In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business. But he was not a good artist. So he invented a very simple cameras. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his yard. That was the first photograph.

　　The next important date in the history! of photography was 1837. That year, Daguerre, another French, took a picture of his studio. He used a new kind of camera and a different process. In his pictures, you could see everything very clearly, even the smallest details. This kind of photograph was called a daguerreotype.

　　Soon, other people began to use Daguerre's process. Travelers brought back daguerreotypes from all around the world. People photographed famous buildings, cities and mountains.

　　In about 1840, the process was improved. Then photographers could take pictures of people and moving things. The process was not simple. The photographers had to cary lots of films and processing equipment. But this did not stop the photographers, especially in the United States. After 1840s daguerreotype artists were popular in most cities.

　　Mathew Brady was a well - known American photographer. He took many pictures of famous people. The pictures were unusual because they were very life - like and full of personality （个性）.

　　Brady was also the first preson to take pictures of war. His 1862 Civil War pictures showed dead soldiers and ruined cities. They made the war seem more real and more terrible.

　　In the 1880s, new inventions began to change photography... Photographers could buy films readymade in rolls（卷）. So they did not have to make the film themselves. Also, they did not have to process the film immediately. They could bring it back to their studios and develop it later meaning that they did not have to carry lots of equipment. And finally, the invention of the small handheld camera made photography less expensive.

　　With the small camera, anyone could be a photographer. People began to use cameras just for fun. They took pictures of their families, friends and favorite places. They called these pictures" snapshot".

　　Photographs became very popular in newspapers in the 1890s. Soon magazines and books also used documentary photographs. These pictures showed true events and people. They were much more real than drawing.

　　Photography also turned into a form of art by the end of the 10th century. Some photographs were not just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings, like other art forms.

　　The passage is mainly about ________.

　　A. the inventoin of cameras

　　B. a kind of new art - photography

　　C. the development of photography

　　D. the important dates in the history of photography

　　　The first pictures of a war were taken by________.

　　A. a French photographer in the 1840s

　　B. an American photographer in the 1860s

　　C. a German reporter in the 1880s

　　D. a French artist in the 1890s

　　Photography can also be an art form because artists can ________.

　　A. take anything they like

　　B. keep a record of real life

　　C. take photos of the famous

　　D. show ideas and feeling in pictures

B

　　What comes into your mind when you think about robots? Do you imagine armies of evil metal monsters planning to take over the world? Or, perhaps of mechanical men who have been created as guards or soldiers by a mad genius? Or maybe you think of man- like robots who act, think, and look like human beings. In fact robots like these have more to do with science fiction films than with real life. In the real world robots are machines that do jobs which otherwise have to be done by people. Robots either operate by themselves or under the control of a person.

　　In a car factory, for example, robot machinery can put together and paint car bodies. On the sea bed remotecontrolled（遥控）underwater machines with mechanical arms can perform tasks too difficult for divers. Robot spacecraft can explore the solar system and send back information about planets and stars.

　　Many robots have computer brains. Some robots are fitted with cameras , sensors, and microphones which enable them to see, to feel, and to hear. And some robots can even produce electronic speech.

　　All this does not mean that a robot can think and behave like a human being. Present day robots have to be programmed with a good deal of information before they can carry out even simple tasks.

　44．Robots in real life________.

　　A. can behave like human beings   B. have the ability to control the world

　　C. can think by themselves        D. can help us with a lot of work

　45．According to this article, which of the following is not true about robots in the real world?

　　A. Some robots are as creative as artists.     B. Some robots can help manufacture cars.

　　C. Some robots can see and hear.       D. Some robots can explore outer space.

　46．Robots can perform many tasks for man because________.

　　A. they have intelligence    B. they are supplied with computer programs

　　C. they can imitate human beings    D. they have the ability to learn new things

　47．The robots in science fiction films and those in real life differ mainly in________.

　　A. mentality　　 B. appearance　　 C. material　　　 D. size

阅读训练

阅读下面短文，根据短文内容回答问题。

　　In the north of Scotland there is a lake called Loch Ness． It is the biggest lake in Britain． It is over thirty kilometers long and in places nearly 300 meters deep． It is cold and dark and not many people went there until after 1930． Then a road was made around the lake． Holiday makers began to use the mad, and this was when the stories began．

　　Someone said that he had seen a monster in the lake． He said it was twelve meters long． It had a long neck and a small head． Then someone else said he had seen it． Others said the same thing and in 1933 a London doctor took a photo． It looked like a monster with a long neck and a thick body but the photo was not clear． The newspapers printed the picture and called it the Loch Ness monster, or “Nessie”．

　　Then the argument began． Some people, however, were certain there was something living in the lake． Others said there was nothing there． 1n 1961, a lot of people joined together to make a real effort to see and photograph the monster if there was one! Several times people thought they saw something but after ten years there was still no real proof．

　　Later underwater television cameras were used, but no one found any real proof． However, they did find something interesting： a huge underwater cave． It was big enough to be home of a monster, but of course , this was not a proof．

　　In 1975, however, some American scientists formed a search group． They used an underwater camera． It took pictures every seventy seconds． Some of the pictures seemed to show a red-brown creature． Its body was about four meters long and had a very ugly head on the end of a four-meter neck． Many people then began to believe in the monster． But even today we cannot be certain．

1．Did many people go to Loch Ness Lake before 1930?

___________________________________________________________

2．What did the monster look like as people described in the 1930's ?

___________________________________________________________

3．Who first took a photo of the monster?

___________________________________________________________

4．What did a group of American scientists do in1975?

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