In a few years, you might be able to speak Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French,and English—and all at the same time. This sounds incredible, but Alex Waibel,a computer science professor at US's Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Germany's University of Karlsruhe, announced last week that it may soon be reality. He and his team have invented software and hardware that could make it far easier for people who speak different languages to understand each other.?

    One application, called Lecture Translation, can easily translate a speech from one language into another. Current translation technologies typically limit speakers to certain topics or a limited vocabulary. Users also have to be trained how to use the programme.?

    Another prototype(雏形机) can send translations of a speech to different listeners depending on what language they speak. “It is like having a simultaneous translator right next to you but without disturbing the person next to you,” Waibel said.?

    Prefer to read? So-called Translation Glasses transcribe(转录) the translations on a tiny liquid-crystal(液晶) display(LCD) screen.?

    Then there's the Muscle Translator. Electrodes capture the electrical signals from facial muscle movements made naturally when a person is mouthing words. The signals are then translated into speech. The electrodes could be replaced with wireless chips implanted in a person's face, according to researchers.?

During a demonstration held last Thursday in CMU's Pittsburgh campus, a Chinese student named Sang Jun had 11 tiny electrodes attached to the muscles of his cheeks, neck and throat. Then he mouthed—without speaking aloud—a few words in Mandarin(普通话) to the audience. A few seconds later, the phrase was displayed on a computer screen and spoken out by the computer in English and Spanish: “Let me introduce our new prototype.”

This particular gadget(器械),when fully developed, might allow anyone to speak in any number of languages or, as Waibel put it, “to switch your mouth to a foreign language”. “The idea behind the university's prototypes is to create ‘good enough’ bridges for cross-cultural exchanges that are becoming more common in the world,” Waibel said.?

With spontaneous(自发的) translators, foreign drivers in Germany could listen to traffic warnings on the radio, tourists in China could read all the signs and talk with local people, and leaders of different countries could have secret talks without any interpreters there.?

51. Which of the following statements is not true ?

A. A lecture translation can translate what you said into other languages easily.?

B. Muscle Translators can translate what you think into speech if you just move your mouth.?

C. There is no Muscle Translator in the world now.

D. The spontaneous translators will help us a lot.

52. What kind of equipment is NOT mentioned in this passage?

A. Lecture Translation.                B. Multiple Translator.

C. Muscle Translator.?                D. Translation Prototype.

53. What's the final destination of inventing the language translators??

A. To make cultural exchanges between different countries easier.?

B. To help students learn foreign languages more easily.?

C. To make people live in foreign countries more comfortably.?

D. To help people learn more foreign languages in the future.

54. What can be inferred from the seventh paragraph?

A. The translator is so good that it can translate any language into the very language you need.?

B. The translator is becoming more and more common in the world as a bridge.?

C. With the help of the translator, you only need to open your mouth when you want to say something without saying the exact words at all.?

D. The translator needs to be improved before being put into market.

55. Where can this passage probably be excerpted from?

A. A newspaper.                B. A magazine on science.?

C. A fairy tale.                  D. A scientific fantasy book.

In recent years many countries of the world have been faced with the problem of how to make their workers more productive. Some experts say the ___1___ is to make jobs more varied(多样的). But do more varied jobs ___2___ greater productivity? There is evidence to suggest that ___3___variety certainly makes the worker’s life more enjoyable, it doesn’t ___4___ make him work harder. As far as increasing productivity is concerned, then, ___5___ is not an important factor.

Other experts feel that giving the worker___6___ to do his job in his own way is important, and there is no doubt that this is true. The ___7___ is that this kind of freedom can’t easily be given in the modern factory with its complicated(复杂的) machinery which must be used in a ___8___ way. Thus while freedom of choice may be important, there is usually very little that can be done to ___9___ it.

Another important ___10___ is how much each worker ___11___ to the product he is making. In most factories the worker ___12___ only one small part of the product. Some car factories are now ___13___ with having many small production lines rather than one large one, so that each worker contributes more to the production of the cars on his___14___. It would seem that not only is degree of worker contribution an important factor ___15___ it is one we can do something about.

To what___16___ does more money lead to greater productivity? The workers themselves certainly think this is ___17___. But perhaps they want more money only because the work they do is so boring. ___18___ just lets them enjoy their spare time more. A ___19___ argument may explain demands for shorter working hours. Perhaps if we ___20___ making their jobs more interesting, they will neither want more money, nor will shorter working hours be so important to them.

1. A. answer   B. course C. attempt      D. system

2. A. run across      B. lead to       C. result from D. pick up

3. A. because  B. as       C. while  D. as though

4. A. mentally B. physically   C. carefully    D. actually

5. A. variety   B. relaxation C. creativity    D. machinery

6. A. judgement     B. freedom     C. direction    D. comfort

7. A. secret     B. skill    C. problem     D. strength

8. A. amusing B. dull    C. changeable D. fixed

9. A. use  B. create  C. supply D. fear

10. A. measure       B. invention    C. consideration     D. work

11. A. lies       B. sticks  C. objects       D. contributes

12. A. likes     B. equips C. transports   D. sees

13. A. tired     B. pleased       C. worrying       D. experimenting

14. A. own     B. will    C. line     D. hand

15. A. but       B. and     C. so       D. however

16. A. extent   B. quality       C. store   D. difference

17. A. natural  B. important   C. worrying    D. unbelievable

18. A. Rest     B. Sports C. Money       D. Playing

19. A. complete      B. friendly      C. given  D. similar

20. A. advise   B. succeed in  C. object to     D. are tried of

In a few years, you might be able to speak Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, and English

— and all at the same time. This sounds incredible, but Alex Waibel, a computer science professor at US's Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Germany's University of Karlsruhe, announced last week that it may soon be reality. He and his team have invented software and hardware that could make it far easier for people who speak different languages to understand each other.?

One application, called Lecture Translation, can easily translate a speech from one language into another. Current translation technologies typically limit speakers to certain topics or a limited vocabulary. Users also have to be trained how to use the programme.?

Another prototype(雏形机) can send translations of a speech to different listeners depending on what language they speak. “It is like having a simultaneous translator right next to you but without disturbing the person next to you,” Waibel said.?

Prefer to read? So-called Translation Glasses transcribe(转录) the translations on a tiny liquid-crystal(液晶) display(LCD) screen.?

Then there’s the Muscle Translator. Electrodes capture the electrical signals from facial muscle movements made naturally when a person is mouthing words. The signals are then translated into speech. The electrodes could be replaced with wireless chips implanted in a person's face, according to researchers.?

During a demonstration held last Thursday in CMU's Pittsburgh campus, a Chinese student named Stan Jou had 11 tiny electrodes attached to the muscles of his cheeks, neck and throat. Then he mouthed — without speaking aloud — a few words in Mandarin(普通话) to the audience. A few seconds later, the phrase was displayed on a computer screen and spoken out by the computer in English and Spanish: “Let me introduce our new prototype.”?

This particular gadget(器械),when fully developed, might allow anyone to speak in any number of languages or, as Waibel put it, “to switch your mouth to a foreign language”. “The idea behind the university's prototypes is to create ‘good enough’ bridges for cross-cultural exchanges that are becoming more common in the world,” Waibel said.?

With spontaneous(自发的) translators, foreign drivers in Germany could listen to traffic warnings on the radio, tourists in China could read all the signs and talk with local people, and leaders of different countries could have secret talks without any interpreters there.?

Which of the following statements is not TRUE?

A. A lecture translation can translate what you said into other languages easily.?

B. There is no Muscle Translator in the world now.?

C. Muscle Translators can translate what you think into speech if you just move your mouth.?

D. The spontaneous translators will help us a lot.

What kind of equipment is NOT mentioned in this passage?

A. Lecture Translation.                       

B. Muscle Translator.?

C. Multiple Translator.                       

D. Translation Prototype.

What’s the final destination of inventing the language translators??

A. To make cultural exchanges between different countries easier.?

B. To help students learn foreign languages more easily.?

C. To make people live in foreign countries more comfortably.?

D. To help people learn more foreign languages in the future.

What can be inferred from the seventh paragraph?

A. The translator is so good that it can translate any language into the very language you need.?

B. The translator is becoming more and more common in the world as a bridge.?

C. With the help of the translator, you only need to open your mouth when you want to say something without saying the exact words at all.?

D. The translator needs to be improved before being put into market.

Where can this passage probably be excerpted from?

A. A newspaper.                         

B. A magazine on science.?

C. A fairy tale.                                

D. A scientific fantasy book.

In the past, when people had problems, they went to their families or friends to get advice.

Today it is possible to get advice from radio shows, TV programmes and telephone hot lines, too. A hot line is a telephone line that offers a direct way of getting in touch with advisers .Most hot lines are completely anonymous ,that is to say , callers do not have to say their names or telephone numbers. Most hot lines are usually free. Callers do not have to pay for the advice or the phone calls, even if the calls are long distance ones. At some hot lines, the advisers are volunteers. Other hot lines pay their advisers for their work. Usually the advisers are full-time people with years of education and experience, but sometimes, the advisers have only taken a short training before starting to work on the hot lines. All the advisers listen to people and help them solve their problems.

The underlined word “anonymous” in the passage means        in Chinese.

A .secret      B.  well-known        C. exact        D.  wonderful

When people call the hot line advisers, they         .

A .often give their names and telephone numbers

B. generally have to pay for the long distance calls

C. usually pay nothing for most of the calls and advice

D. always try to get in touch with the volunteer advisers

The advisers working at hot lines         .

A. have all been trained for a short time

B. are all volunteers

C. have all received years of education

D. are not all paid

The writer of the passage seems to think that         .

A. hot lines help the callers a lot

B. advisers will solve all of the callers’ problems

C. people had better pay for the advice

D. people will not get advice from their families or friends

In a few years, you might be able to speak Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, and English -- and all at the same time. This sounds incredible, but Alex Waibel, a computer science professor at US' s Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Germany' s University of Karlsruhe, announced last week that it may soon be reality. He and his team have invented software and hardware that could make it far easier for people who speak different languages to understand each other.

One application, called Lecture Translation, can easily translate a speech from one language into another. Current translation technologies typically limit speakers to certain topics or a limited vocabulary. Users also have to be trained how to use the programme.

Another prototype (雏形机) can send translations of a speech to different listeners depending on what language they speak. "It is like having a simultaneous translator right next to you but without disturbing the person next to you," Waibel said.

Prefer to read? So-called Translation Glasses transcribe (转录) the translations on a tiny liquid-crystal(液晶) display (LCD) screen.

Then there' s the Muscle Translator. Electrodes (电极) capture the electrical signals from facial muscle movements made naturally when a person is mouthing words. The signals are then translated into speech. The electrodes could be replaced with wireless chips implanted (植入) in a person' s face, according to researchers.

During a demonstration (演示) held last Thursday in CMU' s Pittsburgh campus, a Chinese student named Stan Jou had 11 tiny electrodes attached to the muscles of his cheeks, neck and throat. Then he mouthed -- without speaking aloud -- a few words in Mandarin(普通话) to the audience. A few seconds later, the phrase was displayed on a computer screen and spoken out by the computer in English and Spanish: "Let me introduce our new prototype".

This particular gadget (器械), when fully developed, might allow anyone to speak in any number of languages or, as Waibel put it, "to switch your mouth to a foreign language". "The idea behind the university' s prototypes is to create 'good enough' bridges for cross-cultural exchanges that are becoming more common in the world," Waibel said.

With spontaneous (自发的) translators, foreign drivers in Germany could listen to traffic warnings on the radio, tourists in China could read all the signs and talk with local people, and leaders of different countries could have secret talks without any interpreters there.

What kind of prototype did the Chinese student named Stan Jou try?

A. Lecture Translation.            B. Translation Glasses.

C. Muscle Translator.             D. We don' t know.

What is the purpose of inventing the translators?

    A. To help students to learn English.

    B. To help people to watch foreign TV programs.

    C. To help people travel in foreign countries.

    D. To promote cultural exchanges between countries.

What is the best title of this text?

    A. Speak different languages at the same time?

    B. Flow to learn to speak foreign languages?

    C. New ways to learn foreign languages

D. You' re welcome to learn foreign languages