Getting stitched(缝合) up by Dr. Robot may one day be reality. Scientists have created a robotic system which did just that in living animals without a real doctor pulling the strings. Much like engineers are designing self-driving cars, the medical research is part of a move toward autonomous surgical robots, removing the surgeon’s hands from certain tasks that a machine might perform all by itself.
Doctors wouldn’t leave the bedside they’re supposed to watch. Plus they’d handle the rest of the surgery. In small tests using pigs, the robotic arm performed at least as well, and in some cases a bit better, as some competing surgeons in stitching together intestinal(肠的) tissue. “The purpose wasn’t to replace surgeons, ”said Dr. Kim who led the project. “If you have all intelligent tool that works with a surgeon, can it improve the outcome? That’s what we have done.”
If you’ve heard about machines like the popular Da Vinci system, you might think robots already are operating. Not really. Today many hospitals offer robot-assisted surgery where surgeons use the machinery as tools that they control by hand to operate through tiny openings in the body. But robot-assisted surgery has been controversial, as some studies have shown it can bring higher costs without better outcomes.
Kim’s team at Children’s Sheikh Zayed Institute invented the new STAR system—it stands for Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot—works sort of like a programmable sewing machine. They added sensors to help guide each stitch and tell how tightly to pull. But the approach wasn’t perfect. In the living animals, the robot took much longer and made a few stitching mistakes while the surgeon sewing by hand made none. Kim said the robot can be sped up. He hopes to begin human studies in two or three years.
1.What’s the best title for the text?
A. A new robotic system
B. A new-style way of stitching
C. The newly-designed driverless vehicles
D. Robot surgeons one step closer to reality
2.What will surgeons do when Dr. Robot is used in surgery?
A. They can help pull the strings. B. They rest at the bedside.
C. They join in when necessary. D. They perform another surgery.
3.Some people are against using robots in surgery probably because_________.
A. they can be out of control B. they will take shorter time
C. they may be expensive to use D. they are likely to cause great pain
4.What can we infer from the text?
A. Dr. Robot can take the place of surgeons.
B. Dr. Robot will be improved.
C. Dr. Robot has been tested with human trials.
D. Dr. Robot can free doctors’ hands in the operation.
Recently a study，led by Pedro Hallal of the Federal University，suggests that nearly a third of adults，31%，are not getting enough exercise. That rates of exercise have declined is hardly a new discovery. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution，technology and economic growth have helped to create a world in which taking exercise is more and more an option rather than a necessity. But only recently have enough good data been collected from enough places to carry out the sort of analysis Dr. Hallal and his colleagues have engaged in.
There are common themes in different places. Unsurprisingly，people in rich countries are less active than those in poor ones，and old people are less active than young ones. Less obviously，women tend to exercise less than men—34% are inactive，compared with 28% of men. But there are exceptions. The women of Croatia，Finland，Iraq and Luxembourg，for example，move more than their male countrymen.
Malta wins the race for most slothful country，with 72% of adults getting too little exercise，and Swaziland and Saudi Arabia are in close behind，with 69%. In Bangladesh，just 5% of adults fail to exercise enough. Surprisingly，six Americans in ten are active enough according to Dr. Hallal’s study，compared with fewer than four in ten British.
These high rates of inactivity are worrying. Human beings seem to have evolved to benefit from exercise while deliberately avoiding it whenever they can. In a state of nature it would be impossible to live a life that did not provide enough of it. But that is no longer the case. Actually lack of enough activity these days has nearly the same effect on life span as smoking.
1.We may learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.
A. the decline of exercise rates is newly discovered
B. the study suggests 31% of female adults get too little exercise
C. the industrial revolution has changed the way people live to some degree
D. the good enough data has been collected from only one country
2.According to the study, women of Luxembourg ________.
A. have little time to exercise
B. hate to get regular exercise
C. take more exercise to lose weight
D. exercise more than men in their country
3.The underlined word “slothful” in Paragraph 3 most probably means “________”．
A. lazy B. rich
C. powerful D. unpopular
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Benefits of Taking Exercise
B. New Health Discovery
C. Evolvement of Human Beings
D. Worldwide Lack of Enough Exercise
Bike sharing have become popular words in cities from Cape Town to Shanghai to Melbourne. Planners, politicians and media keep showing off their benefits: reducing pollution, congestion, travel costs and oil dependence, while improving public health. Bike sharing also helps make cities appear modern, dynamic and world-wide—qualities much sought after by the creative class.
But what makes for a successful public bike-sharing program? This is an important question because installing one requires significant public and private investment and adjustment to the built environment.
While many programs have been launched among much praise, often their popularity has soon declined. Many end up operating at a financial loss and depend on other profitable enterprises to cross-subsidize(交叉补贴) them. Some have resulted in thrown-away bikes becoming an eyesore.
Understanding which factors enhance or stop public bike sharing is critical in helping cities decide whether such a program is workable, before considering what design and sitting will work best.
Drawing on current knowledge, we discuss the importance of the local landscape, climate, cycling infrastructure (基础设施) and land use. We also touch on other factors, such as the legal environment and the characteristics of the bike-sharing program itself.
Take natural environment for example. Two natural environment factors are known to affect participation: hilliness and weather. Hilliness discourages balanced bike-sharing use, as users avoid returning bicycles to stations on hilltops. Those stations end up being empty, while stations on flat areas are often full, so users cannot find a station to return their bikes.
As for weather, ideal temperature ranges vary by the climate zone. Case studies show warm and dry weather encourages public bike-sharing use. Rain and strong wind reduce the frequency of trips. However, some approaches, such as providing sheltered, shaded, or even heated or cooled cycling infrastructure, could prove useful.
1.What can we infer about bike sharing from Paragraph 1?
A. It has no disadvantage. B. It is welcomed worldwide.
C. It can solve every problem. D. It is the symbol of modern cities.
2.What is the current situation of bike-sharing programs?
A. Many of them run at a loss. B. Most of them make huge profits.
C. They are the most promising business. D. Their development is determined by public investment.
3.Why does the author mention the natural environment?
A. To show user’s interest in various natural environment.
B. To show the decisive function of natural environment.
C. To show the necessity of bike-sharing programs.
D. To show the significance of some factors.
4.Which of the following might increase bike-sharing use?
A. Hilliness. B. Attractive bikes.
C. Rain and strong wind. D. Perfect cycling infrastructure.
If you are heading for Paris this year, be sure to include at least one of these shopping malls in your schedule.
Au Printemps
Tel: 01133014282
Located near the Paris Opera, this huge store is well-known for household goods as well as its fashion. The store also offers many services to overseas visitors, including shipping, translation and a personal shopping service. Au Printemps, whose name means springtime, hosts several free fashion shows each week. The store’s beauty department has one of the world’s largest selections of perfumes.
Galeries Lafayette
Tel: 01133014283
The Galeries Lafayette was built in 1906. It is as much fun to look at as it is to shop in this 10-storey shopping palace. In fact, the flagship store is the second most visited attraction in Paris, after the Louvre Museum. This shopping palace specializes in women’s clothing. Make sure to take in the view from the tea shop on the top floor; it’s well worth the visit.
Le Bon Marche
Tel: 01133014439
This stylish Left Bank department store was Paris’ first such store. Designed by Gustave Eiffel, Le Bon Marche is particularly known for its food hall, its wedding shops and its selection of modern clothes.
La Forum des Halles
Tel: 01133014476
This modern, underground shopping center was built in 1979. La Forum des Halles, the three-storey-tall shopping center offers everything from souvenirs to haute couture(高级女子时装)to entertainment, such as first-run movies and street performers. The shopping center is attached to the busy La Halle-Chatelet metro station and can be easily reached from all over Paris.
1.Which of the following places attracts the most visitors according to the passage?
A. The Louvre Museum. B. The Paris Opera.
C. La Forum des Halles. D. Au Printemps.
2.Which of the stores pays its special attention to women’s dressing?
A. Le Bon Marche. B. Au Printemps.
C. La Forum des Halles. D. Galeries Lafayette.
3.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A. Au Printemps is famous for its food hall
B. La Forum des Halles is next to the metro station
C. the clothes in Le Bon Marche are usually very cheap
D. the tea shop that is worth visiting is on the ninth floor of Galeries Lafayette
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.How many French songs should DJs play according to the new rule?
A. 40 percent. B. 60 percent. C. 90 percent.
2.Why are the radio bosses and DJs unhappy about the new rule?
A. More people will not listen to their radio.
B. No people will listen to their American songs.
C. The English language will get deeper into their culture.
3.What is the purpose of the new rule?
A. To protect American culture. B. To protect French culture. C. To protect British culture.
4.What’s the French musicians’ attitude toward the new rule?
A. They hate it. B. They don’t care. C. They’re for it.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.How long will the man probably stay in China?
A. Half a year. B. At least one year. C. Less than one year.
2.What is very difficult for the man to learn Chinese?
A. Knowing the four tones. B. Writing the Chinese characters. C. Getting interested in the language.
3.Why does the woman suggest the language-exchange program?
A. The man has long been interested in it.
B. She wants to make friends with the man.
C. They can help each other in 1anguage learning.
4.When do the speakers plan to begin their lessons?
A. Tonight. B. This Sunday. C. Next Sunday.
