It’s a question anyone might ask in the future: Should your household robot be cool? Or practical?

For Sony Corporation, robots ought to be entertaining. The company’s 　51 robot, SDR—4X, can sing and dance. But for automaker Honda Motor Co. Ltd, such 52 should perform useful tasks for their 53 masters.

“It is in the end a machine, a 54 ” said Masato Hirose, Honda’s chief engineer. Sony’s chief researcher Toshi Doi said robots performing such tasks as 55 for ill or disabled people would not necessarily need a human 56 . “The attractiveness of the SDR—4X is its 57 ”, he said. “It has feelings. It has instincts (直觉).”

Drawing from its 58 of 60,000 words, an SDX—4X robot 59 last week that it can ask a 60 in a high voice: “please 61 still for a minute while I memorize your face.” It also 62 off its ability to walk on uneven (高低不平的) floors, and come to its owner when it’s 63 .

While Honda’s robot is 64 used mainly for entertainment, it is 65 that one day it will be a useful companion. So its robots have been 66 to be 120cm tall—more than twice the height of the SDR—4X. Hirose said 120cm is the 67 a robot that moves around a home should be.

“If you are going to have something that can move with 68 in a human surroundings, then it is better to 69 the robot like a human,” he said.

Hirose said that he hopes the robot will be 70 enough so that he can buy one for himself and let it get him a beer.

16. A. earliest　　　　 B. latest　　　　　 C. coolest　　　　　　 D. largest

17. A. matters　　　　 B. people　　　　　 C. machines　　　　 D. inventions

18. A. human　　　　　 B. own　　　　 C. creative　　　　 D. modern

19. A. tool 　　　　　 B. robot　　　　　 C. toy　　　　　　 D. slave

20. A. looking　　　　 B. working　　 C. leaving　　　　 D. caring

21. A. appearance 　　 B. character 　　　 C. job 　　　　　　 D. ability

22. A. purpose　　 　 B. appearance　 　 C. personality　　　　 D. material

23. A. storage　　　　 B. use　　　　 C. project　　　　　　 D. creation

24. A. said 　　　　　 B. announced　　　 C. showed　　　　　 D. imagined

25. A. friend 　　　　 B. partner 　　　 C. servant　　　　 D. guest

26. A. hold 　　　　　 B. lie　　　　 C. take　　　　　　 D. make

27. A. left　　　　　　 B. showed　　　 C. put　　　　　　 D. dropped

28. A. tired　　　　　 B. called　　　　　 C. controlled　　　　　 D. made

29. A. also　　　　 B. still　　　　　 C. again　　　　　　　 D. even

30. A. planned　　　　 B. hoped　　　　　 C. reported　　　　 D. described

31. A. expected　　 B. raised　　　　　 C. proved　　　　　　　 D. designed

32. A. cheapest　　 B. dearest　　　　 C. smallest　　　　 D. biggest

33. A. ease　　　　 B. care　　　　 C. difficulty　　　　　 D. foot

34. A. buy　　　　 B. use　　　　 C. invest　　　　　　　 D. design

35. A. useful　　　　　 B. smart　　　　　 C. cheap　　　　　　　 D. low

Most people believe they don't have imagination. They are wrong. Everyone has imagination, but most of us，once we became adults, forget how to access it. Creativity isn't always connected with great works of art or ideas. People at work and in their free time routinely think of creative ways to solve problems. Maybe you have a goal to achieve，a tricky question to answer or you just want to expand your mind! Here are three techniques to help you.
This technique involves taking unrelated ideas and trying to find links between them. First，think about the problem you have to solve or the job you need to do. Then find an image，word，idea or object，for example，a candle. Write down all the ideas/words associated with candles：light，fire，matches, wax，night，silence，etc. Think of as many as you can. The next stage is to relate the ideas to the job you have to do. So imagine you want to buy a friend an original present; you could buy him tickets to a match or take him out for the night.
　  Imagine that normal limitations don't exist. You have as much time/space/money，etc. as you want. Think about your goal and the new possibilities. If，for example，your goal is to learn to ski, you can now practice skiing every day of your life (because you have the time and the money). Now adapt this to reality. Maybe you can practice skiing every day in December，or every Monday in January.
Look at the situation from a different point of view. Good negotiators use this technique in business，and so do writers. Fiction writers often imagine they are the characters in their books. They ask questions: what does this character want? Why can't she get it? What changes must she make to get what she wants? What does she dream about? If your goal involves other people, put yourself “in their shoes”. The best fishermen think like fish!
【小题1】According to the passage, when we become adults, _________ .

Most people believe they don't have imagination. They are wrong. Everyone has imagination, but most of us，once we became adults, forget how to access it. Creativity isn't always connected with great works of art or ideas. People at work and in their free time routinely think of creative ways to solve problems. Maybe you have a goal to achieve，a tricky question to answer or you just want to expand your mind! Here are three techniques to help you.

This technique involves taking unrelated ideas and trying to find links between them. First，think about the problem you have to solve or the job you need to do. Then find an image，word，idea or object，for example，a candle. Write down all the ideas/words associated with candles：light，fire，matches, wax，night，silence，etc. Think of as many as you can. The next stage is to relate the ideas to the job you have to do. So imagine you want to buy a friend an original present; you could buy him tickets to a match or take him out for the night.

　  Imagine that normal limitations don't exist. You have as much time/space/money，etc. as you want. Think about your goal and the new possibilities. If，for example，your goal is to learn to ski, you can now practice skiing every day of your life (because you have the time and the money). Now adapt this to reality. Maybe you can practice skiing every day in December，or every Monday in January.

Look at the situation from a different point of view. Good negotiators use this technique in business，and so do writers. Fiction writers often imagine they are the characters in their books. They ask questions: what does this character want? Why can't she get it? What changes must she make to get what she wants? What does she dream about? If your goal involves other people, put yourself “in their shoes”. The best fishermen think like fish!

1.According to the passage, when we become adults, _________ .

2.The second technique suggests that you just imagine

3.The phrase “put yourself in their shoes” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______  .

4.We learn from the third technique that a good salesman should ask himself “ _________ ?”.

Unemployment will certainly be in double-digits next year--and may remain there for some time. And for every person who __1_ as unemployed in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ household survey, you can bet there’s another either too __2__ to look for work or working part time who’d rather have a full-time job or else taking home less pay than before. And there’s yet another person who’s more fearful that he or she will be the __3__ to lose a job.

__4__, 10 percent unemployment really means 20 percent underemployment or anxious employment, all of which translates __5__ into late payments on mortgages, credit cards, auto and student loans, and loss of health insurance. It also means sleeplessness for tens of millions of Americans, and, of course, __6__ purchases.

Unemployment of this magnitude and duration also translates into ugly __7__, because fear and anxiety are __8__ grounds for the political resentment against immigrants, blacks, the poor, government leaders, business leaders, Jews and other easy _9__. It’s already started. Next year is a mid-term election. Be prepared for worse.

So why is unemployment and underemployment so high? And why is it _10__ to remain high for some time? Because, as noted, people who are worried about their jobs or have no jobs, and who are also trying to _11__ from under a pile of debt, are not going to do a lot of shopping. And businesses that don’t have customers aren’t going to do a lot of new _12__. And foreign nations also suffering high __13__ aren’t going to buy a lot of our goods and services. And without customers, companies won’t __14__. They’ll cut payrolls instead.

This brings us to the obvious question: Who’s going to buy the stuff we make or the services we provide, and therefore bring jobs back? There’s only one __15__ left: The government.

1. A.  keeps to     B. sticks   to          C. shows up     D. attaches

2. A. discouraged       B. timid                C. sure         D. upset

3. A. first         B. next             C. last         D. only

4. A. On the other hand B. By contrast          C. As a whole       D. In other words

5. A. enormously        B. definitely           C. exactly      D. directly

6. A. fewer         B. more             C. better           D. worse

7. A. economics     B. trades               C. politics     D. industries

8. A. necessary     B. fertile              C. scarce           D. heated

9. A. opponents     B. targets              C. victims      D. potentials[来源:]

10. A. due          B. able             C. equal            D. likely

11. A. get out          B. get around           C. get into     D. get off

12. A. programming  B. planning         C. investing        D. advertising

13. A. signature        B. unemployment     C. crisis           D. inefficiency

14. A. rent         B. run              C. sell         D. hire

15. A. manufacturer B. applicant            C. buyer            D. employer

Feed the world

With the global population expected to rise to 9 billion within 50 years, feeding the world has never seemed such a daunting task. But GM(转基因)technology is giving hope to developing countries, where many people think biotechnology can offer improved nutrition, health and prosperity(繁荣).

High hopes

Many scientists in Africa regard GM crops as the only way to avoid mass starvation (饥饿) on the continent. Kenyan researchers recently created a GM sweet potato that they predict could increase yields by up to 80 percent.

Meanwhile, South African scientists have used genetic modification to insert the vaccine (疫苗) for the disease cholera (霍乱) into bananas. Cholera is a particularly serious problem in South Africa. But there are still several barriers that stop developing countries from growing GM crops on a large scale.

Obstacle course

Private enterprise is unwilling to invest in GM products that would benefit developing countries. Regulatory clearance (许可证) to grow a single GM crop can cost companies between $5 (￡3.4 million) and $30 million (￡20.5 million), so they tend to focus on areas that give them large returns on their investment.

Use only once

In traditional farming, some seeds from a harvest are saved to be planted the following year. But biotech companies force farmers growing GM crops to buy new supplies of seed every harvest. Farmers in Canada have even been sued(控告)for re-planting GM seed.

But biotech companies think it will be harder to enforce this rule in developing countries, so they have been coming up with cunning(狡猾的)methods to make farmers come back for seed each year.

This approach could make farmers too dependent on such companies for their livelihoods, leading them to neglect the basic farming skills they would need to rely on if their situation changed and possibly bankrupted (破产) them.

Going it alone

Developing countries are making real progress in genetic engineering, and have already produced their own GM crops. But many environmentalists are worried that developing nations would not apply strict testing to GM crops and food safety regulations (规章).

5. From the first paragraph we know that ________.

A. food supply for the whole world is out of question because of GM technology

B. food supply for the whole world is still a serious problem because of the increasing of population

C. food supply for the whole world is never a problem because of biote chnology

D. people in developing countries will never have food shortage because of GM technology

6. The purpose of growing GM crops is ________.

A. to provide safer food for the world

B. to find a new cure to the disease cholera

C. to get a lot of money by selling the seeds

D. to prevent the world from mass starvation

7. Some enterprises are unwilling to spend money on GM products because ________.

A. the products will benefit developing countries

B. they have to pay a large amount of money to get the permit

C. they don't have much knowledge about the GM technology

D. they can't get enough seeds from the biotech companies

8. It can be inferred that________.

A. growing GM crops would possibly make farmers bankrupt

B. companies could grow GM crops freely once they had the GM technology

C. developing countries are growing GM crops on a large scale

D. scientists are not sure about whether GM crops are safe to eat