Question

  Scientists have created a way to control a robot with signals from a human brain.

By generating the proper brainwaves―picked up by a cap with e-lectrodes (电极) that sense the signals and reflect a person's instruc?tions―scientists can instruct a humanoid robot to move to specific locations and pick up certain objects.

  The commands are limited to moving forward,picking up one of two objects and bringing it to one of two locations. The researchers have achieved 94 per cent of accuracy between the thought commands and the robot's movements.

  "This is really a proof-of-concept demonstration,"said Rajesh Rao,a researcher from the University of Washington who leads the project. "It suggests that one day we might be able to use semi-autonomous robots for such jobs as helping disabled peo?ple or performing routine tasks in a person's home.” The person wearing the electrode cap watches the robot's movement on a com?puter screen through two cameras installed on and above the robot.

  When the robot's cameras see the objects that are to be picked up,they pass on the information to the user's computer screen. Each object lights up randomly on the computer screen. When a person wants something to be picked up and i[ hap?pens to light up,the brain registers surprise and sends this brain activity to the com?puter and then to the robot. The robot then proceeds to pick up the object.

  A similar programme is used to decide where the robot will go.

  "One of the important things about this demonstration is that we're using a 'noisy' brain signal to control the robot, "Rao said. "That means we can only obtain brain signals indirectly from sensors on the surface of the head,and not where they are generated deep in the brain. As a result,the user can only generate high-level commands such as indicating which object to pick up or which location to go to,and the robot needs to be autonomous enough to be able to execute such commands.” In the future,the researchers hope to make the robot more adaptive to the en?vironment by having them carry out more complex commands.

1. What is special about the robot introduced in the passage?

   A. It is controlled by human thoughts.

   B. It can be made humanoid,

   C. It can be used to help the disabled.

   D. It has high intelligence itself.

2. Which of the following is TRUE about the robot?

   A. It can move forward and backward and pick up two objects at the same time.

   B. It can move forward,pick up both objects and bring them to either location.

   C. It can only move forward,pick up one object and put it in one location.

   D. It can read all human thoughts and do as instructed.

3. What Rao says in the eighth paragraph suggests that the new robot      .

   A. is still at its early stage of development

   B. will be widely used in our daily routines soon

   C. is autonomous enough to complete complex commands

   D. is only limited to doing routine work at home

4. The sixth paragraph mainly describes         .

   A. how the robot controls a person's action

   B. how the robot picks up the right object

   C. how the person controls the robot

   D. how the robot finds out where to go

Answer 1

[文章大意]本文属于科普文。文章介绍了一种通过人的思维来控制的机器人以及相关实验的一些情况。

1. A细节理解题。文章介绍的这种机器人能够按照人脑所发出的信号去把人需要的东西捡起来，并把它放到需要的位置上，因此其突出的特点是能够被人的思维所控制。

2. C细节理解题。从第三段的介绍可知，这种机器人只能向前移动，捡起两个物体中的一个，然后把它放到两个地点中的一个。

3. A推理判断题。从文章中Rao所说的话可推断出，这种机器人现在还只能接受一些浅层次的指令，这暗示着它还处于发展的初级阶段。

4. B段落大意题。第六段主要介绍这种机器人怎样获得信息并把物体捡起来。