A study by St.. Louis University has found that a lovable dog named Sparky and a robotic dog, AIBO, were about equally effective at reducing the loneliness of nursing home residents. The study confirmed previous findings that dogs have a good effect on nursing home residents.
Dr. Andrew Smith led the Stanford University team that built a home-assistance robot. “If humans can feel an emotional tie with robots, some day they could be not just our assistants, but also our companions,” he said.
To test whether residents responded better to Sparky, a trained dog, or the Sony-made robotic dog, researchers divided 38 nursing home residents into three groups at three long-term care centers in St. Louis.
One group had weekly 30-minute one-on-one visits with Sparky; another group had similar visits with AIBO; a control group had no contact with either dog. The groups’ respective levels of loneliness were tested by having them answer a number of questions at the beginning and near the end of the visits.
After two months, both groups that had contact with the dogs were less lonely and more attached. Most of the elderly regarded Sparky, a 9-year-old dog, as an audience for their life stories, said investigator Marian Banks.
“He listened attentively, wagged his tail, and allowed them to pet him,” said Banks, who adopted and trained Sparky after finding him in a street behind her home seven years ago.
Those who were together with AIBO took a little longer to warm to the robotic creature. Over time, however, they grew comfortable with him, and petted and talked to him. He would respond by wagging his tail, vocalizing, and blinking his lights..
“AIBO is charming once you start to interact with him,” said the study’s author, Dr. William Banks, “He’s an attractive sort of guy. He gives a feeling of being personal, not just a robot.”
【小题1】Before the new study, it was known that ____.

A．robots were effective at reducing people’s loneliness

B．robots could build close connection with humans

C．dogs could help get rid of old people’s loneliness

D．dogs and robots were equally effective at reducing loneliness

【小题2】Those who had contact with the robotic dog found that ___.

A．they didn’t feel comfortable with it

B．it was hard for them to interact with it

C．they weren’t comfortable with it at first

D．the robot’s vocalizing and blinking confused them

【小题3】The findings of the researchers tell us that___.

A．robots are better at caring for old people than nurses

B．robots can to some degree replace dogs as companions for old people

C．it’s easy for people to become close with robots

D．every home will have a robot assistant one day

【小题4】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Robots Serve People Better Than Thought

B．No More Lonely Old Age with Emotional Robots

C．Advanced Technology Used to cheer up the Elderly

D．Robots and Dogs Can Equally Cheer up the Elderly

At the age of sixteen, I joined a volunteer group with my dad. I went on my first volunteer project in West Virginia. On the night we arrived, we discovered that “our family” was living in a trailer(拖车) that was in poor condition. A crew had been working on it for two weeks, but every time they finished one problem, another surfaced.
We decided the only reasonable solution was to build a new house – something unusual but necessary under these circumstances. The family was overjoyed with their new house that was twenty by thirty feet with three bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen.
On Tuesday of that week, while we ate lunch together, I asked the family’s three boys, Josh, Eric and Ryan, "What do you want for your new room?" Expecting toys and other gadgets that children usually ask for, we were surprised when Josh responded, "I just want a bed."
The boys had never slept in a bed! They were accustomed to plastic mats. That night we had a meeting and decided that beds would be the perfect gift. On Thursday night, a few adults in our group drove to the nearest city and bought beds and new bedding.
When we saw the delivery truck coming, we told the family about the surprise. We could hardly contain ourselves. It was like watching excited children on Christmas morning.
That afternoon, as we fitted the frames of the beds together, Eric ran into the house to watch us. Too dirty to enter his room, he observed with wide-eyed enthusiasm from the doorway.
As my father slipped a pillowcase onto one of the pillows, Eric asked, "What is that?"
"A pillow," she replied.
"What do you do with it?" Eric continued to ask.
"When you go to sleep, you put your head on it,” I answered softly. Tears came to our eyes as she handed Eric the pillow.
"Oh . . . that's soft," he said, hugging it tightly.
Now, when my sister or I start to ask for something that seems urgent, my Dad gently asks, "Do you have a pillow?"
We know exactly what he means.
【小题1】The writer’s first volunteer project was         .

A．working on a poor trailer

B．helping a poor family

C．donating beds and bedding

D．dealing with a housing problem

【小题2】On hearing Josh’s answer, the writer was shocked because         .

A．the family lived in a trailer

B．he expected to get some toys

C．he didn’t know what a bed was

D．the boys had no bed to sleep in

【小题3】From the passage, we can learn that Eric had never seen       before.

A．a trailer

B．a truck

C．a pillow

D．a house

【小题4】By saying “Do you have a pillow?”, the writer’s father means that        .

A．what they want to get may be unnecessary

B．they should not waste money on small things

C．they should do more volunteer work for the poor

D．what he will buy is not what they want but a pillow

How do you get a man to do his share of the housework? If you are like most women, you’ve faced this question the hard way.
A man will enjoy a clean, orderly house, but he usually won’t make the effort to clean or organize it. This doesn’t mean that a woman has to do all the housework; she may have to manage many of the household duties, and request her partner’s joining. A woman can often say that men and women should take equal responsibility for housework.
Very few men are raised to be fully responsible for housework, and many men look on housework as women’s work. On the other hand, most men will readily work around the yard, make repairs and complete projects on weekends or evenings, and it’s important that you give your man appreciation(欣赏) for those things, too. Most men will take on a little housework around the house if asked politely. They are even more likely to do housework if they can choose what they want to do , and do it without being monitored(监视).
Here is the key: men want to feel that they are doing housework either because they want to do a task, or they simply want to please their women. Men are less likely to take on household tasks they consider uninteresting and unimportant. In other words, men are likely to do a housework task just for the good of the house.
【小题1】The passage is mainly about how to ________.

A．get men to do some housework	B．get men to serve their families
C．praise men’s housework	D．get men to do all the housework

【小题2】According to a passage, a man _______ .

A．is willing to do housework

B．likes to be told to do housework

C．is taught to be responsible for housework from childhood

D．likes a clean house but doesn’t make effort to clean it.

【小题3】In order to get men to do housework, women should often ________ .

A．order them to do their share	B．ask them to do some housework politely
C．blame men’s laziness	D．monitor men’s work

【小题4】According to the passage, the underlined sentence in the last paragraph means that men won’t __________ .

A． work without any payment	B．do unimportant housework tasks
C．do housework with women’s praises	D．please their wives

【小题5】According to the passage, which of the following would a husband most probably like to ?

A．Cleaning the table	B．Doing some washing
C．Painting the fence	D．Asking his wife to work on the yard.

More and more people think it necessary to study in an English-speaking country and it didn’t take long at all for me to decide to come and study in UK.
Having been in the school for 2 months, I’m getting used to school life, and I am starting to make the most of my time in here. School starts at 9 o’clock every morning, and every Monday, Wednesday and Friday we have long days, in which we have 9 lessons and school finishes at 4 o’clock. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays we have short days, in which we have only 6 lessons and finish at 1 o’clock. After lessons, we have two hours of activity time, when you can choose from a wide range of activities, including all the major sports, such as rugby and football, and also the minor sports such as basketball and tennis.
As a boarder( 寄宿者)，the quality of food is something I consider very important, and Merchiston has not let me down. The school kitchens are run by a professional food company, and the quality of food is very excellent and also they take the healthy diet very seriously: I remember once I was once asked to take more salad for my meal by a member of the kitchen staff(员工) for I didn’t have enough vegetables. This brings another point of being a boarder: you need to learn how to look after yourself and be responsible(负责) for yourself. One of the huge advantages of being a boarder is that we can have breakfast in the school, which means we don’t have to pull ourselves out of bed as early as the day pupils!
【小题1】The passage mainly tells us about _______.

A．the author’s school life in the UK as a boarder.

B．the author’s opinion of the school life in the UK.

C．the differences in school life between China and UK.

D．the boarder life in a Britain middle school.

【小题2】According to the second paragraph, we can learn that the author _________ .

A．has not enough time to study	B．likes to play tennis and basketball
C．went to the school two months ago	D．finishes school at 4 o’clock

【小题3】How many lessons do the students have every week in this school?

A．15

B．45

C．27

D．18

【小题4】The underlined words “let me down” in the last paragraph means _______.

A．made me disappointed

B．made me pleased

C．encouraged me

D．amazed me

【小题5】As a boarder in the school, the author ___________ .

A．is not used to the food there	B．has learned to have healthy diets
C．is specially taken good care of	D．sleep as much as the day pupils

With your workload growing, you may be telling yourself a vacation is one luxury you can’t afford.  【小题1】 A vacation allows you the opportunity to recharge your physical and motional batteries, disconnect from everyday concerns, and return to work rested and refreshed. Some facts have proved employees are more productive after a vacation than before one. Here are some tips for you to plan your vacation to make sure that your time away from the office is worry free.
Time is right. A Robert Half survey shows that July and August are the most favorable months for employees to take a break because these months offer ideal beach weather and many businesses slow down during this time.  【小题2】 For instance, if a big task is planned for the summer, you may consider postponing your trip until the fall.
Ask others for assistance.  【小题3】 Your supervisor can help you determine who is the most qualified for a particular task.
Let your contacts know. Give colleagues and customers you frequently work with a few weeks’ notice before you start off.  【小题4】
Conduct a technical review. Before you leave, make sure there is plenty of room in your e-mail inbox so you don’t exceed (超越) your storage limit while you’re out of the office, which might prevent you from sending messages when you return.  【小题5】
In short, taking vacation is necessary and beneficial for your job. But you must plan your vacation properly in order to work free and worry free on holiday.

A．Ask trusted colleagues to handle your projects while you’re away.

B．A summertime beach vacation includes so much more than what you desire these days.

C．But the truth is that you can’t afford not to take one.

D．This will give them enough time to plan for your absence.

E. Also make sure passwords won’t expire(期满) while you are away.
F. What’s more, find your pet a temporary home when you are on vacation.
G. When planning your vacation, remember to take into account any activity that your department will be focused on during that time.

Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a better student in several ways【小题1】Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.
You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report.【小题2】 Whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective process.【小题3】
The following methods may work best for you.
●Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.
●Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.
● Write your notes in your own words.
● 【小题4】
● Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.
As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand(速记). When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols and that you use them all the time.【小题5】

A．Use words, not complete sentences.

B．There are three practical note-taking methods.

C．You must write your notes on separate paper.

D．Otherwise, you may not be able to read your notes later.

E. you will also want to develop your own method for taking notes.
F. That means you must first decide what is important enough to include in your notes.
G. First, the simple act of writing something down makes it easier for you to understand
and remember it.

Becoming a fireman is a challenging and competitive job today. A fireman’s main duty is being scheduled according to the fighting and extinguishment(熄灭) of fire which definitely requires being a strong man, both mentally and physically.
The duty of a fireman involves protection of life and property of the public. They are the servicemen who are decisively selected by an organization to deal with situations like fire. The duty of a fireman intentionally consists of helping innocent people in their time of need. Such type of jobs is one of those few jobs where service is provided for people when they need help immediately. This may include rescuing people from a building at fire, providing them with medical facilities, extinguishing fire in a house or in a large commercial building. Serving people is the main intention of these professionals. The satisfaction which a fireman gets from this type of job cannot be compared to any other profession in the world.
Such profession demands top-level commitment and professionalism from .those who have chosen it as a career. Fireman should possess the highest level of courage and patience to put their lives in danger for the sake of others. They undergo lessons of maintaining patience for long hours and go through complete preparation to become successful and well-organized professional firemen. There are certain tests that are recommended before becoming a fireman.
It’s not that easy to become a fireman nowadays. A fireman is supposed to deal with unexpected situations, and they should be skilled at communicating with others and be self-disciplined at the same time.
In order to be a good fireman, one must undergo（经历、接受） strict local fire department’s training program after passing all the tests. All the fire departments conclude a two-to-four-month course, including classroom training and practical training that cover firefighting techniques, fire avoidance, dangerous materials and urgent situation medical actions. Completing this training, trainees go through the department’s trial period of service that can last from three to six months, depending on the methods of selection.
Firemen usually work both indoors and outdoors. They have to be on duty at all times and mostly work in shifts of at least 8 hours. They are also provided with several benefits which include medical aid plan, pension fund, annual leave and many more.
Title: Fireman

Definition	The servicemen decisively selected by an organization to 【小题1】_______ situations like fire.
【小题2】	● Helping innocent people 【小题3】        they need help. ● Rescuing people from a building at-fire and providing them with medical facilities. ●【小题4】       out fire in a house or in a large commercial building.
Requirements	● Having top-level commitment and professionalism. ● Being courageous and 【小题5】        . ● Being strong both in body and 【小题6】 _________. ● Having good 【小题7】       skills. ● Being self-disciplined.
【小题8】	● Firefighting techniques, fire avoidance, dangerous materials and urgent situation medical actions. ● The department’s trial period of service which possibly 【小题9】_________ 3～6 months.
【小题10】	Medical aid plans, pension fund, annual leave and many more.

 

If you want to be a success, study at the University of Waikato is right for you. The university is internationally recognized for its excellence and achievements. It will help you develop advanced research skills. As a university student you can get first-class research facilities (设施) with trained teachers to help, support and advise you in your study. We pride ourselves on our high standards, our research success and our international recognition. For further information: inf@waikato.ac.nz.
Degree
We offer a wide choice of bachelor’s degrees (学位) for international students, which includes: Arts, Communication Studies, Social Sciences, etc. Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education are only for New Zealand citizens, for further information: deg@waikato.ac.nz. 
Tuition Fees(学费)
Tuition fees are different from department to department, generally from $5,000 to $6,000 a year. For further information: tui@waikato.ac.nz. 
Accommodation(住宿)
You can have a room in a 4-bedroom flat, which will cost about $100 a month with other regular living costs of about $150 a month for one person. For further information: acc@waikato. ac.nz
Health
The Student Health Service provides excellent medical services for students. The Medical Centre is open five days a week, including student holidays with four doctors and nurses to meet your medical needs. For further information: heal@waikato.ac.nz.
Sports
The Centre is a great place to have sports activities. Trained exercise teachers can help you work out a training plan and keep you active. The sports hall has volleyball, basketball and indoor football courts and a swimming pool as well. There are also a large number of sports clubs at Waikato. For further information: sport@ waikato.ac.nz
【小题1】If you want to get more information about arts, you can write to ______.

A．sport@waikato.ac.nz	B．heal@waikato.ac.nz
C．deg@waikato.ac.nz	D．inf@waikato.ac.nz

【小题2】Which of the following statement is true?

A．You don’t have to pay more than $5000 a year.

B．Everyone can’t choose the Bachelor of Music.

C．If you want to know more about Health, you can visit acc@waikato. ac.nz.

D．You can live in a flat with two bedrooms.

【小题3】According to the text, what will you do if you are ill during Christmas holidays?

A．Go to a hospital nearby.

B．Buy some medicine in a drug store.

C．See a doctor at the school medical centre.

D．Try to get help from your classmates.

Ben and his wife Susan were on their way to have dinner with their friends. It was a dark，windy night, and they did not know the way very well. They drove through a town until they found what they thought was the road to Dorling，where their friends lived. But it soon became clear that they were not on the road to Dorling at all. The road that they were on was getting narrower，and there were no other cars on it. The wind was blowing harder with every minute that passed.
They came to a small village .They drove past a church and then two houses without lights on. There was nobody about to tell them where they were，or where the road went. Just then，Ben saw a telephone box，twenty meters or so further on. While he walked back along the road to see if there was a name outside the church，Susan telephoned their friends and told them that they were still on their way.
Their friends were just saying that the dinner was already getting rather cold，when Ben came back to the telephone box，his head down against the wind. He said that there was a tree lying across the road，and that the telephone lines were down. Susan heard nothing more from their friends about the dinner.
【小题1】Some time later Ben and Susan found they took a wrong road because ________.

A．their friends lived nearer than they drove

B．the road was getting narrower and their car alone was on it

C．the hard wind made them get lost

D．the road was not the same as before

【小题2】Ben went to the church to see if there was a name outside because ________.

A．he was sure to find some people who knew Dorling

B．he hoped to get help from there

C．he wanted to telephone his friends where they were

D．he wanted to stay there for the night

【小题3】Susan could hear nothing more from their friends because ________.

A．the telephone lines were broken by a tree

B．the strong wind made too much noise

C．they got angry

D．they had all left

【小题4】From the passage we know ________.

A．Ben and his wife often went out for dinners

B．Ben and his wife lived in the country

C．both Ben and his wife were short­sighted(近视的)

D．Ben and his wife seldom(很少) went to Dorling

In Canada you can find dogs, cats, horses, etc. in almost every family. These are their pets. People love these pets and have them as their good friends. Before they keep them in their houses, they take them to animal hospitals to give them injections(注射) so that they won’t carry diseases. They have special animal food stores, though they can get animal food in almost every kind of stores. Some people spend around two hundred Canadian dollars a month on animal food.
When you visit people’s houses, they would be very glad to show you their pets and they are very proud of them. You will also find that almost every family has a bird feeder in their garden. All kinds of birds are welcomed to come and have a good meal. They are free to come and go and nobody is allowed to kill any animal in Canada. They have a law against killing wild animals. If you killed an animal, you would be punished. If an animal happened to get run over by a car, people would be very sad about it.
People in Canada have many reasons to like animals. One of them might be: Their family ties are not as close as ours. When children grow up, they leave their parents and start their own life. Then the old will feel lonely. But pets can solve this problem. They can be good friends and never leave them alone.
【小题1】The passage mainly talks about ______.

A．how to keep diseases from pets	B．Canadians have pets as friends
C．how to take good care of pets	D．life of the old in Canada

【小题2】Pets are given injections in animal hospitals ______.

A．in order to keep them safe	B．after being taken home
C．because they carry diseases	D．because they are sick

【小题3】The word “bird feeder” in the second paragraph probably means ______.

A．a person who gives food to birds	B．a container that has food for birds
C．something that catches birds	D．an animal that eats birds

【小题4】In Canada, children leave their parents when they grow up because ______.

A．they don’t love their parents any more

B．they can only find jobs far from their parents

C．their parents’ houses are too small

D．they wouldn’t depend on their parents any more

【小题5】Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Peoplebuyanimal foodonlyattheanimalfood stores.

B．Pets eat better than people.

C．Almost every family has a birdcage(鸟笼) in his house.

D．Any bird can come to the bird feeders to eat.