Many Americans are busy preparing lists of what to give friends or loved ones. This season, people will be able to buy a cargo-carrying（载货）robot that follows them around like a dog. But it is unclear if the robot will be a popular gift.
Large companies like Amazon, FedEx and Ford have already been experimenting with sending delivery robots to homes across the United States. Now an Italian company is offering robots directly to consumers（顾客）. The new robot, called "the Gita", weighs about 23 kilograms and costs $ 3,250.
The robot's creators had short trips in mind when they designed it. "The Gita" is a "hands-free carrier" that can hold fruits, vegetables and other things as it follows its owner down the street. "The Gita" does not require use of a telephone；it also does not use GPS technology or facial recognition.
Whether the robot will be a success is not yet clear. Tech experts say "the Gita" may fail. They hope the company finds more purposes to contribute to its success. Examples include carrying tools around hospitals, factory floors or places where products are stored. The robots can carry up to 9 kilograms. So far, the best places to find the company's six-wheeled robot are US colleges：The University of Houston and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Sadie Garcia is a student at the University of Houston. "I love them. I think they're so cute," she said, as one of the machines arrived carrying a sandwich for her in the dining hall. Garcia said she was so cold that she did not want to leave her room. Starship co-founder Ahti Heinla said his company once thought about selling the machines directly to consumers. But the business dropped the idea after discovering it would have to sell them for more than $ 3,000 each.
1.What is "the Gita" designed to do?
A.Fight with other robots. B.Buy things for its owner.
C.Carry things for its owner. D.Help college students do homework.
2.What do tech experts expect the company to do for "the Gita"?
A.Keep advertising it. B.Find more uses for it.
C.Improve its reaction rate. D.Encourage hospitals to use it.
3.What stops "the Gita" from being sold directly to consumers?
A.The high price. B.The low quality.
C.The limited number. D.The poor performance.
4.Where is this text most likely from?
A.A detective story. B.A science magazine.
C.A travel guide. D.A life diary.
I have been receiving so much kindness. It was difficult for an independent girl like me to accept it at first. At times, my financial situation is not the best. But with that comes a great lesson in appreciation, budgeting, and deciding what is and what isn't important.
A few times I've had to put off or even give up things. Because of my scarcity on money, I had to give up a keep-fit exercise, which is something I like to treat myself regularly. When my coach Lisa heard about this, she offered me training at a highly discounted price. At first this made me very uncomfortable. I feared that she would wrongly think that I was going to bargain and of course I wasn't. Instead, I was just being honest about my situation— being short of money. I finally accepted her offer, remembering that I deserve kindness, too.
Another time, I noticed a friend of mine selling his old exercise bike, which was perfect for me, as I was looking to replace my broken one. I told him that I would take it when I had the money, but then life got in the way. When I finally got the time to pick it up, I realized my financial shortcomings again. I asked him if he could hold onto it for one more week, as then I'd have the funds again. He was happy to do this, but instead he insisted on offering me the bike as a gift. Another opportunity presents itself to teach me how to receive with dignity.
I continue to slowly learn how to accept the kindness from others. In fact, the relationship between giving and receiving is closely linked. When you accept the kindness from others with joy, they will feel happy, too.
1.How did the author feel at first when she received kindness from others?
A.Happy. B.Unfair. C.Proud. D.Unacceptable.
2.What does the underlined word "scarcity" in paragraph 2 mean?
A.Scare. B.Independence. C.Lack. D.Principle.
3.What was the author afraid of when Lisa did her a favor?
A.Being punished. B.Being misunderstood.
C.Accepting her coach's strict training. D.Giving away the secret of her being short of money.
4.How did the author get the second-hand exercise bike?
A.She got it for free. B.She paid much money for it.
C.She bought it from her coach. D.She borrowed it from her friend.
Use our website to improve your English
Study at the right time each day
The first step in getting better in English is to study at the right time each day. Do you wake up early and study when the house is quiet? Or do you like to stay up late and study before you go to sleep? Choose the proper time to study English every week. Make a study plan for each week. Here is an example of using our website in the morning to improve your listening and speaking skills:
Monday: Watch Let's Learn English ; practice the conversation with a friend
Tuesday: Watch English in a Minute; teach the new expressions to family or friends
Wednesday: Watch English at the Movies; write a note to a friend about the expressions Thursday: Watch News Words; write a sentence using the words
Friday: Read or listen to Ask a Teacher or Everyday Grammar ; write three sentences
Find a friend to study together
A good way to learn is to study with a friend or a family member. You can study together at home or on the phone. Some families speak English only at dinner time or watch English videos together.
Set goals
One of the most important steps to learn English is to set goals. Make it something you know you can do in a short time. Here are some examples:
♦I will practice speaking with my friends three times a week.
♦I will write sentences with five new English words every week.
♦I will learn four new idioms in the next month and use them with friends.
1.Which advice is given on learning English?
A.Learning from others. B.Practicing once a week.
C.Turning to parents for help. D.Scheduling proper study time.
2.When can you learn English on the website according to the example?
A.On weekends. B.Every day.
C.On weekdays. D.Every Monday afternoon.
3.What are listed at the end of the text?
A.Some aims for learning English.
B.Some examples of practising English with friends.
C.Three important periods of time for learning English.
D.The most important steps in improving independent learning.
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写 的总词数应为150词左右。
It was late spring when my mom and I were driving through the countryside. Back then I was 13 years old and always felt unhappy with Mom. However, little did I know that this trip was going to be a special one.
A pot of flowers sat in the back seat, whose pleasant smell filled the car. Suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, my mom pulled over（靠边停车）. “What are you doing? "I cried, fearing that the car had broken down and we'd be stuck there, so far from home. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. My mom hopped out of the car, grabbing the flowers from the back seat. “It’ll just be a minute," she called back through the open windows.
Impatiently, I cast my eyes towards the edge of the road before they settled on a little sign showing that it was a nursing home. I looked back to the building, somewhat annoyed, as my mom reappeared empty-handed.
Before she started the car, curiosity drove me to ask, “Do you know someone there?" She shook her head. “Then what did you do with the flowers?" She smiled slightly, “I gave them to the receptionist （前台接待员）.“ What?" She laughed at my confusion. “I told the receptionist to give the flowers to whoever needed them, especially those who haven't received any in a while.”
I kept silent for a moment. Not long after we went on with our driving, I spoke again, “Did you leave your name? “To this she answered instantly, “No. Leaving flowers there for someone who will appreciate them makes me feel good, which is enough of a thank for me. ”
Suddenly, still thinking about Mom's deeds, I heard something burst loudly. It was our car that broke down! Nothing could be worse, because neither my mom nor I understood how to repair it, and we didn’t know where the garage was. It also seemed impossible to wait for any passer-by（过路人），since we had seen so few along the way.
Paragraph 1:
I let out a sigh while my mum rooted （使……固定）herself against the car worrying about what could be done. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
As we drove along , a flower shop came into sight on the road.
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假定你是李华，你的英国笔友Terry在邮件中提到他首次尝试使用筷子，感觉很新奇，希望了解更多筷子知识与文化。请你给他回信。包括以下要点：筷子文化参考：筷子谐音快乐；筷子可传递合作、和谐、平等、和平等内涵 注意：词数：80左右，可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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It's common for homeless people to pick up recyclable（可回收利用的）things to sell and make a living. However, it's not so common to see them sit in a restaurant where the average meal costs $ 150. But that’s _______what happened when a man walked into Benvindo, a _______restaurant in Belo Horizonte.
According to the staff, a homeless man_______the waiters at the front door and wanted a meal. He also insisted on paying for it with the money he made by_______ the cans: a single $ 50 bill.
“I thought this was something_______，” said Fontes, a 21-year-old waiter. But he continued providing_______for the man as he served other guests. The man_______an executive（行政）lunch, including a main dish and dessert, which _______$ 121. 80. However, when the man asked for the bill, the restaurant’s owner told Fontes to waive （放弃）the charge. Instead of accepting the free meal, the man politely turned it _______ and insisted on paying.
When it became ________ that the man wasn’t ready to change his ________, the waiter decided to charge him $ 10. Fontes said, “I then had to lie, saying customers could get a(n) ________ on the lunch for there was an ongoing________, because the man had $ 50 and refused to get the $ 40. ”
A customer there took a picture of them and shared it online? saying? “I just ________ a great example of consideration.... ” The photo gained hundreds of ________, praising Fontes and the man. Fontes said he simply wanted to perform an act of kindness for an honest hardworking man.
1.A.precisely B.probably C.illegally D.frequently
2.A.newly-built B.high-end C.self-service D.non-profit
3.A.blamed B.praised C.approached D.urged
4.A.collecting B.breaking C.producing D.preserving
5.A.complex B.plain C.painful D.strange
6.A.service B.information C.comfort D.support
7.A.declined B.prepared C.chose D.recommended
8.A.came to B.went through C.passed down D.jumped at
9.A.up B.down C.off D.on
10.A.significant B.confusing C.disappointing D.apparent
11.A.position B.confusion C.situation D.expectation
12.A.subject B.outline C.discount D.suggestion
13.A.promotion B.custom C.trend D.donation
14.A.heard B.witnessed C.followed D.relayed
15.A.instructions B.references C.warnings D.comments
