Robots have come a long way since 15^th century. We’ve got robots to build cars, carry heavy things, work in dangerous places and explore planets. But things haven’t stopped there.
In 1986, Honda made a robot called ASIMO. And now, it has been developed greatly. Standing at 130cm and weighing 54kg. ASIMO is very much like a small astronaut wearing a bag on the back. And he can walk, flight, climb and run fast. Isn’t it wonderful?
The world’s first robot teacher is Saya. With her human-like face, she can show expressions like happiness, surprise, sadness, dislike, fear and she can even smile or show anger at students, which look much like a real teacher’s. To do this, her rubber skin is pulled from the back with motors inside. And her eyes and mouth have wires(电线) too. She can also say some simple words like “hello” or “thank you”.
In the UK, the development of robots is exciting. The mini-robots will send food, clean floors, collect and throw away waste. These robots can open doors by themselves and stop if anything or anyone is in the way.
These mini-robots are very useful for controlling infection(传染). Usually clean and dirty work is done by the same person, but here, you’ll have robots that do”dirty work”, like collecting dirty sheets, or taking away hospital waste; and you’ll have robots that do”clean work”, like bringing meals or clean sheets to patients. The robots have separate work so there’s no way for infection, which is great. But of course, robots would not take the piece of humans, but would free up more time for nurses to be with patients.
But if this is what it’s like in 2011, what’s it going to be like to 2021?
【小题1】In the following, which is ASIMO’s behavior?

A．Smiling at people, saying “hello”.

B．Sending food or opening doors by himself

C．Fighting, climbing or running fast

D．Collecting waste for patients

【小题2】What makes Saya look real?

A．Her face and rich expressions	B．Her clothes and shoes
C．Her walking and running speed	D．Her rich knowledge

【小题3】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Robots have come a long way since 1986.

B．The first robot teacher was made by Honda.

C．Saya looks like a small astronaut.

D．If anyone or anything is in the way, mini-robots will stop.

【小题4】The main idea of Paragraph 5 is that _______.

A．nurses would have more free time with patients

B．robots would not take the place of humans

C．dirty and clean work is always done by the same person

D．mini-robots are useful for controlling infection

Robots have come a long way since 15th century. We’ve got robots to build cars, carry heavy things, work in dangerous places and explore planets. But things haven’t stopped there.
In 1986, Honda made a robot called ASIMO. And now, it has been developed greatly. Standing at 130cm and weighing 54kg. ASIMO is very much like a small astronaut wearing a bag on the back. And he can walk, flight, climb and run fast. Isn’t it wonderful?
The world’s first robot teacher is Saya. With her human-like face, she can show expressions like happiness, surprise, sadness, dislike, fear and she can even smile or show anger at students, which look much like a real teacher’s. To do this, her rubber skin is pulled from the back with motors inside. And her eyes and mouth have wires(电线) too. She can also say some simple words like “hello” or “thank you”.
In the UK, the development of robots is exciting. The mini-robots will send food, clean floors, collect and throw away waste. These robots can open doors by themselves and stop if anything or anyone is in the way.
These mini-robots are very useful for controlling infection(传染). Usually clean and dirty work is done by the same person, but here, you’ll have robots that do”dirty work”, like collecting dirty sheets, or taking away hospital waste; and you’ll have robots that do”clean work”, like bringing meals or clean sheets to patients. The robots have separate work so there’s no way for infection, which is great. But of course, robots would not take the piece of humans, but would free up more time for nurses to be with patients.
But if this is what it’s like in 2011, what’s it going to be like to 2021?
【小题1】In the following, which is ASIMO’s behavior?

A．Smiling at people, saying “hello”.

B．Sending food or opening doors by himself

C．Fighting, climbing or running fast

D．Collecting waste for patients

【小题2】What makes Saya look real?

A．Her face and rich expressions	B．Her clothes and shoes
C．Her walking and running speed	D．Her rich knowledge

【小题3】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Robots have come a long way since 1986.

B．The first robot teacher was made by Honda.

C．Saya looks like a small astronaut.

D．If anyone or anything is in the way, mini-robots will stop.

【小题4】The main idea of Paragraph 5 is that _______.

A．nurses would have more free time with patients

B．robots would not take the place of humans

C．dirty and clean work is always done by the same person

D．mini-robots are useful for controlling infection

1 

   I called a meeting with the parents of my student, Tommy. I wanted to talk with them about his schoolwork and behaviour(行为).Tommy was always an excellent student. How could I make his father and mother believe that their recent separation(分开) made his grades bad.?

   Tommy’s mother came in and sat down. Then his father arrived. But they didn’t say even one word to each other. I told them about Tommy’s schoolwork and behaviour. I hoped to help them see what they were doing to their son. But it looked that my words didn’t work. I thought that maybe Tommy could tell them something himself.

   I found Tommy’s paper in the back of his desk. Tommy has written some words on it many times. I gave the paper to Tommy’s mother. She read it and gave it to his father. He read it and his face became soft(柔和的). He reached for his wife’s hand. She smiled up at him. My eyes were with tears. He helped her with her coat and they left together.

  I picked the paper up and looked at it again. It read: “Dear Mommy… Dear Daddy… I love you.”

1. Why did the teacher call a meeting with Tommy’s parents?

A. Because Tommy was late for school that day.

B. Because Tommy did well on his schoolwork.

C. Because Tommy’s grades were dropping recently.

D. Because Tommy didn’t get on well with the teachers in school.

2.. According to(根据) the teacher, Tommy changed so much all because ____________.

A. his parents separate not long ago.

B. his parents didn’t love him any more.

C. he didn’t have good study habits(习惯).

D. he didn’t followed his parents’ advice.

3.. After reading Tommy’s words on the paper, his father felt ___________.

A. angry                      B. excited                   C. sad                          D. moved(感动的)

4.. What’s the best title (标题) for the passage?

A.Tommy’s Bad Grades                               B. A meeting with Tommy’s parents

C. Tommy Tells His Parents                        D. An Excellent Student

 

You have probably heard it before, most likely from your English teacher. If you want to become a good writer, read good writing. Unluckily, you may not have understood what did good to you and even what you were supposed to get from that experience.

As you start reading a book, poem, or story, do so with no thought at all and the experience will improve your writing. Just read for pleasure to begin with, or to learn. As you progress through the work, think about whether it is “easy” reading or not. Do you become so interested in the subject and flow of the writing that you completely forget the person who wrote it, or does the composition sometimes call too much attention to itself through words and phrases that seem out of place or unexpected? The second situation is a chance to learn from the writer’s mistakes. In fact, the reader should not have to worry about how a writer does “his thing” ... he should be able to just enjoy and learn. Every time a word strikes you as poorly chosen, stop to consider why it has this effect. Also, do not spend a lot of time analyzing (分析) the passage but put more efforts in enjoying it from the whole.

Another thing I do, particularly with nonfiction (非小说) books, is to select a part to read as if it is a completely separate work. Once again, read as a common reader rather than a critic (批评家). For learning how words and phrases work together on the most basic level, however, nothing is more suitable than devoting yourself to reading poems. A poet is often trying to put a book’s worth of meaning and feelings into lines, and every side of the work shows a very close attention to craft (工艺).

As you can see, there is no simple way of reading to improve your writing. The key is not to make it boring. Select writers you admire or like most, and enjoy their works as anyone else would. As long as you are reading, you are improving yourself as a writer.

Improving Your Writing by Reading
Facts	Ø  Reading good writing  1.   you become a good writer. Ø  You don’t understand the   2.   of reading and what to get from reading.
Ways	Ø  Read not to learn but for   3.  . 1) Develop a great   4.   in the subject and flow of the writing. 2) Learn from the writer’s   5.   if possible. 3)   6.   shouldn’t be spent in analyzing the passage but in enjoying the passage from the whole.
Ø  Read as a common consumer rather than a critic. Ø   7.   yourself to reading poems and enjoy the lines.
Conclusions	Ø  Don’t make yourself   8.   with reading. Ø  Select your   9.   writers and enjoy their works. Ø  You are sure to make  10.   during reading.

 

I called a meeting with the parents of my student, Tommy. I wanted to talk with them about his schoolwork and behaviour(行为).Tommy was always an excellent student. How could I make his father and mother believe that their recent separation(分开) made his grades bad.?
Tommy’s mother came in and sat down. Then his father arrived. But they didn’t say even one word to each other. I told them about Tommy’s schoolwork and behaviour. I hoped to help them see what they were doing to their son. But it looked that my words didn’t work. I thought that maybe Tommy could tell them something himself.
I found Tommy’s paper in the back of his desk. Tommy has written some words on it many times. I gave the paper to Tommy’s mother. She read it and gave it to his father. He read it and his face became soft(柔和的). He reached for his wife’s hand. She smiled up at him. My eyes were with tears. He helped her with her coat and they left together.
I picked the paper up and looked at it again. It read: “Dear Mommy… Dear Daddy… I love you.”
【小题1】 Why did the teacher call a meeting with Tommy’s parents?

A．Because Tommy was late for school that day.

B．Because Tommy did well on his schoolwork.

C．Because Tommy’s grades were dropping recently.

D．Because Tommy didn’t get on well with the teachers in school.

【小题2】. According to(根据) the teacher, Tommy changed so much all because ____________.

A．his parents separate not long ago.

B．his parents didn’t love him any more.

C．he didn’t have good study habits(习惯).

D．he didn’t followed his parents’ advice.

【小题3】. After reading Tommy’s words on the paper, his father felt ___________.

A．angry

B．excited

C．sad

D．moved(感动的)

【小题4】. What’s the best title (标题) for the passage?

A．Tommy’s Bad Grades	B．A meeting with Tommy’s parents
C．Tommy Tells His Parents	D．An Excellent Student