A study by St.. Louis University has found that a lovable dog named Sparky and a robotic dog, AIBO, were about equally effective at reducing the loneliness of nursing home residents. The study confirmed previous findings that dogs have a good effect on nursing home residents.
Dr. Andrew Smith led the Stanford University team that built a home-assistance robot. “If humans can feel an emotional tie with robots, some day they could be not just our assistants, but also our companions,” he said.
To test whether residents responded better to Sparky, a trained dog, or the Sony-made robotic dog, researchers divided 38 nursing home residents into three groups at three long-term care centers in St. Louis.
One group had weekly 30-minute one-on-one visits with Sparky; another group had similar visits with AIBO; a control group had no contact with either dog. The groups’ respective levels of loneliness were tested by having them answer a number of questions at the beginning and near the end of the visits.
After two months, both groups that had contact with the dogs were less lonely and more attached. Most of the elderly regarded Sparky, a 9-year-old dog, as an audience for their life stories, said investigator Marian Banks.
“He listened attentively, wagged his tail, and allowed them to pet him,” said Banks, who adopted and trained Sparky after finding him in a street behind her home seven years ago.
Those who were together with AIBO took a little longer to warm to the robotic creature. Over time, however, they grew comfortable with him, and petted and talked to him. He would respond by wagging his tail, vocalizing, and blinking his lights..
“AIBO is charming once you start to interact with him,” said the study’s author, Dr. William Banks, “He’s an attractive sort of guy. He gives a feeling of being personal, not just a robot.”
1.Before the new study, it was known that ____.
A．robots were effective at reducing people’s loneliness
B．robots could build close connection with humans
C．dogs could help get rid of old people’s loneliness
D．dogs and robots were equally effective at reducing loneliness
2.Those who had contact with the robotic dog found that ___.
A．they didn’t feel comfortable with it
B．it was hard for them to interact with it
C．they weren’t comfortable with it at first
D．the robot’s vocalizing and blinking confused them
3.The findings of the researchers tell us that___.
A．robots are better at caring for old people than nurses
B．robots can to some degree replace dogs as companions for old people
C．it’s easy for people to become close with robots
D．every home will have a robot assistant one day
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Robots Serve People Better Than Thought
B．No More Lonely Old Age with Emotional Robots
C．Advanced Technology Used to cheer up the Elderly
D．Robots and Dogs Can Equally Cheer up the Elderly
Skinner Creek ESL Guest Ranch offers a unique outdoor adventure camp for international students.
Students who come to Skinner Creek have the opportunity to learn English in an environment entirely different from a regular school setting. English classes are designed to meet the academic and spoken levels of each student. All English classes will be taught by instructors qualified in teaching English as a second language. All levels of English are available.
After class, students can enjoy many outdoor activities in a controlled and safe environment. Experienced managers and camp teachers will prepare each activity to the level appropriate for each student.
Students’ safety is a priority for the staff of Skinner Creek ESL Guest Ranch. Students are monitored at all times and supervisors are in the cabins with the students at night. Staff members have St. John’s First Aid and Transportation and Wilderness First Aid. An emergency clinic is nearby and accessible 24 hours.
English Classes:
Class hours are from Monday to Friday, 9:00 am—2:00 pm with a one-hour break for lunch.
Students are challenged in reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary building and conversational English.
Fun After-class Activities:
Great after-class activities include: horseback riding lessons, hiking, baseball, volleyball, badminton, mountain hiking, bonfires and much more.
Time to watch videos and TV and play games.
Experience Canadian family life.
Weekends:
Special all-day and overnight weekend activities include: camping, days at the lake (fishing, swimming and boating) and more.
Travel Information:
Students will be picked up at Vancouver airport and dropped off again for their individual flights. Transportation to and from the ranch will be provided as well as overnight stays in Vancouver.
Please contact the ranch directly for prices: skinnercreek@telus. net.
1.If you attend Skinner Creek Summer Camp, you will___.
A．sometimes have English Classes outdoors.
B．learn how to deal with dangers in the wild.
C．enjoy different sports activities after class
D．experience the traditional farmer lifestyle.
2.How many hours of English classes do students have every week in Skinner Creek?
A．35 hours B．28 hours
C． 25 hours D．20 hours
3.How will most students travel to Skinner Creek if they want to attend the camp?
A．By air B．By car
C．By boat D．By train
At the age of sixteen, I joined a volunteer group with my dad. I went on my first volunteer project in West Virginia. On the night we arrived, we discovered that “our family” was living in a trailer(拖车) that was in poor condition. A crew had been working on it for two weeks, but every time they finished one problem, another surfaced.
We decided the only reasonable solution was to build a new house – something unusual but necessary under these circumstances. The family was overjoyed with their new house that was twenty by thirty feet with three bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen.
On Tuesday of that week, while we ate lunch together, I asked the family’s three boys, Josh, Eric and Ryan, "What do you want for your new room?" Expecting toys and other gadgets that children usually ask for, we were surprised when Josh responded, "I just want a bed."
The boys had never slept in a bed! They were accustomed to plastic mats. That night we had a meeting and decided that beds would be the perfect gift. On Thursday night, a few adults in our group drove to the nearest city and bought beds and new bedding.
When we saw the delivery truck coming, we told the family about the surprise. We could hardly contain ourselves. It was like watching excited children on Christmas morning.
That afternoon, as we fitted the frames of the beds together, Eric ran into the house to watch us. Too dirty to enter his room, he observed with wide-eyed enthusiasm from the doorway.
As my father slipped a pillowcase onto one of the pillows, Eric asked, "What is that?"
"A pillow," she replied.
"What do you do with it?" Eric continued to ask.
"When you go to sleep, you put your head on it,” I answered softly. Tears came to our eyes as she handed Eric the pillow.
"Oh . . . that's soft," he said, hugging it tightly.
Now, when my sister or I start to ask for something that seems urgent, my Dad gently asks, "Do you have a pillow?"
We know exactly what he means.
1.The writer’s first volunteer project was .
A．working on a poor trailer
B．helping a poor family
C．donating beds and bedding
D．dealing with a housing problem
2.On hearing Josh’s answer, the writer was shocked because .
A．the family lived in a trailer
B．he expected to get some toys
C．he didn’t know what a bed was
D．the boys had no bed to sleep in
3.From the passage, we can learn that Eric had never seen before.
A．a trailer B．a truck C．a pillow D．a house
4.By saying “Do you have a pillow?”, the writer’s father means that .
A．what they want to get may be unnecessary
B．they should not waste money on small things
C．they should do more volunteer work for the poor
D．what he will buy is not what they want but a pillow
How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, impolite waiter，rude boss, or an insensitive employee 1 your day?
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab. One day I was in a taxi and we headed 2 the airport. We were driving in the 3 lane when suddenly a black car drove out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his 4, slide sideways，and at the very last moment our car stopped and 5 the other car by just inches！The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, looked around and started 6 at us.
My taxi driver just 7 and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was 8, so I said，"Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital！” This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call "The Law of the Garbage Truck".
He said, “Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of 9 full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage 10 up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on 11 . Don’t take it personally; Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Believe me. You’ll be 12 .”
So I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and 13 it to other people at work, at home, or on the street? It was then that I said, “I don’t want their garbage and I’m not going to spread it anymore.”
Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with 14 . The mark of your success is how quickly you can refocus on what’s 15 in your life. See, Roy Baumeister, a psychology researcher from Florida State University，found in his extensive research that you __16 bad things more often than good things in your life. You store the bad memories more easily, and you __17 them more frequently. So love the people who treat you right. Ignore the ones who don’t. Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you _18 it！The odds are against you when a Garbage Truck comes your way, but when you follow “The Law of the Garbage Truck”，you take back control of your life. You make room for the good by 19 go of the bad.
Have a Garbage-Free Day！Have a marvelous, garbage-free day！The seeds you plant today 20 the harvest you reap tomorrow.
1. A．enrich B．ruin C．spare D．obtain
2. A．through B．to C．in D．for
3. A．latter B．right C．opposite D．free
4. A．brakes B．door C．window D．seat
5. A．knocked B．overtook C．missed D．lost
6. A．laughing B．throwing C．glancing D．yelling
7. A．wondered B．smiled C．ignored D．guessed
8. A．friendly B．angry C．tired D．disappointed
9. A．expectation B．passengers C．garbage D．goods
10. A．turns B．pushes C．holds D．piles
11. A．roads B．children C．you D．dustbin
12. A．upset B．happier C．pitiful D．frightened
13. A．spread B．share C．explain D．contribute
14. A．surprise B．pleasure C．doubt D．regrets
15. A．funny B．important C．strange D．embarrassing
16. A．remember B．forget C．value D．appreciate
17. A．enjoy B．exchange C．recall D．imagine
18. A．inspire B．take C．mend D．notice
19. A．letting B．consisting C．making D．dreaming
20. A．distinguish B．deserve C．deliver D．determine
—Would she mind playing against her former teammates?
— . She is willing to play against any tough players.
A．I think so B．I’m not surprised
C．Of course D．Not likely!
Such a fierce dog __ that we had to wait outside before we could get into his yard．
A．has he had B．did he have
C．he had D．he has had
