Question

In some science fiction movies, evil robots refuse to die, no matter how hard people fight back.

Now science fiction has become science fact. For the first time, scientists have made a robot that can take a beating and keep on going. Scientists from Cornell University made the robot, which looks like a spider (蜘蛛) with four legs.

Until now, even the most advanced robot was almost certain to break down when it was broken. That is because its computer inside simply doesn’t know how to make the machine work after its shape has changed.

To deal with this problem, the scientists put eight motors (发动机) and two sensors (传感器) that read how the machine is working. They all give signals (信号) to the machine’s software. Using this information, the computer can then work out the machine’s shape at any moment.

The new technology is a big advance in robot-making, scientists say, and it’s far from scary. It may someday help scientists create better man-made (人造的) arms and legs and give new freedom to people who lose them. It might also help scientists understand how people and animals work out their own sense of place in space.

“It has been difficult to design robots that can work well when the environment changes or when it’s damaged,” says Olaf Sporns of Indiana University in the US. “With this work, we are nearer to solving this problem.”

1.Why do robots easily break down when they are damaged?

A. They have no computers inside.

B. The computer has changed a lot.

C. They cannot repair themselves.

D. The computer cannot work if the robot changes.

2.The new technology allows the robot to       .  

A. do house work for humans

B. tell people where it is 

C. remember a lot of information

D. keep working after being damaged

3.The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 5 refers to       .  

A. sensors B. arms and legs  C. scientists D. robots

4.How do the sensors in the robot work?

A. They help the computer learn the robot’s condition.

B. They can find out where the damage comes from.

C. They can replace (替代) the computer when it’s broken.  

D. They can send signals to the person who uses the robot.

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.B

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：短文大意：这篇短文主要讲述了一种新型的机器人，一种新技术将使得机器人在损坏后也能继续工作。

1.细节理解题。根据句子“That is because its computer inside simply doesn’t know how to make the machine work after its shape has changed.”的描述，可知是因为当机器人改变时，电脑就不工作了。故答案选D。

2.细节理解题。根据句子“For the first time, scientists have made a robot that can take a beating (挨打) and keep on going.”描述，可知新技术将使得机器人在受到损坏后也能继续工作。故答案选D。

3.词意猜测题。根据短文中的句子“It may someday help scientists create better artificial (假的) arms and legs”描述，可知这个人称代词指代的是前文提到的假肢，故答案选B。

4.细节理解题。根据句子“and two sensors (传感器) that read how the machine is working.”描述，可知传感器是用来感知机器人的状况的。故答案选A。

考点：科普类短文阅读。