For those who are tired of doing the laundry, Samsung has found an answer: a washing machine that can tell you when your laundry is done via a smartphone app (application).
Strange though it may seem — "my wife already does that" was a common response among attendees viewing the device when it was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week — Samsung is just one of many appliance makers racing to install a large number of internet-connected features in machines in an effort to make them "smart".
Last year, it was a refrigerator that tweeted. This year, it's Wi-Fi-enabled laundry machines and fridges that can tell you when your groceries are going bad.
The washers and dryers, available starting in the spring, connect to any smartphone through a downloadable application. The phone can then be used as a remote control, so the machines can be turned on and off while their owner is at work or on the bus.
Samsung says it's not just something new — the app connection actually has some practical uses.
"If you started to dry clothes in the morning and forgot to take them out, you can go to your phone and restart your dryer for the time when come home, so your clothes are refreshed and ready to go." said spokesperson Amy Schmidt.
The company also says that with electricity rate (电价) varying depending on the time of day, more control over when the machines are used can help save money.
Perhaps, but what they will probably really accomplish is what all good technologies do — enable laziness. Rather than getting up to check on whether the laundry is done, users will instead monitor it on their phones while watching TV.
1. What can be inferred from the common response of the attendees at the CES?
A．The machine will be a big success.
B．their wives like doing the laundry.
C．The machine is unrelated to their life.
D．This kind of technology is familiar to them.
2.We can conclude from Samsung's statements that ________.
A．the app connection makes life easier
B．it is better to dry clothes in the morning
C．smartphone can shorten the drying time
D．we should refresh clothes back at home
3.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A．The laundry should be frequently checked
B．Lazy people like using such machines
C．Good technologies also cause problems
D．Television may help do the laundry
It is easy for us to tell our friends from our enemies. But can other animals do the same? Elephants can! They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who pose a threat and those who do not.
In Kenya, researchers found that elephants react differently to clothing worn by men of the Maasai and Kamba ethnic groups. Young Maasai men spear animals and thus pose a threat to elephants; Kamba men are mainly farmers and are not a danger to elephants.
In an experiment conducted by animal scientists, elephants were first presented with clean clothing or clothing that had been worn for five days by either a Maasai or a Kamba man. When the elephants detected(察觉)the smell of clothing worn by a Maasai man, they moved away from the smell faster and took longer to relax than when they detected the smells of either clothing worn by Kamba men or clothing that had not been worn at all.
Clothing color also plays a role, though in a different way. In the same study, when the elephants saw red clothing not worn before, they reacted angrily, as red is typically worn by Maasai men. Rather than running away as they did with the smell, the elephants acted aggressively toward the red clothing.
The researchers believe that the elephants’ emotional reactions are due to their different interpretations of the smells and the sights. Smelling a potential danger means that a threat is nearby and the best thing to do is run away and hide. Seeing a potential threat without its smell means that risk is low. Therefore, instead of showing fear and running away, the elephants express their anger and become aggressive.
1.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE about Kamba and Maasai people?
A．Maasai people are a threat to elephants.
B．Kamba people raise elephants for farming.
C．Both Kamba and Maasai people are elephant hunters.
D．Both Kamba and Maasai people traditionally wear red clothing.
2. How did the elephants react to smell in the study?
A．They attacked a man with the smell of new clothing.
B．They needed time to relax when smelling something unfamiliar.
C．They became anxious when they smelled Kamba-scented(有…气味的) clothing.
D．They were frightened and ran away when they smelled their enemies.
3. What is the main idea of this passage?
A．Elephants use sight and smell to detect danger.
B．Elephants attack people who wear red clothing.
C．Scientists are now able to control elephants’ emotions.
D．Some Kenyan tribes understand elephants’ emotions very well.
4.What can be inferred about the elephants’ behavior from this passage?
A．Elephants learn from their experience.
B．Elephants have sharper sense of smell than sight.
C．Elephants are more intelligent than other animals.
D．Elephants tend to attack rather than escape when in danger.
Chelsea Clinton, the 31-year-old daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, is stepping into her own spotlight.
According to the New York Times, NBC has hired Clinton to become a full-time special correspondent（记者） for NBC News. Her feature stories will reportedly be used in the “Making a Difference” series, which runs on “NBC Nightly News”. The sections attract people who volunteer to improve the lives of others in their communities.
When Bill Clinton won the presidency in 1992, the first lady asked the press to keep Chelsea out of the public eyes. As a young adult, Chelsea continued to avoid media attention in order to attend college and quietly enter the business world. Once her mother decided to run for the presidency in 2007, however, Chelsea made hundreds of public appearances, mostly on college campuses, to support the campaign. More recently, she has worked for New York University and promoted her father’s latest book. She is currently pursuing a doctor’s degree at Oxford.
Clinton is the second daughter of a president hired by NBC News; Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George W. Bush, works as a correspondent for NBC’s “Today” show.
1. Chelsea Clinton continued to stay out of media attention to _____.
A．improve the lives of others
B．help her father in the election
C．study and go to the business circle
D．support her mother for the presidency
2. What does the underlined word mean in Paragraph 2?
A．is shown B．flows C．is managed D．spreads
3. Which is the right order of the events?
a. Chelsea helped to sell Bill Clinton’s latest book.
b. Chelsea pursues her doctor’s degree.
c. Chelsea supported her mother’s career.
d. Chelsea was out of the public attention.
A．d, a, c, b B．c, d, b, a
C．c, b, d, a D．d, c, a, b
4. According to the text, we can conclude that _____.
A．Chelsea Clinton is the second daughter of Bill Clinton
B．Chelsea Clinton is in favour of her parents’ careers
C．Chelsea Clinton always follows her mother’s advice
D．Jenna Bush Hager is a correspondent for “NBC Nightly News”
Mini Book Excerpts (节选)
Biography
When Salinger learned that a car park was to be built on the land, the middle-aged writer was shocked and quickly bought the neighboring area to protect it… The townspeople never forgot the rescue and came to help their most famous neighbor.
J. D. Salinger: A Life by Kenneth Slawenski (Random House, $27)
Mystery (疑案小说)
"You're a smart boy. Benny's death was no accident, and you're the only who saw it happen. Do you think the murderer should get away with it?" The boy was staring stubbornly at his lap again.
A thought suddenly occurred to Annika, "Did you …You recognized the man in the car, didn't you?"
The boy hesitated, twisting his fingers, "Maybe," he said quietly.
Red Wolf by Liza Marklund (Atria Books, $25.99)
Short Stories
She wants to say to him what she has learned, none of it in class. Some women are born stupid, and some women are too smart for their own good. Some women are born to give, and some women only know how to take. Some women learn who they want to be from their mothers, some who they don't want to be. Some mothers suffer so their daughters won't. Some mothers love so their daughters won't.
You Are Free by Danzy Senna (Riverhead Books, $15)
Humor
Do your kids like to have fun? Come to Fun Times! Do you like to watch your kids having fun? Bring them to Fun Times! Fun Times!'s "amusement cycling" is the most fun you can have, legally, in the United States right now. Why spend thousands of dollars flying to Disney World when you can spend less than half of that within a day's drive of most cities?
Happy: And Other Bad Thoughts by Larry Doyle (Ecco, $14.99)
1.If the readers want to know about the life of Salinger, they should buy the book published by ________.
A．Ecco B．Atria Books C．Riverhead Books D．Random House
2.The book Happy And Other Bad Thoughts is intended for ________.
A．young children B．Disney World workers
C．middle school teachers D．parents with young children
3. Which book describes women with characters of their own?
A. Happy And Other Bad Thoughts
B. J. D. Salinger: A Life
C. You Are Free
D. Red Wolf
4. After finishing the book Red Wolf, the readers would learn that ________.
A．the boy helped arrest the murderer
B．Benny died of an accident
C．the murderer got away with the crime
D．Annika carried out the crime
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
One morning I wasted nearly an hour watching a tiny ant carry a huge feather. Several times, it 36 several obstacles in its path. And after a brief pause it would make the necessary detour (绕道). 37 one point, the ant had to cross a crack(裂缝) about 10mm wide. After some 38 thoughts, the ant laid the feather over the crack, walked 39 it and picked the feather up on the other side, then continued on its way. I was 40 by the cleverness of this ant. It was only a small insect, lacking in 41 yet equipped with a brain to reason, explore, discover and overcome. 42 this ant, like the other two-legged creatures 43 on the earth, also shares human failings.
After some time the ant 44 reached its destination — a flower bed and a small hole that was the entrance to its 45 home. It was there that the ant met its 46 . How could that large feather possibly 47 such a small hole? Of course, it couldn’t. So the ant, after all this 48 and using great brightness, overcoming problems a1l along the way, just gave up the 49 and went home. The ant had not thought the problem through 50 it began its journey and in the end the feather was 51 more than a burden. Isn’t our 52 like that?
We worry about our families; we worry about the 53 of money; and we worry about all kinds of things. These are all burdens — the things we pick up along life’s path, and drag them around the obstacles and over the cracks that life will bring, only to 54 that at the destination they are 55 and we can’t take them with us.
1. A．came across B．came about C．got over D．took over
2. A．For B．At C．To D．With
3. A．brave B．tiring C．short D．magic
4. A．through B．across C．beside D．behind
5. A．satisfied B．frightened C．annoyed D．attracted
6. A．height B．size C．depth D．width
7. A．Therefore B．Otherwise C．But D．Moreover
8. A．living B．working C．sleeping D．walking
9. A．finally B．probably C．suddenly D．easily
10. A．lonely B．comfortable C．underground D．big
11. A．partner B．parent C．match D．friend
12. A．fix B．fit C．fill D．feel
13. A．trouble B．pleasure C．decision D．matter
14. A．insect B．problem C．feather D．hole
15. A．before B．after C．until D．once
16. A．everything B．anything C．something D．nothing
17. A．study B．aim C．dream D．1ife
18. A．waste B．lack C．worth D．danger
19. A．think B．wonder C．warn D．find
20. A．bad B．useless C．meaningful D．practical
You are saying that everyone is equal, ______ is ______ I disagree.
A．which; where B．which; what C．that; where D．that; what
