It is widely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather. Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr.Johnson’s famous comment that “When two English meet, their first talk is of weather.” Though Johnson’s observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago, most commentators fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weather-speak.

Bill Bryson, for example, concludes that, as the English weather is not at all exciting, the obsession with it can hardly be understood. He argues that “To an outsider, the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.” Simply, the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles.

Jeremy Paxman, however, disagrees with Bryson, arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive. Bryson is wrong, he says, because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena.” The interest is less in the phenomena themselves, but in uncertainty.” According to him, the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider.

Bryson and Paxman stand for common misconceptions about the weather-speak among the English. Both commentators, somehow, are missing the point. The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all. English weather-speak is a system of signs, which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other. Everyone knows conversations starting with weather-speak are not requests for weather data. Rather, they are routine greetings, conversation starters or the blank “fillers”, In other words, English weather-speak is a means of social bonding.

1.The author mentions Dr.Johnson’s comment to show that________.

A. most commentators agree with Dr.Johnson

B. Dr.Johnson is famous for his weather observation

C. the comment was accurate two hundred years ago

D. English conversations usually start with the weather

2.What does the underlined word “obsession” most probably refer to?

A. An emotional state

B. An unknown phenomenon.

C. A historical concept.

D. A social trend.

3.According to the passage, Jeremy Paxman believes that________.

A. Bill Bryson has little knowledge of the weather

B. English people talk about the weather for its uncertainty

C. the English weather attracts people to the British Isles

D. there is nothing special about the English weather

4.What is the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?

A. To convince people that the English weather is changeable.

B. To analyze misconceptions about the English weather.

C. To find fault with both Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman.

D. To explain what English weather-speak is about.

On a stormy day last August, Tim heard some shouting. Looking out to the sea carefully, he saw a couple of kids in a rowboat were being pulled out to sea.

Two 12-year-old boys, Christian and Jack, rowed out a boat to search a football. Once they’d rowed beyond the calm waters, a beach umbrella tied to the boat caught the wind and pulled the boat into open water. The pair panicked and tried to row back to shore. But they were no match for it and the boat was out of control.

Tim knew it would soon be swallowed by the waves.

“Everything went quiet in my head,” Tim recalls(回忆). “I’m trying to figure out how to swim to the boys in a straight line.”

Tim took off his clothes and jumped into the water. Every 500 yards or so, he raised his head to judge his progress. “At one point, I considered turning back,” he says. “I wondered if I was putting my life at risk.” After 30 minutes of struggling, he was close enough to yell to the boys, “Take down the umbrella!”

Christian made much effort to take down the umbrella. Then Tim was able to catch up and climb aboard the boat. He took over rowing, but the waves were almost too strong for him.

“Let’s aim for the pier(码头),” Jack said. Tim turned the boat toward it. Soon afterward, waves crashed over the boat, and it began to sink. “Can you guys swim?” he cried. “A little bit,” the boys said.

Once they were in the water, Tim decided it would be safer and faster for him to pull the boys toward the pier. Christian and Jack were wearing life jackets and floated on their backs. Tim swam toward land as water washed over the boys’ faces.

“Are we almost there?” they asked again and again. “Yes,” Tim told them each time.

After 30 minutes, they reached the pier.

1.Why did the two boys go to the sea?

A. To go boat rowing.

B. To get back their football.

C. To swim in the open water.

D. To test the umbrella as a sail.

2.What does “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A. The beach B. The water

C. The boat D. The wind

3.Why did Tim raise his head regularly?

A. To take in enough fresh air.

B. To consider turning back or not.

C. To check his distance from the boys.

D. To ask the boys to take down the umbrella.

4.How can the two boys finally reach the pier?

A. They were dragged to the pier by Tim.

B. They swam to the pier all by themselves.

C. They were washed to the pier by the waves.

D. They were carried to the pier by Tim on his back.

With the press of a button, a person with severe spinal cord (脊柱)injuiy is able to walk again, thanks to the Walking Assistive Exoskeleton Robot (WAER).

Powered suits that could help paralyzed (瘫痪)people walk and others lift and carry heavy loads with ease have been a dream since late 19th century. But they can realize their dreams in the 21st century.

The 20-kilogram robot has four battery-powered motors that can run for up to three hours. Inventor Wu Chenghua, from Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute, says it has successfully been in tests on 12 patients. “We have learned from our research process that patients whose injuries are below the fourth chest joint (关节)are able to use our robot to stand, walk and sit down,” he said.

Since walking contributes to muscle exercise, Wu says patients receive some additional benefits. “In the clinical process, we would check their bone mineral density (密度),and we found that the bone mineral densities of these patients had been improved.” he said. Wu says his exoskeleton may be available for consumers by 2018.

Meanwhile, baggage handlers at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport will soon start testing a similar robot, developed by the Japanese firm Cyberdyne. The battery-powered robot weighs only 3

lift a heavy object, the machine monitors the movemen”,says Yoshiyuki Sankai, the developer and CEO of Cyberdyne.

“This robot suit monitors the signal from the human nerve (神经)system to support the waist’s movement,” Sankai said, “It self-adjusts the level support to reduce the load on the human waist, light and smart. We believe that it will change the life of paralyzed people in many ways and have a promising future.”

1.With the help of WAER, patients will probably .

A. recover from spinal cord injury

B. improve their bone mineral density

C.walk as fast as normal people

D. monitor their waist’s movement

2.What can we learn about the invention of Wu Chenghua from the passage?

A.It weighs 3 kilograms and can run for up to three hours.

B.It will soon get tested at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.

C.It may be put into use for consumers by the year 2028.

D.It can be used by patients with injuries below the fourth chest joint.

3.How does Sankai feel about the future of the robot suits?

A. Optimistic. B. Worried.

C. Doubtful. D. Puzzled.

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