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.”
【小题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

【小题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

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

A．sensors

B．robots

C．arms and legs

D．scientists

【小题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.

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.

 

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. 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.”

【小题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.

【小题2】The new technology allows the robot to _________.

A．do house work for humans

B．keep working after being damaged

C．remember a lot of information

D．tell people where it is

【小题3】The underlined word “them” in Paragraph5 refers to ________.

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

【小题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.

【小题5】The passage is probably from_____________.

A．a newspaper	B．an advertisement
C．a tour guide	D．an application

Not long ago, the only time you could see a robot was when you were reading a novel or watching a movie such as Star Wars (星球大战) . Today, however, a lot of things in science stories have been science facts. Robots are starting to appear in our everyday lives. These robots have different sizes, shapes, and colors. But they all have the same type of man-made “brain”. Leading the robot revolution （革命）are industrial(企业) robots that work in factories. Industrial（工业） robots can do different kinds of jobs that are often boring and sometimes dangerous. Robots are also coming to American homes, though not as quickly as they are entering factories. These robots aren’t as friendly and bright as those you saw in  Star Wars. But, their makers say, today’s home robots “walk”, sense objects(感知物体) in their way (and sometimes knock into them), and even carry objects (which they sometimes drop). Well, nobody is perfect.
We may laugh at home robot today, but some day they may see and hear better than humans do. We humans can only see certain wavelengths（波长） of light, and hear certain sounds. That’s because the abilities of our eyes and ears are limited. Robots, however, need not have the same limits as we have. Robot may also be equipped with devices that pick up information humans can’t. To understand what their sensing devices(传感器) pick up is a hard job. Remember, man—made brains handle(处理)information, including all kinds of data, as zeroes and ones. Imagine the difficulty in trying to explain to a robot what a football looks like—using only zeroes and ones.
【小题1】 From the passage, we can see that factory robots _________.

A．help to improve other types of robots

B．are most active in industrial revolution

C．are playing a more important role than other types of robots

D．are the tallest type among robots

【小题2】 It seems that home robots are __________________.

A．more widely used than factory robots

B．less common than factory robots

C．capable of doing any kind of housework

D．free from making mistakes while performing(执行) duties

【小题3】 Robots may deal with information that humans can’t. Which of the following is not one of the reasons?

A．They do not have so many limits as humans do.

B．They have man-made brains.

C．They may be equipped with a special kind of sensing device.

D．They handle information by using zeroes and ones.

【小题4】The development of robots suggests that _________.

A．science and technology are developing fast

B．people are interested in new inventions

C．machines are more capable than humans

D．robots can be very interesting

【小题5】 According to this passage, present home robots ________.

A．are better than human in seeing and hearing

B．are as capable as those in Star Wars

C．can pick up objects more quickly than humans

D．sometimes perform wrong actions