A study by St.. Louis University has found that a lovable dog named Sparky and a robotic dog, AIBO, were about equally effective at reducing the loneliness of nursing home residents. The study confirmed previous findings that dogs have a good effect on nursing home residents.

Dr. Andrew Smith led the Stanford University team that built a home-assistance robot. “If humans can feel an emotional tie with robots, some day they could be not just our assistants, but also our companions,” he said.

To test whether residents responded better to Sparky, a trained dog, or the Sony-made robotic dog, researchers divided 38 nursing home residents into three groups at three long-term care centers in St. Louis.

One group had weekly 30-minute one-on-one visits with Sparky; another group had similar visits with AIBO; a control group had no contact with either dog. The groups’ respective levels of loneliness were tested by having them answer a number of questions at the beginning and near the end of the visits.

After two months, both groups that had contact with the dogs were less lonely and more attached. Most of the elderly regarded Sparky, a 9-year-old dog, as an audience for their life stories, said investigator Marian Banks.

“He listened attentively, wagged his tail, and allowed them to pet him,” said Banks, who adopted and trained Sparky after finding him in a street behind her home seven years ago.

Those who were together with AIBO took a little longer to warm to the robotic creature. Over time, however, they grew comfortable with him, and petted and talked to him. He would respond by wagging his tail, vocalizing, and blinking his lights..

“AIBO is charming once you start to interact with him,” said the study’s author, Dr. William Banks, “He’s an attractive sort of guy. He gives a feeling of being personal, not just a robot.”

1.Before the new study, it was known that ____.

A．robots were effective at reducing people’s loneliness

B．robots could build close connection with humans

C．dogs could help get rid of old people’s loneliness

D．dogs and robots were equally effective at reducing loneliness

2.Those who had contact with the robotic dog found that ___.

A．they didn’t feel comfortable with it

B．it was hard for them to interact with it

C．they weren’t comfortable with it at first

D．the robot’s vocalizing and blinking confused them

3.The findings of the researchers tell us that___.

A．robots are better at caring for old people than nurses

B．robots can to some degree replace dogs as companions for old people

C．it’s easy for people to become close with robots

D．every home will have a robot assistant one day

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Robots Serve People Better Than Thought

B．No More Lonely Old Age with Emotional Robots

C．Advanced Technology Used to cheer up the Elderly

D．Robots and Dogs Can Equally Cheer up the Elderly

_____ what he can do. He might get a job tomorrow.  He might stay out of work for weeks.

    Growing up in Philadelphia, Lieberman started cooking with his stay-at-home dad when he was seven. His food-loving family had two kitchens, and he quickly learned what was the best way to bake his cakes. Lieberman improved his kitchen skills greatly during a year abroad before college, learning from a cook in Italy and studying local specialties(地方特色菜) in Germany, Spain and France. At Yale, he was known for throwing dinner parties, single-handedly frying and baking while mixing drinks for dozens of friends. Just for fun, he and some friends decided to tape a show named Campus Cuisine about his cooking. Lieberman was a real college student showing his classmates how to do things like make drinks out of dining-hall fruit. That helped the show become very popular among the students. They would stop Lieberman after classes to ask for his advice on cooking. Tapes of the show were passed around, with which his name went beyond the school and finally to the Food Network.

    Food Network producer Flay hopes the young cook will find a place on the network television. He says Lieberman’s charisma is key. “Food TV isn’t about food anymore,” says Flay “Its about your personality (个性) and finding a way to keep people’s eyeballs on your show.”

    But Lieberman isn’t putting all his eggs in one basket. After taping the first season of the new how, Lieberman was back in his won small kitchen preparing sandwiches. An airline company (航空公司)was looking for some one to come up with a tasteful, inexpensive and easy-to-make menu to serve on its flights, Lieberman got the job.

41. We can learn from the text that Lieberman’s family__________.

A. have relatives in Europe                                          B. love cooking at home

C. often hold parties                                               D. own a restaurant

42. The Food Network got to know Lieberman  _______.

A. at one of his parties                                            B. from his teachers

C. through his taped show                                       D. on a television program

43. What does the word “charisma” underlined in the text refer to?

A. A natural ability to attract others.                         B. A way to show one’s achievement.

C. Lieberman’s after-class interest.                           D. Lieberman’s fine cooking skill.

44. Why did the airline company give Lieberman the job?

A. He could prepare meals in a small kitchen.     B. He was famous for his shows on Food TV.

C. He was good at using eggs to make sandwiches.

D. He could cook cheap, delicious and simple meals.

45. What can we learn about Lieberman from the text?.

A. He is clever but lonely.                                           B. he is friendly and active.

C. He enjoys traveling around.                                 D. He often changes his menus.

Started in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest of the many colleges and universities in the United States. Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Dartmouth were opened soon after Harvard. They were all started before the American Revolution made the 13 colonies into states.

       In the early years, these schools were much alike. Only young men attended colleges. All the students studied the same subjects, and everyone learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Little was known about science then, and no kind of school could teach everything that was known about the world. When the students graduated, most of them became ministers or teachers.

       In 1782, Harvard started a medical school for young men who wanted to become doctors. Later lawyers could receive their training in Harvard’s law school. In 1825, Harvard began teaching modern languages, such as French and German, as well as Latin and Greek. Soon it began teaching American history.

       As knowledge increased, Harvard and other colleges began to teach many new subjects. Students were allowed to choose the subjects that interested them.

       Special colleges for women were started. New state universities began to teach such subjects as farming, engineering and business. Today, there are many different kinds of colleges and universities. Most of them are divided into smaller schools that deal with special fields of learning. There is so much to learn that one kind of school cannot offer it all.

The story doesn’t say so, but it makes you think that       .

       A．universities have changed over the years

       B．today all the students study to become teachers or ministers

       C．all colleges were much alike in the early years

       D．the students learned foreign languages only

As knowledge increased, colleges began to teach      .

       A．everything that was known

       B．many new subjects

       C．Latin, Greek and Hebrew

       D．French and German

On the whole, this story is about      .

       A．how colleges have changed

       B．how to start a university

       C．the American revolution

       D．the famous colleges in America

Which statement does the story lead you to believe?

       A．There is more to learn today than in 1636.

       B．The early schools are still much alike.

       C．At that time, every student studied Latin, Greek and Hebrew.

       D．They began teaching foreign languages in 1862.

I was blind, but I was ashamed of it if it was known. I refused to use a white stick and hated asking for help. After all, I was a teenager girl, and I couldn’t bear people to look at me and think I was not like them. I must have been a terrible danger on the roads, Coming across me wandering through the traffic, motorists probably would have to step rapidly on their brakes. Apart from that, there were all sorts of disasters that used to occur on the way to and from work.
One evening, I got off the bus about halfway home where I had to change buses, and as usual I ran into something,“I’m awfully sorry,”I said and stepped forward only to run into it again. When it happened a third time, I realized I had been apologizing to a lamppost. This was just one of the stupid things that constantly happened to me. So I carried on and found the bus stop,which was a request stop, where the bus wouldn’t stop unless passengers wanted to get on or off. No one else was there and I had to try to guess if the bus had arrived.
Generally in this situation, because I hated showing I was blind by asking for help,I tried to guess at the sound.Sometimes I would stop a big lorry and stand there feeling stupid as it drew away. In the end, I usually managed to swallow my pride and ask someone at the stop for help.
But on this particular evening no one joined me at the stop;It seemed that everyone had suddenly decided not to travel by bus. Of course I heard plenty of buses pass,or I thought I did.But because I had given up stopping them for fear of making a fool of myself,I let them all go by.I stood there alone for half an hour without stopping one.Then I gave up.I decided to walk on to the next stop.
【小题1】The girl refused to ask for help because she thought_________