Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send orders to machines.
Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, showed a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person's thoughts.
In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the wheelchair and guided it with his thoughts.
“Our brain has billions of nerve cells(神经细胞). These send signals through the spinal cord (脊髓)to the muscles(肌肉) to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles.” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with outside world and also to control the machine.”
The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp(头皮)and sends them to a computer. The computer understands the signals and directs the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that recognize objects in its path. They help the computer react to orders from the brain.
Prof. Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that understands brain signals and turns them into simple orders. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be divided into two kinds: communication, and controlling the machine. One example is this wheelchair.”
He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to ensure that they can use the technology over long periods of time.
1.How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?
A. By controlling his muscles.
B. By talking to the machine.
C. By moving his hand.
D. By using his mind.
2.Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?
A. scalp → computer → cap →wheelchair
B. computer → cap → scalp →wheelchair
C. scalp → cap → computer →wheelchair
D. cap → computer → scalp →wheelchair
3.The team will test with real patients to ______.
A. make profits from them
B. prove the technology useful to them
C. make them live longer
D. learn about their physical condition
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Switzerland, the BCI Research Center
B. New Findings About How the Human Brain Works
C. BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled
D. Computer Technology Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries
If you are in a crowd, a first and most important thing is to make yourself familiar with your surroundings(周围的事物) and mentally notice alternate exits. No matter where you are, make sure you always know how to get out.
Make sure you know the type of ground you are standing on. For example, in a crowd of moving people wet ground can be dangerous, causing you to fall. You should know the general atmosphere of the event, as panic situations can often be predicted. When in danger, a few seconds can make all the difference, giving you the possibility of taking advantage of your escape route. Always stay closer to the escape route
If you find yourself in the middle of a moving crowd, do not fight against the pressure, do not stand still or sit down, because you could easily get injured or even be killed by being stepped on by other people. Instead, move in the same direction of the crowd; take advantage of any space that may open up to move sideways to the crowd movement where the flow is weaker. Keep your hands up by your chest, which will protect your chest during the movement.
If you fall, get up quickly. If you can’t get up because you are injured, get someone to pull you back up. If you fall and can not get up, keep moving by crawling(爬行)in the same direction of the crowd. Do not lie on your stomach or back, as this is dangerous for your body.
The worst situation is to be pushed by the crowd against an immovable object. Try to shun
High walls, as the crowd pressure can build up rapidly. After you’re pushed forward, the way you move is on a diagonal(斜线). There’s always space between people. You work your way out that way till you get out of the crowd.
1. When you are in a crowd the first thing you do is ____.
A. fight against the pressure
B. stay closer to an immovable object
C. move in the same direction of the crowd
D. be familiar with the surroundings
2.When you are in the middle of a moving crowd, ____.
A. you must go to the exit quickly
B. you must not stand still or sit down
C. you’d better stop moving forward
D. you should push your way out
3.The underlined word “shun” in the last paragraph probably means ____.
A. leave for B. keep off
C. jump on D. break down
4. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. How to survive the rush crowd
B. How to enjoy yourself in a crowd
C. How to protect yourself outside
D. How to run away from people
In American schools there is something called Homecoming Day. Many high schools and colleges with a football team have a homecoming game. This can be the most important event of the year except graduation or commencement (毕业典礼)Day. Students plan Homecoming Day many weeks in advance.
Several days before Homecoming, students start to decorate the school. There are signs to wish luck to the team, and many other signs to welcome all the graduates. Many people still come to Homecoming twenty or thirty years after their graduation.
The members of school clubs build booths(售货棚) and sell lemonade(柠檬汽水)，apples and sandwiches. Some clubs help to welcome visitors.
During the day alumni and their wives will gather at the school. They like to look for teachers that they remember. Often they see old friends and they talk together about those happy years in school.
Everyone soon comes to watch the football game. When the game is half over, the band comes onto the field and plays school songs. Another important moment is when the Homecoming Queen or King appears. All the students vote the most popular student Homecoming Queen or King. It is a great honor to be chosen.
Homecoming is a happy day, but it is not perfect unless the football team wins the game. Even if the game loses, the students still enjoy Homecoming. Some stay at the school to dance, and others go to a party. For everyone it is a day worth remembering.
1. The best title of this passage is ________.
A. American School B. Homecoming Day
C. Homecoming Queen or King D. Homecoming Game
2.Which of the following is NOT done on Homecoming?
A. To see old friends.
B. To call on teachers they remember.
C. To watch the football game.
D. To organize clubs.
3.The underlined word “ alumni” refers to ________.
A. male former students of a school or college
B. female former students of a school or college
C. grandfathers of the students in a school or college
D. grandmothers of the students in a school or college
你是李华，你很烦恼。最近，每天早晚，你们小区广场上都有很多人在跳广场舞，持续时间长且噪音大，给你和小区里其他人带来了很多的不便……请你给小区委员会领导写封信，反映现象及其导致的不便（要求涉及生活、学习和工作等方面）并提出合理建议。
词数120左右；
短文的开关和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Sir,
I am writing to tell you something about the people doing the square dance in our community, which
has made me terribly upset.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处，每处仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（^），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Dear Peter,
I’m very glad to receive your e-mail asking for information about the host family we have arranged you to stay with.
Locating in a beautiful and quiet neighborhood, the house was big enough to enable you to have a room of your own. Apart from the convenient public transportation, our private car will make your visit easy. Because all the family members can speak fluently English and have many outgoing personality, I’m sure you will have no trouble to communicating with them. Above all, they hosted the American student last year, through that they gained lots of experience. In addition, the hostess’ cooking will guarantee you a wonderful chance of tasting delicious Chinese food. Hope you enjoy you stay here.
A group of robbers dug their way into to basement of a bank in Paris and emptied almost 200 private safes. They entered the Credit Lyonnais branch using building __1.__ (equip) to dig holes and destroy walls __2.__ Saturday night. They tied up a security guard and spent the next nine hours__3.__ (rob) the bank.
One investigator described the robbery__4._ a “professional job”. The robbers came in at about 22:00 on Saturday and _5.__ (leave) at 7:00 on Sunday. They entered through the basements of the neighboring building, digging through a series of tunnels and making a hole into a wall of 80cm thick to get into the bank, __6.__ was having building works at the time.
When they left, the robbers set the place on fire to remove any trace of evidence, __7.__ (switch) on the anti-fire system and flooding the building. __8.__ (fortune), the guard escaped unharmed. __9._ is difficult to estimate the total value of what __10._ (steal) as only the bank’s clients know the content of their private safes.
