For the business traveler who is all about efficiency: Check out these hotels that will get you in and out with a minimum of trouble. When you are pressed for time on a business trip, nothing can infuriate you more than a slow hotel check-in process. On your next trip, try these hotels that offer a speedier check-in process.

1. Yotel New York

The self-service kiosks at this high-tech New York hotel work just like the ones you’d see at an airport. There are just five-steps to register and obtain your card key. There is even a robotic luggage bellboy. You tap in the number of bags you are carrying and sizes, then wait for a robot arm to swing down and store your luggage in a locker (say, for a day trip). This also speeds up the check-in process if the first thing you need to do, like me, is head to a series of meetings.

2. Marriott Detroit Airport

Another option for business travelers in a hurry: Marriott is rolling out its mobile check-in app to 325 hotels this year, including the Marriott Detroit Airport hotel. (I’ve tested the app itself but not for a real visit quite yet.) Here is the basic idea: you download the iphone or Android app. The night before, you can “check-in” virtually. When you arrive, you get an alert that the room is ready and your key, which is already tied to your reservation, is waiting for you at the desk.

3. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis

I happened to stay at this hotel recently and liked how fast the kiosk check-in works. Like the Yotel, the kiosk asks you to insert your credit card, similar to an airport terminal. The whole process took about three minutes, when I left, I was equally impressed with the fast check-out. An agent meets you in the lobby with an ipad and asks for an email to use for a receipt. The big advantage: you never have to wait in line.

4. Radisson: LaCrosse

The Radisson is trying to make the kiosk process even faster, at a few select hotels like the Radisson Lacrosse in Wisconsin, you use a mobile app to register and then receive a barcode by email or text. When you get the kiosk, you scan the barcode to get your key without any other steps required. It’s super fast. You can find this new check-in system at the Radisson hotels in Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Phoenix as well.

1.What does the word “infuriate” in paragraph 2 most mean?

A. annoyB. remindC. amuseD. impress

2.Which two hotels offer a mobile app for customers to check in?

A. Yotel New York and Marriott Detroit Airport.

B. Marriott Detroit Airport and Radisson: LaCrosse.

C. Marriott Detroit Airport. and Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.

D. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis and Radisson: LaCrosse.

3.Which hotel will send you a receipt by email?

A. Yotel New York.

B. Marriott Detroit Airport.

C. Radisson: LaCrosse.

D. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. At Yotel New York, a robot will help you with all the check-in process.

B. With its check-in app, you may enter your room in Marriott without a key.

C. The barcode you receive from Radisson contributes to the fast check-in.

D. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis is close to an airport terminal.

I remember the first time I got on a horse. When I was a little boy aged two, my mom agreed to let me take a short ride and that was it! From then on, I drove my parents crazy Begging for a horse.

When I was four, I had Mutism, in which children stop speaking in certain social situations. I went days, weeks months without a sound at school. At most, I might quietly whisper to a friend. I suffered silently through school until I was ten when a psychologist had an idea. He asked me what I wanted more than anything else in the world. He explained I was going to be given an opportunity to work for that. And I was permitted to whisper the answer in my mother's ear, "A horse."

I was to get a pony, but I had to live up to my end of the bargain. I had a chart of weekly tasks I had to accomplish. I had to answer the phone five times per week, something I had never done before. I had to say one word to my teacher at school and the list went on. For a child with Mutism, saying one word to someone can be like climbing Mount Qomolangma. I did everything that was asked of me and the day came. His name was Sequoia, whom I fell in love with immediately. When I was in Sequoia's presence, I forgot all about my problems and felt strong and secure.

I am a fully participating member of society these days. My horses and I made it through a master’s degree. I may have made it otherwise, but I’m not sure. I feel I owe my life to the horses and I try to give it back to them every day. They have given me the best gift I could ever imagine, my life.

1.What was the situation like when the author was four?

A. He didn't say a word at all.

B. He learned how to ride a horse.

C. He found his classmates unfriendly.

D. He had difficulty in communicating.

2.What can we infer about the author from Paragraph 3?

A. He completed some tasks easily.

B. He pushed himself extremely hard.

C. He fell in love with Sequoia gradually.

D. He found the psychologist's idea ineffective.

3.What is the author's purpose in writing the text?

A. To share his unfortunate childhood.

B. To give tips on how to cure Mutism.

C. To show his deep gratefulness to horses.

D. To inspire kids struggling against Mutism.

This week at the British Science Festival, Prof Rory Wilson of Swansea University has been revealing (揭示) the secrets of the animal kingdom, including penguins’diving habits and the emotional(情感的) states of elephants.

“The problem with animals is that we often want to know things about them that they don’t want to tell us or that aren’t easy to find out. The only way to do it is to put something on the animal that will accompany it,” Prof Wilson said. Addressing a crowd of journalists, Prof Wilson said his work was all made possible by a small electronic chip (芯片) his team developed specifically to monitor animals in their private hours.

This chip contains pressure, temperature and light sensors—offering an extraordinary view of an animal’s life. The chip, Prof Wilson explained, does exactly what our smartphones or fitness monitors do, continually tracking and recording the wearer’s position and movements. “This is a novel written by an animal. It’s very exciting to be the first person to open that novel.” This earlier chip was about five times larger than the current version, 27mm across and 4mm thick—and weighing 1.2g.

So far the group at Swansea has recorded the lives of more than 1,000 animals and 100 different species. Prof Wilson said the whole enterprise was a team effort. His group consists of academics, postdocs and students, who spend months searching through all the data collected by the chips.

Presenting results from a chip on a penguin in Argentina, he said the penguin was a personal favorite; he still analyzes these birds’ data himself. Looking at the huge screen in Prof Wilson’s lab, we could see the penguin’s individual steps. A change in movement and a drop in temperature indicate the exact moment of a dive into the water. The sensors within the chip are so accurate that they can easily detect behaviors that humans might not notice—even offering deep understanding into some animals’ emotional state.

Think of the way we humans walk. If someone is happy, this can be reflected in our physical behavior—it is often said that they “have a spring in their step”. To observe if this sort of phenomenon also occurs in animals, Prof Wilson’s team analyzed the walking movement of elephants in a zoo. They realized that an elephant walking towards something it liked would walk in a particular way. When that same elephant though was made to go away from the thing it liked, it would walk in a different manner. “How well you can predict the behavior of animals and protect them is dependent on how well you understand the rules by which they’re working.” Prof Wilson said.

1.According to Prof Wilson, what contributes most to his team’s discovery?

A. The cooperation of experts from different fields.

B. The use of a special electronic chip.

C. The personal interest in penguins.

D. The special way of data analysis.

2.It can be learned from the passage that the sensors can ________.

A. evaluate stress resulting from animals’ fighting

B. examine penguins’ unusual behavior while diving

C. distinguish different walking manners of elephants

D. provide information about the animals’ inner feelings

3.Monitoring animals’ behavior helps ________.

A. set rules for them

B. control their behavior

C. change their habits

D. understand and protect them

4.Which is the best title of the passage?

A. Inspiring ‘Novels’ Written by a Group from Swansea University

B. Pioneering ‘Diaries’ Uncover the Secret Lives of Animals

C. Penguins and Elephants Tracked for Emotional State

D. Scientists Made a Breakthrough in Animal Study

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