A baby seal robot from Japan has came to the ...

A baby seal robot from Japan has came to the U.S. It's been sold in Japan for several years, but now the company has created a Florida-based unit, Paro Robots U.S. Inc., to sell the creature to places like nursing homes and hospitals. The robot, named Paro, is marketed as a therapeutic（治疗的）device that can help comfort people who have problems that can lead to social isolation（隔离）.

Takanori Shibata, a Japanese engineer, invented Paro. He says the robot, which weighs about 6 pounds, is able to respond to touch, light, and sound.

Shibata says he tried making robotic cats and dogs, but that people didn't find those convincing. "They expected too much,"' he says, and would compare the robot to real animals they had known. Few people have ever seen a live baby seal, so they aren't likely to draw comparisons between the robot and the real thing. So they accept Paro as a cute little companion.

The Vinson Hall Retirement Community in McLean held a recent event to showcase the robot and Virginia Long slowly came into the activity room. When a nurse put the robot on her lap, it began to shake slightly, and Long talked to it gently. “Why are you shaking? Are you cold?" she asked. The robot made a high sound, and Long laughed. She said she used to have a cat, “but somebody stole him." "Petting a seal is unusual," she said, "but a lot of people have strange animals.

But some experts say a robot is no replacement for a real animal. "One of the things that we've learned is that it is the unexpected and natural behavior of the living creature that adds so much value to people's experience. Any kind of newness can get the attention of people who are lonely and bored, but that doesn't necessarily help them live a meaningful life. It doesn't solve the problem that is really causing their lack of enjoyment of life," says Bill Thomas, a professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

1.What is the role of Paro?

A.To look after baby seals. B.To give relief to Patients.

C.To replace home-raised pets. D.To Provide medical examinations.

2.How did people feel about robotic cats?

A.Disappointed. B.Astonished.

C.Concerned. D.Amused.

3.What was Long's reaction to Paro?

A.She refused to get close to it. B.She showed it much affection.

C.She regarded it as her new cat. D.She was frightened to talk to it.

4.What do Bill Thomas's words suggest about Paro?

A.It is of great value to people.

B.It is not of great use in solving real problems.

C.It fails to catch older people's interest.

D.It can take the place of a living creature.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A group of students in Japan have created a realistic robot baby to motivate young people to start planning a family so as to increase the country’s birth rate. The automated (自动化的)doll developed at the University of Tsukuba, called Yotara, laughs and “wakes up” when a rattle is shaken.

He can become angry and sleep like a real baby and he smiles when his stomach is pressed. The robot can also sneeze and have a runny nose, thanks to a heated water pump system. The students of the Graduate school of Comprehensive Human Science at the university created the robot last year with touch sensors. A projector sends the facial features onto a warm silicon balloon which makes up Yotara’s face. The robot’s facial expression and body movements change according to pressure applied to different parts of its body.

The information collected through touch sensors（传感器）under the silicon skin is processed by a special programme. It then changes the baby’s expression projected onto the balloon-face from behind. There is a hat on the robot’s head and a colorful blanket covering the robot’s limbs which simulate wiggling(摆动) with the help of a geared motor. “We wanted to create a new type of robot that is soft, cuddly and cute,” said project leader Hiroki Kunimura.

“We’d like people to experience the innocent, joyful expressions typical of small babies. Through this experience, it would be great if some people started feeling that they wanted to have their own baby, if they started feeling that work is not everything.”

Japan’s birth rate is among the lowest in the developed world at 1.37%, compared to 2.12% in the United States and l.84%in Britain. Japan is facing serious economic consequences with over a quarter of its citizens expected to be aged over 65 by 20l5.The population is expected to reduce by a third within 50 years if the birth rate does not increase．

1.. What is the students’ purpose of creating such a baby?

A. To help old people who live alone． B. To give small children some pleasure

C. To comfort lonely young people．   D. To increase the population of Japan．

2. What’s the new type of robot like in Hiroki Kunimura’s mind?

A. It can do everything for humans．   B. It is clever, humorous and loyal．

C. It is gentle, lovely and smart．      D. It makes humans unhappy．

3.. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Many young people in Japan don’t want to get married．

B. There may be a lack of workers in Japan in the future．

C. The lifespan(寿命)of Japanese people will decrease in the future．

D. The birth rate in Japan will start to increase slowly soon．

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

A Robot Fish has been developed by National University of Singapore’s researchers from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering．This robot fish has movements which have been inspired by the movements of the carp（鲤鱼）．

There are various purposes that it can be used for．It can help in underwater archaeology （ 考古学 ）．For example, it can enter a sunken city where human divers cannot enter．Just like a fish , it can also look at all the comers of particular wreckage．This robot can also be used for general purposes such as detection of leakages in a pipeline or for laying down communication cables across oceans．It also has possible military uses．

In order to copy carp movements, Mr．Fan studied the movements of the fish for around 3 months．He studied all the different movements of carp using different cameras and then converted these movements mathematically to transfer this data to the robot using many actuators（驱动器）．

Professor Xu commented on the robot that the current models that copy fish movements are capable only of 2D movements which limits their capability as they are not able to dive into water．He said that his model is the first model with 3D movements which allows it to dive as well as float with the help of its fins, just as a normal fish would do．Hence, this fish model robot has much greater movement capability．It would be much harder for enemies to detect as compared to traditional ones when used for military purposes．

The researches want to make their robot fish even smaller, more realistic while adding more sensors such as GPS and video camera to it．This will improve its autonomous 3D movement．They are also planning to test the fish by giving it more difficult tasks such as detecting various objects．

1.The author gave an example in paragraph 2 _____．

A．to introduce the Robot Fish can help in underwater archaeology

B．to show the Robot Fish can be used for general purposes

C．to show the Robot Fish can lay down communication cables across oceans

D．to tell us the Robot Fish has possible military uses

2.Which is NOT true about the 3D Robot Fish?

A．It is capable of diving into water．

B．It cannot dive into water．

C．It can float using its fins．

D．It is difficult to detect．

3.What' s the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．The researchers will give the robot more difficult tasks．

B．The researches want to make their robot smaller．

C．The researchers are going to test the robot．

D．The researches plan to improve the robot．

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A．First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement used widely

B．First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement treading the ocean

C．First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement created in Singapore

D．First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement's general purposes

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

For hundreds of years, Japan has been hit, from time to time, by tsunamis（海啸）, which are caused by earthquakes or underwater volcanoes. The story of the boy Yuuki is the story of such a disaster.

Yuuki lived with his family in a seaside village, below a small mountain. One day, as he played on top of the mountain, Yuuki felt a small earthquake but it was not strong enough to frighten anybody. Soon after, however, Yuuki noticed the sea darken and begin running away from the shore very fast, leaving behind wide areas of beach that had never been seen before.

Yuuki remembered reading that just before a terrible tsunami, the sea suddenly and quickly rolls backward. He ran to the beach, warning the villagers who had gathered to admire the new beach land.

But no one listened. They laughed at him and continued playing in the new sand.

Desperate, Yuuki could think of only one thing to do. He lit a tree branch, raced to the rice fields and began burning the harvested rice. Then he called out, “Fire! Fire! Everyone run to the mountain! Now!”

When everyone reached the mountain top, a villager cried out, “Yuuki is mad! I saw him set the fire.” Yuuki hung his head in shame, but said nothing as the villagers screamed at him.

Just then, someone shouted, “Look!”

In the distance a huge dark wave of water was speeding towards the shore. When it hit the shore, it destroyed everything.

On the mountain everyone stared at the village ruins in terror.

“I'm sorry I burned the fields,” said Yuuki, his voice trembling.

“Yuuki,” the village chief answered. “You saved us all.”

The villagers cheered and raised Yuuki into the air. “We were going to celebrate our rice harvest tonight,” said one, “but now we’ll celebrate that we’re all still alive!”

1. Where was Yuuki when the earthquake struck?

2.In what order did the following events take place?

a.Yuuki ran to the rice fields.

b.The villagers paid no attention to Yuuki’s word.

c.Yuuki went to warn the villagers.

d.The village was in ruins.

e.The people were screaming at Yuuki.

3.How did Yuuki save the villagers from the disaster?

4.What were the people planning to do before the tsunami struck their village?

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Dyeing eggs has long been an Easter tradition, but it’s the dyeing of baby chicks that is upsetting in some states.

The dye, which is often ordinary food coloring, is either injected into eggs being hatched or sprayed onto newly hatched chicks. Although hatchery owners say the practice is harmless, critics argue that spraying the birds with color is stressful and that dyeing the animals transforms them into something attractive that can be thrown away when their colorful feathers disappear.

“These are living creature and dyeing them sends out a message saying that they are more of a new and unusual object than a living animal,” said Dr. Marc Copper, senior scientific manager for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Dyed chicks --- and sometimes rabbits --- have been a traditional part of the Easter holiday in some parts of the world, but the practice has gone largely underground in the U.S. because many people view it as cruel.

Today, about half of U.S. states ban the dyeing of animals, but last month the Florida Legislature passed a bill to remove the state’s 45-year-old ban. The drive to end the law wasn’t related to Easter chicks; it was done at the request of a dog groomer(美容师) who wanted to enter pet beauty contests.

Florida governor Rick Scott must agree to remove the ban, which would be lifted July 1, but the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida(ARFF) has asked him not to remove the ban. In addition to allowing animals dyeing, the law would also lift a ban on selling baby animals as pets, and the organization fears that next year the state could see hundreds of dyed baby chicks on the market.

As long as the dye is not poisonous, experts say the birds’ health isn’t affected, and there are scientific reasons to dye animals. Wildlife researchers often inject eggs with dye to track birds in the wild, and teachers have dyed chicks for educational purposes. However, animal advocates are quick to point out that dyeing baby chicks for Easter isn’t educational --- it’s done simply to earn profits.

1.What can we infer from Cooper’s words?

A. He finds it dangerous to dye eggs.

B. He likes dyed birds’ colorful feathers.

C. He is in support of the hatchery owners.

D. He is among the critics of dyeing animals.

2.What do we learn about dyed baby chicks in the U.S.?

A. They are mainly sold in secret.

B. They are as common as dyed eggs.

C. They are welcomed by most Americans.

D. They are getting more popular in the world.

3.What was the purpose of the bill?

A. To protect Easter chicks.

B. To ban pet beauty contests.

C. To make animals dyeing legal.

D. To prevent the sale of baby animals.

4.What is the ARFF’s attitude toward the bill?

A. Tolerance.

B. Opposition.

C. Doubt.

D. Caution.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Since the baby milk powder was found to be polluted, there has been universal doubt _____ other food products are safe _____.

A. that; to eat　　　　 B. whether; to be eaten

C. whether; to eat　　 D. that; to be eaten

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Since the baby milk powder was found to be polluted, there has been universal doubt _____ other food products are safe _____.

A. that; to eat　　                 　　 B. whether; to be eaten　　　

C. that; to be eaten　　     D. whether; to eat

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Only after a baby seal is pushed into the sea by its mother _____ to swim.

A. how will it learn    B. will it learn how  C. it will learn how  D. and it learns how

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

The United States has always been a country of many cultures. Before Europeans came to North America, many groups of Native Americans lived here. Different Native American groups had different cultures. The first Europeans in the United States were from England and Holland, but immigrants came from all European countries. Many people also immigrated from Asia and Africa. Sadly, many Africans were brought to the United States as slaves. Many immigrants come from Latin America too. Today, the United States has people from more cultures than ever.

In the 19th century, people spoke of the United States as a “melting pot.” People thought that all immigrates should forget their native cultures and languages and become English-speaking Americans. They felt that people should assimilate-join American culture. However, not everyone wanted to assimilate completely. Many people tried to keep parts of their cultures, such as foods, customs, and languages. However, their children often forgot their parents’ or grandparents’ language. But most Americans, even those whose families have been here a long time, can tell the countries their relatives came from. And of course, new immigrants take great pride in their curare and language.

For all of these reasons, melting pot is no longer a good way to describe the United States. Instead, people now call the United States a “salad bowl.” They say salad bowl because in a salad, you can still see all of the individual parts (lettuce, tomato, and so on), but all the different parts mixed together and begin to take on the flavor of one another.

1.Who are not mentioned as immigrants to America?

A. Europeans　　 B. Asians

C. Australians　　 D. Latin Americans

2.The underlined word “assimilate” in paragraph 2 means 　　　　　 .

A. delight　　 B. accept

C. challenge　　 D. reject

3.Why is a “salad bowl” a better way to call the United States instead of a “melting pot”?

A. Immigrants love to eat salads instead of hot pot

B. Immigrants take pride in their culture and language

C. Immigrants join American culture only partially

D. Immigrants remain independent completely

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

A. America and Immigrants

B. Different Groups, Different Cultures

C. America – A Salad Bowl

D. America – A Great Country

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

News came from the office __________ Wang Lin had been admitted to Beijing University.

A．that              B．what             C．which            D．where

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析