【推荐1】Perhaps it is time for farmers to put their feet up now because robots are used to inspect crops, dig up weeds, and even have become shepherds, too. Commercial growing fields are astronomically huge and take thousands of many hours to operate. One prime example is one of Australia’s most isolated cattle stations, Suplejack Downs in the Northern Territory, extending across 4,000 square kilometers, taking over 13 hours to reach by car from the nearest major town — Alice Springs.

The extreme isolation of these massive farms leaves them often unattended, and monitored only once or twice a year, which means if the livestock (家畜) falls ill or requires assistance, it can be a long time for farmers to discover.

However, robots are coming to the rescue. Robots are currently under a two-year trial in Wales which will train “farmbots” to herd, monitor the health of livestock, and make sure there is enough pasture (牧草地) for them to graze on. The robots are equipped with many sensors to identify conditions of the environment, cattle and food, using thermal and vision sensors that detect changes in body temperature.

During the trials, the robot algorithms and mechanics will be fine-tuned to make it better suited to ailing livestock and ensure it safely navigates around potential hazards including trees, mud, swamps, and hills.

“We want to improve the quality of animal health and make it easier for farmers to maintain large landscapes where animals roam free,” says Salah Sukkarieh of the University of Sydney, who will carry out trials on several farms in central New South Wales.

The robots are not limited to herding and monitoring livestock. They have been created to count individual fruit, inspect crops, and even pull weeds.

Many robots are equipped with high-tech sensors and complex learning algorithms to avoid injuring humans as they work side by side. The robots also learn the most efficient and safest passages, and allow engineers and farmers to analyze and better optimize (优化) the performances and tasks of the robot, as well as provide a live stream giving real-time feedback on exactly what is happening on the farms.

Of course, some worry lies in replacing agricultural workers. However, it is farmers that are pushing for the advancements due to ever-increasing labor vacancies (空缺), making it difficult to maintain large-scale operations.

The robots have provided major benefits to farmers in various ways, from hunting and pulling weeds to monitoring the condition of every single fruit. Future farms will likely experience a greater deal of autonomy as robots take up more and more farm work efficiently.

1. What will “farmbots” be expected to do?

A．Take up many of the farmers’ routines.	B．Provide medical treatments for livestock.
C．Lead the trend in farming the world over.	D．Improve the quality of pastures for grazing.

2. What can robots do when equipped with high-tech sensors and complex learning algorithms?

A．Help farmers choose the most efficient and safest passages.

B．Help farmers simplify their farming tasks and management.

C．Allow farmers to learn instantly what is occurring on the farm.

D．Allow farmers to give them real-time instructions on what to do.

3. Why are farmers pressing for robotic farming?

A．Farming costs are fast increasing.	B．Robotics technology is maturing.
C．Robotic fanning is the trend.	D．Labor shortage is worsening.

4. What does the author think future farms will be like?

A．More and more automated.	B．More and more productive.
C．Larger and larger in scale.	D．Better and better in condition.

【推荐2】Remote controls are one of the most common symbols of our modern technologies. In fact, remote controls are an invention born in the 1800s. Famous inventor Nikola Tesla created one of the world’s first wireless remote controls, which he exhibited in public at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1898.

Tesla called his system a “teleautomaton”, which could be used to control a mechanical device. For his demonstration, Tesla employed a minitype boat, which had a metal air wire that could receive exactly one radio frequency. He showed how his remote-controlled boat worked and whole process attracted many people. However, financially, Tesla’s remote-controlled boat was a failure. His intended client, the U.S. Navy, thought the technology was too easily damaged during use. But the concept of remote control caught on and quickly spread to many other types of equipment.

In the 1930s and 1940s, a new consumer electronics, such as garage door openers and model airplanes, arrived with remote controls. In the mid-1950s, Zenith engineer Eugene Polley designed his Flashmatic TV remote control, which used directional flashes of light to control the television. In 1956, Polley’s colleague, Robert Adler, created the Space Command control, which employed high-frequency, ultrasonic (超声的) sounds instead of light. This style of remote control increased the price of a new TV by a third, but that didn’t stop people from buying in mass quantities. Remote controls kept evolving, too. Ultrasonic sound remote controls were the standard for TVs until the 1980s, when remote controls began using the infrared (红外线) light signals that are very common today.

These days, you can find remote control capability built into a huge array of products such as toy cars and helicopters, video game consoles (控制台), ceiling fans, etc. There’s a good chance you can find a version that’s controlled by remote control. You can even buy a remote-controlled toilet.

Remote controls have allowed humans to perform many tasks that would be difficult, if not impossible. And although remote controls have a long history, they are anything but over. As we continue to introduce technology to every aspect of our lives, it’s very likely that we’ll need remote controls to keep things under control.

1. What made the U.S. Navy think poorly of Tesla’s remote-controlled boat?

A．Its high cost.

B．Its unsatisfactory quality.

C．Its damage to people’s health.

D．Its inaccuracy in sending signals.

2. What did Robert Alder use in his remote control?

A．Directional flashes of light.	B．Infrared light signals.
C．Various metal air wires.	D．High-frequency, ultrasonic sounds.

3. Why did the author mention those products in Paragraph 4?

A．To advertise some modern inventions.

B．To prove the rapid evolution of kids’ toy.

C．To show the wide application of remote controls.

D．To show the principle of some high-tech products.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Human are too dependent on technology.

B．Remote controls are necessary in our life

C．Humans are trying to keep everything under control.

D．Remote controls will probably fade away in the future.

5. What does the author mainly tell us in this text?

A．The history of remote controls.

B．The developments of our modern technologies.

C．The achievements of some great inventors.

D．The popularity of remote controls in our daily life.

【推荐3】BEIJING－China’s space industry will develop quickly over the next 10 years as the country pushes ahead with its space programs after its first space docking on Thursday，Nov.3,2011.

Lab modules，a space station and 10 to 20 spaceships will be launched into space over the next 10 years，the Shanghai Securities News said on Friday.

The country will spend around 300 billion yuan ($47.47 billion) in producing those spacecrafts，according to the newspaper.

There are 20 or so space voyages being planned in China，the newspaper reported，citing Wu Ping，spokeswoman of China’s manned space program.There will be an increased demand for spacecraft production and launch services.Space infrastructure (基础设施)has been included as one of China’s strategic new industries to be developed over the next five years.

China started its threestage manned space program in 1992.In the first stage the country sent the astronaut，Yang Liwei，into space as part of the Shenzhou­5 mission in 2003.It was the first time for China to send a person into space.

Also as part of the first stage，two astronauts conducted extravehicular (太空船外的) activities during the Shenzhou­7 mission in 2008.

Now during the second stage China is focusing on space docking.It achieved its first space docking in two hours of Thursday when Tiangong1 and Shenzhou8 connected in space.As a “target spacecraft”for meeting and docking experiments，Tiangong1 will work as a platform to test longterm unmanned and shortterm manned operations.The next significant events will be the launching of Shenzhou9 and Shenzhou10，with two similar docking exercises to be conducted and one of the missions to be manned.

China will complete the second stage after it builds its own space lab around 2016，Wu said.

In the third stage，China plans to develop and launch multiple space modules，forming a 60­ton manned space station in 2020.

“The successful docking means China will enter a period of massive production of spacecraft.The space economy is about to take off，” according to Dongxing Securities.

1. What does the passage mainly tell us about？

A．China makes a great success of space docking.

B．China is to expand space industry in 10 years.

C．China has made breakthroughs in key technologies.

D．China is to spend more money producing space­crafts.

2. To realize the spaceflights over the next 10 years，China will do all the following except ________.

A．spending a large sum of money on space industry

B．building a long term manned space station

C．making more spacecrafts and lab modules

D．improving launch services and space infrastructure

3. According to the passage，one of the main tasks of Tiangong­1 is ________.

A．to carry out experiments on exploration of the moon

B．to work as a long­term space station

C．to conduct extravehicular activities

D．to serve as a platform for meeting and docking experiments

4. Which is the right time order of China’s space events？
a.Building its own space lab.
b.Entering a stage of massive production of spacecraft.
c.Building a 60ton manned space station.
d.Sending a person into space.

A．d，b，a，c	B．b，d，a，c
C．d，b，c，a	D．b，d，c，a

【推荐1】阅读理解
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

FROM dogs and cats to pandas and penguins, lists of adorable animals can be very varied. However, when it comes to scary animals, the answers are often more or less the same — snakes and spiders are among the most dreadful ones for the majority of us.

However, most of us have never been bitten by a snake or a spider. So does this mean we are born with a fear of certain things?

Scientists have been actively looking into it for a long time. For example, studies have suggested that babies find live animals much more interesting than stuffed (毛绒填充的) ones. This interest continues even if those animals are snakes and spiders.

A study published in Psychological Science in 2008 seemed to show that snakes did have a different impact on babies. When scientists presented babies with animal videos along with random sounds of happy or frightened human voices, they found that babies looked at snakes for longer than any other animal however the voices sounded.

Now, a team from Rutgers University in New Jersey, US has tried to challenge the idea that babies are born with a fear of snakes and spiders. According to the BBC, the researchers measured babies’ physiological (生理的) responses as they watched videos of snakes and elephants paired with both fearful and happy voices.

Scientists then set out to surprise the babies to see how they would react. They presented them with an unexpected bright flash of light as they watched a video. As the BBC explained, a surprise like this would be more intense (强烈的) if the babies were already scared, just like when we watch scary films and jump more if we are already scared.

However, according to their findings, published recently in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, babies’ surprised responses were not bigger when watching a video of a snake, even when it was shown with a fearful voice. Their heart response was also lower, which also made it seem that babies were not scared.

“Children do not have an innate fear of snakes,” concluded the study. Even if previous studies had suggested that babies have different responses to snakes, it isn’t necessarily related to fear. “It’s possible that paying more attention to something might make fear learning easier later on. It leads to fear learning,” said research co-author Vanessa LoBue. She further explained that it was a good thing that humans didn’t have an inborn fear of snakes because it would make a young infant’s desire to explore new things less strong.

Instead, we have evolved to quickly learn to be afraid of something if it turns out to be dangerous.

1. What is the article mainly about?

A．How people’s fear of snakes and spiders has evolved.

B．Whether humans are born with a fear of snakes and spiders.

C．Why snakes and spiders are considered the most dreadful animals.

D．How babies react differently from adults to snakes and spiders.

2. What was the finding of the study published in Psychological Science in 2008?

A．The longer babies looked at snakes in the video, the less scared they were.

B．The fearful voices babies heard when watching snake videos doubled their fear of snakes.

C．Babies’ responses to the snake in the videos were greatly affected by the types of voices they heard.

D．Babies took more interest in snakes than the other animals in the videos regardless of which human voices they heard.

3. The underlined word “innate” in the second-to-last paragraph is the closest in meaning to ______.

A．from birth	B．from learning
C．lasting	D．immediate

4. How did babies react when the researchers from Rutgers University surprised them while they were watching a video of a snake?

A．They paid more attention to the snakes when they heard a fearful voice.

B．Babies’ heart responses changed slightly when they heard a fearful voice.

C．A fearful voice didn’t make their surprised response become more intense.

D．They became more scared when they experienced an unexpected bright flash of light.

5. According to Vanessa LoBue, since babies don’t have an inborn fear of snakes, ______

A．it would make it easier for them to learn fear

B．it would make them more willing to explore new things

C．it would lead them to stay away from dangerous things

D．it would encourage them not to be afraid of anything

【推荐2】Americans have always been interested in their Presidents’ wives. Many First Ladies have been remembered because of the ways they have influenced their husbands. Other First Ladies have made the history books on their own.

At least two First Ladies, Bess Truman and Lady Bird Johnson, made it their business to send signals during their husbands’ speeches. When Lady Bird Johnson thought her husband was talking too long, she wrote a note and sent it up to the platform. It read, “It’s time to stop ! ” And he did.   Once Bess Truman didn’t like what   her husband was saying on television, so she phoned him and said, “If you can’t talk more politely than that in public, you come right home. ”

It was First Lady Helen Taft’s idea to plant the famous cherry trees in Washington, D. C．. Each spring these blossoming trees attract thousands of visitors to the nation’s capital. Mrs. Taft also influenced the male members of her family and the White House staff in a strange way: she convinced(说服)them to shave off their beards(胡须)!

Shortly after President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke (中风),   Edith Wilson unofficially took over most of the duties of the Presidency until the end of her husband’s term.   Earlier, during World War I, Mrs.   Wilson had sheep brought onto the White House lawn to eat the grass. The sheep not only kept the lawn cut but provided wool for an auction(拍卖) held by the First Lady.   Almost$ 100,000 was raised for the Red Cross.

One of the most famous First Ladies was Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was active in political and social causes throughout her husband’s term in office. After his death, she became famous for her humanitarian(人道主义的) work in the United Nations. She made life better for thousands of needy people around the world.

1. Why have First Ladies been remembered?

A．They are   the wives of the presidents.

B．They are made up of history books.

C．Americans are interested in them.

D．They have an effect on their husbands.

2. The examples mentioned in Paragraph 2 show that ________.

A．the two wives did business without their husbands

B．the two wives influenced the presidents’ speeches

C．the two wives didn’t like their husbands to make speeches

D．the presidents’ speeches were often interrupted by their wives.

3. Who did the most meaningful work among the First Ladies?

A．Lady Bird Johnson.

B．Mrs. Wilson.

C．Eleanor Roosevelt.

D．Helen Taft

4. Which of the following is considered a strange thing the First Lady did?

A．Raise sheep on the White House lawn to get money for the Red Cross.

B．Take over most of the duties throughout their husbands’ Presidency.

C．Plant the cherry trees in Washington,

D．to attract more visitors.

5. How many First Ladies are mentioned in this passage?

A．3	B．4
C．5	D．6

【推荐3】Rae Armantrout, who has been a poetry professor at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) for two decades, has won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for her most recent book, Versed.
“I’m delighted and amazed at how much media recognition that the Pulitzer brings, as compared to even the National Book Critics Award, which I was also surprised and delighted to win,” said Armantrout.
“For a long time, my writing has been just below the media radar, and to have this kind of attention, suddenly, with my 10th book, is really surprising.”
Armantrout, a native Californian, received her bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley, where she studied with noted poet Denise Levertov, and her master’s in creative writing from San Francisco State University. She is a founding member of Language Poets, a group in American poetry that analyzes the way language is used and raises questions to make the reader think.
In March, she won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Versed.
“This book has gotten more attention,” Armantrout said, “but I don’t feel as if it’s better.”
The first half of Versed focuses on the dark forces taking hold of the United States as it fought the war against Iraq. The second half looks at the dark forces casting a shadow over her own life after Armantrout was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.
Armantrout was shocked to learn she had won the Pulitzer but many of her colleagues were not. “Rae Armantrout is a unique voice in American poetry,” said Seth Lerer, head of Arts and Humanities at UCSD.
Versed, published by the Wesleyan University Press, did appear in a larger printing than her earlier works, which is about 2,700 copies. The new edition is scheduled to appear in May.
1. Which of the following is true of Rae Armantrout?

A．She published a poetry textbook.

B．She used to teach Denise Levertov.

C．She started a poets’ group with others.

D．She taught creative writing at UC Berkeley.

2. According to Rae Armantrout, __________.

A．her 10th book is much better

B．her winning the Pulitzer is unexpected

C．the media is surprised at her works

D．she likes being recognized by her readers

3. Rae Armantrout’s colleagues think that she __________.

A．deserves the prize	B．should write more
C．has a sweet voice	D．is a strange professor

4. What can we learn about Versed?

A．It consists of three parts.

B．It is mainly about the American army.

C．It is a book published two decades ago.

D．It partly concerns the poet’s own life.