1 . As we all know, insects can be remarkably agile (灵活的) in flight. This is really hard to build into flying robots, but MIT Assistant Professor Kevin Yufeng Chen has developed an insect-sized drone (无人机) that approaches insects’ agility.
Typically, drones require wide open spaces. “If we look at most drones today, they’re usually quite big,” says Chen. “Most of their applications involve flying outdoors. The question is: Can you create an insect-sized drone that can move around in very crowded and complex spaces?”
According to Chen, he overcame many problems when building the drone. The insect-sized drone requires a fundamentally different construction from a larger one. The large drone is usually powered by a motor, but the motor loses efficiency as you shrink it. So, Chen says, “For an insect-sized drone, you need to look for alternatives.” The principal alternative until now has been employing a small, rigid actuator (执行器) built from new materials. Chen designed a more agile tiny drone using soft actuators instead of hard ones.
Each actuator can beat nearly 500 times per second and weighs just 0.6 gram, approximately the mass of a large bee. It gives the drone insect-like agility. “You can hit it when it’s flying, and it can recover,” says Chen. “It can also turn over in the air.” The drone looks a bit like a tiny cassette tape with wings, though Chen is also working on a new one shaped like a dragonfly.
Chen says his drone can be useful in industry and agriculture. It can perform machinery inspections to ensure safety and function. Its potential applications include completing search-and-rescue missions following a disaster. “All those things can be very difficult for existing large-scale drones,” Chen explains.
1. What can we know about the actuator designed by Chen?| A．It weighs about six grams. |
| B．It drives the insect-sized drone. |
| C．It loses efficiency too much. |
| D．It employs conventional materials. |
| A．Easy. | B．Costly. | C．Fruitless. | D．Challenging. |
| A．Its safety standards. | B．Its flying range. |
| C．Its possible applications. | D．Its design principle. |
| A．An Insect-like Small Drone |
| B．The Future of Insect-sized Drones |
| C．How Drones Will Change the Agriculture |
| D．What Challenge Drone Development Faces |
2 . I have always loved the Arthurian legend (传奇), as there is something quite special about King Arthur, and of course Merlin, my favourite character from the stories.
Death of an Empire is the second volume in MK Hume’s “Merlin” series which details Merlin’s life from birth. Merlin travels across the Roman Empire in search of his father, a voyage of discovery to understand just who he was. Eventually Merlin gets involved in the fight against the Hun’s invasion (入侵) of Europe at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plain.
Serving under the General Flavius Aetius, Merlin builds a reputation by saving the lives of thousands of soldiers. When he finally reaches Rome, he saves many more. But a far deadlier conflict between Emperor Valentinian and Senator Petronius Maximus is around the corner and Merlin must use all his strength to carry out his work.
If I had to choose just one word to describe this novel, there would be no other choice than “immersive (身临其境的)”. There has clearly been a serious amount of research carried out by the author. Combined with the descriptive prose and imaginative story, the book really does attract you from almost the very start. The story really does feel like you are a part of it as Merlin travels across the Roman Empire.
The author does a great job of mixing the rich history with established Arthurian legend. The battle scene is handled very effectively. The author employs a very effective form to show the main fight and this not only adds a degree of tension and a good level of excitement but almost makes you feel like you are right there hearing about what happened.
Death of an Empire is a very fine novel, a wonderfully rich tale and a rewarding story.
1. Why does Merlin travel across the Roman Empire?| A．To visit King Arthur. | B．To enjoy a nice view. |
| C．To get a well-paid job. | D．To find out his origin. |
| A．It is a mixture of history and legend. |
| B．It features difficult language. |
| C．It speaks highly of an emperor. |
| D．It is a masterpiece of Merlin. |
| A．An effective description. | B．A long-running battle. |
| C．A wonderful feeling. | D．A well-known legend. |
| A．A news report. | B．A history story. |
| C．A book review. | D．A science fiction. |
3 . Wonderful trip around the Mediterranean
Days 1-2 Barcelona, Spain
Discover the interesting buildings, Catalan culture and Gothic Quarter in Gaudi’s city of Barcelona.
Day 3 Board Regal Princess
Day 4 Relaxing at sea
Day 5 Gibraltar
You’ve got a full day to get to know this British territory (领土), home to many cultures. Choose to ride the cable car (缆车) for great views of the Rock of Gibraltar or discover the beautiful lighthouse.
Day 6 Relaxing at sea
Day 7 Marseille, France
Enjoy a full day discovering all that Provence has to offer — flower fields, fishing boats or Roman ruins (遗迹). City or countryside, you decide.
Day 8 Genoa, Italy
Get to know this busy town by walking through the wonderful streets and piazzas (public squares, especially in an Italian town).
Day 9 Florence / Pisa
Choose to visit wonderful wineries (酒庄) in Tuscany or the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa on your last day in Italy.
Day 10 Disembark (下船) Regal Princess
Go to the airport for your flight home.
Your holiday includes
• Direct flights
• 2 nights 4 star Barcelona hotel incl breakfast
• 7 nights aboard Regal Princess
• Private guide
10 day holiday from
Single room £1,199
Mini double room £1,949
1. What can a visitor do on Day 5?
| A．See a lighthouse. | B．Go rock climbing. |
| C．Enjoy Catalan food. | D．Visit the English countryside. |
| A．One day. | B．Two days. | C．Three days. | D．Eight days. |
| A．A tour diary. | B．A business report. |
| C．A travel magazine. | D．A geography textbook. |
4 . It takes time to really get to know someone, but first impressions often determine whether someone is willing to spend more time learning about you. In fact, people’s first impressions are made within seven seconds of meeting someone new.
Show respect. People want to feel respected before they show you the same respect.
Be enthusiastic.
Try to avoid the bad days. If something unfortunate happens, you don’t have to follow a scheduled meeting on the day.
| A．Make others feel lucky. |
| B．Instead, you can set another time. |
| C．Pay attention to your body language. |
| D．Show interest in the person you meet. |
| E．When you go out for dinner, be polite to waiters. |
| F．Be polite and show manners with “please” and “thank you”. |
| G．Here are some tips on how to make a good first impression. |
Friendship is one of the most important things in everyone’s life.
A true friend can always
In conclusion,
6 . A man worked in a post office. His job was to handle(处理)all
| A．stamps | B．money | C．mail | D．postcards |
| A．spoken | B．written | C．recorded | D．pointed |
| A．noticed | B．talked | C．read | D．told |
| A．clothes | B．purse | C．house | D．food |
| A．borrowed | B．wished | C．paid | D．left |
| A．dinner | B．fun | C．business | D．picnic |
| A．nothing | B．anything | C．something | D．everything |
| A．live in | B．live on | C．turn to | D．turn back |
| A．family | B．hope | C．friend | D．partner |
| A．excited | B．amazed | C．surprised | D．moved |
| A．gained | B．earned | C．searched | D．explored |
| A．finished | B．planned | C．started | D．toured |
| A．Or | B．As | C．And | D．But |
| A．gradually | B．usually | C．especially | D．easily |
| A．friends | B．workers | C．officers | D．guests |
| A．sent | B．replied | C．accepted | D．opened |
| A．bring | B．choose | C．prepare | D．enjoy |
| A．nice | B．strange | C．common | D．formal |
| A．traditional | B．wonderful | C．expensive | D．extra |
| A．annoyed | B．confident | C．pleased | D．hopeful |
7 . We’ve been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It is possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s awkward and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s an important social practice that results in big benefits.
Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease (润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci. “Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,” he explains. “The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.”
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, Associate Professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction (互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. “It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,” says Dunn. “But interactions with peripheral (边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also.”
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. “Small talk is the basis of good manners,” he says.
1. What phenomenon is described in the first paragraph?| A．Addiction to smartphones. |
| B．Inappropriate behaviours in public places. |
| C．Absence of communication between stranger. |
| D．Impatience with slow service. |
| A．Showing good manners. | B．Relating to other people. |
| C．Focusing on a topic. | D．Making business deals. |
| A．Big business doesn’t need to have small talk. |
| B．communicating with others is the most important thing. |
| C．Small talk can benifit a lot. |
| D．Silence is necessary in daily life. |
| A．It improves family relationships. |
| B．It raises people’s confidence. |
| C．It matters as much as a formal talk. |
| D．It makes people feel good. |
8 . Choose Your One-Day-Tours!
Tour A—Bath & Stonehenge: including entrance fees to the ancient Roman bathrooms and Stonehenge—￡37 until 26 March and ￡39 thereafter.
Visit the city with over 2,000 years of history and Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent and the Costume Museum.
Tour B—Oxford: including entrance fees to the University St Mary’s Church Tower and Anne Hathaway’s—￡32 until 12 March and ￡36 thereafter
Oxford: Includes a guided tour of England’s oldest university city and colleges.
Tour C—Windsor Castle &Hampton Court: including entrance fees to Hampton Court Palace—￡34 until 11 March and ￡37 thereafter.
Includes a guided tour of Windsor and Hampton Court, Henry VIII’s favorite palace. Free time to visit Windsor Castle (entrance fees not included). With 500 years of history, Hampton Court was once the home of four Kings and one Queen. Now this former royal palace is open to the public as a major tourist attraction. Visit the palace and its various historic gardens, which include the famous maze (迷宫) where it is easy to get lost!
Tour D—Cambridge: including entrance fees to the Tower of Saint Mary the Great—￡33 until 18 March and ￡37 thereafter.
Includes a guided tour of Cambridge, the famous university town, and the gardens of the 18th century.
1. Which tour will you choose if you want to see England’s oldest university city?| A．Tour A | B．Tour B | C．Tour C | D．Tour D |
| A．Windsor Castle & Hampton Court | B．Oxford |
| C．Bath & Stonehenge | D．Cambridge |
| A．It used to be the home of royal families | B．It used to be a well-known maze |
| C．It is the oldest palace in Britain | D．It is a world-famous castle |
1. 说明比赛要求；
2. 请他推荐英文歌；
3. 请教英文歌的演唱技巧。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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Hua Zhibing announced
