Question

    The rapid growth in skyscrapers worldwide, most of which have large windows, has led to a high demand for window washers. Though the job is well-paid, it is dangerous and accidents are not uncommon. However, if Israel-based start-up Skyline Technologies has its way, the dangerous job may soon be done by Ozmo, an intelligent window cleaning robot, with humans supervising (监督) from the safety of the ground.

Much like humans, Ozmo, sitting on platforms hanging from the buildings, uses its arms and brushes to clean the dirt on the glass. A 3D map of the building’s surface programmed into its system allows the robot to skillfully deal with any obstacle it is likely to meet, as it moves up and down the buildings. The robot will self-correct and move around every obstacle that it might have met so as not to break a window.

Unlike present window washers, the robot cleaner does not require soap to clean the glass. Instead, it uses distilled (蒸馏的) water to do the job. Yaron Schwarcz, CEO of Skyline Robotics explains, “We are environmentally friendly.”

Ozmo is also expected to be much more efficient than its human counterparts. While it presently takes three cleaners 480 hours each to clean windows of a 40-storey glass building, the robot will be able to do it in 80 hours. However, unlike other robots, Ozmo will not replace human workers, and only make their jobs safer by making them supervisors, who will be controlling the operation from the safety of the ground.

Whether Ozmo, which is still being tested, does as good a job as humans remains to be seen. If things go well, its creators have much bigger ambitions for Ozmo. Schwarcz told Forbes Magazine, “Window cleaning is just the tip of the iceberg. We plan to replace all tasks that are dangerous and dirty.”

1.Why is Ozmo friendly to our environment?

A.It uses less soap than other robots.

B.It depends on solar energy.

C.It makes our ecosystem more balanced.

D.It consumes nothing made from chemicals.

2.What can we infer from the passage?

A.Like cleaning windows, a well-paid job is usually dangerous.

B.Without humans supervising, Ozmo could have performed better.

C.Ozmo can save 400 hours per building compared to a human cleaner.

D.Ozmo can’t be stopped by obstacles with its advanced system.

3.What does the underlined part “the tip of the iceberg” mean?

A.A small part of a big plan.

B.As cool as the iceberg.

C.The most advanced technology.

D.The leading role in the modern world.

4.What is the best title for the text？

A.Robots make a difference.

B.Meet Ozmo, the window cleaning robot.

C.Supervise Ozmo, human safe.

D.Intelligent Ozmo becomes known worldwide.

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。本文主要介绍了擦窗机器人Ozmo，包括它的环保、给生活带来的方便。

1.推理判断题。根据第二段第一句“Much like humans, Ozmo, sitting on platforms hanging from the buildings, uses its arms and brushes to clean the dirt on the glass.”可知，Ozmo用手臂和刷子清洁玻璃上的污垢。由此可推知，Ozmo对环境友好是因为它不消耗任何化学物质。故选D项。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段中的“A 3D map of the building’s surface programmed into its system allows the robot to skillfully deal with any obstacle it is likely to meet”可知，在系统中编程的建筑物表面三维地图使机器人能够熟练地处理可能遇到的任何障碍物。故选D项。

3.词义猜测题。根据最后一段中的“Window cleaning is just the tip of the iceberg. We plan to replace all tasks that are dangerous and dirty.”可知，擦窗户只是冰山一角。我们计划替换所有危险和肮脏的任务。由此可推知，划线短语the tip of the iceberg与all tasks成对比，所以划线部分指“大计划的一小部分”。故选A项。

4.主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文主要介绍了擦窗机器人Ozmo，包括它的环保、给生活带来的方便。所以，B项“认识Ozmo，擦窗机器人”概括了本文的核心内容，适合做最佳标题。故选B项。