An artist in Oakland, California is using his skills to help the homeless. Greg Kloehn builds very small shelters that make life on the streets a little more comfortable. The structures offer the homeless some safety and protection from bad weather. Each little house also has wheels on the bottom so it can go wherever its owner goes.

Greg Kloehn has given away at least 20 tiny houses. Several are on the roadside near an active railroad. On a recent day, Mr. Kloehn stops at one to visit Oscar Young. The two men hug. Inside his little shelter Mr. Young gets relief from cold nights on the streets. Mr. Kloehn also visits Sweet-Pea, another friend who also lives in one of the little homes the artist built. She says it keeps her safe and protects her belongings.

In the mornings, Mr. Kloehn searches the streets for building materials. He gathers what he can and takes it to his studio. There, he puts the houses together. Empty coffee bags become roof material. A washing machine door and refrigerator part become windows. Nails, screws and the sticky glue hold all the pieces together. The artist also attaches a small electrical device to the house. The device is powered by the sun.

Some of the people living on the streets once had normal houses of their own. But some of the people say they have learned to live with less and they are thankful to that man.

Mr. Kloehn says his work is not a social project. He says he is just someone using his skills to help his homeless neighbors.

1.The following are the advantages of the small shelters except_______.

A. saving power and energy

B. decorating the streets where they are

C. protecting possessions of the homeless

D. keeping the homeless safe and comfortable

2.We can learn from the passage that_______.

A. Greg Kloehn has sold at least 20 tiny houses.

B. The government has taken part in the action.

C. The shelters Greg Kloehn builds can not be moved.

D. An act of kindness has made people comfortable and grateful.

3.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. An artist creates homes for the homeless.

B. A more comfortable shelter is built on the streets.

C. A successful social project is conducted in Oakland.

D. An artist makes a living by designing small shelters.

Why do human beings still risk their lives under ground and doing one of the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs in the world? It is an increasingly urgent question, given the recent mining accidents in Sago, W. Va and Huntington, Utah. A small group of engineers and robotics experts look forward to a day in the not-too-distant future when robots and other technology do most of the dangerous mining work.

Robotic technology, in particular, holds much promise, McAteer says, especially when it comes to mapping mines and rescuing trapped miners — the special operations of the mining industry.

One of the first mining robots was developed five years ago at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute. It was called Groundhog. It used lasers(激光器) to “see” in dark tunnels and map abandoned mines—some of the most dangerous work in the business.

The latest design is called Cave Crawler. It’s a bit smaller than Groundhog, and even more advanced. It can take photos and videos and has more sensors that can detect the presence of dangerous gases. Incredibly, the robot has a real sense of logic. If it comes across an obstacle it gets momentarily confused. It has to think about what to do and where to go next. Sometimes it throws a fit just like a real person.

The greatest problem, though, is cost. The money of the earliest research project was provided by the government, but that money had dried up, and it’s not clear where future money will come from. Partly for that reason, and partly because of advances in safety, mining is not nearly as dangerous as it was in the past. Since 1990, fatalities(致命性) have declined by 67% and injuries by 51% , according to the National Mining Association.

Some experts predict that robots in mines will serve much of the same function that they do in the automotive industry. The robots do the most boring and dangerous jobs,but won’t get rid of the need for human workers.

1.The latest robot is more advanced than Groundhog, mainly because ________.

A. it can map abandoned mines

B. it has a real sense of logic

C. it can see in the dark tunnels

D. it’s smaller than Groundhog

2.The underlined phrase “throws a fit” in paragraph 4 probably means“________”.

A. gets sickB. gets angry

C. becomes hungryD. becomes cheerful

3.We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.

A. the mine robots will have a very bright future

B. robots in mines will serve much in the automotive industry

C. there will be no need for human workers in mines

D. robots in mines only do some simple jobs now

4.We can infer from the text that ________.

A. robots cannot do dangerous work in dark areas

B. the mining robots do most of the mining work at present

C. groundhog can discover the presence of dangerous gases

D. experts are trying to make robots help miners with dangerous work

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