题目内容

Dog Translation Products Coming to U. S.

A Japanese toy maker declares that they have developed a gadget that translates dog barks into human language and plans to begin selling the gadget——under the name of Bowlingual——in U. S. pet stores and gift shops this summer.

Tokyo-based Takara Co. Ltd. says about 300, 000 of the dog translator gadgets have been sold since it was on sale in Japan late last year. It is forecasting far bigger sales once an English language translation for dogs comes to America in August. The United States is home to about 67 million dogs, more than six times the number in Japan.

"We know that the Americans love their dogs so much, so we don't think they will mind spending $ 120 on this product," the Takara marketing manager said during an interview at a recent pet products conference in Atlanta.

Regarded as one of the coolest inventions of 2002 by Time magazine, Bowlingual is made up of a 3 - inch long wireless microphone that is fastened to a dog collar and sends out sounds to a small console (控制台) that is connected to a database (数据库). The console divides each bark into six emotional types——happiness, sadness, disappointment, anger, threat and desire——and shows common phrases, such as "You're ticking me off," that fit the dog's emotional state.

Takara says it has spent millions of dollars developing the gadget in cooperation with famous sound experts and animal behaviorists.

One thing that does appear certain is that the markets for animal translation products will likely remain a dog's world since Takara has no plans to develop a similar gadget for cats. "They are too unpredictable (反复无常) , " the marketing manager said.

1.This passage mainly tells us that Bowlingual ___________.

A. was invented in Japan         B. has developed quickly

C. will be sold in America        D. sells well for its price

2.The underlined word "they" in the last paragraph refers to ___________.

A. markets    B. products     C. plans      D. cats

3.When was this passage most probably published?

A. In the winter of 2002.       B. In the spring of 2003.

C. In the summer of 2002.       D. In the autumn of 2003.

4.From the passage, we can see that Takara Co. Ltd. is ___________ the sale of its new product.

A. proud of             B. satisfied with

C. confident of           D. worried about

 

【答案】

 

1.C

2.D

3.B

4.C

【解析】

1.C。文章着重介绍了该产品要打到美国市场及其前景。

2.D。由上一句可知they指的是猫。

3.B由文章第四段第一句“被看作2002年的最酷发明”可知该文不是发表于2002。而D项时间相隔又太久只有2003年春天最合理。

4.C。由文章第二、三段可知公司对该产品在美国市场的前景很自信。

 

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Studying volcanoes is a demanding profession. Hazel Rymer frequently has to struggle through rainforests, climb to the top of mountains, then climb 200 metres into the crater of active volcanoes. But the 38-year-old volcanologist does her best to make it sound less alarming than it is. “Driving to work is more risky,” she insists. “And the deepest I go into the crater of a volcano is about 300 metres,” she adds, trying to make it all sound as ordinary as taking the dog for a walk.
Hazel has been studying volcanoes for a long time, so it’s not surprising she is used to the danger. Her interest in volcanoes began at school. A teacher gave her a book about Pompeii. “I remember reading about the eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of the city,” she explains. “The thought of all those people just frozen in time had quite an effect on me and I am still excited by their dangerous beauty today.”
Nowadays, volcanoes are getting more and more unpredictable. There have been many changes in sea level caused by global warming and melting ice caps. These have resulted in some dormant volcanoes erupting, so studying them is more dangerous than ever before. Hazel says that although she doesn’t take any unnecessary risk she has had some frightening moments. Her worst experience was on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, when she was slowly surrounded by lava. “I had a choice of walking ten hours to get around the lava flow or just walking across it,” she explains. She chose to pick a path across the cooler rocks in the lava stream. “I guess it was five metres. The flow was 1,000°C, so if you hesitated your boots would begin to melt. It was scary, but it really was a practical decision --- there wasn't time to do anything else.”
And what about the future? “I haven’t been to the volcanoes in Indonesia yet. And I would love to spend some time working in the Antarctic,” she says. “I would also like to know why quiet lava flows erupt from some volcanoes and why other volcanoes go bang.” In other words, Hazel Rymer won’t be exchanging her volcanoes for the relative safety of driving to work just yet.
【小题1】Hazel’s claim that “driving to work is more risky” than exploring volcanoes shows that ______.

A.people have exaggerated the dangers of volcanoes in the past
B.Hazel does not really understand the dangerous situations she puts herself in.
C.there are many bad drivers in the place where Hazel lives
D.Hazel is being modest and understating the dangers she faces
【小题2】When did Hazel first become interested in volcanoes?
A.When she was visiting Italy.
B.When she was at school.
C.When she was twenty.
D.When she saw Vesuvius.
【小题3】The underlined word “these” (in paragraph 3) refers to __________.
A.melting ice-caps B.volcanic eruptions
C.changes in sea level D.higher temperatures
【小题4】When Hazel was on Mount Etna she had to ________.
A.take a dangerous route
B.take an unnecessary risk
C.leave her boots behind
D.walk for ten hours around the mountain
【小题5】In the future, Hazel wants to ________.
A.revisit volcanoes she knows
B.go on holiday to the Antarctic
C.find a less dangerous job
D.discover new things about volcanoes

When you think of all the ways your body can get hurt---falling off a bike, stepping on a nail, being bitten by a crazed dog---the aches and pains that come from sitting at a computer may not seem like much.
But more doctors are getting worried about just that. If you sit at a PC the wrong way, the nerves and muscles in your back, neck and arms can get out of line.
Ergonomics is the study of how people work and how jobs and equipment can be designed so that people are safer and more comfortable in the things they do---whether that’s working on a factory assembly line or sitting in front of a computer.
The monitor
You should not have to tilt(倾斜) your neck up or down to lock at the screen. Your eyes should be level with the top of the screen.
How far away should you sit? Reach your arm out so your fingertips just touch the screen.
The keyboard
It should be directly in front of you. Don’t unfold the legs on the bottom of the keyboard so that it tilts up toward you---it should be as flat as possible, or even tilted away from you. You want your wrists “neutral,” which means straight, not bent. This puts less strain on your nerves and muscles.
Arms should be close to the body. Don’t look at your fingers as you type. Use a document holder to hold papers at the same level as the monitor. Keep the mouse on the same level as the keyboard and close by--- so you don’t have to reach for it.
The chair
Your feet shouldn’t dangle---the blood will pool in your feet. They should rest flat on the floor, or on phone books, if necessary. Your back needs support. Roll up a towel and stick it there.
The Body
If you think of your body as a collection of right angles when you sit at a computer, you should be just fine.
Your hips should be at a 90-degree angle to your back. That takes the pressure off the spine. And your knees should bend at a 90 degree angle so your feet are flat.
【小题1】The passage mainly talks about        .

A.avoiding pains caused by using PCB.the science of ergonomics
C.illness caused by a computerD.how to keep fit
【小题2】The underlined word “ergonomics” most probably means ______ in Chinese.  
A.管理学B.人机工程学C.机械工程学D.经济学
【小题3】How high should a monitor be placed according to the passage?
A.As high as your arms.
B.A little higher than your eyes.
C.A little lower than your eyes.
D.At the same level as your eyes.
【小题4】How shouldn’t a keyboard be placed?
A.Tilting away from you.B.Tilting up toward you.
C.Flat.D.Not mentioned.
【小题5】How should you place your foot?
A.Rest them on a phone book.B.Rest them on the floor.
C.They should rest flat.D.They should dangle.

Reading to dogs is an unusual way to help children improve their literacy skills (读写能力)With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence (自信心) , according to Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) in Salt Lake City. The group says it is the first program in the country to use dogs to help develop literacy in children, with the introduction of Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ).
The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea. “Literacy specialists admit that children who read below the level of their fellow pupils are often afraid of reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-respect, and regard reading as a headache,” said Lisa Myron, manager of the children’s department.
Last November the two groups started “Dog Day Afternoon” in the children’s department of the main library. About 25 children attended each of the four Saturday-afternoon classes, reading for half an hour. Those who attended three of the four classes received a “pawgraphed” book at the last class.
The program was so successful that the library plans to repeat it in April, according to Dana Thumpowsky, public relations manager.
【小题1】What is mainly discussed in the text?

A.Children’s reading difficulties.B.Advantages of raising dogs.
C.Service in a public library.D.A special reading program.
【小题2】Specialists use dogs to listen to children reading because they think _______.
A.dogs are young children’s best friends
B.children can play with dogs while reading
C.dogs can provide encouragement for shy children
D.children and dogs understand each other
【小题3】By saying “The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea”, the writer means the library_______.
A.uses dogs to attract children
B.accepts the idea put forward by ITA
C.has opened a children's department
D.has decided to train some dogs
【小题4】A “pawgraphed” book is most probably _______.
A.a book used in Saturday classesB.a book written by the children
C.a prize for the childrenD.a gift from parent

Throughout the world, boys and girls prefer to play with different types of toys. Boys typically like to play with cars and trucks, while girls typically choose to play with dolls. Why is this? A traditional sociological explanation is that boys and girls are socialized and encouraged to play with different types of toys by their parents, peers, and the “society”. Growing scientific evidence suggests, however, that boys’ and girls’ toy preferences may have a biological origin.
In 2002, Gerianne M. Alexander of Texas A&M University and Melissa Hines of City University in London surprised the scientific world by showing that monkeys showed the same sex typical toy preferences as humans. In the study, Alexander and Hines gave two masculine toys (a ball and a police car), two feminine toys (a soft doll and a cooking pot), and two neutral toys (a picture book and a stuffed dog) to 44 male and 44 female monkeys. They then assessed the monkeys’ preference for each toy by measuring how much time they spent with each. Their data showed that male monkeys showed significantly greater interest in the masculine toys, and the female monkeys showed significantly greater interest in the feminine toys. The two sexes did not differ in their preference for the neutral toys.
If children’ s toy preferences were largely formed by gender socialization, as traditional sociologists’ claim, in which their parents give “gender appropriate” toys to boys and girls, how can these male and female monkeys have the same preferences as boys and girls?They were never socialized by humans, and they had never seen these toys before in their lives.
【小题1】Traditional sociologists believe boys’ and girls’ toy preferences ________

A.are passed down from their parents
B.are largely formed in later life
C.have nothing to do with gender socialization
D.have a biological origin
【小题2】The study by Alexander and Hines shows that monkeys________
A.also have a sex typical toy preference
B.also play toys as humans do
C.have no toy preferences
D.like to play different toys at different time
【小题3】Alexander and Hines carried out the study to ________
A.find more evidence for traditional sociology
B.test the intelligence of monkeys
C.test whether monkeys like to play toys
D.find out why boys and girls prefer different toys
【小题4】According to the study, if given a stuffed dog, _______
A.only the male monkeys showed interest
B.the female monkeys showed more interest
C.the male and female monkeys showed the same interest
D.neither the male nor the female monkeys showed any interest

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