1 . If a pancake could dream, it might long for legs so it could jump off your breakfast plate in pursuit of a better, unchewed life. But legs aren’t necessary for something as flat as a pancake to jump around. A group of scientists have designed a pancake-shaped robot that can jump several times per second and higher than seven times its body height. The new robot named Hop, which swiftly jumps without feet, is an important contribution to the soft robotics.

Many ground robots move by rolling or walking. But it’s more efficient for robots to jump over obstacles (障碍物) than to go around them. Although jumping can offer some robots a competitive edge, engineering that ability has been a challenge for robotics researchers. Some soft robots that store energy can perform a single impressive jump very infrequently. Some lightweight soft robots that don’t store energy can jump frequently but can’t jump high or far enough to successfully cross an obstacle.

For inspiration, the researchers looked to gall midge larvae (瘿蚊幼虫) that miraculously throw themselves across distances 30 times as long as their loglike bodies. A gall midge larva bends its body and squeezes the liquid in its body to one end, making it rigid (僵硬的). The accumulation of liquid builds up pressure, and releasing the pressure sends it soaring (飙升). The robot’s body doesn’t resemble (像) that of a gall midge larva, but it jumps like one. Its body is made of two small plastic bags printed with electrodes; the front bag is filled with liquid and the back one is filled with the same volume of air. The robot uses electricity to drive the flow of liquid, which causes the body to bend and generate force with the ground, resulting in a jump. And the air bag imitates the function of an animal’s tail, helping the robot keep a stable position.

While the robot is currently restricted to Earth, it might be right at home exploring another planet. If this is true, the researchers robot might jump over dusty rocks and large holes on the moon or Mars, going where no pancake has gone before.

1. What does the author want to show by mentioning a pancake?

A．A pancake’s dream to have legs is unrealistic.

B．A robot is capable of serving a good pancake.

C．A pancake-shaped robot can jump without legs.

D．Research on pancakes advances our understanding of robots.

2. What difficultly do robotics researchers have in developing Hop according to Paragraph 2?

A．Hop’s avoiding an obstacle.	B．Hop’s moving around by rolling.
C．Hop’s performing one remarkable jump.	D．Hop’s jumping high and far continuously.

3. What inspiration do the researchers draw from gall midge larvae?

A．They are shaped like logs.

B．They have tails to change positions.

C．They bend their bodies and increase force.

D．They are filled with liquid and have rigid bodies.

4. What is the author’s attitude to the future of the new robot?

A．Intolerant.

B．Positive.

C．Indifferent.

D．Ambiguous.

2 . Everyone “talks” with their hands at least sometimes. Some people’s hand-talking, or gesturing (手势) matches their messages well. Other people like to make gestures that can be confusing. And still others don’t use their hands much at all. No matter which group you are in, it’s important to pay attention to your hand gestures while you are communicating. And also remember hand gestures can have cultural meanings.

A few years ago, I was a speaker at a conference in Lisbon, Portugal. It was my first time in Portugal, and I became immediately fond of the special pastries (糕点) that Lisbon and Portugal are known for. One morning I went into a bakery and ordered two of the pastries. I did so by holding up two fingers, similar to the “victory” or “peace” gesture in the United States. The person behind the counter put three pastries in the box. I later learned that the gesture for two would raise thumb and index finger. Even though my thumb wasn’t showing, the person behind the counter thought I was signaling for three.

I was lucky that I didn’t get into more trouble than an extra pastry. Many hand gestures are not universal. Before speaking in a country that you are not familiar with, do some research to find out which gestures might be misunderstood, not understood at all or rude.

1. Why did the author go to Lisbon, Portugal?

A．To taste pastries.	B．To take a holiday.
C．To attend a meeting.	D．To learn Portuguese culture.

2. What does the underlined word “universal” refer to in para.3?

A．Normal.

B．Independent.

C．Common.

D．Complex.

3. What can we learn from the author’s experience?

A．One should be careful when ordering food in Portugal.

B．Hand gestures may have different meanings in different cultures.

C．The person behind the counter understood the author’s gesture.

D．The person behind the counter cheated the author.

4. The author’s main purpose in writing the passage is to______.

A．tell us that hand gestures are not the same worldwide

B．explain the general use of gestures

C．ask us to use correct hand gestures in Portugal

D．share a funny story in Portugal

3 . 手机已经成为我们生活中的必需品，现在越来越多的高中生拥有了自己的手机。高中生使用手机有利有弊，请以“Should mobile phone be allowed at school? ”为题写一篇英语议论文。
注意: 1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where are the speakers?

A．In the hospital.

B．In a restaurant.

C．At a store.

2. How much will the man pay?

A．60 dollars.

B．90 dollars

C．150 dollars.

3. Where is the shirt that the man choose?

A．On the top shelf

B．Next to the top shelf

C．Next to the black gloves.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How often is the woman late?

A．Never.

B．Occasionally

C．Often

2. What is the probable relationship between the two speakers?

A．Husband and wife.

B．Boss and employee.

C．Teacher and student.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why does the man often eat out?

A．It’s for business

B．He dislikes home-made meals

C．He doesn’t know how to cook.

2. How does the man like the restaurant food?

A．He expects it.

B．He’s fond of it

C．He’s tired of it

9 . How much time is there left before the party?

A．45 minutes

B．30 minutes.

C．15 minutes

10 . What’s the weather like today?

A．Sunny.

B．Wind.

C．Stormy.