1 

 —How much did you ____ buying the new bike?  

—Three hundred yuan.

    A. pay  B. cost C. take D. spend

--- What do you think of the new student, Mike?

 --- Oh, he’s really athletic and much ___ than me.

        A. outgoing   B. quiet  C. more outgoing  D. more quieter

In some science fiction movies, evil robots refuse to die, no matter how hard people fight back.

Now science fiction has become science fact. For the first time, scientists have made a robot that can take a beating(挨打) and keep on going. Scientists from Cornell University made the robot, which looks like a spider with four legs.

Until now, even the most advanced(先进的) robot was almost certain to break down when it was damaged(毁坏). That is because its computer inside simply doesn’t know how to make the machine work after its shape has changed.

To deal with this problem, the scientists put eight motors(发动机) and two sensors(传感器) that read how the machine is working. They all give signals to the machine’s software. Using this information, the computer can then figure out the machine’s shape at any moment.

The new technology is a big advance in robot-making, scientists say, and it’s far from scary. It may someday help scientists create better artificial(假的) arms and legs and give new freedom to people who lose them. It might also help scientists understand how people and animals figure out their own sense of place in space.

“It has been difficult to design robots that can work well when the environment changes or when it’s damaged,” says Olaf Sporns of Indiana University in US. “With this work, we are nearer to solving this problem.”

1.Why do robots easily break down when they are damaged?

A．They cannot repair themselves.

B．The computer has changed a lot.

C．They have no computers inside.

D．The computer cannot work if the robot changes

2.The new technology allows the robot to     .

A．do housework for humans

B．keep working after being damaged

C．remember a lot of information

D．tell people where it is

3.The underline word “them” in Paragraph 5 refers to     .

A．sensors           B．robots            C．arms and legs      D．scientists

4.How do the sensors in the robot work?

A．They can replace the computer when it’s broken.

B．They can find out where the damage comes from.

C．They help the computer learn the robot’s condition.

D．They can send signals to the person who uses the robot.

阅读理解

We sell delicious pizza all over the world. We now need a kitchen assistant for our new branch(分店) in Shanghai. He or she should have an interest in making pizza. More important, he or she should have working experience(经验) in a restaurant.

He or she will have opportunities(机会) to learn making pizza in Italy. Our Shanghai branch will open next week. If you want to join us, please contact(联络) Mr. Buratti right away. The telephone number is 010-89828882.

根据广告所提供的信息，判断下列句子正(T)误(F)。

1.The meaning of the word “assistant” in the ad is a kind of pizza.

2. If you want to work in the new branch, you should like making pizza.

3. If Li Jun works in the branch now, maybe he will go to Italy to learn making pizza.

4. Two weeks later there will be a new pizza branch in Shanghai.

5. If you want to be a kitchen assistant in the new branch in Shanghai you can call 010-89828882.

Ever thought of moving to a new country? How about starting a new country? Patri Friedman is planning to do just that. He left Google years ago to set up the Seasteading Institute. And his dream is to build seasteads-----floating micro-nations in the middle of the ocean.

So, what will life on a seastead be like? Probably a bit like life on a cruise liner (游轮), but much larger, with shops, gyms, swimming pools, schools and other areas. In fact, the early seasteads may actually be specially-rebuilt cruise liners. But as science advances, Friedman believes they’ll become more like floating cities, with several hundred people.

Seasteading raises a lot of questions. First of all, how will the new countries make money? The Seasteading Institute has suggested several money-making ideas, including ocean-based theme parks, casinos (赌场) and fish farming. There’s also the questions of safety. With storms, typhoons and pirates (海盗) , the high seas are a dangerous place. However, the Institute says that it can stand bad weather and prevent crimes with its well-designed systems.

So, is this just a day dream? Well, maybe not. One of the people behind the project is Peter Thiel. He founded PayPal and was one of the first investors (投资者) in Facebook. So far, he’s donated $ 500,000 to the project.

And Friedman isn’t wasting any time. He recently announced the creation of the Poseidon Award. This will be given to the first seastead with fifty people. Friedman is hoping to hand out the award in 2015.

1.Where did Friedman use to work?

   A. In Facebook.          B. In Seastead Institute .   C. In PayPal.         D. In Google.

2.A future seastead may be most likely to look like ___________________.

   A. a cruise liner          B. a floating city         C. a theme park       D. a fishing farm

3.What can we infer from the passage?

   A. Friedman is planning to move to a new country.   

B. Friedman is worried about the safety of seasteads.

   C. Friedman has got some supporters for his project.  

D. Friedman has already won the Poseidon Award.

4.Which of the following can be the best titles of this passage?

   A. Seasteading: a new idea of living               

B. Seasteading: a wild way of farming

   C. Peter Thiel: a man behind the project            

D. Patri Friedman: a crazy day dreamer