A strong earthquake has hit the town of Galta 200 kilometres north of Madras．The earthquake hit the town at 7∶15 yesterday evening．The earthquake measured(量出)7.2 on the Richter scale(里克特震级), the strongest for five years．
The earthquake happened as most people were having their evening meal at home．There were very few people outside in the streets．Buildings fell down and many fires started．The electricity and water were cut off．
As it was dark, the emergency services had a lot of problems．There was no electricity for lights, and there was no water to put out the fires．Early this morning, planes flew over the town to see the damage．
The emergency services are now trying to reach the town．The nearest airport is at Bandel, about 100 kilometers away．The railway station at Galta is closed, because four bridges fell down in the earth．The nearest train station is 32 kilometres away at Solan．We shall have more reports for you during the day．
(1)
What were the most people doing when the earthquake hit the town?
French doctors and American scientists have reported doing an operation in which the doctor was outside the operating room．This kind of operation is known as robotic operation．
Doctor Marescaux did the operation in an office in New York City last month, while a sixty-eight-year-old woman patient was in a hospital in Strasbourg, France．
A doctor in Strasbourg got the patient ready．He placed medical tools and a small video camera in her stomach area．Doctor Marescaux in New York watched the patient on a video screen．Then he used the computer to send messages to the robot machine．The robot moved the tools that cut the woman’s gallbladder(胆囊)away．The woman got well soon after the operation and left the hospital two days later．
Experts say the main problem with such a robotic operation is based on high-speed telecommunications between the doctor and the robot．Technology must be able to send a doctor’s order to a robot to move the tools quickly．
Experts also say a successful robotic operation will improve an operation．For example, the robot can make much smaller movements than a person can．A robot machine can turn tools in ways that a doctor’s hand cannot．
Doctors say such a robotic operation will make possible safer and better operations in the future．They say it will improve doctor training．It will also mean that doctors could do an operation on people in dangerous places far away．And it could mean that people could have operations done by top doctors without having to travel to the city where doctors work．
(1)
“Robotic operation”means“________”．
[ ]
A．
a special kind of robot invented by doctors
B．
an operation done far away
C．
an operation done with the help of a robot
D．
something done to mend a robot
(2)
We use the robot in the operation because ________．
[ ]
A．
it can send messages at a high speed
B．
even a top doctor can’t do the operation himself
C．
it can make the operation safer and better
D．
operations can be done without any doctors
(3)
If we want to use the robot in the operation, we must solve the problem of ________．
[ ]
A．
top doctors
B．
smaller movements
C．
doctor training
D．
high-speed telecommunications
(4)
If the smaller movement can’t be done by doctors in the operation, we may use ________ to solve it．
We have just returned from our holiday.we went with our friends Edward Smith and his wife Tina to the Yorkshire Moors.This is a beautiful place.It is a natural park.There are lots of places to walk on the tops of the hills,miles of grassland with no people,just sheep and birds.
Edward,who had just come out of hospital,could not walk as far as he used to.However this meant that we walked in the mornings,and then stopped at a care for lunch,each day,before returning to the place where we lived in.Edward and I slept in front of the fire all afternoon,while the ladies went for another walk.Very pleasant!
I have taken lots of photos from the place we lived in,across the valley(峡谷) below us,ot the morning sunrise,and the mist in the valley.Also,in England,the old steam powered trains(蒸汽火车) are very popular.I have taken many photos of the train and from it.
Yesterday we had the first snow of this winter.It is very early(We usually expect snow in January).It rained all day,then snowed in the evening.Today We have bright sunshine!
Both Jenny and I are well.I don't know if I told you,in the last e-mail.that Jenny is now working in a hotel.Although she has to work hard,people there are nice and she is enjoying the work.
