.
C.It's reasonable to look up a medical website.
D.It's dangerous to be your own doctor.
November not only marks the publication of Toni Morrison's eagerly anticipated (期待) eighth novel, Love, but it is also the tenth anniversary of her Nobel Prize for Literature. Morrison is the first black woman to receive a Nobel, and so honored before her in literature are only two black men.：Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian playwright, poet and novelist, in 1986; and Derek Walcott, the Caribbean-born poet, in 1992. But Morrison is also the first and only American-born Nobel Prize winner for literature since 1962, the year novelist John Steinbeck received the award.
Like Song of Solomon, Love is a multigenerational story, revealing the personal and communal legacy (遗产)of an outstanding black family. As Morrison scholars will tell you, love is the third volume of a literary masters trilogy (三部曲) investigating the many complexities of love. This trilogy began with Beloved (1988) , which deals with a black mother's love under slavery and in freedom ; Jan (1993) ,the second volume, tells a story of romantic love in 1920s Harlem. This latest novel looks back from the 1970s to the 1940s and 50s.
The emotional center of Love is Bill Cosey, the former owner and host of the shabby Cosey's Hotel and Resort in Silk, North Carolina, described in the novel as " the best and best -known vacation spot for colored folk on the East Coast. We get to know Cosey through the memories of five women who survive and love him: his granddaughter, his widow, two former employers, and a homeless young girl.
The latest novel, Love, had been described in the promotional material from her publisher as "Morrison's most accessible work since Song of Solomon1. This comparison to her third novel, published in 1977, was an effective selling point.
1.What can we learn about John Steinbeck?
A.He was a black writer.
B.He was born in America.
C.He received the Nobel Prize after Morrison.
D.He was the first American novelist to win a Nobel.
2.The similarity between Love and Song of Solomon is that they both .
A.belong to the same trilogy together with Beloved
B.concern families of more than one generation
C.deal with life of blacks under slavery
D.investigate life in 1920s Harlem
3.What does the novel Love mainly describe?
A.The best-known vacation spot for blacks.
B.The life of an outstanding black family under slavery.
C.The miserable experience of the five women in Harlem.
D.The memories of five women about Bill Cosey.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A.Toni Morrison's latest novels. B.Toni Morrison and her trilogy.
C.Toni Morrison and her novel Love. D.Toni Morrison, the Nobel Prize winner.
FILM DESCRIPTIONS
Back to the Future
With the help of local inventor's time machine, Marty travels back to the 1950s. There his 80s hipness stands out, and he inadvertently interferes with the fledgling romance of his parents -to-be. Can Marty keep them together? He'd better, or his own future will fade away. Featuring： Christopher Lloyd, Michael J. Fox. A Universal Pictures release, 1 hr. 55 min.
Beethoven's 2nd
In this sequel to the popular Beethoven, our canine hero falls for Missy, who soon has puppies. Missy's greedy owner, Regina, who sees only money in the little purebreds, separates mom and pups from Beethoven. His owners rescue the puppies, but Regina still has Missy. Featuring: Charles Grodin, Bonnie Hunt. A Universal Pictures release, 1 hr. 26 min.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Despite the popularity of his treats, candy maker Willy Wonks shuts himself inside his factory. But then Willy holds a contest, offering five lucky children the chance to see his company. Poor but pleasant Charlie Bucket finds a ticket, as do four less -deserving children. Featuring: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore. A Warner Bros release, 1 hr. 56 min.
Cinderella Man
Based on actual events, this film follows the life of Jim Braddock, a boxer in New York City during the Great Depression. After a series of losses, Braddock is forced into retirement. But he never gives up his boxing dream, and neither does his manager. Featuring: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger. A Universal Pictures release,2 hr. 14 min.
Liar Liar
Lawyer Fletcher Reede has never told the truth in his life. Then his son makes a birthday wish that his dad would stop lying for 24 hours. Suddenly, Fletcher's mouth spouts everything he thinks. His compulsion brings disaster to the courtroom, where he must defend a client whose case was built on lies. Featuring：Jim Carrey, Justin Cooper. A Universal Pictures release, 1 hr. 25 min.
1.Which of the following is probably the name of a dog?
A.Marty. B.Missy. C.Fletcher. D.Charlie.
2.Who is Willy Wonks?
A.A boxer who suffers a series of losses. B.A lawyer who has never told the truth.
C.A man who runs a chocolate factory. D.A man who invents a time machine.
3.Which film is about the life of a real person?
A.Beethoven's 2nd. B.Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
C.Cinderella Man. D.Liar Liar.
根据下列信息提示,用英语写一篇100词左右的短文。
提示:1.赵芳的父母进城打工;
2.赵芳和爷爷奶奶留守农村;
3.在学习上赵芳遇到了一些困难;
4.在老师和同学们的帮助下,她取得了进步。
要求:1.不要逐句翻译;
2.文中请勿使用真实的姓名、校名地名:
3.可以适当增加细节，使行文连贯。
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请根据上下文内容，将文中划线部分译成汉语或者英语。
1. Beijing Opera is our national play, You can learn the music, dance and art when you enjoy Beijing Opera. 2. 它拥有着悠久的历史并且全世界闻名。
In order to make Beijing Opera wider and make the middle school students love and develop(发展) our Chinese culture, our country makes a project. That is to take Beijing Opera into students’ music classes. 3. 现在很多的学生可以在课堂上欣赏京剧。
4. However, only a few people think it important and useful for middle school students. Most people think that students are very busy with their lessons and it's a waste of time to learn Beijing Opera. Most people are afraid that some music teachers know little about Beijing Opera and its history. Most parents always ask “Is it useful for children's future to lean Beijing Opera?"
5. We need a long way to go to make Beijing Opera come into classes.
