Since May 8, Boston Dynamics’ dog-like robot, Spot, has been in use at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park in Singapore to help encourage social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic (新冠肺炎疫情) according to a report in the South China Morning Post.
Singpore’s government is funding the experiment of the robotic dog, which will last for two weeks at the park during off-peak(非高峰的) hours.
“The robot isn’t enforcing (强制 ). It’s just giving people information and encouraging them, ”Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert told CNBC. “When Spot is patrolling(巡逻)the area, there’s a parks officer nearby who can do whatever enforcement he decides is suitable. ”
Cameras fixed on Spot will scan the surroundings and help officers work out the number of visitors in the park, but they cannot read faces and won’t collect any personal information. It also carries a loudspeaker to broadcast a pre-recorded message to remind visitors of the importance of social distancing.
Without enough manpower, Singapore is turning to robotics to reduce the manpower required for park patrols and remind people about the risks they may be putting themselves and others in.
The question, however, is whether their use of Spot will be a good tool or will or only attract more people to it instead.
If the two-week experiment proves successful, the government will consider using Spot at the park during peak hours. Singapore will also do studies to see if it’s worth using other Spots in other parks. Already, Singapore engineers are trying to improve Spot, making it tell if people are together in a group or strangers passing on the grass.
No one knows if Spot will stay after the pandemic is gone, but one thing is for sure: the robot is the hardest working dog in the world.
1.Why is Spot used at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park?
A.To draw visitors’ attention to it. B.To help encourage social distancing.
C.To read and record visitors’ faces. D.To help collect private information.
2.The underlined word “they” in Paragraph 4 refers to(指的是)________ .
A.visitors B.strangers C.cameras D.officers
3.What can we learn from the last 3 paragraphs?
A.The experiment is still in progress. B.The use of Spot proves to be a good tool.
C.Spot will stay after the pandemic is over. D.Singapore will no longer need other Spot robots.
4.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A.Spot scares people into keeping a distance in public.
B.Spot patrols the park for two weeks during peak hours.
C.Spot can tell people together in a group from strangers passing by.
D.The parks officer nearby decides on the enforcement instead of Spot.
Katie Steller has her own salon (美发院). She often wheels her red chair and scissors around the city to give free haircuts.
Edward was her first lucky customer. He looked to be in his 60s. He was balding and missing a few teeth. While she was cutting his greying hair, he told her about moving closer to his adult children.
Till now, Steller has offered about 30 such haircuts. These people are all living a hard time, and she is aware of the power of her cleanup job.
“It’s more than a haircut,” she says. “I want it to be a gateway, to show value and respect, but also to get to know people. I want to build relationships. ”
Steller knows that a haircut can change a life. As a teen, she had a very serious disease and her hair thinned terribly. Her mother took Steller for her first professional haircut.
“To sit down and have somebody look at me and talk to me like a person and not just an illness, it helped me feel cared about and less alone,” she says.
After that, Steller knew she wanted to have her own salon so she could help people feel the way she’d felt that day. In 2019, she began her Red Chair Project.
She says, “I can’t fix their problems with free haircuts, but maybe I can help them feel less alone for a moment.”
Early this year she started the Steller Kindness Project, in which people who do acts of kindness (volunteering for snowstorm relief, helping neighbors in need) are invited for a free haircut at Steller’s salon. In exchange, they tell their stories, which Steller shares on her website. Her hope is that by reading about kind acts, others will spread their own.
So far Steller has had people reach out from around the country.
1.Why did Steller start her Red Chair Project?
A.To help her neighbors in need. B.To attract customers to her salon.
C.To help the lonely people feel less alone. D.To invite customers to tell their kind acts.
2.What does Steller mean by the sentence “It’s more than a haircut” in Paragraph 4?
A.A haircut can fix people’s problems.
B.A haircut is what people need most.
C.Haircut stories are well reviewed on her website.
D.A haircut is a simple act to show care, value and respect.
3.Which best describes Katie Steller?
A.Lonely and inactive. B.Kind and thoughtful.
C.Doubtful and generous. D.Serious and careful.
4.Which sentence best expresses the theme of the story?
A.Simple acts of kindness like a free haircut will spread.
B.Haircuts need practice and practice makes perfect.
C.It’s heartbreaking to see how lonely people look.
D.We can win great respect by giving free haircuts.
As a kid, I walked to the library several times a week and stayed up late reading. I checked out so many books and returned them so quickly the librarian once snapped, “Don’t take home so many books if you’re not going to read them all.”
“But I did read them all,” I said.
In college, when I created my online dating（约会）profile, in the “ favorite books” section I put One Hundred Years of Solitude, A Moveable Feast, White Fang and so on. But I realized I hadn’t read most of those titles for two years.
David was my first online date. David read about a book or two a week. When we compared libraries, we had only four titles in common.
On our seventh date, David and I visited the library.
“I have a game,” he said, taking out two pens and Post-its（便利贴）. Let’s find books we’ve read and leave reviews in them for the next person. ”
We stayed there for an hour.
Before leaving, I said, “I will tell you something. I’ve only read one book this year. ”
“But you like books, ”he said. “You like bookstores. You like libraries. Read a book!”
Back home, David’ s charge to “read a book” echoed in my head. I bought books whenever I got the chance, but I hardly read them. They sat on every surface until my house appeared to wear books the way one wears clothes.
I picked up one. Whenever I wanted to give up on it, I thought of David__________.
“How’s your day?” David texted.
“Good. A little tired, ”I replied. “I stayed up late and finished my book. ”The last time I’d pulled an all-nighter to read, I was 12 and the book was Little Women.
David suggested we visit the library again. He pulled a book from the shelf, dropped to one knee, and opened it. Inside, his Post-it read:“Karla, it has always been you. Will you marry me? ”
His proposal had rested in the book for over a year.
1.How do the first two paragraphs help develop the story?
A.To show how rude the librarian was. B.To show Karla was always a reader.
C.To prove Karla just liked borrowing books. D.To prove it’s better to buy books than borrow books.
2.Which is the correct order of what happened to Karla?
a. She had a game with David.
b. She created her online dating profile.
c. She was shown the Post-it written to her.
d. She told David she only read one book that year.
e. She found they had only four titles in common.
A.dbeac B.baecd C.beadc D.dbase
3.Which sentence should go in the empty box in Paragraph 5 from the bottom?
A.I just loved the idea of reading.
B.I tried to appear to be a book lover.
C.I painfully realized most of my books went unread.
D.I felt him pushing me to be more of the person I used to be.
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.Falling in love by the book B.Buying books for yourself not for your shelf
C.A true lover of books knows no time D.Love books enough and books love you back
20,000 local sea creatures, from dolphins to otters（水獭）, await you at Aquarium（水族馆）of the Bay, San Francisco, CA（California）. When you see a river otter in the wild, you know that water system is healthy. Plus, they’re fun to watch! Here come the Aquarium’s popular and lovable river otters：Tahoe, Ryer and Shasta.
| Me: I was born at the Oakland Zoo. I’m the half-brother of Ryer. February 20, 2016 is my birthday and I joined the Aquarium’s river otter family in January, 2017. I’m named after Lake Tahoe, CA. How to find me: My fur is reddish in color. I am the youngest but the longest of the group. Hobbies: I enjoy playing with rope and toys, running and jumping around. |
| Me: I’m a male river otter named after Ryer Island, CA. I was born in February, 2013 at the Oakland Zoo and joined the Aquarium’s otter team in 2014. How to find me: I have the widest head and the fattest face. Hobbies: What could be more fun than playing with my food and balancing rocks, and curling up with a warm blanket for a nap （a short sleep）?We river otters can sleep up to 18 hours a day. |
| Me: I’m a 7-year-old male river otter named after Mount Shasta, CA. I was saved from the fur trade in Louisiana and found a new home at the Aquarium in 2013. How to find me: I’m the largest of the otters. I have large close-set eyes. Which of the three is me? Hobbies: I enjoy long afternoon naps, throwing leaves and sticks into the water. |
1.The passage mainly talks about________.
A.how to play with the otters in the zoo B.how to protect river otters in the wild
C.the importance of protecting river otters D.the river otter family at Aquarium of the Bay
2.Which of the following is TRUE about Ryer?
A.He was born in February, 2014. B.He has large close-set eyes.
C.He is the half-brother of Tahoe. D.His fur is reddish in color.
3.What do the three otters have in common?
A.They are all named after a place in California. B.They were all born at the Oakland Zoo.
C.They can sleep at most 8 hours a day. D.They enjoy playing with food and rocks.
“Marilla, can I meet a bosom friend in Avonlea?” Anne asked.
“A what kind of friend?”
“A best friend. A very___________ friend. I can tell all my secrets to her. ”
“Diana Barry lives near. She’s about your age. Perhaps she will be your playmate. You’ll have to be careful how you___________yourself, though. Her mother, Mrs Barry, won’t let Diana play with any little girl_________isn’t nice and good.”
“I hope her hair isn’t red. It’s _________ enough to have red hair, freckles and grey eyes myself.”
“Diana has black eyes and black hair. She is pretty. ”
Anne became interested in her new “_________”.
“Oh, I’m so glad she’s pretty. I can’t be beautiful so a _________ best friend is wonderful. ”
Anne continued, “I had two imaginary friends. At Mrs Thomas’ house, I used to _________my reflection in the mirror (镜子) was another little girl, Katie Maurice. Then I went to live with Mrs Hammond. I had another imaginary friend, Violetta, and I loved her almost as well as I loved _________. ”
“You need a real _________friend to stop your crazy imaginations.” Marilla said.
The next __________, Marilla took Anne to Diana’s home.
Diana was a very pretty girl, with her mother’s__________ eyes and hair.
Mrs Barry said, “Diana, take Anne out into the garden and show her your flowers.”
Outside in the garden, stood Anne and Diana, looking____________at each other over a cluster of bluebells.
Anne said at last, almost in a whisper, “Diana, do you think you can like me a little— __________ to be my bosom friend?”
Diana laughed. She always laughed__________ she spoke.
“Sure,” she said. “Anne, I’m awfully glad you’ve come to live at Green Gables.”
When Marilla and Anne went home, Diana went with them as__________ as the bridge. They parted with many promises to spend the next afternoon together again.
—Taken from Anne of Green Gables
1.A.close B.pretty C.common D.happy
2.A.protect B.enjoy C.help D.behave
3.A.whom B.which C.who D.what
4.A.bad B.smart C.lucky D.special
5.A.master B.home C.friend D.mirror
6.A.similar B.wise C.careful D.beautiful
7.A.wonder B.realize C.doubt D.imagine
8.A.Mrs Barry B.Katie Maurice C.Diana D.Violetta
9.A.living B.true C.natural D.perfect
10.A.morning B.afternoon C.evening D.night
11.A.blue B.black C.red D.grey
12.A.madly B.shyly C.impatiently D.unwillingly
13.A.enough B.well C.hard D.much
14.A.so B.after C.since D.before
15.A.long B.high C.far D.near
—Mum, I read a book about wild animals today. Some of them are in danger.
—________. We shouldn’t buy fur coats any more.
A.It's a great pity B.It doesn’t matter C.Never mind D.My pleasure
