【题目】Researchers are placing robotic dogs (机器狗) in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people’s depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated (刺激),” Edwards points out. “The problem is how we promote (使……成为现实) that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”

In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.

“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady. “When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his own.”

The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.

“At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry, Beck says. “But it’s amazing how quickly we have given up that belief.”

“Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people’s minds.

【1】The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to __________.

A. understand human-animal relationship

B. make lonely old people’s life better

C. find the causes of old people’s loneliness

D. promote the animal-assisted research

【2】In the research, the old people are asked to ____________.

A. note the activities of AIBOs

B. keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks

C. record their feelings and activity.

D. analyze the collected information

【3】What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?

A. It is easier to keep at home.

B. It can help the disabled people.

C. It responds to all the human orders.

D. It can watch TV with its owner.

【4】The author seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may _____________.

A. cure certain diseases

B. keep old people active

C. change people’s beliefs

D. look more like real dogs

【题目】The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological disaster area. Nauru's heartbreaking story could have one good consequence-other countries might learn from its mistakes.

For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived on the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.

However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. Then whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1400 to 900.

Nauru's real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate(磷酸盐)on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which is a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.

A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine. When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip-mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.

In 1968Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.

Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem-their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000Nauru was al-most financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately$433600000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen.

1What might be the author's purpose in writing the text?

A. To seek help for Nauru's problems.

B. To give a warning to other countries.

C. To show the importance of money.

D. To tell a heartbreaking story of a war.

2What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?

A. Rich and powerful.

B. Modern and open.

C. Peaceful and attractive.

D. Greedy and aggressive.

3The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from __________.

A. soil pollution

B. phosphate overmining

C. farming activity

D. whale hunting

【题目】Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was one of the most private women in the world, yet when she went to work as an editor in the last two decades of her life, she revealed(展现)herself as she did nowhere else.

After the death of her second husband, Greek shipping magnate(巨头)Aristotle Onassis, Jacqueline’s close friend and former White House social secretary Letitia Baldrige made a suggestion that she consider a career in publishing. After consideration, Jacqueline accepted it. Perhaps she hoped to find there some idea about how to live her own life. She became not less but more interested in reading. For the last 20 years of her life, Jacqueline worked as a publisher’s editor, first at Viking, then at Doubleday, pursuing(追求)a late-life career longer than her two marriages combined. During her time in publishing, she was responsible for managing and editing more than 100 successfully marketed books. Among the first books were In the Russian Style and Inventive Paris Clothes. She also succeeded in persuading TV hosts Bill Moyer’s and Jose Campbell to transform their popular television conversations into a book, The Power of Myth. The book went on to become an international best-seller. She dealt, too, with Michael Jackson as he prepared his autobiography(自传), Moonwalk.

Jacqueline may have been hired for name and for her social relations, but she soon proved her worth. Her choices, suggestions and widespread social relations were of benefit both to the publishing firms and to Jacqueline herself. In the books she selected for publication, she built on a lifetime of spending time by herself as a reader and left a record of the growth of her mind. Her books are the autobiography she never wrote. Her role as First Lady, in the end, was overshadowed by her performance as an editor. However, few knew that she had achieved so much.

【1】We can learn from the passage that Jacqueline _________

A. became fond of reading after working as an editor

B. was in charge of publishing 100 books

C. promoted her books through social relations

D. gained a lot from her career as an editor

【2】The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that_________

A. Jacqueline was more successful as an editor than as First Lady

B. Jacqueline’s life as First Lady was more colorful than as an editor

C. Jacqueline ended up as an editor rather as First Lady

D. Jacqueline’s role as First Lady was more brilliant than as an editor

【3】改编It can be inferred from the passage that______

A. Jacqueline’s two marriages lasted more than 20 years

B. Jacqueline’s opinions and faiths were reflected in the books she edited

C. Jacqueline’s own publishing firm was set up eventually

D. Jacqueline’s achievements were widely known.

【4】改编The passage talks about ______________

A. a brief introduction of Jacqueline’s career as an editor in her last 20 years

B. a brief description of Jacqueline’s lifelong experiences

C. an description of Jacqueline’s life both as First Lady and as an editor

D. an analysis of Jacqueline’s social relations in publishing

【题目】Boys’ schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions and involve them in activities such as art, dance and music. Far from the traditional image of a culture of aggressive masculinity (阳刚), the absence of girls gives boys the chance to develop without pressure of following that tradition, a US study says.

Boys at single-sex schools are said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that help develop their emotional expressiveness, rather than feeling they have to follow the “boy code” of hiding their emotions to be a “real man”.

The findings of the study are so against received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls.

Tony Little, headmaster of Eton, warns that boys are being faded by the British education system because it has become too focused on girls. He criticizes teachers for failing to recognize that boys are actually more emotional than girls.

The research argues that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when their female schoolmates do better earlier in speaking and reading skills. But in single-sex schools teachers can tailor lessons to boys’ learning style, letting them move around the classroom and getting them to compete in teams to prevent boredom, writes the study’s author, Abigail James, from the University of Virginia.

Teachers can encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with “boy-focused” approaches such as themes and characters that appeal to them. Because boys generally have sharper vision to learn best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given “hands-on” lessons where they are allowed to walk around. “Boys in mixed schools view classical music as feminine (女性的) and prefer what centers on violence and sexism, James writes.

Single-sex education also makes it less likely that boys would feel they have to follow the tradition that men should be “masterful and in charge” in relationships. “In mixed schools boys find themselves pushed to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means,” the study reports.

【1】The author believes that a single-sex school will _________.

A. force boys to hide their emotions to be “real men”

B. help to develop masculine aggressiveness in boys

C. encourage boys to express their emotions more freely

D. naturally make boys accept the traditional image of a man

【2】It is commonly believed that in a mixed school boys _________.

A. perform relatively better

B. grow up more healthily

C. behave more responsibly

D. receive a better education

【3】What does Tony Little say about the British education system?

A. It fails more boys than girls academically.

B. It focuses more on mixed school education.

C. It fails to give boys the attention they need.

D. It places more pressure on boys than on girls.

【4】According to Abigail James, one of the advantages of single-sex schools is _________.

A. teaching can be tailored to suit the characteristics of boys

B. boys can focus on their lessons without being absent-minded

C. boys can choose to learn whatever they are interested in

D. teaching can be designed to promote boys’ team spirit

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网