If it looks like a fish and swims like a fish, it usually is a fish. But not the new, lifelike robot fish developed by UK scientists, which have been swimming around the London Aquarium(水族馆) as they wait for their release off northern Spain in 2011.

Equipped with tiny chemical sensors(传感器),the fish will collect data on pollution in the port of Gijón and wirelessly send the information back to the control center.

“It’s a little lab onboard the fish,” said Rory Doyle, a scientist at BMT Group. The robots were designed, and are being built, by professor Huosheng Hu and his team at the University of Essex, UK.

The sensors will search for dangers such as chemical waste and will allow officials to map in real time the sources and effects of pollution, Doyle said. w_w w. k#s5_u.c o*m

He and his colleagues chose a fish design because hundreds of millions of years of evolution(进化) has created an energy-efficient creature, he said. “Nature has done it very, very well.” But copying such a successful design comes at a cost: nearly 29,000 u.s. dollars per robot. m

The fish, therefore, will be built “robust” enough to handle any possibilities, Doyle said. They can’t get caught in nets easily, for instance, and the tracking systems inside can help the robot fish avoid crashes with boats and other things in the way.

So far, it also seems unlikely the robot fish will be mistaken: At the London Aquarium, sharks swim away from the fake fish, possibly because they find the robots electromagnetic fields(电磁场) unpleasant, Doyle said. w_w w. k#s5_u.c o*m

At the same time, scientists are working to ensure that the sounds of the robots and other factors don’t disturb the natural environment, he added.

The robot fish was developed in order to_______. w. k#s5_u.c o*m

A.be displayed on a robot exhibition in Spain

B.be sent to London Aquarium as a gift

C.get information of ocean pollution

D.collect data on the fishes in deep sea

According to Doyle, the robot was designed into fish shape in order to_______.

A.cut the cost of the robot

B.make the robot beautiful

C.reduce the sounds of the robot

D.make the robot work better with less energy

We can infer from the passage that the robot fish______. k#s5_u.c o*m

A.would send pictures of sea life back

B.would not be looked on as a real fish by fishes

C.could swim much faster than fishes like sharks

D.could help find new forms of energy in the sea

The underlined word “robust” in Paragraph 6 probably means_____.

A.small and light    B.big and heavy

C.smooth and soft    D.strong and smart

In American schools, computers have done many of the jobs that teachers used to do. Computers ask students questions. If the students give the right answer, the computer will say “Wonderful!” Some computers even read stories aloud to students. Students can do experiments on their computers and can do homework on floppy disks(软盘).

Both students and teachers are crazy about computers. “With computers, students get help quickly,” said one teacher. “But if the students don’t have computers, they must wait for me to walk around and get to them.”

              “I can type faster than I can write,” said a student. “Using a computer is easier than using an eraser.”

              Computers are also very patient. A teacher may become angry at a student sometimes. But computers are always calm. When a student gives the wrong answer, the computer just says, “Please try again.”

              Companies that make software for school have a difficult job. They must make the software as interesting as the programs that students watch on TV. But they have made much success, because students like computers as much as teachers do.

If a student gives a wrong answer, a computer might say, “_________”.

              A. Wonderful         B. Please try again         C. Bad luck.          D. Use an eraser

Students like computers because computers ________.

              A. are fast and interesting                           B. are not patient

              C. can do some experiments                       D. can do homework for them

Companies that make software for schools have a hard job because ________.

              A. they have to make the software very interesting      B. they have made little success

              C. the students are interested in TV programmes     D. students don’t like computers

According to the passage, computers can do the following things except _______.

              A. asking question                                     B. reading stories aloud

              C. telling the students whether the answers are right.

              D. making TV programmes

The main idea of the article is ________.

              A. students like computers better than TV

              B. students like computers better than school

              C. computers can do many jobs that teachers do for schools

              D. computers are not good for school

Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5:30.and at 6:30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club.At last,the traffic was moving.She swung quickly racing to her house As she opened the door,she nearly tripped over Sheba.

    “Hey,Sheba,”she said,“I've got no time for you now,but I'll take you out as soon as I get back from tennis club.”Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking Obviously,she could hardly breathe.Immediately.Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet.(兽医) When she got there,the vet was just about to close for the day. Seeing the state of Sheba,Dr.Sterne brought her quickly into his office.

    “Listen,doctor,I'm really in a rush to get to a meeting . Can I leave her with you,and go and get changed? I'll be back in ten minutes to pick her up,and then I'll take her on to the meeting with me. Is that OK?”

    “Sure.”said the doctor

    Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes.As she was once more entering the hallway,the phone by the door began to ring.

    “This is Dr.Sterne,”said an anxious voice.“I want you to get out of that house immediately,”said the doctor's voice.“I'm coming round right away,and the police will be there any time now.Wait outside!”

    At that moment,a police car screeched to a stop outside the house.Two policemen got out and ran into the house.Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened.Then the doctor arrived.

    “Where’s Sheba? Is she OK?”shouted Joanne.

    “She’s fine,Joanne.I took out the thing which was choking her,and she’s OK now.”

    Just then,the two policemen reappeared from the house,half-carrying a white—faced man,who could hardly walk.There was blood all over him.

    “My God,”said Joanne,“how did he get in there? And how did you know he was there?”

    “I think he must be a burglar.”said the doctor.“I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba’s throat:it turned out to be three human fingers”

What was Joanne supposed to do at 6:30?

    A.To walk her dog.

    B.To see her doctor.

    C.To attend a club meeting.

    D.To play tennis with her friends.

Joanne wanted to get back to her home again            .

   A.to dress up for the meeting

   B.to phone the police station

   C.to catch the badly hurt burglar

   D.to wait for her dog to be cured  

From the passage,we can infer that          .

   A.Sheba fought against the burglar

   B.the police themselves found the burglar had broken in

   C.Joanne had planned to take her dog to the meeting

   D.the doctor performed a difficult operation on the dog

In this passage,the writer intends to tell us that the dog is            .

   A.clever      B.friendly      C.frightening   D.devoted

On August 5 at 10:31 p.m. PST, a rover(探测器)named Curiosity touched down safely on the surface of Mars, and I was lucky enough to have a front-row seat.

My name is Clara, and when I was in Grade 6, I won the essay contest NASA held to name its next Mars rover. The essay I wrote was not even 250 words long, but somehow it was enough to change my life.

I still remember that cold December day, sitting in a science class. I’d finished a worksheet early and decided to get a Time for Kids magazine off Mrs. Estevez’s bookshelf. It was the 2008 Invention Issue, but that wasn’t the only thing that caught my eye. In the magazine, there was an article about a girl who named the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The article also talked about the essay contest NASA was holding to name its next Mars rover. Before I even knew anything else about it, a single word flooded my 11-year-old mind: Curiosity.

I couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so I could get started on my essay. That afternoon, I raced home from the bus stop, sat down at the computer and typed until my fingers ached. It turned out that I was just in time. A few days later, and the contest would have closed.

Five months later, shortly after I had turned 12, I was watching a National Geographic special on mammoths when the phone rang. My mom answered, and immediately, a wide smile spread across her face. When she told me that I had won, I was happier than I could ever remember being, I screamed and ran up and down the stairs and all around the house. I completely forgot about the mammoths and did not even remember to turn off the TV until it was really late.

Curiosity is such an important part of who I am. I have always been fascinated by the stars, the planets, the sky and the universe. I remember as a little girl, my grandfather and I would sit together in the backyard for hours. He’d tell me stories and point out the stars.

My grandfather lived in China, thousands of miles away from my home in Kansas. I loved the stars because they kept us together even when we were apart. They were always there, yet there was so much I didn’t know about them. That’s what I love so much about space. No matter how much we learn, it will always possess some mystery.

In the past, space exploration may have been a competition to see who got somewhere first or the fastest. But now, it is one of the few things that bring people together. Science is a language that needs no translation. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you look like – you just have to have a thirst for knowledge and a passion for learning in order to succeed.

People often ask me why we go to faraway places like Mars. Why do we explore? My answer to that is simple: because we can; because we’re curious; because we as human beings do not just stay holed up in one place. We are constantly wondering and trying to find out what’s over the hill and beyond the horizon.

The curiosity rover is more than just a robot. It is more than just a titanium body and aluminum wheels. Curiosity represents the hard work, passion, love and commitment of thousands of people from all over the world who were brought together by science. Science is so awesome. It is breathtaking and mind-blowing; and sometimes, it’s just a little bit crazy. The discoveries we make about our world are incredibly humbling. They move us forward and have the potential to benefit all of mankind.

This December it will be four years of my life that have been tied to Curiosity in some way. I’ve met so many amazing people through this experience, from scientists to engineers to administrators to volunteers. Their devotion and enthusiasm inspire me greatly. My journey with Curiosity and the MSL mission team has shaped the person that I am today, as well as the person I would one day like to become.

I am deeply grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to have this amazing adventure.

And to you, I hope your curiosity takes you far.

1. The method the writer uses to begin the passage is _____.

A.telling a story                          B.giving an example

C.offering an explanation                   D.describing a scene

2.Why did the writer hurry home to finish the essay for the contest NASA held?

A.She had just gathered enough information from Time for Kids

B.She wanted to write down what flashed through her mind in time.

C.She knew from Mrs. Estevez the deadline for the contest was approaching.

D.She was afraid she might miss the chance to compete with the former winner.

3. The writer mentions her grandfather in order to show that ______.

A.she missed him very much.

B.he knew a great deal about space

C.he influenced her to love the stars

D.she treasured their happy moments

4.Which of the following serves as a summary of Paragraph 11?

A.The writer was inspired to be a volunteer by the people she met.

B.The writer owed her success to her team members’ encouragement.

C.The writer met many difficulties in her four-year life with Curiosity.

D.The writer has benefited a lot from her experience tied to Curiosity.

5.Which best describes the writer’s tone in the passage?

A.Sharp.            B.Proud.            C.Aggressive.        D.Enthusiastic.

6.What is conveyed in the passage?

A.Curiosity is important to human beings.

B.A thirst for knowledge helps one grow up.

C.Entering a contest is a way to achieve success.

D.Curiosity changes people’s attitude towards science.

 

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