Nao, the first robot able to show feelings, has been created by a European research team. When Nao is sad, he lowers his head and looks down. When he’s happy, he raises his arms for a hug. Nothing is out of the ordinary, except that Nao is a robot.
“We’re modeling the first years of life,” says Lola Canamero, a computer scientist at the University of Hertforshire. “The feelings are shown through physical gestures and body movements rather than facial or verbal(言语的) expressions.”
In the future, says the scientist, robots are likely to act as companions, provide support for old people, and help people shop online. In such uses, the display of feeling will be important in making the interactions(交往) more natural and comfortable.
Nao has been programmed to copy the emotional skills of a one-year-old child. It can memorize faces, and knows the basic rules of good and bad. Based on these it can decide how to react to what is going on. The actions going with each feeling are pre-programmed, but Nao decides for itself when to display them.
Nao is also programmed to have different personalities. A more independent robot is less likely to call for help when exploring a room, while a more fearful robot will show distress if it finds something in the room that may be harmful.
Canamero’s team will take its emotional programming forward into medical applications. Part of the project will look at ways to use robots in hospitals to support the roles of doctors, nurses and parents. Children might find that a small, friendly-looking robot that can understand their emotional states makes them less anxious. “We want to explore different roles—the robots will help the children to understand their treatment and explain what they have to do. We want to help the children to control their anxiety.” she says.
1.According to the text, Nao_______.
A.displays different feelings in different situations
B.is able to imitate adult emotional displays
C.can remember people’s feelings
D.learns emotions from facial expressions
2.What can we learn from the text?
A.Scientists worked on facial and spoken expressions to create Nao’s emotions.
B.The time when Nao displays feelings has been pre-programmed.
C.Emotional programming is used in medicine production.
D.Robots with emotional skills can help children feel more comfortable.
3.What does the underlined word “distress” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
A.Courage. B.Anxiety.
C.Anger. D.Satisfaction.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.The relationship between humans and robots.
B.The roles that robots play in different fields.
C.The first robot able to show feelings.
D.The long history of robots.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
If you're planning on hitting up a festival this summer, make sure you check out the latest packing guide to camping music festivals.
Quebec City Summer Festival
When: July 4-14
Where: Toronto, Quebec
300 shows, 10 places and 11 days of music make this festival one of Canada's biggest music festivals. Every year, this festival attracts over one million festivalgoers to Quebec City's historic district for concerts by international superstars and top new talents.
Center of Gravity
When: July 28-30
Where: Kelowna, British Columbia
Canada's hottest beach festival is back! Now in its 10th year, the biggest and exciting festival to hit the Okanagan includes three days packed with extreme sports, sandy beaches, and some of the biggest DJ names in the world.
Future Forest
When: August 5-7
Where: Fredericton, New Brunswick
Future Forest is an outdoor camping festival with a focus on electronic music. The festival originated in 2012 as a fundraiser for a brilliant DJ, Jay Hamilton, who was diagnosed with cancer. Future Forest proudly shows the idea that there are no audience at the event but rather participants who in some way contribute to the overall experience.
Shambhala Music Festival
When: August 9-10
Where: Salmo River Ranch, British Columbia
This is Canada's earliest electronic music festival. Cutting edge talent, lights and sound come together to give life to this event. Seeing it for yourself is the only way to understand exactly what is Shambhala.
1.What can people do in the Quebec City Summer Festival?
A.Enjoy the performances of superstars. B.Learn about Quebec City's history.
C.Do some extreme sports. D.Play on the sandy beaches.
2.What was Future Forest set up for at first?
A.To honor brilliant Jay Hamilton. B.To raise money for a cancer patient.
C.To provide outdoor camping activities. D.To promote electronic music.
3.Which festival is Canada's earliest electronic music festival?
A.Quebec City Summer Festival. B.Center of Gravity.
C.Future Forest. D.Shambhala Music Festival.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
My violin is like a soulmate that whispers words of wisdom to me. Together, we've gone through both tears and happiness.
About 12 years ago, I made acquaintance with it following an order from my mom. Many hours of boredom were spent practicing it. And to make things worse, the disappointment in my teacher's eyes as I played the wrong notes was like an invisible hammer, striking on my heart. One day, I finally decided: I hate it!
By chance, things changed when I was seven. I was at home lying on the sofa, wondering how those famous violinists dealt with this terrible dilemma(进退两难). I searched online for the E-minor Concerto, a well-known violin work by German composer Felix Mendelssohn, and listened to it.
A beautiful and mysterious sound came from the violin as the bow moved across it. It was like the music slid over the flowers, rose up, and started to fill the air. The violin's voice woke up the sun, made the trees green, and freshened the air. As the music changed, the sky turned back to gray. A gloomy shade covered the grass as all the sunshine disappeared. I could hear children crying and men shouting. It was like an invisible claw(爪子)had grabbed my heart tightly, making it unable to beat.
That glorious day set off my passion and interest in violin — I grabbed mine and never let it go. Before the memories faded, I stared at my instrument. Without hesitating, I picked it up, rosined the bow, and began to play. Peace filled my heart.
My violin has been by my side for 12 years. When I feel happy, an energetic tune makes it even better; when I'm deep in sorrow, a peaceful tune washes it away； when I'm walking on air, feeling especially pleased with my achievements, solemn tunes calm me down. Gradually, it has become a part of my life.
My violin, shall I compare you to a summer's day?
1.What further contributed to the author's dislike of violin-playing?
A.Orders from mum. B.Boredom of practice.
C.Disappointment in the teacher's eyes. D.Loss of passion for violin.
2.What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
A.The weather actually changed because of the tune.
B.The scenery outside the room was quite attractive.
C.The sudden change made the author's heart unable to beat.
D.The author's feeling was continuously influenced by the music.
3.Why did the author pick up the violin again?
A.The invisible hammer and claw are gone.
B.A famous tune aroused his interest and passion.
C.The beautiful imagination changed his attitude.
D.He was crazy about Felix Mendelssohn, s works.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Musical Soulmate —Violin B.My Dislike and Like of Violin
C.An Inspiring Story of Violin D.Deep Love for Violin Music
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world. We go fishing, sit in the garden, have a picnic, live in the suburbs or go to the seaside. The most popular leisure activity in Britain is going for a walk. When joggers jog, they don't run the streets. Every one of them tend to go to the park or the river.
But despite this, our children are growing up nature deprived. I spent my boyhood climbing trees. These days, children are robbed of these ancient freedoms, due to problems like crime, traffic, the loss of the open spaces and strange new ideas about what is best for children, that is to say, things that can be bought, rather than things that can be found.
The truth is to be found elsewhere. A study in the US: families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD—attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Those whose accommodation had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%; those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%.
ADHD is one of the great problems of modem childhood. One study after another indicates that contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children. However, we spend money on drugs rather than on green places.
The life of old people is measurably better when they have access to nature. The increasing concern for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years. And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality. Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world.
We need the wild world. It is essential to our well-being, our health and our happiness.
1.According to the author, people enjoy to seek nature.
A.running in the gym B.jogging on the street
C.shopping in the supermarket D.sitting in the garden
2.From the second paragraph, we can see that .
A.climbing trees will certainly do good to the children
B.children probably spend less time in nature nowadays
C.adults deprive the children of their rights to approach nature
D.children tend to be happier as a result of their material satisfaction
3.In what way do people benefit from their contact with nature?
A.Children with ADHD can be cured.
B.Children's performance at school is greatly improved.
C.A garden nearby improves the quality of old people's life.
D.Problems with crime and violent behavior will easily be solved.
4.What is the main idea of this passage?
A.Getting close to nature improves our life.
B.Nature can treat the children with ADHD.
C.Playing in nature reduces aggressive behaviour.
D.Human beings can not live without natural areas.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited at times, loving them is a normal part of life.1.Here are some ways to love your parents.
Tell them you love them every morning. A gentle “good morning” and “I love you” will warm a coldest heart. Remember that they brought you into this world. 2.
Respect them more and value the moments with them. You can use these moments to learn from them, preparing yourself for when you’re off on your own. It’s OK to get angry but angry actions don’t help you or your parents. 3. After this, share your feelings with your parents.
Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem as if you are going through hell when you don't get what you want. 4.Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes. Forgiveness is the key. Since you can forgive your friends, why not forgive your parents?
5. Do things with your parents like watching TV, or go somewhere with them. Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can.
A.Keep them company.
B.Parents will in turn express their love to you.
C.You love them because they created you and raised you.
D.Act calmly, write down your feelings, or talk with your friends.
E.Please remember parents are the dearest people for us in the world.
F.However, you should remember it is your parents who love you and protect you.
G.Without your parents, we might still wander at an unknown corner in an unknown world.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
After graduation, Susan was asked to become the executive director of the Floating Hospital. She _______ at first, as it was a very big job and she didn't know if she could _______ it. But finally, she _______ . While her job was rewarding, she soon got tired of it. When she sat at her desk one day, an idea _______ to her that she wanted to go down to the New School for Social Research. _______ she was learning to trust her intuition(直觉)，she decided to have a go.
Without any forethought, she titled the _______ “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway” . Susan was _______ as she faced the first session of the twelve-week course. The two hours went well, but she then was _______ with a new fear, for she didn't know what to teach the next week. But every week she found she had more to say. And her _______ level grew. She realized she had learned so much over the years about ________ fear. And her students were drinking it up. At the end of the course, they were ________ at how shifting their thinking really changed their lives.
Susan ________ decided to write a book based on the course she had taught. She faced many roadblocks. And after four agents and fifteen ________ from various publishers, she ________ put the proposal(申请) in a drawer.
After three years of writing, she was going through the drawer that ________ her rejected(拒收) book proposal. Picking it up, she had a strong ________ that she held something in her hands that many people ________ to read. So, she set out with much ________ to find a publisher who believed in her book the ________ way she did. This time, she succeeded. She succeeded ________ her wildest dreams.
She was so happy she followed her heart and never gave up overcoming fears that stood in her way.
1.A.admitted B.wondered C.hesitated D.recognized
2.A.give B.handle C.get D.have
3.A.explained B.paused C.ignored D.agreed
4.A.occurred B.applied C.led D.belonged
5.A.While B.Since C.If D.Though
6.A.book B.talk C.speech D.course
7.A.nervous B.energetic C.sad D.mad
8.A.armed B.provided C.pleased D.challenged
9.A.balance B.confidence C.happiness D.success
10.A.handing over B.taking over C.getting over D.looking over
11.A.relieved B.puzzled C.amused D.astonished
12.A.finally B.gradually C.completely D.actually
13.A.applications B.rejections C.occupations D.organizations
14.A.hopefully B.swiftly C.unluckily D.unwillingly
15.A.held B.emptied C.removed D.supported
16.A.support B.love C.sense D.regret
17.A.happened B.afforded C.offered D.needed
18.A.determination B.realization C.satisfaction D.imagination
19.A.right B.ideal C.same D.obvious
20.A.within B.beyond C.through D.behind
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
根据下列句子及所给汉语注释，在答题卡相应的横线上写出空缺处各单词的正确形式。每空只写一个词
1.The little horror never stops playing________（恶作剧）on his parents.
2.1 feel it is absolutely necessary for me to_______（提醒）him of the meeting today.
3.Only a______（有限的）number of places are available.
4.You have several oil_______（污点）on your shirt.
5.In some developing countries, more and more people are settling down in_____（城市的）areas.
6.Everyone in the restaurant_______（拥挤）around them and started singing.
7.Her strange behavior caused a good deal of________（评论）.
8.We must try to cope with our own_____（失败）.
9.I try to______（使……信服）him of the reality of the danger.
10.Before visiting him, I called him up in______（提前）.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
单句汉译英
1.最富有生气而又最重要的节日，就是告别冬天、迎来春天的日子。(look forward to)
2.她们总算见到了野山羊，甚至还看到了一只熊和一只鹰。(manage to do)
3.袁博士很满意他的生活，而他对自己的成名并不关心。(care about)
4.Jane宁愿呆在家里也不愿意参加聚会。(would rather do than do)
5.你了解古英格兰人是如何打理他们的农场以及照看他们的动物的吗？ (run a farm)
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
英语课上，你学习了有关“身势语”主题语境下各国的文化差异。请用英语写一篇短文，介绍一下。要点如下：
1.什么是身势语？
2.身势语有什么作用？
3.使用身势语注意的问题。
注意：短文开头已给出，不计入总词数(100词左右)。
Body Language
Body language is used by people for sending messages to one another._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
难度: 中等查看答案及解析