Thirteen vehicles lined up last March to race across the Mojave Desert, seeking a million in prize money. To win, they had to finish the 142-mile race in less than 10 hours. Teams and watchers knew there might be no winner at all, because these vehicles were missing a key part －drivers.
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, organized the race as part of a push to develop robotic vehicles for future battlefields. But the Grand Challenge, as it was called, just proved how difficult it is to get a car to speed across an unfamiliar desert without human guidance. One had its brake lock up in the starting area. Another began by throwing itself onto a wall. Another got tied up by bushes near the road after 1.9 miles.
One turned upside down. One took off in entirely the wrong direction and had to be disabled by remote control. One went a little more than a mile and rushed into a fence; another managed to go for six miles but stuck on a rock. The “winner,” if there was any; reached 7.8 miles before it ran into a long, narrow hole, and the front wheels caught on fire.
“You get a lot of respect for natural abilities of the living things,” says Reinhold Behringer, who helped design two of the car-size vehicles for a company called Sci-Autonics. “Even ants can do all these tasks effortlessly . It’s very hard for us to put these abilities into our machines.”
The robotic vehicles, though with necessary modern equipment such as advanced computers and GPS guidance, had trouble figuring out fast enough the blocks ahead that a two-year-old human recognizes immediately, Sure, that very young child, who has just only learned to walk, may not think to wipe apple juice off her face, but she already knows that when there’s a cookie in the kitchen she has to climb up the table, and that when she gets to the cookie it will taste good. She is more advanced, even months old, than any machine humans have designed.
1.Watchers doubted if any of the vehicles could finish the race because .
A．they did not have any human guidance
B．the road was not familiar to the drivers
C．the distance was too long for the vehicles
D．the prize money was unattractive to the drivers
2.DARPA organized the race in order to .
A．raise money for producing more robotic vehicles
B．push the development of vehicle industry
C．train more people to drive in the desert
D．improve the vehicles for future wars
3.From the passage we know “robotic vehicles” are a kind of machines that .
A．can do effortlessly whatever tasks living thing can
B．can take part in a race across 142 miles with a time limit
C．can show off their ability to turn themselves upside down
D．can move from place to place without being driven by human beings
4.In the race, the greatest distance one robotic vehicle covered was .
A．about eight miles B．six miles
C．almost two miles D．about one mile
5.In the last paragraph, the writer implies that there is a long way to go .
A．for a robotic vehicle to finish a 142-mile race without any difficulties
B．for a little child who has just learned to walk to reach the cookie on the table
C．for a robotic vehicle to deal with a simple problem that a little child can solve
D．for a little child to understand the importance of wiping apple juice off its face
I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to sit above the top of it. Mother sat writing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be a most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she said again, “is for Elizabeth.”
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed in action. But as a young girl. I wanted to have heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional ”. But she lived “on the surface ”.
As years passed and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace – it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
But the present of her desk told me, as she’d never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside – a photo of my father and a one-paper letter, folded and refolded many times. It was my letter.
“In any way you choose, Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.”
1.The writer began to love her mother’s desk________.
A．after Mother died
B．before she became a writer
C．when she was a child
D．when Mother gave it to her
2.The passage shows that_________.
A．Mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter
B．Mother was too serious about her daughter in words
C．Mother wrote to her daughter in careful words
D．Mother wrote to her daughter in careless words
3.The underlined word “gulf” in the passage means_______.
A．deep understanding between the old and the young
B．different ideas between mother and daughter
C．free talks between mother and daughter
D．part of the sea going far in land
4.What did Mother do with her daughter’s letter asking for forgiveness?
A．She had never received the letter.
B．For years, she often talked about the letter.
C．She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in all her life.
D．She read the letter again and again till she died.
5.What’s best title of the passage?
A．My letter to Mother
B．Mother and children
C．My Mother’s Desk
D．Talks between Mother and me
“Lizzie, there’s a letter for you!” Emily called up the stairs to her sister. Elizabeth looked down. “Is it from Harvard? They refused my application once.” Emily answered, “No, it’s from Yale.” Quickly, Elizabeth walked downstairs. She took the letter and opened it. “Rejected again,” Elizabeth said unhappily. “Who says women can’t be doctors?”
“They are fools not to accept you. You can’t let them stop you, Lizzie,” Emily said.
“I won’t. I’ll apply to Geneva Medical College,” Elizabeth told her sister. As it turned out, the professors at Geneva Medical College were not fools. They allowed Elizabeth Blackwell to study medicine.
In 1848, a year before Elizabeth would graduate, a typhoid epidemic (伤寒流行病) broke out in New York. Elizabeth wrote to Emily. “There’s an outbreak of typhoid, and I am going to help. It is dangerous, so if I should not survive, please do me the honor of studying medicine yourself.”
Emily replied, “Encouraged by your dream and success, I have decided to study in medical school, as well.”
Having survived the disease, Elizabeth tried to set up a private medical practice. “I graduated first in my class but no one believes a woman can be a good doctor,” she said to Emily one day. “All I hear is that doctors should be men, while women should stay home to cook and clean.”
Emily said worriedly, “I will graduate in June with my medical degree. What shall we do?” Elizabeth thought for a while and replied, “There’s a big house in the poor part of our town. We can practice medicine there for people who couldn’t afford care.”
Soon with the help of some friends, Elizabeth and Emily bought the house and opened a hospital for poor women and children. “We’ll have an all-women staff ,” Elizabeth said. “And later, we’ll add a medical college for women!” Emily added. At last, Elizabeth realized her dream of being a doctor.
1.The underlined word “Rejected” in the first paragraph can be best replaced by _____.
A. Refused B. Praised
C. Changed D. Accepted
2.Hearing Elizabeth’s words about the letter from Yale, Emily felt _____.
A. excited B. calm
C. satisfied D. angry
3. In 1848, Elizabeth wrote to Emily to _____.
A. persuade Emily to come to help the sick
B. ask Emily to study medicine if she died
C. warn Emily the danger of typhoid epidemic
D. tell Emily she would graduate from college
4.We can learn from the text that Elizabeth _____.
A. received strong support from her sister
B. refused to go to study at Yale University
C. founded a medical college after graduation
D. was finally accepted by Harvard after her efforts
5.Which of the following can best be used to describe Elizabeth?
A. Humorous. B. Honest.
C. Determined. D. Careful
Animals, including insects, don't have a "language" like ours. They do not 'talk' to each other in words and sentences. But if we watch them, we can see that they do have their ways of communicating with each other.
Can you see the rabbit's tail? When rabbits see this white tail moving up and down, they run away. They know that they are in danger. The rabbit has told them something without making a sound. It has given them a signal.
Many other animals use this kind of "language". When a cobra is angry, it raises its head and makes itself look powerful . This warns other animals. When a bee has found food, it goes back to its home. It cannot 'tell' the other bees where the food is by speaking to them, but it does a little dance. This tells the bees where the food is.
Some animals "say" things by making sounds. A dog barks, for example, when a stranger comes near. A cat purrs when it is pleased. Some birds make several different sounds, each with its own meaning. Sometimes we human beings speak in the same way. We make sounds like "Oh" or "Ah" when we are frightened or pleased or when we drop something on our toes.
1.Which one is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Animals have languages like human beings.
B. Bees communicate with each other by dancing.
C. Animals can use words.
D. Animals are brave.
2.A rabbit uses its tail to ______.
A. warn other rabbits when they are in danger
B. tell other rabbits where food is
C. make itself look powerful
D. help it to run fast
3.When a cobra is angry, it ______.
A. makes a loud noise B. raises its head
C. moves up and down D. does a little dance
4.Several different sounds can be made by a _ _
A. rabbit B. bee C. bird D. fish
5.From the passage, we know that _____ use words and sentences to express ideas and thoughts.
A. all living things B. all animals
C. some birds D. human beings
根据句子结构的语法性，在下面空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的适当形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡上标号为1~15的相应位置上。
1.Asimov had _____ extraordinary imagination that gave him ability to explore future worlds.
2.The website is (benefit) to the disabled people.
3.He has never been (absence) from school this term.
4.______ was then that Claire realized that Tony had opened the curtains of the front window.
5.Just accept the disabled，and give them _______(encourage) to live as rich and full a life as you.
6.When you go to a new country，you must adapt ___ new manners and customs.
7.I try to set _____a few minutes each day to read English aloud.
8.As we drew closer，I could see a whale __________(attack) by a pack of about six other killers.
9.The robot ______(rebuild)next week by the expert is named Tony.
10.Please don’t feel sorry for the disabled or make fun ____ them.
11.A large wise-looking turtle was passing so close to me ______ I could have touched it.
12.It was a time _____ the killer whales helped the whalers catch the baleen whales.
13.The whale _______ (drag)swiftly by the killers down into the depths of the sea yesterday.
14.I hope my suggestions will meet ________ your approval.
15._____________(unfortunate)，the doctors don’t know how to make me better.
As a young boy my family was very poor. I would often help do something for the neighbors to a little pocket money.
One day I on the door of an elderly woman and asked if she needed me to clean the yard. She asked why I was not in and I showed her my worn coat, which no longer kept me warm. She me to work in the yard. When I finished, she looked at me and said, “I suppose you want to be now.” She then took out a jar filled with dollar bills and said, “I’m glad you’ve done a job today but that is not something you should be doing again. I want you to new clothes and get back to school. I also want you to come back to me with your report card and I will you when I see you have worked hard and have some good . Now reach out your little hands and take out as much as you can.”
I put my hands in the jar and grabbed so much money that it was for me to buy what I badly needed. Later, I returned several times to see the woman and she did just as she . She looked at my report card and gave me a handful of dollars and some delicious food every time showed her that I had an “A”.
I was twelve years old when I moved from that neighborhood. I will never forget the huge this wonderful lady made over my life with her . This is something I hope to do myself in this lifetime over and over again.
1.A. save B. give C. earn D. change
2.A. turned B. knocked C. worked D. looked
3.A. school B. time C. trouble D. bed
4.A. allowed B. forced C. helped D. stopped
5.A. punished B. tested C. praised D. paid
6.A. boring B. new C. fine D. terrible
7.A. keep B. buy C. remove D. make
8.A. visit B. forgive C. welcome D. serve
9.A. recognize B. reward C. understand D. protect
10.A. goals B. stories C. marks D. ideas
11.A. room B. money C. food D. time
12.A. rare B. enough C. simple D. special
13.A. promised B. discovered C. knew D. admitted
14.A. decision B. progress C. mistake D. difference
15.A. courage B. kindness C. honesty D. happiness
