Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain­computer interface (BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.

Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated (展示) a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person’s thoughts.

In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.

“Our brain has billions of nerve cells. These send signals through the spinal cord (脊髓) to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles.’ Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices.”

The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp (头皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.

Prof. Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair.”

He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time.

41. BCI is a technology that can ________.

A. help to update computer systems            B. link the human brain with computers

C. help the disabled to recover                    D. control a person's thoughts

42. How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?

A. By controlling his muscles.                     B. By talking to the machine.

C. By moving his hand.                               D. By using his mind.

43. Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?

A. scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair    B. computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair

C. scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair    D. cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair

44. The team will test with real patients to ________.

A. make profits from them                         B. prove the technology useful to them

C. make them live longer                            D. learn about their physical condition

45. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Switzerland, the BCI Research Center

B. New Findings about How the Human Brain Works

C. BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled

D. Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries

Shopping habits in the United States have changed greatly in the last quarter of the twentieth century. Early in the 1900s, most American towns and cities had a Main Street. Main Street was always in the heart of a town. This street was lined on both sides with many businesses. Here, shoppers walked into stores to look at all kinds of merchandise（商品）：clothing, furniture, hardware（五金）, groceries（杂货）. In addition, some shops offered services. These shops included drugstores, restaurants, shoe-repair stores, and barber or hairdressing shops. But in the 1950s, a change began to take place. Too many cars and trucks had crowded into Main Street. There were few parking places. Because the streets were crowded, merchants（商人） began to look with interest at the open spaces outside the city limits. Open space is what their car-driving customers needed．And open space is what they got when the first shopping center was built. Shopping centers, or malls, started as collection of small new stores built away from crowded city centers. Attracted by hundreds of free parking spaces, customers were drawn away from downtown areas to the outlying malls.

By the late 1970s, many shopping malls had almost developed into small cities themselves. In addition to providing the convenience of one-stop shopping, malls were changed into landscaped parks, with beautiful flowers, fountains, and outdoor entertainment. For example, one of the shopping malls is The Galleria in Houston, Texas. Inside the Galleria, more than ten of shops face balconies and there is an indoor ice skating rink（溜冰场）. Some of Houston’s best restaurants are also here. Atop（在……顶上） the whole mammoth（巨大的） structure is a new hotel. The Galleria, and other imaginative shopping centers throughout the United States, have led a magazine to title its recent leading article “The Malling of America”.

1. Which of the following is not correct?

A．During the 1950s, many parking places were available（可用的，有效的） to shoppers who drove to any Main Street.

B．Before the 1950s, a Main Street was a shopping center in most American towns.

C．Main Street was usually in the heart of a town.

D．At the beginning of the 20th century, all kinds of stores were located along Main Street.

2. The Galleria in Houston, Texas is ____________.

  A．a huge and modern restaurant.         B．a beautiful guest house.

  C．a soaring new hotel.                D．a wonderful shopping mall.

3. The best title for this passage would be ____________.

A．The changes of American Shopping Centers.

B．The Malling of America.

C．The Convenience of One-stop Shopping.

D．The Past and Present of the American People

About ___________of the workers in the factory were born in__________.

A．three-fifths, 1970s                      B．three- fifths, the 1970s

C．three- fifth, the 1970s                    D．three- fifth, 1970