Rescue workers at the San Jose gold and copper mine in northern Chile had reason to sing this week．A small hole drilled into the earth became a passage（通道） to freedom for thirty-three trapped miners．They spent sixty-nine days underground．"Never have people been trapped for so long so deeply," says a doctor at NASA, the American space agency, which helped in the rescue．
But the chief medical officer for the miners said most are in good enough health to leave the hospital within a day or so．The first three were released from the hospital Thursday night．
For much of the day the miners relaxed with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera．The thirty-two Chileans and one Bolivian still wore special sunglasses to protect their eyes．
A  partial mine collapse（坍塌） on 5^th of August trapped them more than half a kilometer underground．They had to stretch a two-day food supply．For two weeks no one knew if they were alive or dead．
Later, they received supplies（供给） and a video link lowered through drill holes．That link was how Ariel Ticona watched his wife give birth to their daughter．
The miners have apparently agreed to share the money they earn from selling their story．
They have already received gifts of money and travel offers．Edison Pena has been invited to the New York City Marathon and to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee．Mr．Pena described how he ran in the mine tunnels to ease the stress．And he led the miners in singing Elvis songs．
The first miner rescued on Wednesday was Florencio Avalos．The second was Mario Sepulveda, who talked about how the experience tested his faith．He said: "I was with God and I was with the devil, they fought me, but God won．He took me by my best hand, the hand of God．"
The last miner up was Luis Urzua．He was the shift leader when his crew became trapped．
Rescuers used a metal cage to pull the miners to safety in less than twenty-four hours -- faster than expected．The rescue capsule was a half-meter wide and known as the Phoenix．
【小题1】How many miners had been rescued according to the report?

_______ the rain falling so hard, it becomes more and more difficult to carry on the rescue work.

PITTSBURGH – For most people, snakes seem unpleasant or even threatening. But Howie Choset sees in their delicate 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 through fallen buildings in search of victims trapped after natural disasters or other emergencies.

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 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 term manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Indiana, said snake-type robots would offer greater mobility than equipment currently available, such as cameras attached to extendable roles.

“It just allows us to do something we’ve ot been able to do before,”Stover said, “We needed them yesterday.”

He said sniffer dogs are still the best search tool for rescue workers, but that they can only be used effectively when workers have access to damaged building.

Stover, among the rescue workers who handled 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.

1.Which institution 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.

    PITTSBURGH – For most people, snakes seem unpleasant or even threatening. But Howie Choset sees in their delicate 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 through fallen buildings in search of victims trapped after natural disasters or other emergencies.

     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 in model airplanes.

     Built from lightweight materials, the robots are about the size of a human arm orsmaller.   They can sense which way is up, but are only as good as their human operators, Choset added.

    Sam Stover, a search term manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Indiana, said snake-type robots would offer greater mobility than equipment currently available, such as cameras attached to extendable roles.

   “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 are still the best search tool for rescue workers, but that they can only be used effectively when workers have access to damaged buildings.

     Stover, among the rescue workers who handled 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.

72. Which institution 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.

73. 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

74. 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

75. 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.

It was 3:00 a.m. Rain beat against the windows. Tamsen Bell’s cellphone began to ring so she jumped out of bed quickly for she knew that someone was in trouble, and it was up to her and the other members of the Marin Search and Rescue Team to help. The team has a motto: “Any time, any place, any weather.” Bell, 18, joined the search-and-rescue team when she was 14 years old, the youngest age at which a person can join. “I remember the first search I ever went on,” Bell says. “I was very nervous.” Thanks to the strict training program, Bell now is no longer nervous and a lot more confident.
When Bell was 16 years old, she took a lead role in a tough search-and-rescue action that she says changed her life. While hiking, a 60-year-old woman fell off a cliff and landed on a mountain ledge(岩石架). Bell slid down in a seated position to get to where the injured woman lay. The situation was very dangerous and she had to make a quick decision which could have endangered the woman’s life. Bell helped to lift the woman onto a litter(担架), and her teammates then pulled the litter up the mountain using ropes. The rescue took more than eight hours , the longest in the history of the team.
Afterwards, Bell said she realized that she could keep cool in stressful situations. The experience inspired her to devote her life to helping others. She remains a search-and-rescue member and plans to study nursing in college.
“Search-and-rescue work may be tough, but it is rewarding. The best part is the support, and the common feeling that everyone on the team wants to make people’s lives better.” Said Bell.
1. According to the passage, we know that Bell ______.
A. was the youngest member in the team
B. plays a leading role in every task
C. majored in nursing in college
D. learned a lot through the training program
2. Why does Bell say that the tough action changed her life?
A. She learnt to make quick decisions when in danger.
B. She learnt to transport the injured to safety through a litter.
C. The experience inspired her to devote herself to helping others
D. The experience made her realize that she could calm down even in danger.
3. Which of the following is TURE about Bell’s tough task?
A. It was the toughest task in the history of the team.
B. Bell slid down the cliff seated in a litter.
C. It’s the first task Bell took part in after the training program.
D. Bell played a very important role in the action.
4. The passage is mainly about_______.
A. a tough task Bell carried out
B. Bell’s job as a young search-and-rescue member
C. how people keep cool in dangerous situations
D. what search-and-rescue tasks are