Question

阅读理解 　　PITTSBURGH －For most people, snakes seem unpleasant or even threatening(有威胁的)．But Howie Choset sees in their delicate(灵敏的)movements a way to save lives． 　　The 37-year-old Carnegie Mellon University professor has spent years developing snake-like robots he hopes will eventually slide(滑)through fallen buildings in search of victims trapped after natural disasters or other emergencies(紧急情况)． 　　Dan Kara is president of Robotics Trends, a Northboro, Mass-based company that publishes an online industry magazine and runs robotics trade shows．He said there are other snake-like robots being developed, mainly at universities, but didn’t know of one that could climb pipes． 　　The Carnegie Mellon machines are designed to carry cameras and electronic sensors and can be controlled with a joystick(操纵杆)．They move smoothly with the help of small electric motors, or servos, commonly used by hobbyists(业余爱好者)in model airplanes． 　　Built from lightweight materials, the robots are about the size of a human arm or smaller．They can sense which way is up, but are only as good as their human operators, Choset added． 　　Sam Stover, a search team manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Indiana, said snake-type robots would offer greater mobility(灵活性)than equipment currently available(可利用的), such as cameras attached(系)to extendable poles． 　　“It just allows us to do something we’ve not been able to do before,” Stover said, “We needed them yesterday．” 　　He said sniffer dogs(嗅探犬)are still the best search tool for rescue(救援)workers, but that they can only be used effectively when workers have access(接近)to damaged buildings． 　　Stover, among the rescue workers who handled(处理)the aftermath(后果)of Hurricane Katrina, said snake robots would have helped rescuers search flooded houses in that disaster． 　　Choset said the robots may not be ready for use for another five to ten years, depending on funding(资金)． (1) Which institution(机构)is responsible for the development of Choset’s robots? [　　] A． Robotics Trends． B． Pittsburgh City Council． C． Carnegie Mellon University． D． Federal Emergency Management Agency． (2) Choset believes that his invention ________． [　　] A． can be attached to an electronic arm B． can be used by hobbyists in model airplanes C． can find victims more quickly than a sniffer dog D． can sense its way no better than its operators (3) By saying “We needed them yesterday”(Paragraph 7), Stover means that snake-like robots ________． [　　] A． could help handle the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina B． would have been put to use in past rescue work C． helped rescuers search flooded houses yesterday D． were in greater need yesterday than today (4) What is the text mainly about? [　　] A． Snake-like robots used in industries． B． Snake-like robots made to aid in rescues． C． The development of snake-like robots． D． The working principles of snake-like robots．

Answer 1

答案：1．C;2．D;3．B;4．B;
解析：

(1)	由第二段第一句话可知，这种机器人是由Carnegie Mellon大学的37岁教授Howie Choset负责研制的。
(2)	由第五段“They can sense which way is up, but are only as good as their human operators, Choset added．”可知，在探路方面这种机器人和操作者做得一样好。
(3)	由于Stover的身份是a search team manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency，所以他的话是指“以前我们就需要这种机器人”，即“要是以前有的话，在营救工作中就会用上了”。
(4)	纵观全文，介绍了蛇形机器人及其作用，特别是介绍了救援工作中的作用。