Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One time I arrived in the middle of the night for a pickup at a building that was        except for a single light in a ground floor window. I walked to the door and knocked.

A small woman in her 80’s opened the door. I took her suitcase to the cab then returned to       her into the cab. She thanked me for my kindness. When we got in the taxi, she gave me a(n)      , then asked, “Could you drive through downtown ?”

“It’s not the         way,” I answered.

“Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice (临终关怀医院).”

I looked in the rear view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.

“The doctor says I don’t have very long.”

I quietly reached over and        the meter (计程器). “What         would you like me to take?” I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived. Sometimes she’d ask me to       in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the sun was       , she suddenly said: “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”

We drove in        to the address she had given me. There were people waiting for her and they put her in a wheelchair.

“How much do I have to pay you?” she asked, reaching into her purse.

“Nothing,” I said.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

“You gave an old woman a little moment of       ,” she said.

I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut.

I didn’t        any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. We tend to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often   47  us unconsciously.

1.A. ancient                   B. dark                            C. dirty                    D. remote

2.A. invite                      B. watch                      C. help                        D. receive

3.A. address                  B. letter                      C. speech                   D. present

4.A. wrong                     B. funniest                      C. safest                  D. shortest

5.A. cut out                    B. showed off            C. switched off          D. turned on

6.A. direction            B. order                              C. role                         D. route

7.A. break down           B. get off                              C. speed up               D. slow down

8.A. changing            B. moving                           C. rising                 D. Setting

9.A. darkness                B. noise                       C. silence                   D. sadness

10.A. joy                     B. interest                          C. trouble                   D. surprise

11.A. talk with           B. call up                             C. pick up                   D. take away

12.A. catch                    B. drive                  C. improve                  D. puzzle

Shower Radio --- Warranty (保单) and Directions
Introduction
Congratulations! You are now the owner of a So Fine Shower Radio! It is sure to provide entertainment for many hours. In addition, the radio features a timer for those days when you are in a hurry.
Before using the radio, please read all directions, fill out and mail in the warranty card, and put warranty information in a safe place. Although we do not expect problems with the radio, you may need to refer to the warranty information at a later time.
Warranty
This radio is warranted for a one-year period that begins on the date of purchase. If it fails to work because of a problem of materials, please return it to the following address: So Fine Radio Corp, 1279 Delta Way, Monga.
We will not pay shipping costs for returning the radio to us. We will either repair or replace the radio. Please allow at least four weeks for looking at the problem and repairing the radio. If you have not heard from us within six weeks, call our customer service department at 1-800-123.
Radios that are returned to us for problems other than a problem of materials will be subject to service fee as well as the cost of the repairs. Customers will be informed of the charge by postcard. Radios will not be returned to customers until these fees are paid.
Directions
Please read all directions before using it.
Please note that this radio is designed and built to operate well in a damp environment. The self-contained batteries and circuits (线路) are contained in the enclosed space that will bear heat and humidity.
To Operate the Radio
1. Put two AA batteries in the enclosed space at the back of the radio. Be certain to follow the diagram, or the batteries will not provide electricity. The radio should NOT be adapted in order to be fixed into the wall; this will damage the waterproofing (防水).
2. Turn the POWER dial in a clockwise direction until it clicks. Continue turning the dial until the desired volume is achieved.
3. To find the desired station, press the station selector button. The tuner (调谐器) will automatically go to the next highest signal. The station’s call number will be visible in the digital screen. When the station with the highest frequency has been reached, the selector will start again at the lowest frequency.
4. To switch between AM and FM stations, move the sliding AM/FM switch.
To Operate the Timer
1. Press the Timer Set button. Each time the button is pressed, five minutes will be put on the timer. The amount of time on the timer will be visible for five seconds on the digital screen.
2. When the time on the timer doesn’t work, a beep will sound for ten seconds. The timer may be reset again one minute.
Troubleshooting
Before returning the radio for service, please check the following items:
Problem: Radio cannot be heard.
1. Check batteries to be certain that they still have power and are put in correctly.
2. Check Power/Volume Control.
Problem: Timer does not work.
1. Check batteries to be certain that they still have power and are put in correctly.
2. Follow directions above for setting timer.
3. Turn the power control on. The timer will not work when the radio is not on.
4. Adjust the volume control which regulates the volume of the beep as well as the radio volume.
【小题1】The digital screen will show both ______.

When my brother and I were young, my mom would take us on Transportation Days.

It goes like this: You can’t take any means of transportation more than once. We would start from home, walking two blocks to the rail station. We’d take the train into the city center, then a bus, switching to the tram, then maybe a taxi. We always considered taking a horse carriage in the historic district, but we didn’t like the way the horses were treated, so we never did. At the end of the day, we took the subway to our closet station, where Mom’s friend was waiting to give us a ride home——our first car ride of the day.

The good thing about Transportation Days is not only that Mom taught us how to get around. She was born to be multimodal (多方式的). She understood that depending on cars only was a failure of imagination and, above all, a failure of confidence—the product of a childhood not spent exploring subway tunnels.

Once you learn the route map and step with certainty over the gap between the train and the platform, nothing is frightening anymore. New cities are just light-rail lines to be explored. And your personal car, if you have one, becomes just one more tool in the toolbox—and often an inadequate one, limiting both your mobility and your wallet.

On Transportation Days, we might stop for lunch on Chestnut Street or buy a new book or toy, but the transportation was the point. First, it was exciting enough to watch the world speed by from the train window. As I got older, my mom helped me unlock the mysteries that would otherwise have paralyzed my first attempts to do it myself: How do I know where to get off? How do I know how much it costs? How do I know when I need tickets, and where to get them? What track, what line, which direction, where’s the stop, and will I get wet when we go under the river?

I’m writing this right now on an airplane, a means we didn’t try on our Transportation Days and, we now know, the dirtiest and most polluting of them all. My flight routed me through Philadelphia. My multimodal mom met me for dinner in the airport. She took a train to meet me.

1.Which was forbidden by Mom on Transportation Days?

A. Having a car ride.

B. Taking the train twice.

C. Buying more than one toy.

D. Touring the historic district.

2.According to the writer, what was the greatest benefit of her Transportation Days?

A. Building confidence in herself.

B. Reducing her use of private cars.

C. Developing her sense of direction.

D. Giving her knowledge about vehicles.

3.The underlined word “paralyzed” (in Para. 5) is closest in meaning to “_______”.

A. displayed

B. justified

C. ignored

D. ruined

4.Which means of transportation does the writer probably disapprove of?

A. Airplane.

B. Subway.

C. Tram.

D. Car.

Researches at Johns? Hopkins University's. Applied Physics laboratory? ( APL)? in Laurel , Maryland have designed a new human-like robot, Its name is Robo Sally. The machine can be controlled from a distance and can he used to do work that is dangerous for human beings.

?????? Roho Sally has two long arms with human-like hands. She can use her fingers to pick up? small objects .examine them in detail and do most things that human hands can do Each finger? contains a tiny motor capable of squeezing 20 pounds of pinch foree ,.enough to defuse a bomb? under the direction of an operator. She sits on a metal base with wheels that let her move around. turn in tight spaces and climb over small objects, .

?????? Mike McLoughlin is the main investigator for the Applied Physics Laboratory's Prosthetics? Program. "The purpose of that program is to develop prosthetic arms that have all the capability? of your natural arms .and you do all the complex motions that we can do with the natural arm- with the robot. "

?????? It was a difficult job. Mr. McLoughlin says the device had to have many small motors to。 have the ability to do what a human hand does; It? also needs to have human-like strength. The? thumb was especially difficult because it permits the hand .to hold objects. And everything had.?? to fit into a space about the size of a human hand.

????? The next problem? .he says .was to figure out how to control the artificial hand. " So we had?? to figure out how to make the connection between the brain and this arm.

?????? For search-and-rescue duties.Roho Sally will be operated by a human being using a wire- less machine that is far from the robot. The operator will also wear special gloves and glasses.? The glasses permit the operator to see the robot's hands .even though they are far away.

????? Mr. McLoughlin says this kind of robots could be used in what he calls "dull , dirty or dan- gerous" situations where fine human finger movements are required. He says the technology is? not ready for everyday application .but he predicts that within five years we will see some won-? derful improvements.

1.The underlined word " defuse"? in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to "_________".

A. remove?????????? B. discover??????????? C. equip??????????????? D. produce

2.According to Paragraph 2.which picture is Robo Sally?

3.What can we learn ahout the prosthetic arms according to the passage?

A. They are expected to function as well as natural ones.

B. They have many large motors controlled by robots.

C. They have human-like strength to control the robot.

D. They are connected with human brains.

4.Which of the following is true about Robo Sally according to Mr. McLoughlin?

A . Its operator doesn't need? any? equipment.

B. It has been Widely used in everyday life in the USA.

C. It can work in situations which are dangerous for humans.

D. It has made much money for the designer.