Whether in the home or the workplace, social robots are going to become a lot more common in the next few years. Social robots are about to bring technology to the everyday world in a more humanized way, said Cynthia Breazeal, chief scientist at the robot company Jibo.

While household robots today do the normal housework, social robots will be much more like companions(同伴) than mere tools. For example, these robots will be able to distinguish when someone is happy or sad. This allows them to respond more appropriately to the user.

The Jibo robot, arranged to ship later this year, is designed to be a personalized assistant. You can talk to the robot, ask it questions, and make requests for it to perform different tasks. The robot doesn’t just deliver general answers to questions; it responds based on what it learns about each individual in the household. It can do things such as reminding an elderly family member to take medicine or taking family photos.

Social robots are not just finding their way into the home. They have potential applications in everything from education to health care and are already finding their way into some of these spaces.

Fellow Robots is one company bringing social robots to the market. The company’s “Oshbot” robot is built to assist customers in a store, which can help the customers find items and help guide them to the product’s location in the store. It can also speak different languages and make recommendations for different items based on what the customer is shopping for.

The more interaction the robot has with humans, the more it learns. But Oshbot, like other social robots, is not intended to replace workers, but to work alongside other employees. “We have technologies to train social robots to do things not for us, but with us,” said Breazeal.

1.How are social robots different from household robots?

A. They are more like humans.

B. They can control their emotions.

C. They do the normal housework.

D. They respond to users more slowly.

2.What can a Jibo robot do according to Paragraph 3?

A. Communicate with you and perform operations.

B. Obey your orders and remind you to take medicine.

C. Answer your questions and make requests.

D. Take your family pictures and deliver milk.

3.What can Oshbot work as?

A. A language teacher.B. A tour guide.

C. A private nurse.D. A shop assistant.

4.We can learn from the last paragraph that social robots will ________.

A. improve technologiesB. train employees

C. be our workmatesD. take the place of workers

5.What does the passage mainly present?

A. An introduction to social robots.

B. Marketing strategies for social robots.

C. A new design idea of household robots.

D. Information on household robots.

You know that balloons must be kept away from sharp objects. They also needed to be kept away from flames. A fire can weaken the rubber and cause it to break. However, in this experiment you will find out how you can hold a balloon directly in a flame without breaking the balloon.

Materials needed:

● two round balloons not inflated(充气的)

● several matches

● water

Inflate one of the balloons and tie it. Place 1/4 cup of water in the other balloon, and then inflate it

and tie it. Light a match and hold it under the first balloon. Allow the flame to touch the balloon. What happens? The balloon breaks, perhaps even before the flame touches it. Light another match. Hold it directly under the water in the second balloon. Allow the flame to touch the balloon. What happens to this balloon? It doesn’t break.

Why does the balloon with no water break in the flame? The flame heats the rubber of both balloons. The rubber of the balloon without water becomes so hot that it becomes too weak to resist the pressure of the air inside the balloon. However, when the balloon with water in it is placed in the flame, the water takes in most of the heat from the flame. Then, the rubber of the balloon doesn’t become very hot, it doesn’t weaken, and the balloon doesn’t break.

Water is a particularly good absorber(吸收者) of heat. It takes a lot of heat to change the temperature of water. On the other hand, when water cools, it gives off a great deal of heat. That’s why areas near oceans or other large bodies of water don’t get as cold in winter as areas at the same latitude(纬度) further inland.

1. From the passage we can know the following aspects of the experiment except______.

A. method B. material

C. result D. time

2.What does the underlined word “resist” in Para 4 probably mean?

A. add B. expand

C. bear D. form

3. When the flame reaches the balloon with water inside, ______

A. the rubber of it doesn’t become hot at all

B. the water in it begins to boil

C. the balloon breaks

D. the heat is mostly taken in by the water

4. The purpose of the experiment described in the passage is to prove that______.

A. water is a particularly good absorber of heat

B. some balloons can be easily broken, while others can’t.

C. balloons without water are not as strong as those with water inside.

D. the temperature is not up to the latitude.

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。

The benefits of keeping a journal(日志)

If you want to grow, one important thing you should do is keep a journal. It may seem simple, but it can make a big difference in your life. I have been keeping journals for years. Writing all the lessons I learn and all the ideas I get has become a habit for me. 1. Here are some benefits you will get by keeping a journal.

? It prevents you from losing an idea. Have you ever gotten an idea and lost it later because you didn’t write it down? 2. But then I developed the habit of writing down every idea that came into my mind as soon as possible. If I am away from my computer, I usually write it down on a piece of paper that I bring wherever I go. I will then transfer the idea to the journal in my computer.

? It helps you review all the lessons you’ve learned. By reviewing your journal, you can quickly see the lessons you’ve learned and the ideas you’ve gotten. 3. You can use the ideas to propel yourself forward.

? 4. After keeping a journal for years, you can look back at it and see how far you’ve gone. Things that were big problems in the past might seem small today. The raw ideas you had in the past have been realized today.

? It helps you expand your ideas. When you try to come up with a sentence to express an idea, you are thinking actively about it. 5. In the end, you will expand your ideas.

A.I often experienced that myself.

B.It trains you to express your thoughts.

C.It allows you to see your progress over time.

D.Just use whatever tool you feel comfortable with.

E.Thinking actively helps you connect your idea to another idea.

F.And to be honest, I can’t imagine what my life would be like without it.

G.Then you can do whatever necessary to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Transportation and communication networks bring people together. Yet sometimes people themselves create barriers(障碍) to transportation and communication. In some countries, laws stop people from moving freely from place to place. Over the centuries, many groups of people have been denied the freedom to travel because of their race, religion, or nationality. In the Middle Ages, for example, Jews were often forbidden to move about freely within certain cities. South Africa's government used to require black Africans to carry passes when they travel within the country. Some governments require all citizens to carry identification papers and to report to government officials whenever they move.

Countries set up customs posts at their borders. Foreign travellers must go through a customs inspection before they are allowed to travel in the country. Usually travellers have to carry special papers such as passports and visas(签证). Some countries even limit the number of visitors to their country each year. Others allow tourists to visit only certain areas of the country, or they may require that travellers be with an official guide at all times during their stay.

Many of those barriers to travel also act as barriers to communication.

When two governments disagree with each other on important matters, they usually do not want their citizens to exchange news or ideas freely. Countries often try to keep military or industrial information secret.

Today, people have the ability to travel, to communicate, and to transport goods more quickly and easily than ever before. Natural barriers that were difficult or dangerous to cross a hundred years ago can now be crossed easily. The barriers that people themselves make are not so easy to overcome. But in spite of all the different kinds of barriers, people continue to enjoy travel and the exchange of goods and ideas.

1.The examples in paragraph 1 are used to tell the readers that _______

A. people have been allowed to travel freely within the country

B. people have not been permitted to travel freely for various reasons

C. travellers have to carry special papers such as passports and visas

D. customs posts are necessary at the borders of the countries

2.Some governments limit the freedom of communication because___

A. they intend to keep their national secrets unknown to others

B. they think such freedom will lead to wars

C. they often disagree with each other on important matters

D. they want to show their authority over communication

3.We may learn from the passage that _______

A. people do not care about the removal of barriers between countries

B. people can not remove the obstacles made by themselves

C. man-made barriers are sometimes harder to overcome than natural ones

D. barriers should be taken for granted as they always exist

4.Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage?

A. Barriers Made by People

B. Functions of Communication

C. Restrictions on Transportation

D. Progress of Human Society

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