阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Michael, a typical American, stays home on workdays. He plugs into his personal computer terminal in order to connect with the office. After work, he puts on his headphones, watches a movie on his home video recorder, or plays baseball on the computer. On many days, Michael doesn’t talk to any other human beings, and he doesn’t see any people except the ones on television. Michael is imaginary, but his life style is very possible. The inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from contact with our fellow human beings.

The world of business is one area in which technology is isolating us. Experts say, for example, that many people will soon be able to work at home. With access to a large central computer, employees such as office clerks, insurance agents, and accountants could do their jobs at display terminals in their own homes. They would never have to actually see the people they’re dealing with. In addition, the way employees are paid will change. Workers’ salaries will be automatically paid into their

bank accounts, making paper checks unnecessary. No workers will stand in line to receive their pay or cash their check. Personal banking will change, too. Customers will deal with machines to put in or take out money from their accounts. Another area that technology is changing is entertainment. Music, for instance, was once a group experience. People listened to music at concert halls or in small social gatherings. For many people now, however, music is an individual experience. Walking along the street or sitting in their living rooms, they wear headphones to build a wall of music around them. Movie entertainment is changing, too. Movies used to be social events. Now fewer people are going out to see a movie. Many more are choosing to wait for a film to appear on television or are borrowing videotapes to watch at home. Instead of laughing with others, viewers watch movies in their own living rooms.

After work, Michael likes to ________.

   A. listen to music at the concert hall    

B. watch a movie in his living room

   C. run a program on his computer in his office

   D. play baseball with his workmates

Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

   A. Clerks will be able to work at home.   

   B. One can play baseball on the computer.

   C. One can listen to music without disturbing others.

   D. One can borrow books from libraries at home.

The sentence “Michael is imaginary, but his lifestyle is very possible” means ________.

   A. Michael is a person full of imagination and he can make his dreams come true

   B. Michael is not a real person but the lifestyle does exist

   C. Michael has ambitions but he can’t make his dreams come true

   D. Michael is a person full of imagination and his lifestyle is common nowadays

What will the author most probably discuss after the last paragraph?

   A. Games and sports.                     B. Personal banking.

   C. Music and films.                      D. International business.

Have you heard of snake robots? Scientists and doctors are already using tiny snakes that coil through the human body armed with sharp surgical tools to perform operations on hearts, prostate cancer, and other diseased organs. The snake robots that carry tiny cameras, scissors and forceps, and even more advanced sensors are being developed.

The next generation of the robots will be wireless, and will explore inside your body on their own--- not attached to any cables. For now, they are powered by cables that humans control. Experts say the day is coming when some robots will roam around the body on their own. But the experts in robotics say the new creations work best when they are designed for very specific tasks.

Howie Choset has been researching and building robots, particularly snake robots. He believes that his snake robot and others like it can help reduce medical costs by making complex surgery faster and easier. Choset says his new design is smaller and more flexible than earlier models.

The size of surgical robots allows surgeons to operate with far less damage to the body, helping the patient heal faster. Choset has also built larger snake robots designed for search and rescue, or just exploration. They can climb poles and trees and then look around through a camera in the head and slither through places that humans cannot reach.

“ We sent our snake robots into these caves in the Red Sea to look for evidence of ancient Egyptian ships,” he said. “ To me, archeology is like search and rescue, but everyone has been dead for 5,000 years.”

The doctors are very excited about the potential for surgical robots to do things that humans can’t do. The variety of sensors available for surgical robots keeps expanding. As they get smaller, maybe one day they will be able to test chemicals or blood in the body, or even the electrical connections in nerves.

1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．The doctors carry out surgery using snake robots mainly for heart disease.

B．The doctors are very satisfied with the new snake robots during surgery.

C．Snake robots are completely free of human control today.

D．Other supplementary appliances will be added to snake robots.

2.Which of the following is true, according to the passage?

A．Snake robots are only used in the medical field.

B．Snake robots can reduce the patients’ medical costs.

C．Scientists are uncertain about the prospects for snake robots.

D．Scientists are forced to spend a lot of time researching snake robots.

3.How can snake robots work best, according to the passage?

A．When they carry tiny cameras, scissors and forceps.

B．When they are operated by experienced doctors.

C．When they are given a wireless function.

D．When they are designed for particular tasks.

4.Why do we know about Howie Choset, according to the passage?

A．He thought snake robots of different sizes can be used for different types of surgery.

B．He thought patients’ pain had been slightly reduced with the help of snake robots.

C．He also made snake robots for search, rescue and exploration.

D．He is very interested in researching ancient Egyptian ships.

5.The writers attitude towards the new technology is ______.

A．optimistic         B．doubtful           C．objective          D．negative

Researches at Johns? Hopkins University's. Applied Physics laboratory? ( APL)? in Laurel , Maryland have designed a new human-like robot, Its name is Robo Sally. The machine can be controlled from a distance and can he used to do work that is dangerous for human beings.

?????? Roho Sally has two long arms with human-like hands. She can use her fingers to pick up? small objects .examine them in detail and do most things that human hands can do Each finger? contains a tiny motor capable of squeezing 20 pounds of pinch foree ,.enough to defuse a bomb? under the direction of an operator. She sits on a metal base with wheels that let her move around. turn in tight spaces and climb over small objects, .

?????? Mike McLoughlin is the main investigator for the Applied Physics Laboratory's Prosthetics? Program. "The purpose of that program is to develop prosthetic arms that have all the capability? of your natural arms .and you do all the complex motions that we can do with the natural arm- with the robot. "

?????? It was a difficult job. Mr. McLoughlin says the device had to have many small motors to。 have the ability to do what a human hand does; It? also needs to have human-like strength. The? thumb was especially difficult because it permits the hand .to hold objects. And everything had.?? to fit into a space about the size of a human hand.

????? The next problem? .he says .was to figure out how to control the artificial hand. " So we had?? to figure out how to make the connection between the brain and this arm.

?????? For search-and-rescue duties.Roho Sally will be operated by a human being using a wire- less machine that is far from the robot. The operator will also wear special gloves and glasses.? The glasses permit the operator to see the robot's hands .even though they are far away.

????? Mr. McLoughlin says this kind of robots could be used in what he calls "dull , dirty or dan- gerous" situations where fine human finger movements are required. He says the technology is? not ready for everyday application .but he predicts that within five years we will see some won-? derful improvements.

1.The underlined word " defuse"? in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to "_________".

A. remove?????????? B. discover??????????? C. equip??????????????? D. produce

2.According to Paragraph 2.which picture is Robo Sally?

3.What can we learn ahout the prosthetic arms according to the passage?

A. They are expected to function as well as natural ones.

B. They have many large motors controlled by robots.

C. They have human-like strength to control the robot.

D. They are connected with human brains.

4.Which of the following is true about Robo Sally according to Mr. McLoughlin?

A . Its operator doesn't need? any? equipment.

B. It has been Widely used in everyday life in the USA.

C. It can work in situations which are dangerous for humans.

D. It has made much money for the designer.

"We do look very different; we're older. Leo's 38, I'm 37. We were 21 and 22 when we made that film. You know, he's fatter now -- I'm thinner.". So says Kate Winslet, who is thrilled at the 3-D re-release of Titanic to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ship's demise. “ It happens every time I get on any boat of any kind." She recalls. There are all the people who want her to walk to the front of the ship and re-create her famous pose, arms flung wide. Most people remember the tragedy: The British passenger ship -- said to be unsinkable -- hit an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912, during its maiden voyage from England to New York City. More than 1,500 people died. But little known is what the world learned from the sinking to prevent future incidents.

Probably the greatest deficiency （不足）of the Titanic was that she was built 40 years before the widespread use of the wonderful invention radar(雷达). Her only defense against icebergs and hidden obstacles was to rely on manned lookouts. On that fateful night the eyesight of trained lookouts only provided 37 seconds of warning before the collision.

Traveling at nearly 30 miles an hour the Titanic was moving far too fast to avoid the huge iceberg. The warning did prevent a head-on collision as the officer on the bridge managed to turn the ship slightly.

The last ship to send a warning was the California. She was within ten miles of the Titanic during the disaster, but her radio operator went to bed at midnight and never received any of the SOS messages from the Titanic. That was one of the important lessons learned from the catastrophe, the need for 24-hour radio operators on all passenger liners.

Another lesson learned was the need for more lifeboats. The Titanic remained afloat(漂浮) for almost three hours and most of the passengers could have been saved with enough lifeboats.

1,500 passengers and workers died in the 28 degree waters of the Atlantic. Out of the tragedy, the sinking did produce some important maritime reforms. The winter travel routes were changed to the south and the Coast Guard began to keep an eye on the location of all icebergs. The new rules for lifeboats were obvious to all. There must be enough lifeboats for everybody on board.

The most important lesson learned was that no one would ever again consider a ship unsinkable- no matter how large or how well constructed. Never again would sailors place their faith in a ship above the power of the sea.

1.The text mainly tells us ______.

2.According to the passage, which of the following could we infer?

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

4.What’s the sailors’ attitude towards the ships after the tragedy?

Third-generation mobile phones, known as 3G, are the next big step for the telecom industry. Date speed in 3G networks is much quicker than that in present technology. This means users can have high-speed Internet access and enjoy video and CD-quality music on their phones.

  “Mobile data is not a dream; it’s not an option but a requirement,” said Len Lauer, head of a US communications company, Sprint PCS, at a 3G conference in Bangkok earlier this month.

  With 3G, you can forget about next messages telling you yesterday’s news; a 3G phone can receive video news programs, updated four times a day. Internet access will also be much quicker, making it easier to surf the Web on your phone than on your computer at home.

  Face-to-face video calls

  Don’t worry about getting lost, 3G phones offer map services so you can find a new restaurant just by pressing a few keys on your handset.

  However, the most impressive part of 3G technology is video calling. With live two-video communication, you can have face-to –face talks with friends and family on your mobile phone.

  Many European countries have already launched the service. In May 2000 the US Government issued five license to run 3G wireless services, while the first 3G phones arrived in Italy in March this year.

  International telecom companies can’t wait to sell 3G in China, the world’s largest mobile telecommunications market. But they will have to be patient. At the moment, China is busy testing its 3G-based technologies, networks and services. This will be followed by a trial period before the phones can finally hit the shops.

  “We need to create a pool of 3G customers before the large-scale commercial launch of the service,” said Fan Yunjun, marketing manager for Beijing Mobile. “ We expect that the 3G licenses will be issued late next year.”