Kanda really doesn't like to walk alone. The ...

Kanda really doesn't like to walk alone. The scientist from a research institute of intelligent robots finds the experience so boring that he'd rather drive—even though he lives close to his lab and knows that walking us healthy. "I enjoy walking with someone, like with my wife, with my daughter," Kanda said. "But they are not always available."

So Kanda, who specializes in human-like bots, developed a robotic walking partner that could make small talk based on its surroundings, which, he hopes, might motivate people to get out and exercise more. The bot rests on a person's shoulder like a boxy parrot. It weighs about a pound and a half and sits roughly 8.5 inches high, 3.5inches wide, and 10 inches long. A microphone, speaker, and internal camera allow it to communicate. It's even equipped with a smile.

Kanda and his team collected video form five different locations, including a garden and a shopping mall, and created a dataset of small talk topics related to each location. Then they programmed the robot to associate visual cues with specific topics. A special speech software provided the robot with a voice. Near a group of parked cars, for example, it might say, "In a big parking lot, sometimes I forget where I parked."

They tested the robot on 15 volunteers, 10 males and 5 females, who were paid and averaged about 26 years old. "Have you ever blown a puff of dandelion（蒲公英）seeds into the air?" The robot asked a participant, who smiled and responded, "Yes, I often did that when I was a child." Although several participants noted the robot's weight, Kanda was surprised that no one considered the experience as strange or funny. "I guess people enjoy new technologies," he said.

Just like a human partner, Kanda's bot isn't perfect. It's not able to go for walks in heavy rain and, while the robot can make expressions, it can't really hold a conversation, about which Kanda is most worried. Despite its limits, Kanda was comforted by the bot's presence. "I felt a kind of sense of being with someone, "he said, "particularly when it spoke."

1.Why does Kanda have the idea of developing a robotic walking partner?

A. Because he wants someone to accompany him while walking.

B. Because he has never developed a robot like a parrot.

C. Because his family are unwilling to walk with him.

D. Because he is crazy about developing robots.

2.What characteristic does the robot have?

A. It can "speak" and "see".

B. It can walk like a human being.

C. It can communicate with people freely.

D. It is much more humorous than a real person.

3.What is necessary for the robot to function?

A. A small size.

B. A boxy shape.

C. A human partner.

D. A speech software.

4.What is Kanda most likely to do about his robot next?

A. To make it more convenient to carry.

B. To improve its conversational skills.

C. To enable it to walk in heavy rain.

D. To better its sound system.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Kanda really doesn't like to walk alone. The scientist from a research institute of intelligent robots finds the experience so boring that he'd rather drive—even though he lives close to his lab and knows that walking us healthy. "I enjoy walking with someone, like with my wife, with my daughter," Kanda said. "But they are not always available."

So Kanda, who specializes in human-like bots, developed a robotic walking partner that could make small talk based on its surroundings, which, he hopes, might motivate people to get out and exercise more. The bot rests on a person's shoulder like a boxy parrot. It weighs about a pound and a half and sits roughly 8.5 inches high, 3.5inches wide, and 10 inches long. A microphone, speaker, and internal camera allow it to communicate. It's even equipped with a smile.

Kanda and his team collected video form five different locations, including a garden and a shopping mall, and created a dataset of small talk topics related to each location. Then they programmed the robot to associate visual cues with specific topics. A special speech software provided the robot with a voice. Near a group of parked cars, for example, it might say, "In a big parking lot, sometimes I forget where I parked."

They tested the robot on 15 volunteers, 10 males and 5 females, who were paid and averaged about 26 years old. "Have you ever blown a puff of dandelion（蒲公英）seeds into the air?" The robot asked a participant, who smiled and responded, "Yes, I often did that when I was a child." Although several participants noted the robot's weight, Kanda was surprised that no one considered the experience as strange or funny. "I guess people enjoy new technologies," he said.

Just like a human partner, Kanda's bot isn't perfect. It's not able to go for walks in heavy rain and, while the robot can make expressions, it can't really hold a conversation, about which Kanda is most worried. Despite its limits, Kanda was comforted by the bot's presence. "I felt a kind of sense of being with someone, "he said, "particularly when it spoke."

1.Why does Kanda have the idea of developing a robotic walking partner?

A. Because he wants someone to accompany him while walking.

B. Because he has never developed a robot like a parrot.

C. Because his family are unwilling to walk with him.

D. Because he is crazy about developing robots.

2.What characteristic does the robot have?

A. It can "speak" and "see".

B. It can walk like a human being.

C. It can communicate with people freely.

D. It is much more humorous than a real person.

3.What is necessary for the robot to function?

A. A small size.

B. A boxy shape.

C. A human partner.

D. A speech software.

4.What is Kanda most likely to do about his robot next?

A. To make it more convenient to carry.

B. To improve its conversational skills.

C. To enable it to walk in heavy rain.

D. To better its sound system.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It’s really ____ fun to walk alone with _______ full moon hanging in the sky．

A．a; the       B．a; 不填    C the; a   D．不填; a

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

A new report said scientists may not be far from giving apes the ability to think and talk like humans. The report is about experiments which transplant human cells into animals for medical purposes.

It claimed that concerns about the creation of talking apes should be taken seriously. It should also draw people’s attention to the possibility that the medical research about creating “humanised” animals is going to generate monsters.

A regulatory（监管的）body is needed to closely monitor any experiments that many risk creating animals with human-like consciousness or giving them any appearance or behavioural traits that too closely resemble humans, the report said.

Scientists would, for example, be prevented from replacing a large number of an ape’s brain cells with human brain cells until more is known about the potential risks. This has already been done in simpler animals like mice, which is judged to be less risky.

Under the new UK guidelines, the power to regulate tests on animals containing human material would be transferred to a body with wider responsibility for animal testing in the Home Office.

While there is no risk from experiments currently being carried out in Britain, it is possible that ethical (道德的) boundaries could be crossed within the next few years if scientists are not careful, the experts said.

Professor Thomas Baldwin, a member of the Academy of Medical Sciences working group that produced the report, said the possibility of humanised apes should be taken seriously.

He said, “The fear is that if you start putting very large numbers of human brain cells into the brains of primates（灵长类动物）you might transform the primates into something that has some of the abilities that we regard as distinctly human, such as speech, or other ways of being able to manipulate or relate to us.”

Professor Martin Bobrow, chair of the academy working group that produced the report, said, “The very great majority of experiments present no issues beyond the general use of animals in research and these should continue to proceed under the current regulations.”

Lord Willis, chair of the Association of Medical Research Charities, said, “AMRC only supports research that is absolutely necessary and where no suitable alternative methods are available.”

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A．Ethical rules to limit humanised animals.

B．The potential results of humanised apes.

C．The possibility of humanised animals.

D．The danger of human-like animals.

2.The underlined word “manipulate” in the passage probably means “_______”.

A．appeal            B．possess           C．control           D．associate

3.Which of the following statements might Professor Thomas Baldwin agree with?

A．It is necessary to do some experiments about humanised animals.

B．Experiments about humanised animals should be done within the law.

C．It would be dangerous to do experiments about humanised animals.

D．It is urgent to ban experiment about humanised animals.

4.It can be inferred that _______.

A．people should be careful when creating talking apes

B．Thomas Baldwin and Lord Willis are from the same organization

C．creating humanised animals is difficult in Britain now

D．scientists must be cautious not to cross ethical boundaries

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A new device (设备) works like a solar panel, except it doesn't harvest energy from the sun to produce electricity. Instead, it uses energy from the cold night sky.

In the center of this device is a thermoelectric generator (热电发电机), which uses the temperature difference between Earth and outer space to create electricity.

As long as one side of it is cooler than the other, the generator can produce electricity. The cooler side faces the sky and is attached to an aluminum plate. That plate is sealed under a transparent cover and surrounded with materials that keep heat out. It stays cooler than the surrounding air by getting rid of any heat it absorbs as infrared (红外线的) radiation. That radiation can zip up through the transparent cover and on toward outer space.

The bottom of the generator is attached to an exposed aluminum plate, which is warmed by the local air. At night, the top plate can get several degrees centigrade cooler than the bottom of the generator.

Researchers tested the device one clear December night in Stanford, Calif. The generator produced up to about 25 milliwatts of power per square meter of the device. That was just enough power to light a small electric lamp. Further improvements might develop its production to at least 500 milliwatts per square meter.

"It's a very clever idea," says Yuan Yang, a materials scientist who works at Columbia University in New York City. "The device still needs improving," he notes. "But this new device may be useful for backup power," Yang says. "It might also provide a bit of energy to people living in areas that lack electricity."

"The device could help power remote weather stations or other environmental devices," says Aaswath Raman, a materials scientist who worked on the device at the University of California, Los Angeles. What's more, this may be useful in areas that don't see sunlight for months at a time, Raman adds.

1.How is the device designed?

A.It includes two aluminum plates with different functions.

B.It is equipped with a heat resistant generator in the center.

C.Its two aluminum plates are exposed to air to keep heat out.

D.Its generator is sealed by a transparent cover to remain cool.

2.What is the limitation with the tested device?

A.It won't be expanded to be much larger.

B.It fails to produce electricity fast enough.

C.It is unable to power small electric lamps.

D.It produces a limited amount of electricity.

3.In paragraph 6, Yuan Yang mainly intends to　　　　　　 .

A.evaluate the device on a positive basis

B.point out the problems with the device

C.explain the research work for the device

D.comment on Aaswath Raman's prediction

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A.Lamps Are Powered by the Energy From the Cold Night Sky

B.A Generator Producing Electricity Has Been Applied in Many Areas

C.Scientists Have Made a Breakthrough in Harvesting Green Energy

D.A Device Uses Energy From the Cold Night Sky to Produce Electricity

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Walking alone on a remote beach in southwest Florida, I was surprised to hear splashes coming from the water. As I walked in the _______ of the sounds, I saw a manatee(海牛) show its head out of the water, _______a great snuffling(带鼻音的) breath. It seemed that it was in _______and trying to get out of it.

I'd never seen a _______ like this before. I wanted to _______, but there was no one else on the beach. So I went into the shallow water and went toward the animal. I came _______enough to make out the manatee. Then, a second manatee, much smaller, appeared beside it. _______, the manatees were also moving toward me. Soon I was _______by several manatees. I could clearly see the larger manatee _______the little one up with her flipper(鳍状肢) and pushed it to the ________beside me.

As the two slipped underwater, two other manatees moved up from behind, one on either side, ________gently against my body as they swam past. They circled and________ the action, this time ________by the mother and her baby. I held my hand out touching their back as they passed me. Since they obviously enjoyed touching me, I began ________each of them as they swam by.

I stood there enjoying the scene, ________to move, until finally the rising tide forced me back to the shore. Later I knew exactly what took place that morning. The manatees ________me in their celebration of a birth and I was welcome to meet the ________member of their family.

During that unexpected scene, I felt more involved in the rhythms of ________on our earth than ever. Each year, I head for that ________for a quiet little birthday picnic on the shore. After all, you never know who might ________up for your party.

1.A. direction　　 B. condition　　 C. middle　　 D. side

2.A. making out　　 B. putting out　　 C. coming out　　 D. letting out

3.A. force　　 B. trouble　　 C. loss　　 D. action

4.A. look　　 B. feel　　 C. sight　　 D. smell

5.A. leave　　 B. see　　 C. find　　 D. help

6.A. close　　 B. soon　　 C. quick　　 D. straight

7.A. Luckily　　 B. Personally　　 C. Unexpectedly　　 D. Sadly

8.A. watched　　 B. surrounded　　 C. attacked　　 D. separated

9.A. turn　　 B. eat　　 C. throw　　 D. hold

10.A. field　　 B. surface　　 C. pool　　 D. bank

11.A. rubbing　　 B. preventing　　 C. surfing　　 D. comforting

12.A. practiced　　 B. changed　　 C. repeated　　 D. showed

13.A. seen　　 B. followed　　 C. taught　　 D. ordered

14.A. moving　　 B. hitting　　 C. catching　　 D. touching

15.A. unwilling　　 B. ready　　 C. unable　　 D. afraid

16.A. invited　　 B. protected　　 C. included　　 D. fought

17.A. best　　 B. oldest　　 C. toughest　　 D. newest

18.A. life　　 B. music　　 C. world　　 D. development

19.A. boat　　 B. hill　　 C. beach　　 D. scene

20.A. build　　 B. show　　 C. look　　 D. step

高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Simon Sinek is naturally shy and doesn’t like speaking to crowds. At parties, he says he hides alone in the corner or doesn’t even show up in the first place. He prefers the latter. Yet, with some 22 million video views under his belt, the optimistic ethnographer also happens to be the third most-watched TED Talks presenter of all time.

Sinek’s unlikely success as both an inspirational speaker and a bestselling author isn’t just dumb luck. It’s the result of fears faced and erased, trial and error and tireless practice, on and off stage. Here are his secrets for delivering speeches that inspire, inform and entertain.

Don’t talk right away.

Sinek says you should never talk as you walk out on stage. “A lot of people start talking right away, and it’s out of nerves,” Sinek says. “That communicates a little bit of insecurity and fear.”

Instead, quietly walk out on stage. Then take a deep breath, find your place, wait a few seconds and begin. “I know it sounds long and tedious and it feels excruciatingly awkward when you do it,” Sinek says, “but it shows the audience you’re totally confident and in charge of the situation.”

Show up to give, not to take.

Often people give presentations to sell products or ideas, to get people to follow them on social media, buy their books or even just to like them. Sinek calls these kinds of speakers “takers,” and he says audiences can see through these people right away. And, when they do, they disengage.

“We are highly social animals,” says Sinek. “Even at a distance on stage, we can tell if you’re a giver or a taker, and people are more likely to trust a giver — a speaker that gives them value, that teaches them something new, that inspires them — than a taker.”

Speak unusually slowly.

When you get nervous, it’s not just your heart beat that quickens. Your words also tend to speed up. Luckily Sinek says audiences are more patient and forgiving than we know.

“They want you to succeed up there, but the more you rush, the more you turn them off,” he says. “If you just go quiet for a moment and take a long, deep breath, they’ll wait for you. It’s kind of amazing.”

Turn nervousness into excitement.

Sinek learned this trick from watching the Olympics. A few years ago he noticed that reporters interviewing Olympic athletes before and after competing were all asking the same question. “Were you nervous?” And all of the athletes gave the same answer: “No, I was excited.” These competitors were taking the body’s signs of nervousness — clammy hands, pounding heart and tense nerves — and reinterpreting them as side effects of excitement and exhilaration.

When you’re up on stage you will likely go through the same thing. That’s when Sinek says you should say to yourself out loud, “I’m not nervous, I’m excited!”

Say thank you when you’re done.

Applause is a gift, and when you receive a gift, it’s only right to express how grateful you are for it. This is why Sinek always closes out his presentations with these two simple yet powerful words: thank you.

“They gave you their time, and they’re giving you their applause.” Says Sinek. “That’s a gift, and you have to be grateful.”

高三英语填空题中等难度题查看答案及解析

Simon Sinek is naturally shy and doesn’t like speaking to crowds．At parties，he says he hides alone in the corner or doesn’t even show up in the first place．He prefers the latter．Yet，with some 22 million video views under his belt，the optimistic ethnographer also happens to be the third most　　　　 watched TED Talks presenter of all time．

Sinek’s unlikely success as both an inspirational speaker and a bestselling author isn’t just dumb luck．It’s the result of fears faced and erased，trial and error and tireless practice，on and off stage．Here are his secrets for delivering speeches that inspire，inform and entertain．

Don’t talk right away．

Sinek says you should never talk as you walk out on stage．“A lot of people start talking right away，and it’s out of nerves,” Sinek says．“That communicates a little bit of insecurity and fear．”

Instead，quietly walk out on stage．Then take a deep breath，find your place，wait a few seconds and begin．“I know it sounds long and tedious and it feels excruciatingly awkward when you do it,” Sinek says，“but it shows the audience you’re totally confident and in charge of the situation．”

Show up to give，not to take．

Often people give presentations to sell products or ideas，to get people to follow them on social media，buy their books or even just to like them．Sinek calls these kinds of speakers “takers,” and he says audiences can see through these people right away．And，when they do，they disengage．

“We are highly social animals,” says Sinek．“Even at a distance on stage，we can tell if you’re a giver or a taker，and people are more likely to trust a giver — a speaker that gives them value，that teaches them something new，that inspires them — than a taker．”

Speak unusually slowly．

When you get nervous，it’s not just your heart beat that quickens．Your words also tend to speed up．Luckily Sinek says audiences are more patient and forgiving than we know．

“They want you to succeed up there，but the more you rush，the more you turn them off,” he says．“If you just go quiet for a moment and take a long，deep breath，they’ll wait for you．It’s kind of amazing．”

Turn nervousness into excitement．

Sinek learned this trick from watching the Olympics．A few years ago he noticed that reporters interviewing Olympic athletes before and after competing were all asking the same question．“Were you nervous？” And all of the athletes gave the same answer: “No，I was excited．” These competitors were taking the body’s signs of nervousness—clammy hands，pounding heart and tense nerves—and reinterpreting them as side effects of excitement and exhilaration．

When you’re up on stage you will likely go through the same thing．That’s when Sinek says you should say to yourself out loud，“I’m not nervous，I’m excited！”

Say thank you when you’re done．

Applause is a gift，and when you receive a gift，it’s only right to express how grateful you are for it．This is why Sinek always closes out his presentations with these two simple yet powerful words: thank you．

“They gave you their time，and they’re giving you their applause．” Says Sinek．“That’s a gift，and you have to be grateful．”

高三英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析

Simon Sinek is naturally shy and doesn’t like speaking to crowds．At parties，he says he hides alone in the corner or doesn’t even show up in the first place．He prefers the latter．Yet，with some 22 million video views under his belt，the optimistic ethnographer also happens to be the third most watched TED Talks presenter of all time．

Sinek’s unlikely success as both an inspirational speaker and a bestselling author isn’t just dumb luck．It’s the result of fears faced and erased，trial and error and tireless practice，on and off stage．Here are his secrets for delivering speeches that inspire，inform and entertain．

Don’t talk right away．

Sinek says you should never talk as you walk out on stage．“A lot of people start talking right away，and it’s out of nerves,” Sinek says．“That communicates a little bit of insecurity and fear．”

Instead，quietly walk out on stage．Then take a deep breath，find your place，wait a few seconds and begin．“I know it sounds long and tedious and it feels excruciatingly awkward when you do it,” Sinek says，“but it shows the audience you’re totally confident and in charge of the situation．”

Show up to give，not to take．

Often people give presentations to sell products or ideas，to get people to follow them on social media，buy their books or even just to like them．Sinek calls these kinds of speakers “takers,” and he says audiences can see through these people right away．And，when they do，they disengage．

“We are highly social animals,” says Sinek．“Even at a distance on stage，we can tell if you’re a giver or a taker，and people are more likely to trust a giver — a speaker that gives them value，that teaches them something new，that inspires them — than a taker．”

Speak unusually slowly．

When you get nervous，it’s not just your heart beat that quickens．Your words also tend to speed up．Luckily Sinek says audiences are more patient and forgiving than we know．

“They want you to succeed up there，but the more you rush，the more you turn them off,” he says．“If you just go quiet for a moment and take a long，deep breath，they’ll wait for you．It’s kind of amazing．”

Turn nervousness into excitement．

Sinek learned this trick from watching the Olympics．A few years ago he noticed that reporters interviewing Olympic athletes before and after competing were all asking the same question．“Were you nervous？” And all of the athletes gave the same answer: “No，I was exciteD． ” These competitors were taking the body’s signs of nervousness—clammy hands，pounding heart and tense nerves—and reinterpreting them as side effects of excitement and exhilaration．

When you’re up on stage you will likely go through the same thing．That’s when Sinek says you should say to yourself out loud，“I’m not nervous，I’m excited！”

Say thank you when you’re done．

Applause is a gift，and when you receive a gift，it’s only right to express how grateful you are for it．This is why Sinek always closes out his presentations with these two simple yet powerful words: thank you．

“They gave you their time，and they’re giving you their applause．” Says Sinek．“That’s a gift，and you have to be grateful．”

高三英语填空题中等难度题查看答案及解析

Simon Sinek is naturally shy and doesn’t like speaking to crowds．At parties，he says he hides alone in the corner or doesn’t even show up in the first place．He prefers the latter．Yet，with some 22 million video views under his belt，the optimistic ethnographer also happens to be the third most-watched TED Talks presenter of all time．
Sinek’s unlikely success as both an inspirational speaker and a bestselling author isn’t just dumb luck．It’s the result of fears faced and erased，trial and error and tireless practice，on and off stage．Here are his secrets for delivering speeches that inspire，inform and entertain．
Don’t talk right away．
Sinek says you should never talk as you walk out on stage．“A lot of people start talking right away，and it’s out of nerves,” Sinek says．“That communicates a little bit of insecurity and fear．”
Instead，quietly walk out on stage．Then take a deep breath，find your place，wait a few seconds and begin．“I know it sounds long and tedious and it feels excruciatingly awkward when you do it,” Sinek says，“but it shows the audience you’re totally confident and in charge of the situation．”
Show up to give，not to take．
Often people give presentations to sell products or ideas，to get people to follow them on social media，buy their books or even just to like them．Sinek calls these kinds of speakers “takers,” and he says audiences can see through these people right away．And，when they do，they disengage．
“We are highly social animals,” says Sinek．“Even at a distance on stage，we can tell if you’re a giver or a taker，and people are more likely to trust a giver — a speaker that gives them value，that teaches them something new，that inspires them — than a taker．”
Speak unusually slowly．
When you get nervous，it’s not just your heart beat that quickens．Your words also tend to speed up．Luckily Sinek says audiences are more patient and forgiving than we know．
“They want you to succeed up there，but the more you rush，the more you turn them off,” he says．“If you just go quiet for a moment and take a long，deep breath，they’ll wait for you．It’s kind of amazing．”
Turn nervousness into excitement．
Sinek learned this trick from watching the Olympics．A few years ago he noticed that reporters interviewing Olympic athletes before and after competing were all asking the same question．“Were you nervous？” And all of the athletes gave the same answer: “No，I was excited． ” These competitors were taking the body’s signs of nervousness—clammy hands，pounding heart and tense nerves—and reinterpreting them as side effects of excitement and exhilaration．
When you’re up on stage you will likely go through the same thing．That’s when Sinek says you should say to yourself out loud，“I’m not nervous，I’m excited！”
Say thank you when you’re done．
Applause is a gift，and when you receive a gift，it’s only right to express how grateful you are for it．This is why Sinek always closes out his presentations with these two simple yet powerful words: thank you．
“They gave you their time，and they’re giving you their applause．” Says Sinek．“That’s a gift，and you have to be grateful．”

高三英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析