1 . If you walk through the doors of one of the Smithsonian Institution’s museums in Washington, D.C., you may be greeted by an unusual guide. A Japanese tech company recently sent 25 humanoid robots to the Smithsonian. All of them are named Pepper.
Each Pepper stands 4 feet tall and has a computer screen attached to its body. Built by SoftBank Robotics, the robots are programmed to share information about the museum in which they are based.
“Pepper is basically an experiment,” Goslins, director of the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Museum, said. “The idea is to explore and see how a robot performs in this kind of environment.”
Museum visitors communicating with Pepper. The robot can tell stories and answer basic questions. People even take pictures and dance with it.
“The robot draws big crowds,” said Allison Peck, director of marketing at the Hirshhorn. “People just love Pepper.”
According to the Smithsonian Institution’s website: “Pepper gives our museum workers a new way to reach and serve visitors.” For example, Pepper teaches Swahili words to visitors of the “World on the Horizon” exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art.
Pepper also has the special ability to draw guests to less-visited areas of the Smithsonian’s museum. When Pepper is placed in a spot, crowds are attracted to that place.
When not educating museum visitors, Pepper stays in the Smithsonian offices, getting charged and programmed. After being charged, Pepper can run for about 8 hours at a time.
Pepper plays an important role, but the robot“ is not meant to take away human jobs at the museum, ” Goslins explained. “It is meant to give our visitors a more enjoyable experience while they are here with us.”
1. What do you know about Pepper?| A．It measures 4 feet in width. | B．It serves as a guide. |
| C．It is named after a robot. | D．It is made in the US. |
| A．Draw pictures. | B．Take pictures. |
| C．Ask questions. | D．Tell stories. |
| A．Reasonable cost. | B．Pepper’s appearance. |
| C．Workers’service. | D．Attractive scenery. |
| A．To please visitors. | B．To replace humans. |
| C．To perform programs. | D．To educate visitors |
1. What sport does Janice like best?
| A．Baseball. | B．Soccer. | C．Tennis. |
| A．Visit his friends. | B．Play ball games. | C．Go to the tennis club. |
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4 . You may have been told before not to be afraid of anything. Fear is often associated with weakness. Fear is something to be avoided. But that’s not true, according to Time For Kids magazine. Fear can be good for us. Fear tells us about danger. Without fear, we wouldn’t know to run away from a tiger or step back from a cliff (悬崖).
In a study published in the Justice Quarterly journal in August, researchers from Michigan State University said that a healthy fear of crime keeps teenagers away from potentially dangerous people, places, and activities. Fear makes us jump, scream and sweat. But interestingly, sometimes we make ourselves feel fear on purpose. Think about scary books and movies, and also the long lines for a scary roller coaster ride (过山车).
Margee Kerr, a US sociologist, explained why to Time For Kids. Fear fills our brain with healthy chemicals, especially endorphins and dopamine, and these things create feelings of happiness and excite us, according to Kerr. In addition, when you’re scared, your body produces a chemical which helps people bond with each other.
“Watch people walking out of a haunted house (鬼屋), and you’ll see lots of smiles and high fives (击掌),” Kerr told Time For Kids. That also explains why schools and companies organize challenging trips and physical activities to build up team spirit. People experience and deal with fear in different ways. If you happen to be a “coward” who gets scared easily, don’t worry. There is some evidence that being scared can help a person manage stressful situations.
Kerr said that things like giving a report in front of your class or performing in a school play help build a sort of endurance (忍耐力) to fear that makes us more confident. “You become more comfortable with the physical experience of fear, and so you’re better able to work through it during tense situations,” said Kerr.
So learn to love your fear. It only grows when we forget how helpful our fear is trying to be.
1. What’s the best title for the passage?| A．Ways to build up team spirit. | B．Different ways to deal with fear. |
| C．Love your fear. | D．Fear, a sign of weakness. |
| A．Experiencing fear helps us to build a sort of endurance to fear. |
| B．People who get scared easily have no chances to get changed. |
| C．Fear is harmful to our health. |
| D．Fear is something to be avoided. |
| A．fight against | B．look down upon | C．be more careful with | D．get closer to |
| A．Attend challenging trips or physical activities. |
| B．Take some medicine containing endorphins and dopamine. |
| C．Read scary books or see scary movies. |
| D．Take a scary roller coaster ride. |
1. Not until a few months later he know the story.
2. Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belt (安全带). The plane is take off.
3. I’m written to tell you something that I don’t think is good.
4. I can’t stand laughed at in public.
5. Million of people all over China were watching TV when the spaceship landed safely.
6. A new building has been set up on where used to be a sports field.
7. John has the same bike that my father bought me.
8. He earned such much money that he can barely support his family.
9. What reasons do people have of doing voluntary work?
10. If there is a fire, dialing 119 as soon as possible.
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