Almost every family buys as least one copy of a newspaper every day. Some people subscribe to as many as two or three different newspapers. But why do people read newspapers?
Five hundred years ago, news of important happenings--battles lost and won, kings or rulers overthrown(推翻)or killed--took months and even years to travel from one country to another. The news passed by word of mouth and was never accurate. Today we can read in our newspapers of important events that occur in faraway countries on the same day they happen.
Apart from supplying news from all over the world, newspapers give us a lot of other useful information. There are weather reports, radio, television and film guides, book reviews, stories, and of course, advertisements. The bigger ones are put in by large companies to bring attention to their products. They pay the newspapers thousands of dollars for the advertising space, but it is worth the money for news of their products goes into almost every home in the country. For those who produce newspapers, advertisements are also very important. Money earned from advertisements makes it possible for them to sell their newspapers at a low price and still make a profit.
1. The phrase “subscribe to” in the first paragraph means“________”| A．go to the newspaper stand and buy | B．send their own news stories to |
| C．agree to buy for a specific period of time | D．become faithful readers of |
| A．bad news traveled quickly and good news slowly |
| B．few people cared about events that took place in faraway countries |
| C．kings and rulers were often overthrown or killed |
| D．news was passed from one person to another |
| A．wasted | B．not much |
| C．well spent | D．of no use to anyone |
| A．Five hundred years ago it took a long time for news to reach other countries. |
| B．Newspaper advertisements turn people’s attention away from their products. |
| C．The news that we read in newspapers is mainly about new products. |
| D．When newspapers are sold at a low price, the newspaper producers will lose money. |
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【推荐1】Bad news sells. If it bleeds, it leads. No news is good news, and good news is no news. Those are the classic rules for the evening broadcasts and the morning papers. But now that information is being spread and monitored in different ways, researchers are discovering new rules. By tracking people's e-mails and online posts, scientists have found that good news can spread faster and farther than disasters and sob stories.
"The 'if it bleeds' rule works for mass media," says Jonah Berger, a scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. "They want your eyeballs and don't care how you're feeling. But when you share a story with your friends, you care a lot more how they react. You don't want them to think of you as a Debbie Downer."
Researchers analyzing word-of-mouth communication, e-mails, Web posts and reviews face-to-face conversations found that it tended to be more positive than negative, but that didn't necessarily mean people preferred positive news. Was positive news shared more often simply because people experienced more good things than bad things? To test for that possibility, Dr. Berger looked at how people spread a particular set of news stories: thousands of articles on The New York Times' website. He and a Penn colleague analyzed the "most e-mailed" list for six months. One of his first findings was that articles in the science section were much more likely to make the list than non-science articles. He found that science amazed Times' readers and made them want to share this positive feeling with others.
Readers also tended to share articles that were exciting or funny, or that inspired negative feelings like anger or anxiety, but not articles that left them merely sad. They needed to be aroused one way or the other, and they preferred good news to bad, The more positive an article, the more likely it was to be shared, as Dr. Berger explains in his new book, "Contagious: Why Things Catch On."
1. What do the classic rules mentioned in the text apply to?| A．News reports. | B．Research papers. |
| C．Private e-mails. | D．Daily conversations. |
| A．They're socially inactive. | B．They're good at telling stories. |
| C．They're inconsiderate of others. | D．They're careful with their words. |
| A．Sad Stories Travel Far and Wide |
| B．Online News Attracts More People |
| C．Reading Habits Change with the Times |
| D．Good News Beats Bad on Social Networks |
【推荐2】If there is one thing I’m sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers. It is not that newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.
The nature of what is news may change. What basically makes news is what affects our lives—the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic (基因的) engineering. In the future, I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do—as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.
It’s quite possible that in the next century newspapers will be transmitted electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home. In fact, I’m pretty sure that it will happen in the future. You will probably be able to choose from a menu, making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read — sports and international news, etc.
I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media. They actually feed off each other. Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air. And as for the Internet, it’s never really pleasant to read something just on a screen.
1. In the writer’s opinion, in the future, ___________.| A．more and more people will watch TV |
| B．newspapers will cover more scientific research |
| C．more big political affairs, wars and disasters will make news |
| D．newspapers will not be printed in publishing houses any longer |
| A．the writer believes some media will die out |
| B．television will take the place of the newspaper |
| C．newspapers will stay with us together with other media |
| D．newspapers will win the competition among the different media |
| A．depend on | B．compete with |
| C．fight with | D．kill off |
| A．The Best Way to Get News | B．Make Your Own Newspaper |
| C．The Changes of Media | D．The Future of Newspaper |
【推荐3】Scientists rely on journal papers to share their scientific results.
Once researchers are confident of their results, they write up a manuscript(手稿)and send it to a joumal. Editors forward the submitted manuscripts to at least two external referees who are expert in the topic. These reviewers can suggest the manuscript be rejected, published as is, or sent back to the scientists for more experiments.
Research published in peer-reviewed journals has undergone strict quality control by experts. Each year, about 2, 800 peer-reviewed journals publish roughly 1.8 million scientific papers. The body of scientific knowledge is constantly evolving and updating, but you can trust that the science these journals describe is sound. Retraction policies help correct the record if mistakes are discovered post-publication.
How long has this work been on the preprint server? If it’s been months and it hasn’t yet been published in the peer-reviewed literature, be very skeptical.
Be smartly aware of research published in what are called predatory (损人利己的) journals.
| A．That process is called “peer review”. |
| B．Peer review normally takes months. |
| C．Call to confirm that they are proven correct. |
| D．However, they can’t guarantee the papers are correct. |
| E．They let the world see what research has been done, and how. |
| F．They don’t peer-review manuscripts, and they charge authors a fee to publish. |
| G．The scientists submitting the preprint may not come from a reliable institution. |
【推荐1】Whenever we see a button, we are eager to press it because we know something will happen. This is true in most cases, for example on a doorbell and on the “on/off” button on the TV. But some buttons are actually fake, like the “close” button on a lift.
Many people are in the habit of pressing the “close” button because they don’t have the patience to wait for the lift doors to shut. But lifts’ “close” buttons are a complete scam, at least in the US—the doors will not close any faster no matter how hard you press.
It started in the 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in the US, making sure that all lifts stayed open long enough so that people with disabilities could enter. Only US firefighters and repairmen can use the buttons to speed up the door-closing process if they have a code or special keys.
But to normal lift riders, the buttons aren’t completely useless. According to psychologists, fake buttons can actually make you feel better by offering you a sense of control.
“Perceived (能够感知的) control is very important. It reduces stress and increases well-being,” Ellen J. Langer, a psychology professor, said, “Having a lack of control is associated with depression.”
Experts have revealed that a lot of buttons that don’t do anything exist in our lives for this same purpose. For example, many offices in the US have fake thermostats (温度调节器) because people tend to feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace.
But psychologists found it interesting that even when people are aware of these little “white lies”, they still continue to push fake buttons because as long as the doors eventually close, it is considered to be worth the effort.
“That habit is here to stay,” John Kounios, a psychology professor, said, ‘‘Even though I have real doubts about the traffic light buttons, I always press them. After all, I’ve got nothing else to do while waiting. So why not press the button in the hope that this one will work?”
1. What was the author’s main purpose in writing the article?| A．To analyze the functions of fake buttons. |
| B．To describe some different kinds of fake buttons. |
| C．To explain the advantages and disadvantages of fake buttons. |
| D．To explore people’ different habits when it comes to pushing buttons. |
| A．Tool. | B．Button. | C．Trick. | D．Mistake. |
| A．should give up this habit |
| B．probably do so to kill time |
| C．don’t know that what they press is fake |
| D．consider what they do to be meaningless |
【推荐2】It may not be quite old enough to be the world’s oldest living organism—that “honour” goes to the bristlecone pine tree(aged 5,000 years)—but, at 4,000 years of age, Leiopathes glaberrima, a deep-water coral species, does set the record for being the oldest animal living under the sea.
Located on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, off Hawaii, the 3-metre-tall, (extremely) long-lived “black coral” could have some valuable clues about past climate change; specifically, it could better scientists’ understanding of how oceans draw down carbon dioxide—and of ocean acidification in general. Brendan Roark of Texas A & M University, who led a research expedition in 2006 to study the corals’ climate records, presented his findings at the recent AAAS meeting.
How long they can live is anybody’s guess, Roark told Science’s Erik Stokstad. He and his colleagues used radiocarbon dating to determine the coral’s age. What this suggests, he said, is that the harvesting of deep-water coral for jewellery should be completely banned; because the corals grow at such a low rate, any level of harvesting would likely wipe out the remaining specimens—those not yet affected by ocean acidification.
Roark believes it could be possible to reconstruct records of subsurface (地下的) temperature variability and ocean circulation changes, which would provide some insight into climate changes and help predict future effects. By comparison, that ocean quahog clam (圆蛤) we mentioned a while back—aged 405 years—seems almost sprightly.
1. What does the underlined word “clues” in the second paragraph mean?| A．Evidence. | B．Treasure. | C．Worth. | D．Usage. |
| A．It shows which is the oldest in the ocean. |
| B．It helps the scientists get more information about the ocean. |
| C．It shows why the weather changes so much. |
| D．It helps the scientists know how to live longer. |
| A．Because the jewellery has little value. |
| B．Because the jewellery is hard to harvest. |
| C．Because harvesting the coral for the jewellery does great harm to deep-water coral. |
| D．Because it is very dangerous. |
| A．The World’s Oldest Living Organism |
| B．The Oldest Animal Under the Sea |
| C．How to Protect the Corals |
| D．A Great Discovery |
Wildlife fences are constructed for a variety of reasons including to prevent the spread of diseases, to protect wildlife from poachers (偷猎者), and to help manage small populations of threatened species. Human-wildlife conflict is another common reason for building fences. Wildlife can damage valuable farm animals and crops. Some species carry diseases of agricultural concern, and a few threaten human lives. At the same time, people kill wild animals for food, trade, or to defend lives or property, and human activities destroy wildlife habitat (栖息地). Separating people and wildlife by fencing can appear to be a mutually beneficial way to avoid such harmful effects. But in a paper in the journal Science, published recently, some scientists argue that fencing should only be used if worse comes to worst.
According to the scientists, although fencing can have conservation benefits, it also has costs. When areas of wildlife habitat are changed into islands, the resulting small and isolated populations tend towards extinction, and the resulting loss of larger-bodied species can affect interactions between species in ways that cause further local extinctions. Therefore, scientists are asking that conservationists carefully weigh up the biodiversity costs and benefits of new and existing fences.
In addition to fences’ ecosystem-wide impact, the scientists don’t think they always achieve their specific aims. Construction of fences to reduce human-wildlife conflict has been successful in some places but the challenges of appropriate fence design, location, construction, and protection mean that fences often fail to deliver the anticipated benefits. In some places, fences also provide poachers with a ready supply of wire for making traps.
A variety of alternative approaches, including better caring for farm animals, community-based crop-guarding, insurance and wildlife-sensitive land-use planning are suggested to reduce conflicts between people and wildlife without the need for fencing. Some projects working with local people and government agencies in Indonesia have shown that human-elephant conflict can be dramatically reduced without using fences.
The scientists conclude that as climate change increases the importance of facilitating wildlife mobility and conserving landscape connectivity, fence removal may become an important form of climate change preparation, and so fencing of wildlife should be avoided whenever possible.
1. What does the underlined word “mutually” in Paragraph 1 probably mean________?
| A．Indeed. | B．Outdoors. | C．Straight. | D．Both. |
| A．Land building. |
| B．Species diversity. |
| C．Human population. |
| D．Wildlife’s body size. |
| A．Replacements for fences. |
| B．Wildlife-protection methods. |
| C．Effective land-use approaches. |
| D．Conflicts between human and wildlife |
| A．argue and prove |
| B．inform and explain |
| C．appeal and discuss |
| D．compare and assess |
【推荐1】Taronga Zoo Sydney
 With international borders closed, you might think that an exciting and exotic journey into the wild unknown might be impossible this summer, but at Taronga — we’ve got you covered. Embrace your longing for adventure and exploration by journeying to four different areas of our beautiful planet as you follow a series of carefully selected travel plans across Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia, and learn about the incredibly rich and diverse wildlife unique to these regions. 20% off Zoo tickets for Lunar New Year Enjoy a celebration of the wild kind this Lunar New Year at the Zoo! Enjoy discounted tickets to bring in a year of luck and prosperity for the whole family! Terms and conditions -Discount applies to full-priced value of individual Adult and Child. -Discount is available only when promotional code LUNARZOO is entered when purchasing tickets online via taronga.org.au and is not to be used is conjunction with any other offer. -Valid for visits Taronga Zoo Sydney only between Friday 12 February 2021 and Sunday 28 February 2021. One day entry
Safety measures If you have cold or flu symptoms, we ask that you please stay home and do not visit. Following the most recent advice from NSW Health. Taronga has implemented the following additional measures to ensure our Zoos remain a low-risk environment for you and your family to enjoy. -Wearing face masks: From Friday 29 January 2021, it is highly recommended but no longer required for guests to wear face masks in any outdoor areas. -Pre-book your visit: All rickets and member visits must be pre-booked online. -Bring your essentials upon arrival: Your e-ticket, face-mask, contactless payment method, sunscreen, water bottle. -Maintain social distancing: Staff and guests are required to maintain 1.5m physical distancing at all times where possible. -Guests are not permitted to visit Taronga’s Zoos in Sydney or stay overnight if it violates state or federal travel restrictions, border closures and public health orders relating to COVID-19. Please do not enter Taronga Zoo Sydney during self-isolation. |
1. In Taronga Zoo Sydney this Lunar New Year, people can________.
| A．experience culture related to animals |
| B．enjoy a party held by the zookeepers |
| C．watch various animals introduced from four regions |
| D．embrace all the animals along your adventure and exploration |
| NAME | Homer | Marge | Bart | Lisa | Maggie |
| AGE | 40 | 38 | 10 | 8 | 2 |
| A．$190 | B．$160 | C．$152 | D．$128 |
| A．booking all the tickets at the gate |
| B．visiting the zoo after self-isolation |
| C．pulling off face masks in indoor areas |
| D．staying overnight with a high fever |
【推荐2】 “Nature never stops being amazing,” says Rosemary Mosco, master of humorous nature art. Her new book, Birding Is MyFavorite Video Game, combines fascinating facts with charming pictures, and it's guaranteed to make you laugh. In fact, the learning and laughing are both equally important to Rosemary.
“There's so much to love about birds,” notes Rosemary. “I admire that they're real-life, modern dinosaurs! As an artist, I'm captivated by their color variations. Once you get into birds, the interest snowballs. You can find them almost everywhere. You start to notice subtle behaviors and wing patterns. You're never bored again. Teaching a kid to watch birds is a huge gift.”
Birds make regular appearances in Rosemary's nature art comics. She created charts explaining the songs and calls of common eastern and western birds. One of her most popular pieces is a flow chart helping you to decide whether or not to help a baby bird fallen from a nest. And her own personal favorite cartoon is about tiny owls, meant to be both motivational and mildly disturbing. Rosemary explains: “One reader asked me if we had any evidence that these owls can kill and eat a moose. My response was, not yet…”
Rosemary loves other animals, and is especially proud of a poster she drew showing every snake in the US and Canada. She also has a real soft spot for butterflies. “Their behaviors can be surprisingly complex,” she points out. “They defend habitats with dogfights. They have complex relationships with poisonous plants. Some of them eat waste and drink tears. Oh, and it helps that they pose nicely for photos.”
Mostly self-taught, Rosemary has taken a few art courses, even studying video game art for a bit. During her career, she's created many educational charts, and has been working on some children's science books. She also has an upcoming comics novel about the solar system.
“I'm excited to share more stories about the natural world.” Rosemary says about the future of her nature art comics. “Humor gives science wings!”
1. What is the main feature of Rosemary's comics?| A．A novel of ecology and cartoons. | B．A combination of nature art and science. |
| C．A mixture of entertainment and education. | D．A book of interesting facts and behavior charts. |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Attracted. | C．Shocked. | D．Encouraged. |
| A．share the content of Rosemary's comics | B．explain the popularity of Rosemary's art |
| C．prove the hardship of Rosemary's creation | D．disclose the source of Rosemary's inspiration |
| A．Take some art courses. | B．Write a new birding book. |
| C．Draw the sun humorously. | D．Observe moose's behavior. |
【推荐3】For sports fans, there's nothing better than watching a live event on TV or at a sports venue（场地）. But there's nothing worse than that event being called off because of bad weather. Bad light, a waterlogged pitch （场地）or excessive heat can cause matches to be postponed. But according to the latest research, extreme weather might be disrupting （打乱） the sporting calendar more than ever in the future.
In one sport, golf, major tournaments like The Open, are already predicted to be victims of our changing climate. In the UK, an organization called The Climate Coalition says that golf courses such as St Andrews could be under water by the end of the century if sea levels rise even slightly. It told the BBC that its research predicts u cancelled football matches, flooded cricket grounds and golf courses crumbling into the sea.”
The threat to sporting fixtures （体育赛事）from climate change has been further highlighted in a new report, commissioned by the Rapid Transition Alliance. Writing about this for the BBC, Matt McGrath says that ”By 2050, it's estimated that almost one in four English football league grounds can expect flooding every year." This will mean fewer matches played, less opportunity to watch the beautiful game and reduced revenue （收入） from ticket sales.
Cricket also faces huge challenges globally as temperatures rise in places like India, Australia and the West Indies. The report says that stadiums in Adelaide and Perth will see a 60% 
increase in days with temperatures over 40°C over the next decade.
Of course, we know that the solution lies with reducing our carbon footprint. We could travel less to attend sports events, and reduce our waste when we do go. But this latest report finds that sports leaders are generally failing to address the issue seriously. However, because sport is universally popular and can be very influential, maybe it should be players, teams and their sponsors who promote a carbon-neutral message to help protect sporting venues - before it's ‘ game over’.
1. According to the passage, the following sports will be affected by extreme weather except| A．golf | B．table tennis | C．football | D．cricket |
| A．The number of people who are interested in football matches is expected to decrease. |
| B．The number of football players is expected to decrease. |
| C．The prices of football tickets are expected to go down. |
| D．Some football grounds are expected to be flooded. |
| A．Sports fans like watching a live event on TV better than at a sports venue. |
| B．Golf courses such as St Andrews could not be flooded if sea levels rise a little. |
| C．Cricket stadiums in Adelaide and Perth will get very hot over the next decade. |
| D．Sports leaders take the effects of climate change very seriously. |
| A．Sport and Sporting Venues. | B．Sport and Challenges. |
| C．Sport and Climate Change. | D．Sport and Revenue. |
In order to see and discover the true soul of Scotland today and what formed the character of this splendid region, we have to go towards the northern regions, to the Grampian Mountains（格兰扁山区）, beautiful and plain. The Scots conquered the environment with simple spades and strong arms, for it was difficult to farm.
The history of this ancient struggle, and its people’s ancient love with the hard land, can be felt within the walls of the Angus Folk Museum. You are able to get a feel of the typical rural atmosphere of times past from the everyday artifacts displayed here.
From coastal Aberdeen in towards the Grampian Mountains there runs the Castle Trail, a road that touches on many fortresses（堡垒）, which are witnesses of continual fights against the control of neighboring England in Scottish history.
Perhaps the most exciting moment for Scottish autonomy is
This is Glamis Castle, where King Macbeth and Queen Elizabeth used to live. Among the most frequent guests here are the predictable ghosts, if not actually created, by ancient popular beliefs. These have been handed down over the centuries by people tending to live with mystery, with the forces of the supernatural.
Another attraction here is a legendary monster: the Loch Ness Monster. Whether it’s real or imaginary, this monster, which has been nicknamed Nessie, has collected a good 3,000 sightings over the last 50 years.
The true flag of Scotland, tartan, is recognizable from the brightly colored plaid patterns which are used to distinguish the various social groups.
Bagpipes and dancing open the competitions of local sporting events, which are called Highland Gatherings.
1. Take a look at the Angus Folk Museum, and we can learn about _______. .
| A．the love of ancient Scottish to the hard land |
| B．the rural atmosphere in Grampian Mountains |
| C．ancient Scottish people’s fighting against the enemy |
| D．the history of the Scottish famous palaces and castles |
| A．Fighting against the invaders of England. |
| B．Developing business with neighbor areas. |
| C．Preventing the people from moving around. |
| D．Providing a shelter from tough weather for travelers. |
| A．the film Brave Heart winning the five Oscars |
| B．the plan for Scottish autonomy being carried out |
| C．the instigation of King Robert the Bruce |
| D．the celebration of the Declaration of Independence |
| A．The film Brave Heart is mainly about King Robert Bruce. |
| B．The Scottish film industry is one of the attractions of the land. |
| C．Highland gatherings are often marked with bagpipes and dancing |
| D．The supernatural forces in Glamis Castle may change a person’s belief. |
| A．advise readers to pay a visit to Scotland |
| B．teach students about the customs of Scotland |
| C．introduce cultural background about Scotland |
| D．analyze the geographic formation of Scotland |
【推荐2】“The main surprise is how widespread the effects were,” says senior author Martin Genner, an evolutionary ecologist at the University of Bristol. “We found the same trend across all groups of marine life we looked at, from small forms of plants and animals to marine invertebrates (无脊椎动物), and from fish to seabirds.”
The new study builds on early evidence of the impact of climate changes on the distribution, diversity and seasonality of marine species. Based on those findings, Genner’s team reasoned that marine species should be doing well at the leading (pole-ward) edge of their ranges but poorly at their trailing (equator-ward) side. They also realized that existing global species distribution databases could be used to test this idea.
Based on a thorough search of available data in the literature, the researchers now report on a global analysis of diversity trends for 304 widely distributed marine species over the last century. The results show that — just as predicted — diversity increases have been most obvious where sampling has taken place at the pole-ward side of species ranges, while diversity declines have been greatest where sampling has taken place at the equator-ward side of species ranges.
The findings show that large-scale changes in the diversity of species are well underway. They also suggest that marine species haven’t managed to adapt to warmer conditions. The researchers therefore suggest that projected sea temperature increases of up to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels by 2050 will continue to lead to shifts in the diversity of marine species, including those of importance for coastal livelihoods.
“This matters because it means that climate changes are not only leading to diversity changes, but naturally affecting the performance of species locally,” Genner says. “We’re seeing fewer and fewer species like emperor penguins as water becomes too warm at their equator-ward edge, and we see some fish such as European seabass growing well at their pole-ward edge where historically they were uncommon.”
The results show that the effects of climate changes on marine species are highly uniform and not a little. “While some marine life may benefit as the ocean warms, the findings point toward a future in which we will also see continued loss of marine life,” Genner says.
1. According to the passage, what did Genner’s team conclude?| A．Climate changes have a great effect on the growth of fish. |
| B．Species data can be used to test the study. |
| C．Arctic marine species grow better than those at the equator. |
| D．Marine species can adapt to the warm environment. |
| A．Some sea creatures may benefit from warming oceans. |
| B．Climate Changes have little to do with the richness of species. |
| C．The effect of climate changes on marine life has improved. |
| D．Marine life will benefit from ocean warming in the future. |
| A．similar and slight | B．nowhere and a little bit |
| C．everywhere and enormous | D．nothing and uneventful |
| A．Study of the Disappearance of Marine life. |
| B．Impact of Climate Changes on Marine Species. |
| C．Analysis of Species Distribution Database. |
| D．Comparative Analysis of Ocean Temperatures. |
【推荐3】Alex Vardkostas spent his child flipping (快速翻转) burgers at his parent’s restaurant in Southern California. It was, he recalls, a repetitive and uninteresting task.
Vardkostas said, “Making so many burgers every day, I realized that there must be a better product I can create to make food. ”He helped develop the restaurant’s main attraction: a robot machine that makes “the world’s freshest cheeseburgers”.
The machine has already drawn big crowds. People want to see exactly how a robot makes a burger and whether it tastes good. The robot is 14-foot long and takes five minutes to make a delicious burger.
After seeing the robot in action, one customer, Evan, was almost speechless. “I knew that they could drive cars,” he said, “but i didn’t know that robots could make a delicious burger.”
The robot’s 350 Sensors (传感器) and 20 microcomputers help make sure that every burger is perfect. The materials are organic and locally sourced (寻找……的来源) whenever possible, but the burgers are still affordable (负担得起的). Because a machine makes the burgers, the restaurant doesn’t have to pay kitchen staff (职员). Employees focus on offering e customer good service.
Besides, the restaurant offers its employees higher pay than the ordinary standard in the food industry. Staff members are able to read books for five percent of their workday so that they can continue to learn. Money is allotted (分配) for books, and more educational opportunities are being planned.
For Evan, the most important thing is still the burger. “The restaurant’s robot is the perfect chef,” he said, “because a person can make mistakes but a robot can’t.”
1. Why do many customers visit Alex’s restaurant?| A．To watch how Alex flip burgers. | B．To eat the cheapest cheeseburgers. |
| C．To learn from a robot to make food. | D．To experience food made by a robot. |
| A．Boring. | B．Surprising. | C．Puzzling. | D．Exciting. |
| A．They are equipped with sensors. |
| B．They aren’t sold at a very high price. |
| C．Each of them owns an ugly shape. |
| D．They become popular with the people around the world. |
| A．They can improve themselves by reading. |
| B．They need to buy books for customers. |
| C．They can become rich in a short time. |
| D．They have to hand in their learning plan. |
