Scientists are building the world’s first thinking robot. It’s true. Some say machines that walk, speak and feel will have been made by 2020.Kismet is the name of a robot which scientists have built this year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Kismet is different from traditional robots because it can show human emotions. Its eyes, ears and lips move to show when it feels happy, sad or bored. Kismet is one of the first robots of a new generation that look like human beings and can imitate human feelings.
Some people say that by 2020 we will have created robots with brains similar to those of adult human beings. These robots will be designed to look like people to make them more attractive and easier to sell. What kind of jobs will they do? In the future, robots like Robonaut, a robot invented by NASA, will be doing dangerous jobs, like repairing space stations. They will also be doing more and more of the household work for us. In Japan, scientists are designing robots that will entertain people by dancing and playing the piano.
Meanwhile, people who worry about the future are wondering whether robots will become monsters? Will people themselves become increasingly like robots? Experts predict that more and more people will be wearing micro-computers connected to the Internet in the future. People will have microchips in various parts of their body, which will connect them to a wide variety of small machines. Perhaps we should not exaggerate(夸大) the importance of technology, but one may wonder whether, in years to come, we will still be falling in love, and whether we will feel pain.
Who knows?
1.Kismet is different from traditional robots because______.
A. it is made in the MIT, USA B. it is able to express its own feelings
C. it is the first modern robot D. it is able to show human feelings
2.Possibly, robots will be able to ______in about ten years from now.
A. think like human beings B. do all kinds of jobs for us
C. imitate human feelings D. become dangerous monsters
3.The underlined word “one” can be best replaced by_____.
A. some experts B. the writer himself C. some scientists D. people in general
4.It can be inferred from this passage that_______.
A. robots will take the place of human beings in the future
B. the importance of technology has been exaggerated
C. scientist have designed different kinds of robots
D. robots might be a helper or a danger.
The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special.
However, the idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her.
It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a selfless and loving man. Sonora’s father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.
In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge declared the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.
When children can’t visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card. Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental. Most greeting cards are too special so fathers laugh when they open them. Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child needs Dad.
1. The United States is special in Father’s Day because___________.
A. many people celebrate the day B. only America celebrate the day
C. America makes it an official day D. all men are honored in America
2.At first, Father’s Day was fixed on June 19th because _________.
A. Sonora honored her father on her father’s birthday B. Sonora birthday was June 19th
C. it was decided by the President at that time D. her mother died on June 19th
3.How many years has passed before Father’s Day became an official day since Father’s Day was
celebrated?
A. 4 B. 10 C. 14 D. 24
4. According to the passage, on Father’s Day ______
A. people will wear the same flowers to honor their fathers
B. only daughters wear red flowers to honor their fathers
C. children must go home to honor their fathers
D. fathers are often honored in different ways
Long ago, near the village of Hedley, there lived a strange and playful trickster(骗子), known as the Hedley Kow. Sometimes it looked like an ordinary object. Sometimes it looked like a donkey or a goat.
One evening, as an old woman went along the path, she saw an old iron pot lying in the ditch. “Fancy that,” she said. “Nobody seems to want this old pot. I will take it home and plant pretty flowers in it.”
When she tried to lift it, she saw that it was full of gold pieces. “Well, now, if that doesn’t beat all,” she said. “I’m rich! I can buy a fine house and fancy clothes.”
The pot was heavy, so she tied her shawl around it and began to drag it home. After a while, she stopped to rest. When she looked in the pot, she was amazed to see that it was full of silver pieces!
“Oh, my god!” she said. “Aren’t I the lucky one ! If it were gold, thieves would have been after me. My friends might have been jealous. But I can hide these silver pieces, take out a few at a time, and live like a queen.”
On she went, pulling the pot after her. She was nearing home now. At her gate, she looked into the pot. What a surprise! The silver had changed into a lump(块) of iron. “Iron,” she said. “Well, now! No one will be jealous or want to steal this from me. I can use this iron to prop my door open and let in fresh air and sunlight. Lucky me!”
As soon as she said that, the pot began to grow and later it became a goat. Then it jumped up and ran off down the road laughing.
“Fancy that!” said the old woman. “I believe I have seen the Hedley Kow! Not many folks can say that, and that’s a fact. I’ll just sit up by my fire tonight thinking about how lucky I was to see it for myself. I truly must be the luckiest person in the world!”
1. Which of the following sayings can best describe this story?
A. All good things come to an end. B. The early bird catches the worm.
C. Content is better than riches. D. All bad luck goes away.
2.What does “the Hedley Kow” stand for in the eyes of the old woman?
A. Glory B. Honor C. Misfortune D. Luck
3. From this passage we can know the old woman is _________.
A. optimistic B. pessimistic C. strange D. mindless
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. The woman B. The Hedley Kow C. The pot D. The Effort
One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humblest(卑微的)to the most powerful came for breakfast. I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone. I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.
We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide rang of things. We never introduced ourselves. I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked,
“My I get you something ?”
“A coffee would be nice.”
Then I bought him a cup of coffee, We talked more , and he accepted another cup of coffee, Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit. At the door I met one of my friends. He asked,
“How did you get to know Mr. Galbreath?”
“Who?”
“The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs.”
I could hardly believe it. I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men!
My few minutes with Mr. Galbreath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are, and to meet another human being with kindness and sincerity.
1.What does the underlined word “disheveled” mean?
A. Unfriendly. B. Untidy. C. Gentle. D. Kind.
2. The author bought coffee for the old man because
A. he thought the old man was poor B. he wanted to start a conversation
C. he intended to show his politeness D. he would like to thank the old man
3.How did the author probably feel after he talked with his friend?
A. Proud. B. Pitiful. C. Surprised. D. Regretful
4.What is the message mainly expressed in the story?
A. We should learn to be generous. B. It is honorable to help those in need.
C. People in high positions are not like what we expect.
D. We should avoid judging people by their appearances.
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
People do not analyse every problem they meet. Sometimes they try to remember a solution from the last time they had a 36 problem. They often accept the opinion or ideas of other people. Other times they begin to act without 37 ; they try to find a solution by trial and error. However, when all of these methods 38 , the person with a problem has to start analyzing . There are six 39 in analysing a problem.
40 , the person must recognize that there is a problem. For example, Sam’s bicycle is broken, and he cannot ride it to class as he usually does. Sam must 41 that there is a problem with his bicycle.
Next the person must 42 the problem. Before Sam can repair his bicycle, he must know why it does not work. For example, he must 43 the parts that are wrong.
Now the person must look for 44 that will make the problem clearer and lead to 45 solutions. For example, suppose Sam 46 that his bike does not work because there is something wrong with the brakes. 47 , he can look in his bicycle repair book and read about brakes, talk to his friends at the bike shop, or look at his brakes carefully.
After 48 the problem, the person should have several suggestions for a possible solution. Take Sam as an example 49 , his suggestions might be: tighten or loosen the brakes; buy new brakes and change the old ones.
In the end, one 50 seems to be the solution to the problem. Sometimes the 51 idea comes quite 52 because the thinker suddenly sees something in a 53 way. Sam, for example, suddenly sees there is a piece of chewing gum stuck to a brake. He immediately hits on the solution to his problem: he must 54 the brake.
Finally the solution is 55 . Sam does it and finds his bicycle works perfectly. In short he has solved the problem.
1.A.
serious B. usual 
similar D.
common
2.A.
practice B. thinking understanding D. help
3.A. fail B.
work change D.
develop
4.A. ways
B. conditions stages D.
orders
5.A. First
B.
Usually In general
D. Most importantly
6.A.
explain B. prove show
D. see
7.A. judge
B. find describe
D. face
8.A. check
B. determine correct
D. recover
9.A. answers B. skills C. explanation D. information
10.A. possible B. exact C. real D. special
11.A. hopes B. argues C. decides D. suggests
12.A. In other wordsB. Once in a while C. First of all D. At this time
13.A. discussing B. settling down C. comparing with D. studying
14.A. secondly B. again C. also D. alone
15.A. suggestion B. conclusion C. decision D. discovery
16.A. next B. clear C. final D. new
17.A. unexpectedly B. late C. clearly D. often
18.A. simple B. different C. quick D. sudden
19.A. clean B. separate C. loosen D. remove
20.A. recorded B. completed C. tested D. accepted
Remember that there is still one point ______we must make clear at the conference tomorrow.
A. where B. why C. when D. that
