1 . Robots have come a long way since 15th century. We’ve got robots to build cars, carry heavy things, work in dangerous places and explore planets. But things haven’t stopped there.
In 1986, Honda made a robot called ASIMO. And now, it has been developed greatly. Standing at 130cm and weighing 54kg. ASIMO is very much like a small astronaut wearing a bag on the back. And he can walk, flight, climb and run fast. Isn’t it wonderful?
The world’s first robot teacher is Saya. With her human-like face, she can show expressions like happiness, surprise, sadness, dislike, fear and she can even smile or show anger at students, which look much like a real teacher’s. To do this, her rubber skin is pulled from the back with motors inside. And her eyes and mouth have wires(电线) too. She can also say some simple words like “hello” or “thank you”.
In the UK, the development of robots is exciting. The mini-robots will send food, clean floors, collect and throw away waste. These robots can open doors by themselves and stop if anything or anyone is in the way.
These mini-robots are very useful for controlling infection(传染). Usually clean and dirty work is done by the same person, but here, you’ll have robots that do”dirty work”, like collecting dirty sheets, or taking away hospital waste; and you’ll have robots that do”clean work”, like bringing meals or clean sheets to patients. The robots have separate work so there’s no way for infection, which is great. But of course, robots would not take the piece of humans, but would free up more time for nurses to be with patients.
But if this is what it’s like in 2011, what’s it going to be like to 2021?
1. In the following, which is ASIMO’s behavior?

A．Smiling at people, saying “hello”.

B．Sending food or opening doors by himself

C．Fighting, climbing or running fast

D．Collecting waste for patients

2. What makes Saya look real?

A．Her face and rich expressions	B．Her clothes and shoes
C．Her walking and running speed	D．Her rich knowledge

3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Robots have come a long way since 1986.

B．The first robot teacher was made by Honda.

C．Saya looks like a small astronaut.

D．If anyone or anything is in the way, mini-robots will stop.

4. The main idea of Paragraph 5 is that _______.

A．nurses would have more free time with patients

B．robots would not take the place of humans

C．dirty and clean work is always done by the same person

D．mini-robots are useful for controlling infection

2 . Have you noticed your life becoming a little easier? Now, when you go to a certain shopping mall, you can enjoy its free Wi-Fi there. When you want to take a taxi, you can book one with your phone. In fact, all these can be seen as the basic parts of a smart city.
The idea of a smart city was brought up by US company IBM in 2010. Generally, a smart city is a city that uses digital technologies such as the Internet to improve city planning, save money and resources, and make our life convenient. How smart can a city be? Here are great examples that we can learn from.
In 2009, Dubuque became the first smart city in the US. The city used smart water meters to take the place of traditional water meters. They can detect（探测）water waste and leakage（泄漏）and send data to let the house owner know. The same system is used for other city resources like electricity and natural gas. This way, people know how they use their resources and are glad to help reduce waste.
Santander in Spain also gives us a look at the future. If people point a phone toward a nearby bus stop, the phone immediately shows all bus lines that serve the stop as well as their arrival times. The government organized a research team and provided an App（应用程序）that collects data on almost everything: light, temperature, and the movements of cars and people. Opening the App near a supermarket provides immediate information on special things.

1. According to the passage, which of the following is RIGHT?

A．Digital technologies are used in smart cities.

B．An English company first raised the idea of a smart city.

C．A smart city is mainly made up of free Wi-Fi and phones.

D．A smart city is still an idea and hasn’t come into being.

2. The underlined word “convenient” is the closest in meaning to _____.

A．useful

B．normal

C．suitable

D．easy

3. Compared to traditional water meters, smart water meters do better in _____.

A．cleaning water	B．supplying water
C．saving water	D．producing water

4. The example of Santander shows the use of smart systems in aspects（方面）EXCEPT _____.

A．business	B．health care
C．traffic controlling	D．public transportation

5. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Digital technologies help improve city planning.

B．Smart cities will make our future life better and smarter.

C．Smart cities are very common in both Dubuque and Santander.

D．Spain and the US take the leading position in building smart cities.

3 . The Internet, mobile phones and Ipads are part of our lives now. Technology is greatly affecting all ways of our lives, from the ways we work to the ways we play. And it even causes a number of social problems such as cloning humans.

We have had lots of technology and it has changed our lives a lot. There is no doubt that humans will continue to use more and more technology. Here are some examples of modern technology that will change our ideas and will affect our lives greatly.

Global positioning system(GPS)(全球定位系统)

It’s a system that uses radio signals from satellites to show exact(精确的) information. It tells you where the user is on the earth in all weather conditions. It’s made up of three parts：satellites, control equipments(设备) on land and receivers.

Space Technology

Russian and American scientists have worked together for the international Space Station(ISS) for a long time. They hope the ISS will provide a long-lasting lab. Such a lab will bring humans limitless(无限的) advantages. It’s even hoped that one day space technology will take humans to their new houses in space.

Underwater Robot

Hercules is a kind of underwater robot with some high technology equipments. It will be used to search for ancient ships which were destroyed into the deep sea during their journey long ago.

The world is changing so quickly that it’s hard for us to catch up with all the new inventions because they seem to come out every month. It’s important for us to learn about new technology and the role that it plays in our lives. So we should be willing to accept modern technology, or we will fall behind the times.

1. _______ can tell you where the user is on the earth exactly.

A．Satellites

B．Receivers

C．Global Positioning System

D．Underwater Robot

2. According to the passage, which is NOT true about the ISS?

A．It has carried people to other planets.

B．It will provide a long-lasting lab for us.

C．Russian and American are working for it.

D．Humans will get a lot of advantages from it.

3. Hercules is used to _______.

A．save lives in the sea

B．take picture in the sea

C．repair the broken ships

D．look for the ancient ships in the sea

4. From the passage, we know that _______.

A．the use of GPS is affected by the weather conditions

B．it’s very important for us to learn about new technology

C．it’s easy for us to catch up with all the new inventions

D．technology brings us many advantages such as cloning humans

5. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To help us study some new technology.

B．To tell us technology is changing the world.

C．To help solve the problems that technology causes.

D．To remind us the advantages of technology are limitless.

4 . Have you seen advertisements about hair care products ? The models(模特) have shining hair like jewels(宝石). But now making hair shine is no longer the task of hair care products, because hair can be made into real jewels. Believe it or not, a company called LifeGem in the US makes it possible.
The company is in the business of taking hair from dead people and making them into diamonds(钻石). Now the company plans to make three diamonds using Beethoven’s hair to show their latest technology. The work will take about 7 months. In the end, Beethoven’s long hair will become three shining diamonds.
Since the great musician died in 1827, you may wonder where they got Beethoven’s hair. A man called John Reznikoff gave the hair to the company. He holds the Guinness World Record for the latest and most valuable collection of celebrity(名人) hair. His collection also includes hair of Napoleon, Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. In total, the collection is worth over five million dollars.
Though it sounds unbelievable, diamonds made with hair are for the families to remember the dead.
Answer the questions according to the passage.
1. What does the company of LifeGem do?
2. How did the company get Beethoven’s hair?
3. John Reznikoff doesn’t collect Albert Einstein’s hair, does he?
4. How long will the work take?
5. What are the diamonds made with hair for?

5 . Lockheed Martin, American space system company (空间系统公司) has found a really cool way to inspire the young minds of today to the research fields in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

It may look like a normal yellow bus, but all the magic happens once you get inside. Meet the “Mars (火星) Experience Bus,” part of Lockheed Martin’s new “Generation Beyond” national education program to get the kids joining in studying what goes on outside of our home planet. The bus offers a virtual reality (VR, 虚拟现实) experience making the teenagers feel like they are driving on Mars.

The VR experience was developed by taking advantage of software (软件) created for today’s best video games, so you can imagine the picture shown is top level. The kids do seem really excited to see the bus take a virtual trip on the red planet and search unknown places. It’s certainly a great way of leaning about the universe by virtual reality working on a common bus.

The Lockheed Martin’s bus will start a tour in the United States to allow kids from different parts of the country to take a ride in it. The Generation Beyond project also includes an iPhone app for iOS providing real-time information about weather reports for Mars, and there’s also a free deep space course for middle school teachers and students.

1. “A really cool way” in the first paragraph refers to ________.

A．A science subject

B．Mars Experience Bus

C．Video game software

2. “Generation Beyond” is a/an ________.

A．school bus

B．educational project

C．vocation trip

3. The VR experience was developed from ________.

A．video games

B．space science

C．diving systems

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?

A．It just looks like a normal school bus after you get inside.

B．Kids are sure to be more interested in all subject after the experience.

C．You can get the real-time weather reports for Mars with the iPhone.

5. The best title of this passage may be ________.

A．The common yellow bus

B．The mysterious red planet

C．The magic VR tour

6 . Some days, don’t you think, "Wouldn’t it be nice if the laundry would just do itself?” Self-cleaning clothes may sound crazy. But Australian researchers have found a way to make something like this possible!
A team at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, found a way to put special nanostructures (纳米结构) into clothing, which can then clean the clothes. When sunlight hits the nanostructures, they break down the dirt and stains (污渍) that don’t belong on your clothes.
The nanostructures don’t break down the actual clothing because cotton and the other clothing materials are too strong to be broken down. According to CNN, the researchers cover the clothing in a solution made of silver and copper (铜) nanostructures. All it takes is 40 minutes of sunlight and your clothes will look as good as new.
So if you spill on yourself during lunch, you can step outside for a walk, and it will be clean by the time you go inside. It not only makes your life easier, but it can also be good for the environment.
According to the US Department of Energy, the average load of laundry uses about 25 gallons (about 94 liters) of water. Water is a very important resource, so using less of it to wash clothes is better for the environment. But one of the scientists at RMIT University knows more needs to be done.
“There’s more work to do before we can start throwing out our washing machines,” said Dr Rajesh Ramanathan, “but this is a strong foundation (基础).”
So what’s the next step? Ramanathan wants to either start selling the solution by itself or convincing (说服) clothing makers to treat the clothing with the solution while clothes are being made.
1. How do the clothing with the nanostructures get cleaned?

A．Cotton clothes wash easily

B．This kind of clothing washes it by itself.

C．The dirt and stains are broken down in the sunlight.

D．Silver and copper help to get off the dirt in the dark.

2. What do Paragraphs 4-5 talk about?

A．What advantages the self-cleaning clothes have.

B．How the self-cleaning clothes work.

C．How the self-cleaning clothes are made.

D．What helps the self-cleaning clothes work.

3. What does the underlined word “solution”in the last paragraph mean?

A．Machines	B．Clothes.
C．Silver.	D．Design.

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Silver and copper sell well.

B．The solution is not put into practice.

C．Clothing makes certainly like the solution.

D．We don’t need washing machines any more.

7 .        If you are not happy with China’s high Internet fees and slow speed, you are not alone.So is Premier Li Keqiang.On April 14, he said in a meeting that the government should speed up the Internet and lower the fees.

“The first question people ask at a new place is ‘Is there WI-FI’ because Internet service fees are so high,” said Premier Li.According to a recent survey by CCTV, the average cost of 1GB mobile Internet data per month in China is 100 Yuan, while it is only 60 Yuan in the US and 40 in Japan.

However, high prices don’t necessarily mean good service.The average Internet speed in China was 4.25Mbps（兆比特每秒）in late 2014.South Korea had the fastest average Internet speed-25.3 Mbps.People can download a 1 GB movie within 6 minutes in South Koreas, but in China it would take half an hour.

To improve Internet services, the key is to build more fiber(光纤) networks.Through them we can send text, pictures and videos globally in less than a second, which offer high speed Internet.Besides, the lack of market competition is another problems___________________________________________.

根据材料内容，选择最佳答案。
1. Why do people always ask for WI-FI at a new place in China?

A．Because they can’t use Internet without WI-FI.

B．Because they can communicate with their families.

C．Because they want to download movies.

D．Because Internet service fees are too high.

2. In late 2014, ______ had the fastest average Internet speed.

A．China

B．USA

C．Japan

D．South Korea

3. What is the key to improve Internet services?

A．To increase Internet service fees.

B．To build more fiber networks.

C．To learn from South Korea.

D．To make the government know the situation.

4. The underlined sentence in the passage infers that ______.

A．China’s high Internet fees are probably because there is no more market competition.

B．China has too many tele-communication companies.

C．China Unicom should lower the price.

D．China Telecom should lower the price.

5. What is the best title for the passage?

A．China’s Internet Economy.

B．Shopping Online.

C．China Wants Cheaper, Quicker Internet.

D．China Unicom and China Telecom

8 . With the development of technology, WiFi is becoming more and more popular and important in people’s daily life.But have you ever experienced it? Just imagine what life will be like if there is no Internet.Maybe you won’t be able to talk with friends, play video games or search for information for your homework on the Internet.
But in fact, only one third of the world’s population are able to get information on the Internet.The rest are too poor to buy WiFi access(使用权) or they live in remote areas.As a result, they live without the Internet.
Google and Facebook, two world-famous technology companies, have decided to do something about it.Google’s Project Loon will try to send balloons which are 15 meters wide into our Earth’s stratosphere(平流层) in 2015.The balloons are made of a special material that is three times thicker than the plastic bag we use every day.Each balloon will carry a minicomputer and a WiFi radio.The WiFi radio will send the Internet over the areas it is floating over.Then people can get up-to-date information on weather or news.
1. The underlined word “remote” means __________ in the passage.

A．crowded

B．faraway

C．near

D．modern

2. Two thirds of the world’s population live without the Internet because __________.

A．they have no money to buy WiFi access

B．they live in remote areas

C．they don’t need the Internet

D．they can’t afford WiFi access or they live in remote areas

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The balloons are 15 meters long.

B．People can do lots of things on the Internet.

C．The WiFi radio can send the Internet without any help.

D．The material of the balloons is not as thick as our usual plastic bag.

4. The main idea of the last paragraph is __________.

A．how to send the Internet

B．how to use the Internet

C．what the balloons look like

D．how soon people will get WiFi from the sky

9 . If you like to check your smartphone from time to time, you are not alone. In fact, using apps（应用程序）has now become part of everyday life.
Changba

Changba, which has been described as "the best mobile karaoke for sound", allows you to sing along to over 2,000 songs. You can also share your KTV recordings with friends on social media sites such as Weibo, Wechat, Qzone, etc. The app allows users to create a photo show to go with their songs and comment on other people's songs. Changba can even filter the sound. For example, it can make cat noises sound like a beautiful chorus(合唱).
Moment Cam

Moment Cam brings you some of the most useful features a camera app can have, such as adjusting the flash(调整闪光灯）,continuous shots, adjusting the timer, and choosing different sizes for photo-sharing sites. But what sets the app apart from all the others is the choice of simple mini-buttons that you hardly notice are there.
Carrot

Carrot, a to-do list app, is a task manager with a personality, When you succeed in finishing your tasks, for example, Carrot praises you with a message such as "Way to go. Soon you'll be completing other people's to-do lists".But if you fail to perform your tasks, Carrot might say, "I'm angered at your behavior." And it may change its background from white to black to show how angry it is. So, if you need an extra push to finish your tasks, give Carrot a try.
根据短文内容，从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。
1. Tony is fond of taking photos on his smartphone. Which app might he download?

A．Carrot.	B．Flash.
C．Changba.	D．Moment Cam.

2. Changba allows users to do the following things EXCEPT ______.

A．listing the tasks you need to finish

B．commenting on ohter people's songs

C．singing along to over 2,000 songs

D．sharing your KTV recording on WeChat

3. The underlined word “filter”probably means ________.

A．分辨

B．转换

C．修饰

D．比对

4. Carrot may change its background from white to black to show______,

A．how sad it is	B．how happy it is
C．how angry it is	D．how lonely it is

5. From the passage, we can infer（推断) that ______

A．it's unpopular to use apps in our daily life

B．Carrot will help to monitor your tasks to do

C．Changba has got better sound effects than karaoke

D．old people prefer a common camera to Moment Cam

10 .
Long ago, people lived on wild animals, fruits and other plants and they didn’t need to use money.
As time passed, families had more products(产品) than they needed, such as animals and crops. So they needed to trade(交易) with others. They began to use money to make it easier. However, it was not like the money we use today. They used shells, rice, salt or large stones.
During the 600s BC, people began using coins as money. Because they were easier to carry than goods(货物), countries began to make coins as their money.

The Chinese were the first to use paper money, probably in the 11th century. An Italian traveler, Marco Polo, saw the Chinese use paper money when he visited China in the 1200s. After his travel, he told the western people what he saw. But European countries didn’t start using paper money till the1600s.
Today we have many ways to pay for things, such as coins, paper money and cards. Some prefer to pay by card. That’s because paying with a card is easier and safer than carrying around a lot of “real” money.
1. People began to use money because they ______.

A．lived on plants

B．raised animals

C．needed to trade

2. People used ______ as money during the 600s BC.
A. shells                                 B. coins                            C. cards
3. Which country used paper money first?
A. Japan.                                 B. USA.                              C. China.
4. The passage tells us the ______ of money

A．history

B．use

C．collection