【题目】Robots that can chat,find misplaced glasses,draw aeroplanes and play with your children are attracting thousands of visitors during an expo in Tokyo as Japan adapts to changes in society.

Robots,such as the sound.sensitive Chapit,answer simple questions and even joke with people to help them fight loneliness and stay alert in old age.

Japan has one of the world’s fastest-ageing societies and the government predicts that by 2050 the proportion of people over 65 will reach 40 percent.”Many older people in Japan live alone and have no one to talk to,”said Kazuya Kitamura representative of the expo organizer.“Communication robots accompany people and don’t mind listening to the same stories over and over again.”

Matsumoto’s“Personal Mobility Robot,”equipped with four cameras and a sensor to recognize the user's centre of gravity, is designed to help elderly move around without pressing buttons.using joysticks(操纵杆)or rotating wheels as in traditional wheelchairs.

The robot can also help find misplaced glasses by identifying them with a sensor.

Other robots,such as the award-winning“DiGRO”can support busy parents who have little time to play with their children.The robot can use the Internet to find a simple image and then draw pictures,keeping children company while parents work.

While Chapit,a relatively simple robot,managed to attract a corporate partner many researchers,such as Kiyoshi Matsumoto,a professor at the University of Tokyo,struggle to attract sponsors for more expensive projects.

“We have developed a robot that can assist many people,but we still haven’t found a sponsor,”said Matsumoto,who added that the cost of the machine,if mass-produced,would be comparable to that of a car.”In the current economic environment there are few companies willing to invest in such a costly project,”he said.

【1】It can be inferred from the text that_______.

A.many children lack love from parents

B.robots helpful to the old will be in great demand

C.robots are the most useful to children

D.robots do better than people in healthcare

【2】It is difficult to find sponsors for robots because______.

A.Japan is suffering economy depression

B.the robots are of poor design

C.the production of robots costs a lot

D.the future market is worrying

【3】What is the author’s attitude towards the robots referred to?

A.Unsatisfied. B.Doubtful.

C.Favorable. D.Regretful.

【题目】Nowadays it is common that people are buying more products and services than ever before through the Internet, so do Americans. And experts say the popularity of online sales is likely to spread to other countries. Online sales now represent as much as 10% of all retail sales in the United States. This has led traditional stores to seek new ways to keep their customers loyal.

Taking Lynne for example, she made good use of the Internet. she used the Internet to buy everything she needed for her Wedding and holiday gifts for her husband and stepdaughter. Other than food, 90% of her purchases were made on her home computer. “I find that, by being able to go online, choose the things that I need, and have them delivered to me right at my doorstep, I eliminate all the driving, all the crowds, all the noise of that, and I usually get a better selection.”

There are a lot of people like her. Experts say American online shopping hit records in both November and December. 57% of Americans have bought something electronically. Store owners worry that this growing amount of online sales will hurt their business. Cornell University marketing professor Ed Melaughlin says they can keep their customers by selling goods like clothing, which buyers may want to see and try on before purchasing. The stores could also offer things that are difficult to ship. Besides, some stores can please customers by offering to repair electronic products.

Bill Martin is the founder of Shopper Trak. His business helps stores learn about their customers. He said, “There is still a lot of emotion in the buying decision, you know, that takes place. Often you need that last sense of “Boy, this is exactly what I want before you are ready to part with money, and you can't always get that online. It's a rather cold process.”

While e-commerce worries some business owners, the only worry for delivery services is keeping up with the number of packages. UPS manager Dana Kline says her company is very busy at this time of the year.

UPS is so busy that it has filled 55,000 temporary work positions during the holiday season.

【1】 The purpose of this passage is to tell us ________.

A. the challenge online owners are faced with

B. the difference between online sales and traditional sales

C. the challenge e-commerce causes to traditional sales

D. the trouble that customers often meet when purchasing online

【2】 The example of Lynne is mentioned in the passage to show________.

A. online sales will replace traditional sales sooner or later

B. online business has changed many Americans' life

C. traditional stores can't offer enough food to their customers

D. traditional stores find new ways to keep their customers loyal

【3】The underlined word “eliminate” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “________”.

A. include B. decrease C. avoid D. discourage

【4】It is implied in Bill Martin's words that ________.

A. store owners should learn more about their customers

B. traditional stores can provide goods to buyers more quickly

C. some owners are using websites to persuade people to visit their stores

D. traditional stores offer a social experience that some people enjoy

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