Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated (展示) a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person's thoughts.
In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.
“Our brain has billions of nerve cells. These send signals through the spinal cord (脊髓) to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles.” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices.”
The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp (头皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.
Prof. Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair.”
He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time.
1. BCI is a technology that can ________.
| A．help to update computer systems |
| B．link the human brain with computers |
| C．help the disabled to recover |
| D．control a person's thoughts |
| A．By controlling his muscles. |
| B．By talking to the machine. |
| C．By moving his hand. |
| D．By using his mind. |
| A．scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair |
| B．computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair |
| C．scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair |
| D．cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair |
| A．make profits from them |
| B．prove the technology useful to them |
| C．make them live longer |
| D．learn about their physical condition |
| A．Switzerland, the BCI Research Center |
| B．New Findings About How the Human Brain Works |
| C．BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled |
| D．Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries |
2 . Yellowstone National Park became America’s first national park in 1872.The National Park Service was formed 44 years later. Yellowstone, which is mostly in the state of Wyoming, is considered as a great example of the National Park System. Humans have been present in Yellowstone for more than 11,000 years.
The first organized exploration of the area which lies close to the Continental Divide of North America took place in 1870.Those first organized explorers must have seen right away how special the land was. Yellowstone contains beautiful mountains, deep canyons, lakes and rivers.
The name Yellowstone comes from the river running through the area. At first known as Rock Yellow River, later it became known as the Yellowstone River. Yellowstone is home to many different species of plants. However, the park is most special because of what lies underneath it. It sits on top of an ancient super volcano. And it remains an active volcano. It is believed that the last time the volcano erupted was a half million years ago. The area has had three major eruptions in the last three million years. Experts say it may erupt again in another 1,000 to 10,000 years. But each year, there are thousands of earthquakes at Yellowstone. Most are too small to be felt by people visiting the park.
Yellowstone is filled with the beauty of many hot water springs. Of all the geothermal(地热的)places in the world, half are in Yellowstone. In places of geothermal activity, hot water and gases are trapped under the earth’s crust. In places like Yellowstone, they rush to the surface in the form of hot water and steam to form geysers(喷泉).There are more geysers and hot springs in Yellowstone than anywhere else on Earth. The most famous geyser is Old Faithful. It erupts about every hour or hour and a half. The eruption can last from one and a half minutes up to 5 minutes. The amount of hot water it pours in that time can be as much as 31,000 liters or more.
1. Which shows the correct time order according to the text?a. Explorers organized the first exploration of Yellowstone.
b. The National Park Service was formed.
c. The park became the first national park in America.
d. Humans showed up in Yellowstone.
| A．a,d,c,b | B．d,c,b,a |
| C．d,a,c,b | D．d,a,b,c |
| A．The beautiful mountains and deep canyons. |
| B．The different species of plants. |
| C．The ancient active volcano. |
| D．The lakes and rivers. |
| A．It is the largest geyser in Yellowstone. |
| B．It may erupt over twenty times every 24 hours. |
| C．It can be easily affected by active volcanoes. |
| D．It pours over 31,000 liters of hot water every minute. |
| A．Yellowstone lies in the state of Wyoming. |
| B．Rock Yellow River is near the Yellowstone River. |
| C．Yellowstone has the most famous plants in the world. |
| D．Yellowstone National Park is successful in National Park System. |
3 . Oindrila Basu from India, 25, is a key member of a global forestry organization.
Back in her youth, she had to be taught the importance of nature. She used to ruin nests of the bulbul bird just for fun. Once, her mother caught her and forced her to find the eggs and replace the nest. With a heavy heart, the girl realized she had done something terrible.
This is just one way that Basu's parents shaped her understanding and appreciation of nature. Living in the countryside, she spent her youth studying ants before a rain, watching sunbirds drink bottlebrush nectar （花蜜），counting fireflies and watching seedlings grow. Then her parents decided to move to a nearby city with better educational opportunities and she stopped having firsthand experiences with nature.
As she struggled to choose a college major, her mother suggested a career in forestry. That's when her journey began and she fell in love with forestry. Away from the crowded concrete cities, in the lap of the Himalayas, she got her bachelor's degree in forestry from Kumaun University, India. When she went on to study for a master's in forestry from the Forest Research Institute, India, she finally got introduced to a like-minded group of people, dedicated to the same cause — the International Forestry Students' Association （（IFSA）.
IFSA is a global organization connecting students to exchange knowledge and participate in forestry activities. The youth joining IFSA are encouraged to undertake its task — to enrich forest education and spread a love for nature through events and intercultural exchanges.
After six months of exciting international conferences and workshops, Basu found her home — a family that loved forests as much as she did. She felt rejuvenated （重生的）;her passion had a direction. Now she wanted to do more.
Now with the IFSA , Basu recalled her experience of joining , " Consciously （有意识地）or subconsciously we chose forestry, or rather, forestry chose us".
1. Basu's parents play a role in her love for nature.| A．unique | B．usual | C．vague | D．vital |
| A．Basu's tutors | B．people who love forests |
| C．Basu's classmates | D．people who work for forest research |
| A．Love — Take — Study — Spread. |
| B．Hate — Destroy — Flee — Enrich. |
| C．Explore — Understand — Take — Devote. |
| D．Destroy — Experience — Love — Devote. |
| A．Loving Nature. |
| B．Basu: Forest Guardian Angel. |
| C．Realising Dreams. |
| D．Forestry: Home to Human Beings. |
4 . If you ever find yourself trapped in the wilderness without food, you'll have to figure out how to feed yourself. Many plants in the wild are edible, but many are also poisonous. So it is necessary to learn how to determine whether the plants you find can be eaten safely.
Avoid using this method without careful planning. Some plants can be deadly, and even if you follow these guidelines perfectly, there is always a chance that a plant will make you seriously ill. Prepare yourself for wilderness outings by learning about the local plants, and carry a guidebook to help you identify plants. Even if you are unprepared and cannot find food you know to be safe, remember that, depending on your activity level, the human body can go for days without food, and you’re better off being hungry than being poisoned.
Testing the plant in your mouth is dangerous, so go forward very slowly and carefully. First, hold a small portion of the prepared plant part against your lip for 3 minutes. Do not put the plant in your mouth. If you notice any burning, tingling (刺痛), or other reactions, discontinue testing. Second, place another small portion of the plant part on your tongue. Hold the plant on your tongue without chewing for 15 minutes. Discontinue testing if you notice any reaction. Third, chew the plant and hold it in your mouth for 15 minutes. Chew the plant well, and do not swallow. Discontinue testing if you notice any reaction. Fourth, swallow the small portion of the plant. Wait 8 hours. Do not eat or drink anything during this period except purified water. If you feel sick, immediately throw up what you eat and drink plenty of water. If activated charcoal (活性炭) is available, take that with the water.
1. What’s the meaning of the underlined world “edible” in paragraph 1?| A．Suitable for using as food. | B．Widely spread. |
| C．Existing in large quantities. | D．Not widely known. |
| A．Planning is unnecessary when using the method. |
| B．Not all plants in the wild can serve as food generally. |
| C．Suffering hunger can be more dangerous than testing plants. |
| D．Following the method perfectly can ensure safety. |
① wait and see ② chew it in the mouth③ put it on the tongue④ put it against lips ⑤ swallow it
| A．③④②①⑤ | B．④③②①⑤ | C．③④②⑤① | D．④③②⑤① |
| A．A student’s diary. |
| B．A science report. |
| C．A guide book for camping. |
| D．A doctor’ s notebook. |
5 . When I was young at school, I loved to talk, which was not appreciated by Miss Jordan, my tenth-grade English teacher.
She wasn't a popular teacher because she was not good-looking and was so strict. Whenever she got upset, she would lower her head and look at you over the top of her glasses.
One day in her class, while I was busy talking, I didn't realize that she had stopped teaching. She stared straight at me. “Young lady, I would like to see you after school.”
For punishment she told me to write a thousand-word essay on education and it must be handed in by the following Wednesday. Well, that day came. I wasn't worried. It was a good paper. And I expected praise from her. The next day, however, she called me forward, looking at me over her glasses, and returned my paper. "Go back and rewrite. Remember, each paragraph must have a topic sentence." Then came the second time, the grammar. The third time, the spelling. The fourth time, the punctuation. The fifth, it wasn't neat enough. I was sick.
The sixth time, I rewrote the whole paper slowly, in ink, leaving generous space. Seeing it, she removed her glasses and smiled. She finally accepted the paper. After that, I put the whole thing out of my mind.
Two or three months passed, one day Miss Jordan said to us, “Class, do you still remember an essay contest held citywide? They have announced the winners. Yes, Mary has won the first prize."
I was amazed! It was the first time I had won a prize. Years later, I told a reporter the story and expressed my great thanks to Miss Jordan. Soon after that, I got a letter from Miss Jordan, and it said, "What I did wasn't that important. What mattered was the lesson you had learnt. When you wrote and rewrote that paper for me, you began to learn how to discipline yourself.”
1. What made Miss Jordan unhappy with the author?| A．She often lowered her head in class. | B．She always talked too much in class. |
| C．She often made her classmates upset. | D．She often laughed at Miss Jordan's glasses. |
①Grammar. ②Punctuation. ③Topic sentence. ④Spelling. ⑤Neatness.
| A．③②①⑤④ | B．③①⑤②④ | C．③①④②⑤ | D．③⑤④②① |
| A．Active and open-minded. | B．Honest but cold-blooded. |
| C．Energetic and kind-hearted. | D．Strict but broad-minded. |
| A．A naughty girl | B．A good lesson in life |
| C．An essay contest | D．A terrible memory in mind |
| A．No pains, no gains. | B．Love me, love my dog. |
| C．All roads lead to Rome. | D．Two heads are better than one. |
6 . Cattle manure(粪肥) has become one of the world’s greatest environmental killers, but one Dutch artist is using chemistry to turn it into something that is both eco-friendly and valuable.
In recent years, scientists around the world have made great progress in their attempts to recycle cattle manure, including turning it into natural fertilizer, but Eindhoven designer Jalila Essaidi didn’t think they were efficient enough to solve the global manure problem. So she started on her very own solution, one that approached animal waste as a valuable material that could be processed into useful products.
She started by separating the waste, with the dry manure used to get pure cellulose(纤维素) from the grass that cows eat. From the wet manure, she got acids used to create a natural liquid plastic which was used to make fiber that are later turned into fabric(material used for making clothes).
This new material was named Mestic, from mest, the Dutch word for manure. Essaidi claim that it has the same function as plastic from fossil fuels, but is bio-degradable(可生物降解的). Better yet, the degradability can be dealt with in the lab, making it possible to create materials that last for different periods of time depending on their purpose. “This is not the first time that scientists have been looking for ways to solve the manure problem, but it is the first time that manure is being considered as a valuable resource.” the Dutch designer said.
Last year, Jalila Essaldi partnered with the city of Eindhoven to produce a fashion show using Mestic-based fabrics. Her Mestic collection was so impressive that clothing giant H&M awarded her the Global Change Award and a $1million prize. And cow manure is just the beginning of Jalila Essaldi’s experiments with animal waste. “After cows, we’ll deal with pigs and other animals,” she said.
1. Why has the author written the text?| A．To suggest practical ways to deal with cattle manure. |
| B．To advertise for some clothes made by a Dutch company. |
| C．To introduce a designer who turns cow manure into clothing. |
| D．To persuade people to purchase products made from manure. |
| A．acids→liquid plastic→manure→fabric→fibers→clothing |
| B．manure→acids→liquid plastic→fibers→fabric→clothing |
| C．liquid plastic→manure→fabric→fibers→ acids→clothing |
| D．fibers→manure→acids→fabric→liquid plastic→clothing |
| A．Its smell is rather terrible. | B．It is made from fossil fuels. |
| C．Its name has a Dutch origin. | D．It can only be made in the lab. |
| A．Something more needs to be done about cow manure. |
| B．She will switch to other animals waste in the future. |
| C．What experiments to do next really puzzles her. |
| D．The future of fashionable clothing is optimistic. |
7 . Rocky was a 65-pound dog. Rita was his eleven-year old owner. When Rocky was given to her, Rita immediately liked him. Whenever she was not in school,the two were always together and within touching distance. The family would lovingly call the pair “R and R".
But Rocky had one shortcoming. He feared water very much because of a terrible experience. When he was at the age of seven weeks long before he met Rita,he was nearly drowned by a naughty boy who had been blamed by his father.
One late afternoon,Rita's mother took R and R to a shopping area near a lake. Rita was running along the wooden bridge over the water,enjoying the beautiful scenery around. Suddenly a boy on a bicycle hit Rita. She let out a cry of pain and fell into the lake.
Rita's mother was at the entrance of a store not far away. She rushed to the lake shouting for help. Rocky seemed to forget his fear and jumped into the water to save his owner. Rocky immediately swam to Rita and held her by the shoulder's clothes with his mouth. Rita's face was quickly out of the water and she could cough.Luckily,the water was calm,they were not far from the bank,and Rocky finally reached a depth where his feet were on solid ground. He pulled Rita hard until her head was completely out of the water, and then he stood beside her, licking(舔） her face.
Rita and her family firmly believed that it was only the big dog's love for the little girl that caused him to take action that might be life-dangerous.
1. From the text, we know .| A．Rita was once blamed |
| B．Rocky was eleven years old |
| C．Rita spent her spare time with Rocky |
| D．Rocky lived in Rita's home since his birth |
| A．Brave. | B．Honest. | C．Unkind. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．At noon. | B．At night. | C．In the morning. | D．In the afternoon. |
① Rocky came into Rita's life.② Rocky was nearly drowned.
③ They were playing near the lake. ④ Rocky saved Rita from the water.
| A．①②④③ | B．②①③④ | C．③①②④ | D．④③②① |
| A．It is love that can defeat fear when in danger. |
| B．It is life-dangerous for children to be left alone. |
| C．Anyone who treats animals badly should be blamed. |
| D．Children should be encouraged to keep a pet as a friend. |
8 . When I was about twelve, I headed to a restaurant for dinner with my family. It was a windy winter night. As my mom and I headed towards the restaurant from our car, a girl about my age and her mother came up to us. They asked if we had any spare change. My mom immediately asked where they kept their things. They pointed to an old car in a parking across the street. The girl said there were six of them living in that car, which was the same size as my own family.
My mom said she had something to do after handing the people a few dollars. She sent me inside the restaurant with my dad and my three siblings(兄弟姊妹).But she didn’t come.
Later, I found out she had gone home and practically emptied our cupboards into a few bags. Then, she brought that food over to the car and handed the bags to the family. I wasn’t there when that part happened, but I can only imagine the joy it brought to their faces.
A few days later, when I actually found out about what she had done, I asked her why she helped those people. She told me that they were not lucky. I remember the face of that girl who had asked us for change; she was the same age as me, yet we looked so different.
Here I stood, dressed in almost new clothes, headed to dine in a restaurant and then back home to the bedroom I shared with my younger sister. I remember thinking that the girl didn’t have any food to eat and that she was heading back to a cold car shared with five other people.
After painting this picture in my mind, I understood why my mom had done what she did. I will never forget what she did that night. And that night I also learned one of the best lessons she taught.
1. We learn from the passage that the girl about the writer’s age .| A．made friends with the writer |
| B．had her own bedroom |
| C．received a good education |
| D．lived a hard life |
a. My mom gave the girl a few dollars.
b. My family was on the way to a restaurant.
c. My mom went home and brought some food.
d. We met with a girl and her mother asking for dollars.
| A．b a c d | B．b d a c |
| C．d a c b | D．d c b a |
| A．Patient. | B．Strict. |
| C．Kind. | D．Proud. |
| A．visit the girl in the near future |
| B．save as much money as possible |
| C．learn from her mother |
| D．deal with the world’s food problem |
9 . GE’s Bill Run nas a message for anyone who’s confused or doubtful about the company’s new focus on the" Industrial Internet’.The long story made short is that the amount of data being produced by industrial machine” is going to be more than anything you’re ever seen” , and analyzing this data is going to make everyone’s life easier.
Take gas turtbine (涡轮机）at power plants for example. “We’re almost putting a data center on a gas turbine,” Ruh said during a session at GigaOM’s Mobilize conference on Wednesday morning，referring to the hundreds of sensors(传感器）the company is placing on those machines to get data. If those sensors, combined with anyone’s software for managing and analyzing the data, are able to improve efficiency by just one percent, they could save nearly $6 billion a year.
Think about the air travel. Forty-one percent of unplanned downtime for airlines is caused by mechanical errors, Ruh explained, so GE wants to be able to predict when its engines or other airline systems will fail. With this knowledge, carriers can fix problems during scheduled downtime and save everyone's precious time.
Speaking of sensors, Ruh noted just how much potentially predictive data they’re getting. “Using a sensor,” he said,“we could get hundred terabytes(百万兆字节）a day.”
However, he acknowledged that the great effects of the Industrial Internet—cost savings, carbon-footprint reductions and efficiency gains—will come with changes in the employment sector that might not be good for everyone involved. ‘‘Some new kinds of jobs that don’t exist today will get created，”Ruh said. “It takes time and energy for people to get adapted to it.”
1. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?| A．The Industrial Internet—a new kind of machine. |
| B．The Industrial Internet—a large amount of data. |
| C．The Industrial Internet一another name for the Internet. |
| D．The Industrial Internet一a way to get data by sensors. |
| A．the time during which you are upset |
| B．the time during which you have nothing to do |
| C．the time during which a machine is not working |
| D．the time during which the price is very low |
| A．Data—sensors—high efficiency. |
| B．Machines—sensors—high efficiency. |
| C．Sensors一data一high efficiency. |
| D．Sensors一machines一high efficiency. |
| A．More jobs will disappear. |
| B．It brings along some disadvantages. |
| C．Changes will not appear in employment. |
| D．Everyone can adapt to new jobs immediately. |
10 . Like many little school girls, Savannah Hart was given the chance to take home her class “pet” — in this case, a sweetly tattered(破烂的) toy monkey named Harriet.
What happened next could be the subject of a children’s storybook: the 5-year-old from Australia took Harriet on a summer trip to Buckingham Palace when things went wrong.
While visiting Queen Elizabeth’s home, the little girl misplaced the toy, and her family assumed(假定) that Harriet would be forever stuck at the bottom of the palace’s lost property collection. But after a teacher at Savannah’s school, Woodside Preschool in Australia, wrote a letter to the Queen to see if the well-worn Harriet could be located, determined palace employees set to work to find it.
Helped by the letter and photos taken during the monkey’s tour around the U.K. with Savannah’s family, Harriet was found and returned to Savannah. But Harriet didn’t come back alone on the 9,000-mile journey from London to Australia — the monkey was also accompanied by Rex, a stuffed corgi dog sent from the palace.
Before leaving the U.K., Harriet even spent some time helping out with palace tours and was given the royal treatment.
“We aim to give every visitor to Buckingham Palace a memorable experience, and after we had found Harriet the monkey near the Family Pavilion(亭，阁), she spent some time helping out the Visitor Services team before heading home,” said a spokesperson for the Royal Collection, which runs the visitor experience at Buckingham Palace over the summer. “We hope Harriet enjoyed telling Rex the corgi dog about her adventures on the journey back to Australia.”
1. According to the text, what can be learned about Harriet?| A．Harriet is Savannah’s home pet. |
| B．Harriet is a sweetly tattered toy dog. |
| C．Harriet has been to the U.K.. |
| D．Harriet has a teacher named Woodside. |
| A．A teacher and her family | B．A teacher and the palace employees |
| C．Her family and the Queen | D．All of them. |
a. Savannah’s teacher wrote a letter to ask for help.
b. Savannah took Harriet on a summer trip to Buckingham Palace.
c. The palace employees set to work to find Harriet.
d. Harriet was given the royal treatment and came back with Rex.
e. Savannah misplaced Harriet and her family thought it would be never seen.
| A．beacd | B．daecb |
| C．dceba | D．adcbe |
| A．Harriet spent some time helping out the Visitor Services team |
| B．Harriet took Rex back together with him and enjoyed telling him stories. |
| C．Whoever visits Buckingham Palace will have a memorable experience. |
| D．The Buckingham Palace employees aim to provide visitors with good service. |
