Last year, my boyfriend suggested that I should run the London marathon, and I laughed. He laughed too, but he laughed too long and too loud. That made me think. I realized that he didn’t believe that I could do it. That made me angry, and determined. Now he knows that I can!                     

Training wasn’t easy, but I kept going. I didn’t need special training but I did need to buy very good shoes. Each day, I went a little further. By the end of three months, I was running five days a week. Sometimes in the evenings I ran 10 km; on Sunday mornings, I sometimes ran about 30 km. I used to come home, have a shower and eat my breakfast. I felt wonderful!

On the day of the race in London, I lined up with about 30,000 other runners. The faster runners were at the front, while slower runners like me were placed further back. In that way, the professional runners and club runners were not slowed down by the amateurs.

    At first, there were so many runners close together that we were almost falling over each other. We could only run very slowly but that was a good thing because it meant that we didn’t rush off too quickly. Gradually the runners spread out and there was more space. There were thousands of people watching us along the route and they cheered and clapped everyone, even the slowest runner. It was wonderful!

    For the first 10 km I felt very happy and my legs felt very comfortable. However, at 15 km I got a pain in my side and running became difficult, but I kept going and the pain disappeared. At the 30 km mark, I felt extremely tired, and wanted to stop, but I kept on going. I covered another 3 km and then I began to feel better again.

     By the time I reached the 35 km mark, I knew I was going to get to the end of the course. Somehow that confidence made me feel lighter and faster and it seemed as if my legs flew over the last few kilometers. I passed hundreds of slower runners, some of whom had passed me earlier, and I felt wonderful! As I came round the last bend and saw the finishing line, I could see three runners ahead of me. I raced past all of them to finish the race in just under four hours. The winner had completed the race in 2 hours and 10 minutes, but I didn’t care! I had run 42 km and completed my first marathon!

The writer’s boyfriend laughed at her because        .                      

A. he thought she could run the marathon

      B. he didn’t think she could run the marathon

      C. he wanted her to run the marathon

      D. she wanted to run the marathon

When the race began      .                                                       

   A. all the faster runners were asked to stand before those slower ones

   B. many runners fell over each other

   C. all the runners were asked to run slowly

   D. the professional runners and club runners ran very fast

The hardest time for the writer was when she     .                                 

A. had run for 15 kilometers

   B. got a pain in her side

   C. reached the 30 kilometer mark

   D. was about to reach the finish line

The passage suggests that it is better to start a long race slowly        .                         

   A. than to run at the same speed all the time

   B. than to run too fast at the beginning

   C. than to run slowly at the end

   D. than to run very fast all the time

B
WASHINGTON – It’s a great achievement that inspires notions of robots with consciousness and independent minds.
When people or animals get hurt, they can usually compensate for minor injuries and keep limping along, but for robots, even slight damage can make them stumble and fall. However, a recently made robot has demonstrated a novel ability: it can heal its own damage.
The new robot, which looks like a splay – legged, four – footed starfish can sense injury to itself and adapt. That ability sets the new robot apart from earlier machines. Because the robot can recover from unfamiliar places. “There is a need for planetary robotic rovers to be able to fix things on their own,” says Josh Bongard, a professor in the University of Vermont, who is one of the device’s creator. “Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human help if they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth.”
A typical robot functions according to a computer program, but the new robot works differently. First, sensors in its four legs observe the robot’s movements and signals to its built – in computer. From the formation it collects, the robot creates its own programs that allow it to adapt to different situations. For example, when the researchers shortened one of the robot’s legs, the smart machine simply adjusted its way of walking – it used three legs instead of four.
The researchers are looking for other places to put the resilient robot to work. One pellicle spot is the ocean floor. That dark and dangerous undersea terrain might be a good choice for a robot the scientists call the Starfish. “We never officially named the robot, but we usually refer to it as the Starfish, even though a real starfish has five rather than four legs,” says Bongard. “Also, a real starfish  is much better than our robot at recovering from injury, because it can actually grow its legs again.” Scientists have created robots that help humans in many ways: by exploring space, fighting fires, and even performing surgery.
46．The newly designed robot distinguishes itself from the former ones because it___________
A．can communicate with people on the earth about their problems
B．works according to a certain computer program
C．can find its problems and solve them automatically
D．can explore unfamiliar places
47．An example is given in the fourth paragraph in order to explain that the robot ___________
A．is used to create new programs
B．has typical robot functions
C．has sensors to observe its movements
D．can gather information and adapt to new conditions
48．The underlined word “resilient” in the last paragraph means the robot is ___________.
A．creative    B．newly made     C．able to recover    D．informative
49．Which of the following is TURE about the robot “Starfish”?
A．It was spoken highly of by people for its special ability?
B．It will stumble and fall if damaged.
C．It can grow its legs again once they are broken.
D．It has started to work on the ocean floor.
50．What might be the best title of the passage?
A．How does the Starfish Robot work
B．Do – It – Yourself Robot Repair
C．Robots Designed to Work On Other Planets
D．New Robot Helping Us In Many Ways

WASHINGTON – It’s a great achievement that inspires notions of robots with consciousness and independent minds.

When people or animals get hurt, they can usually compensate for minor injuries and keep limping along, but for robots, even slight damage can make them stumble and fall. However, a recently made robot has demonstrated a novel ability: it can heal its own damage.

The new robot, which looks like a splay – legged, four – footed starfish can sense injury to itself and adapt. That ability sets the new robot apart from earlier machines. Because the robot can recover from unfamiliar places. “There is a need for planetary robotic rovers to be able to fix things on their own,” says Josh Bongard, a professor in the University of Vermont, who is one of the device’s creator. “Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human help if they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth.”

A typical robot functions according to a computer program, but the new robot works differently. First, sensors in its four legs observe the robot’s movements and signals to its built – in computer. From the formation it collects, the robot creates its own programs that allow it to adapt to different situations. For example, when the researchers shortened one of the robot’s legs, the smart machine simply adjusted its way of walking – it used three legs instead of four.

The researchers are looking for other places to put the resilient robot to work. One pellicle spot is the ocean floor. That dark and dangerous undersea terrain might be a good choice for a robot the scientists call the Starfish. “We never officially named the robot, but we usually refer to it as the Starfish, even though a real starfish has five rather than four legs,” says Bongard. “Also, a real starfish  is much better than our robot at recovering from injury, because it can actually grow its legs again.” Scientists have created robots that help humans in many ways: by exploring space, fighting fires, and even performing surgery.

46．The newly designed robot distinguishes itself from the former ones because it___________

       A．can communicate with people on the earth about their problems

       B．works according to a certain computer program

       C．can find its problems and solve them automatically

       D．can explore unfamiliar places

47．An example is given in the fourth paragraph in order to explain that the robot ___________

       A．is used to create new programs

       B．has typical robot functions

       C．has sensors to observe its movements

       D．can gather information and adapt to new conditions

48．The underlined word “resilient” in the last paragraph means the robot is ___________.

       A．creative    B．newly made     C．able to recover    D．informative

49．Which of the following is TURE about the robot “Starfish”?

       A．It was spoken highly of by people for its special ability?

       B．It will stumble and fall if damaged.

       C．It can grow its legs again once they are broken.

       D．It has started to work on the ocean floor.

50．What might be the best title of the passage?

       A．How does the Starfish Robot work

       B．Do – It – Yourself Robot Repair

       C．Robots Designed to Work On Other Planets

       D．New Robot Helping Us In Many Ways

WASHINGTON—It’s a great achievement that inspires notions of robots with consciousness and independent minds.

When people or animals get hurt,they can usually compensate for minor injuries and keep limping along,but for robots,even slight damage can make them stumble and fall.However,a recently made robot has demonstrated a novel ability:it can heal its own damage.

The new robot,which looks like a splay-legged,four-footed starfish can sense injury to itself and adapt.That ability sets the new robot apart from earlier machines.Because the robot can recover from unfamiliar places.“There is a need for planetary robotic rovers to be able to fix things on their own,” says Josh Bongard,a professor in the University of Vermont,who is one of the device’s creators.“Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human help if they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth.”

A typical robot functions according to a computer program,but the new robot works differently.First,sensors in its four legs observe the robot’s movements and signals to its built-in computer.From the formation it collects,the robot creates its own programs that allow it to adapt to different situations.For example,when the researchers shortened one of the robot’s legs,the smart machine simply adjusted its way of walking—it used three legs instead of four.

The researchers are looking for other places to put the resilient robot to work.One pellicle spot is the ocean floor.That dark and dangerous undersea terrain might be a good choice for a robot the scientists call the Starfish.“We never officially named the robot,but we usually refer to it as the Starfish,even though a real starfish has five rather than four legs,”says Bongard.“Also,a real starfish is much better than our robot at recovering from injury,because it can actually grow its legs again.”Scientists have created robots that help humans in many ways:by exploring space,fighting fires,and even performing surgery.

1.The newly designed robot distinguishes itself from the former ones because it _________ .

   A.can communicate with people on the earth about their problems

   B.works according to a certain computer program

C.can find its problems and solve them automatically

D.can explore unfamiliar places

2.An example is given in the fourth paragraph in order to explain that the robot_________.

   A.is used to create new programs          

B.has typical robot functions

   C.has sensors to observe its movements    

D.can gather information and adapt to new conditions

3.The underlined word“resilient”in the last paragraph means the robot is_________.

A.creative         B.newly made        C.able to recover        D.informative

4.Which of the following is TURE about the robot “Starfish”?

   A.It was spoken highly of by people for its special ability

   B.It will stumble and fall if damaged.

   C.It can grow its legs again once they are broken.

   D.It has started to work on the ocean floor.

5.What might be the best title of the passage?

   A.How does the Starfish Robot work          B.Do-It-Yourself Robot Repair

   C.Robots Designed to Work on Other Planets   D.New Robot Helping Us in Many Ways

       Last year, my boyfriend suggested that I should run the London marathon, and I laughed．He laughed too, but he laughed too long and too loud．That made me think．I realized that he didn’t believe that I could do it．That made me angry, and determined．Now he knows that I can!

       Training wasn’t easy, but I kept going．I didn’t need special training but I did need to buy very good shoes．Each day, I went a little further．By the end of three months, I was running five days a week．Sometimes in the evenings I ran 10 km; on Sunday mornings, I sometimes ran about 30 km．I used to come home, have a shower and eat my breakfast．I felt wonderful!

       On the day of the race in London, I lined up with about 30,000 other runners．The faster runners were at the front, while slower runners like me were placed further back．In that way, the professional runners and club runners were not slowed down by the amateurs．

       At first, there were so many runners close together that we were almost falling over each other．We could only run very slowly but that was a good thing because it meant that we didn’t rush off too quickly．Gradually the runners spread out and there was more space．There were thousands of people watching us along the route and they cheered and clapped everyone, even the slowest runner．It was wonderful!

       For the first 10 km I felt very happy and my legs felt very comfortable．However, at 15 km I got a pain in my side and running became difficult, but I kept going and the pain disappeared．At the 30 km mark, I felt extremely tired, and wanted to stop, but I kept on going．I covered another 3 km and then I began to feel better again．

       By the time I reached the 35 km mark, I knew I was going to get to the end of the course．Somehow that confidence made me feel lighter and faster and it seemed as if my legs flew over the last few kilometers．I passed hundreds of slower runners, some of whom had passed me earlier, and I felt wonderful! As I came round the last bend and saw the finishing line, I could see three runners ahead of me．I raced past all of them to finish the race in just under four hours．The winner had completed the race in 2 hours and 10 minutes, but I didn’t care! I had run 42 km and completed my first marathon!

1．The writer’s boyfriend laughed at her because        ．

       A．he thought she could run the marathon

       B．he didn’t think she could run the marathon

       C．he wanted her to run the marathon

       D．she wanted to run the marathon

2．When the race began      ．

       A．all the faster runners were asked to stand before those slower ones

       B．many runners fell over each other

       C．all the runners were asked to run slowly

       D．the professional runners and club runners ran very fast

3．The hardest time for the writer was when she     ．

       A．had run for 15 kilometers

       B．got a pain in her side

       C．reached the 30 kilometer mark

       D．was about to reach the finish line

4．The passage suggests that it is better to start a long race slowly        ．

       A．than to run at the same speed all the time

       B．than to run too fast at the beginning

       C．than to run slowly at the end

       D．than to run very fast all the time