Be Brave With New Things

   The old advertising slogan, “so simple a child can do it ,” has taken on new meaning to me. A few weeks ago I got a computer, but I an mechanically illiterate. I knew that children had no fear of the future, so that seemed a good place to seek help. I asked my nephew, twelve years old, at an elementary school, to help me.

   My nephew took the machine for granted and has simply accepted the fact that computers are now a way of life. He plays with them and does his homework on them and even creates programs for them. I , on the other hand, are terrified by what this equipment can do. It can interchange paragraphs, switch words around and even correct my spelling. It informs me of Its limitations, takes commands and asks questions. It even seems to have a sense of communication. Rather than accusing me of making an error, it prints “One of us has made a mistake!” It never gets tired and is always patient and ready to go when I am.

   I think it was somewhat normal for me to be suspicious of computers. They represent a break with some very familiar habits and traditions. It is only human to instinctively avoid anything that shifts thoroughly from the acceptable, comfortable past. But the world is governed by ceaseless change and we must therefore establish links with the present and future as well as the past. Computer technology is an excellent case in point, as the newest systems grow out of date in only a few years, or even months.

   This ability to see, experience and accept the new is one of our saving characteristics. To be fearful of tomorrow, to close ourselves to possibilities, to resist the inevitable, to advocate standing still when all else is moving forward, is to lose touch. If we accept the new with joy and wonder, we can move gracefully into each tomorrow. More often than not, the children shall lead us.

6．What is the new meaning of  “So simple a child can do it” for the author?

A．computers are so easy to operate that even a child can play them well

B．A child can always do more complex things than an adult.

C．It is easier for a child to accept new things than for an adult.

D．A child has greater ability than an adult in operating computers.

7．According to the second paragraph, which of the following statements is true?

A．The nephew thought it is natural to accept the fact that computers are now a way of life.

B．The nephew believed that machines were made for people to do whatever they wanted.

C．computers are not only used to communicate, but also to remove their limitations.

D．It is a fact that both adults and children have accepted computers as a way of life.

8．Which of the following doesn’t the author’s computer do ?

A．It asks the author if she has made a mistake.

B．It accuses the author of making mistakes.

C．It corrects the author’s spelling mistakes.

D．It informs the author of her mistakes.

9．According to the third paragraph, it is human nature that we resist those things which   

A．only represent the comfortable and acceptable past

B．change thoroughly into the comfortable and acceptable past

C．make people stand still when all else is moving forward

D．change completely from the acceptable and comfortable past

10．How do you understand the underlined sentence in the  text?

　　A. It is always ready to inform me when I am ready to go.

　　B. It is always ready to start working when I am ready for work.

　　C. When I am ready to go, it is patient to wait.

　　D. When I am ready to go, it has already gone.

Be Brave With New Things

   The old advertising slogan, “so simple a child can do it ,” has taken on new meaning to me. A few weeks ago I got a computer, but I an mechanically illiterate. I knew that children had no fear of the future, so that seemed a good place to seek help. I asked my nephew, twelve years old, at an elementary school, to help me.

   My nephew took the machine for granted and has simply accepted the fact that computers are now a way of life. He plays with them and does his homework on them and even creates programs for them. I , on the other hand, are terrified by what this equipment can do. It can interchange paragraphs, switch words around and even correct my spelling. It informs me of Its limitations, takes commands and asks questions. It even seems to have a sense of communication. Rather than accusing me of making an error, it prints “One of us has made a mistake!” It never gets tired and is always patient and ready to go when I am.

   I think it was somewhat normal for me to be suspicious of computers. They represent a break with some very familiar habits and traditions. It is only human to instinctively avoid anything that shifts thoroughly from the acceptable, comfortable past. But the world is governed by ceaseless change and we must therefore establish links with the present and future as well as the past. Computer technology is an excellent case in point, as the newest systems grow out of date in only a few years, or even months.

   This ability to see, experience and accept the new is one of our saving characteristics. To be fearful of tomorrow, to close ourselves to possibilities, to resist the inevitable, to advocate standing still when all else is moving forward, is to lose touch. If we accept the new with joy and wonder, we can move gracefully into each tomorrow. More often than not, the children shall lead us.

19．What is the new meaning of  “So simple a child can do it” for the author?

A．computers are so easy to operate that even a child can play them well

B．A child can always do more complex things than an adult.

C．It is easier for a child to accept new things than for an adult.

D．A child has greater ability than an adult in operating computers.

20．According to the second paragraph, which of the following statements is true?

A．The nephew thought it is natural to accept the fact that computers are now a way of life.

B．The nephew believed that machines were made for people to do whatever they wanted.

C．computers are not only used to communicate, but also to remove their limitations.

D．It is a fact that both adults and children have accepted computers as a way of life.

21．Which of the following doesn’t the author’s computer do ?

A．It asks the author if she has made a mistake.

B．It accuses the author of making mistakes.

C．It corrects the author’s spelling mistakes.

D．It informs the author of her mistakes.

22．According to the third paragraph, it is human nature that we resist those things which   

A．only represent the comfortable and acceptable past

B．change thoroughly into the comfortable and acceptable past

C．make people stand still when all else is moving forward

D．change completely from the acceptable and comfortable past

Close test30%
Not long ago, the only time you could see a robot was when you were reading a novel or watching a movie such as Star Wars. Today, 36 a lot of things in science stories have been science facts. Robots are starting to _37_ in our everyday lives. These robots have different sizes, shapes and colors. But they all have the same _38_ of man-made “_39_”. Leading the robot revolution(革命) are industrial robots that work in factories. Industrial robots can do different kinds of jobs that are often _40_ and sometimes dangerous. Robots are also coming to American homes, though not as quickly asthey are entering _41_. These robots aren’t as friendly and _42_ as those you saw in Star Wars. But, their makers say, today’s home robots “walk” and sense objects in their own way. They even _43_ objects though they may sometimes drop. Well, nobody is _44_.
We may _45_ home robots today, but some day they may see and hear _46_ than humans do. We _47_
can only see certain wave lengths of light and hear certain _48_. That’s because the _49_ of our eyes and ears are _50_.
Robots, however, need not have the same limits _51_ we have. Robots may also be _52_ wit devices(装置) that  _53_ information humans can’t. However, to understand _54_ their sensing devices pick up is a hard job.
Remember, man-made brains _55_ information, including all kinds of data, as zeroes and ones.
Imagine the difficulty in trying to explain to a robot what a football looks like---using only zeroes and ones.
36. A. however                  B. whenever                       C. on the other hand                 D. in other words
37. A. come                        B. appear                                      C. enter                                         D. raise
38. A. variety                      B. dozen                              C. score                                         D. type
39. A. muscle                     B. body                                 C. brain                                         D. appearance
40. A. surprising                B. boring                              C. pleasant                                   D. exciting
41. A. homes                     B. factories                         C. schools                                     D. offices
42. A. certain                     B. pleasing                          C. bright                                        D. foolish
43. A. carry                         B. forget                              C. remember                              D. choose
44. A. wonderful                B. excellent                         C. happy                                        D. perfect
45. A. play jokes on     B. make fun of                    C. laugh at                                  D. have fun with
46. A. worse                       B. faster                              C. better                                      D. sooner
47. A. fellows                     B. humans                           C. beings                                     D. friends
48. A. noise                         B. voice                                C. sounds                                              D. speeches
49. A. sight                         B. length                              C. distance                                  D. ability
50. A. enough                     B. endless                           C. limited                           D. hopeful
51. A. as                              B. since                                C. for                                            D. while
52. A. given                         B. equipped                        C. sent                                         D. applied
53. A. pick out                    B. pick up                   C. send up                                   D. send out
54. A. how                           B. where                              C. what                                        D. which
55. A. deal                           B. handle                             C. seek                                        D. provide

Getting close to active or erupting volcanoes can be dangerous. But for Michael Rampino, it’s all in a day’s work. Rampino is a volcanologist, a scientist who studies volcanoes and how they affect our planet. Rampino has been close to red-hot lava flows (熔岩流) in Hawaii and explosive volcanoes in Indonesia. He knows when to get close to an active volcano and when to back away.
Rampino wasn’t always a volcanologist. He worked for NASA for seven years. He studied rocks until he began to research climate change and the effects that volcanoes have on climate. He became interested in the subject. “Once I started working with volcanoes,” Rampino said, “I was hooked.”
Rampino is a professor at New York University. As part of his job, he travels to areas where volcanoes have been active. “Active” means they have erupted within the past few centuries and probably will erupt again. Rampino studies the deposits (沉积物) of ash and other materials from the eruptions. The ash may hold clues to what happened to the Earth in the distant past. It may also help scientists predict what could happen to Earth’s climate in the future.
Rampino doesn’t work alone. He works with a team of scientists who use computers to stimulate (模拟) the effects volcanoes have on Earth’s atmosphere.
Being a volcanologist may be hard work, but it’s also fun. “It’s cool traveling the world studying volcanoes,” Rampino says. When he talks to students about his work, he tells them that his goal is “to understand the events that have shaped Earth’s history.”
【小题1】To Rampino, being close to active volcanoes is _____.

Getting close to active or erupting volcanoes can be dangerous. But for Michael Rampino, it’s all in a day’s work. Rampino is a volcanologist, a scientist who studies volcanoes and how they affect our planet. Rampino has been close to red-hot lava flows (熔岩流) in Hawaii and explosive volcanoes in Indonesia. He knows when to get close to an active volcano and when to back away.
Rampino wasn’t always a volcanologist. He worked for NASA for seven years. He studied rocks until he began to research climate change and the effects that volcanoes have on climate. He became interested in the subject. “Once I started working with volcanoes,” Rampino said, “I was hooked.”
Rampino is a professor at New York University. As part of his job, he travels to areas where volcanoes have been active. “Active” means they have erupted within the past few centuries and probably will erupt again. Rampino studies the deposits (沉积物) of ash and other materials from the eruptions. The ash may hold clues to what happened to the Earth in the distant past. It may also help scientists predict what could happen to Earth’s climate in the future.
Rampino doesn’t work alone. He works with a team of scientists who use computers to stimulate (模拟) the effects volcanoes have on Earth’s atmosphere.
Being a volcanologist may be hard work, but it’s also fun. “It’s cool traveling the world studying “to understand the events that have shaped Earth’s history.”
【小题1】To Rampino, being close to active volcanoes is _____.