A child-like robot, Wakamaru, developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan and combining the roles of nurse, companion and security guard, will soon be in the market to look after the growing number of old people with no one to look after them.

  Cameras implanted under the “ eyebrows” of the robot enable it to “see’’ as it moves around in a house. The images can be sent to the latest mobile telephones, which can show the pictures. Wakamaru speaks with either the voice of a boy or a girl. It is also designed to provide companionship, greeting its “ papa”, when he comes home. Based on a vocabulary of around 10 000 words, it is the first household robot which is able to hold simple conversations. It can not only speak, but also understand answers and react accordingly. It will ask“ Are you all right?” if its owner does not move for some time. If the answer is no, or there is no answer, it will telephone preset numbers, send images and work as a speakerphone. It can recognize up to 10 faces. It can be set to remind forgetful people when it is time to take medicine, eat and sleep.

  However, like most robots, it cannot climb stairs. Mitsubishi developed Wakamaru from robots which have already been made to go around nuclear power facilities(设施). “ Looking at the ageing of society and the falling birth rate we decided that this could work as a business. We want to offer it as a product that helps society,’’ said the project chief. The developers plan to sell the robot from April next year at between 5,000 and 6,000 pound.

  The life expectancy of Japanese women has shot up to almost 85, the highest in the world. At the same time, extended families are being replaced by nuclear families. This has left many Japanese anxious about their elderly parents. Therefore, the technology has gained nation-wide publicity in Japan.

Which of the following is TRUE about Wakamaru?

It is used in some nuclear power facilities.

It can speak but cannot understand answers.

It can go up and down the stairs easily.

It can recognize as many as 10 people.

The passage is written with the purpose to ______.

      A. introduce a new product  

B solve the aging problems.

     C. tell people how to use the robot 

     D show the rapid development of technology

What can be inferred from the passage ?

      A. The robot can dial proper numbers for help

      B. The robot is likely to have a promising market.

      C. The robot enables the Japanese to live longer

      D. Many elderly Japanese are anxious about their future

Anne Whitney, a sophomore(二年级学生) at Colorado State University, first had a problem taking tests when she began college. "I was always well prepared for my tests. Sometimes I studied for weeks before a test. Yet I would go in to take the test, only to find I could not answer the questions correctly. I would blank out because of nervousness and fear. I couldn't think of the answer. My low grades on the tests did not show what I knew to the teacher ."  Another student in microbiology and similar experiences. He said ,"My first chemistry test was very difficult. Then, on the second test, I sat down to take it, and I was so nervous that I was shaking. My hands were moving up and down so quickly that it was hard to hold my pencil. I knew the material and I knew the answers. Yet I couldn't even write them down!"

 These two young students were experiencing something called test anxiety. Because a student worries and it uneasy about a test, his or her mind does not work as well as it usually does. The student can't write or think clearly because of the extreme tension and nervousness. Although poor grades are often a result of poor study habits, sometimes test anxiety causes the low grades. Recently, test anxiety had been recognized as a real problem, not just an excuse or a false explanation of lazy students.

  Special university counseling courses try to help students. In these courses, counselors try to help students by teaching them how to manage test anxiety .At some universities, students take tests to measure their anxiety. If the tests show their anxiety is high, the students can take short courses to help them deal with their tension. These courses teach students how to relax their bodies .Students are trained to become calm in very tense situations. By controlling their nervousness, they can let their minds work at ease .Learned information then comes out without difficulty on a test.

  An expert at the University of California explains. "With almost all students, relaxation and less stress are felt after taking out program .Most of then experience better control during their tests. Almost all have some improvement. With some, the improvement is very great."

1.To "blank out" is probably______.

A. to be like a blanket                      B. to be sure of an answer

C. to be unable to think clearly               D. to show knowledge to the teacher

2.Poor grades are usually the result of _______.

A. poor hygienic(卫生的) habits            B. laziness

C. lack of sleep                          D. being unable to form good study habits

3.Test anxiety has been recognized as _______.

A. an excuse for laziness                  B. the result of poor habits

C. a real problem                        D. something that can't be changed

4.To deal with this problem, students say they want to ______.

A .take a short course on anxiety           

B read about anxiety

C. be able to manage or understand their anxiety

  D take test to prove they are not anxiety

5.A University of California counselor said_______.

A. all students could overcome the anxiety after taking a special test anxiety program

B. almost all students felt less stress after taking a University of California counseling course

C. students found it difficult to improve even though they had taken a special test anxiety course

D. students found it easy to relax as soon as they entered a University of California counseling course

 As my train was delayed for two hours, I had plenty of time to spare. After buying some newspapers to read on the journey, I made my way to the ___1___ office to collect my heavy suitcase I had ___2___ there three days before. There were only a few people ___3___, and I took out my wallet to find the receipt for my case. The receipt didn’t seem to be where I had left it. I ___4___ the contents, and railway tickets, money scraps of paper and photos fell out of it; but no matter how ___5___ I searched, the receipt was nowhere to be found.

When my turn came, I ___6___ the situation sorrowfully to the assistant. The man looked at me ___7___ as if to say that he had ___8___ this kind of story many times and asked me to ___9___ the case. I told him that it was an old, brown looking ___10___ no different from the many cases I could see on the shelves. The assistant then gave me ___11___ and told me to ___12___ of the chief contents of the case. If they were ___13___, he said, I could take the case away. I tried to ___14___ all the articles I had ___15___ packed into the case and wrote them down as they came to me.

After I had done this, I went to ___16___ among the shelves. There were hundreds of cases there. For one dreadful moment, it ___17___ to me that if someone had ___18___ the receipt up he could have easily claimed(认领) the case already. This hadn’t happened ___19___, for after a time I found the case lying in a corner. After examining the articles inside, the assistant was ___20___ and told me I could take the case away.

1. A. posting   B. working     C. luggage      D. manager’s

2. A. left  B. forgotten    C. found  D. bought

3. A. standing B. crowding    C. talking D. waiting

4. A threw      B. put      C. looked D. emptied

5. A. often      B. much  C. hard    D. soon

6. A. said B. searched     C. spoke  D. explained

7. A. now and then B. up and down      C. here and there    D. back and forth

8. A. knew     B. realized       C. heard  D. seen

9. A. describe B. draw   C. take out      D. show

10. A. object   B. matter C. subject       D. wallet

11. A. a paper B. a note  C. a message  D. a form

12. A. sign names   B. make a list  C. write down D. draw a picture

13. A. everything    B. wrong C. correct       D. ready

14. A. draw    B. remember   C. read    D. remind

15. A. carelessly     B. suddenly     C. hurriedly    D. immediately

16. A. see       B. watch C. find    D. look

17. A. happened     B. occurred    C. appeared    D. seemed

18. A. picked  B. collected     C. taken  D. stolen

19. A. fortunately   B. unluckily    C. by chance  D. presently

20. A. disappointed B. surprised    C. satisfied     D. worried

While typing, Helen has a habit of stopping ______ to give her long and flowing hair a smooth.
A  now and then     B.over and over     C.up and down    D.here and there

A long time ago, there lived a poor man whose real name has been forgotten. He was little and old and his face was wrinkled, and that was why his friends called him Mr. Vinegar. His wife was also little and old, and they lived in a little old cottage at the back of a little old field.

"John," said Mrs. Vinegar, "you must go to town and buy a cow. I will milk her and churn（搅拌） butter and we shall never want for anything."

"That is a good plan," said Mr. Vinegar, so he started off to town while his wife waited by the roadside.

Mr. Vinegar walked up and down the street of the town looking for a cow. After a time, a farmer came that way, leading one that was very pretty and fat.

"Oh, if I only had that cow," said Mr. Vinegar, "I would be the happiest man in the world!"

"She's a very good cow," said the farmer.

"Well," said Mr. Vinegar, "I'll give you these 50 gold pieces for her."

The farmer smiled and held out his hand for the money, "You may have her," he said, "I always like to oblige（施恩惠） , my friends!"

Mr. Vinegar took hold of the cow's halter and led her up and down the street. "I am the luckiest man in the world," he said, "for only see how all the people are looking at me and my cow!"

But at one end of the street, he met a man playing bagpipes（风笛） . He stopped and listened -- Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dee.

"Oh, that is the sweetest music I ever heard," he said, "and just see how all the children crowd around the man and give him pennies! If I only had those bagpipes, I would be the happiest man in the world!!"

"I'll sell them to you," said the piper.

"Will you? Well then, since I have no money, I will give you this cow for them."

"You may have them," answered the piper, "I always like to oblige a friend."

Mr. Vinegar took the bagpipes and the piper led the cow away.

"Now we will have some music," said Mr. Vinegar, but try as hard as he might, he could not play a tune. He could get nothing out of the bagpipes but "squeak, squeak". The children instead of giving him pennies laughed at him.

The day was chilly and in trying to play the pipes, his fingers grew very cold. He wished he had kept the cow.

He just started for home when he met a man who had warm gloves on his hands. "Oh, if I only had those pretty gloves," he said, "I would be the happiest man in the world."

"How much will you give for them?" asked the man.

"Oh, I have no money, but I will give you these bagpipes," answered Mr. Vinegar.

"Well," said the man, "you may have them for I always like to oblige a friend."

Mr. Vinegar gave him the bagpipes and drew the gloves on over his half frozen fingers. "How lucky I am," he said as he trudged（跋涉） homeward. His hands were soon quite warm, but the road was rough and the walking hard. He was very tired when he came to the foot of the steep hill. "How shall I ever get to the top?" he said. Just then he met a man who was walking the other way. He had a stick in his hand which he used as a cane to help him along.

"My friend," said Mr. Vinegar, "if only I had that stick of yours to help me up this hill, I would be the happiest man in the world!"

"How much will you give me for it?" asked the man.

"Well, I have no money, but I will give you this pair of warm gloves," said Mr. Vinegar.

"Well," said the man, "you may have it for I always like to oblige a friend."

Mr. Vinegar's hands were now quite warm, so he gave the gloves to the man and took the stout（结实的） stick to help him along. "How lucky I am!'' he said as he toiled upward.

At the top of the hill he stopped to rest. But as he was thinking of all his good luck that day, he heard someone calling his name. He looked up and saw only a green parrot sitting in a tree.

"Mr. Vinegar, Mr. Vinegar," it cried.

"What now?" said Mr. Vinegar.

"You're a dunce（傻瓜） , you're a dunce!'' answered the bird, "you went to seek your fortune and you found it, then you gave it for a cow, and the cow for some bagpipes, and the bagpipes for some gloves, and the gloves for a stick which you might of cut by the roadside. He He He, you're a dunce! You're a dunce!''

This made Mr. Vinegar very angry. He threw the stick at the bird with all his might. But the bird only answered, "You're a dunce! You're a dunce!" And the stick lodged in the tree where he could not get it again.

Mr. Vinegar went on slowly for he had many things to think about. His wife was standing by the roadside and as soon as she saw him, she cried out, "Where's the cow? Where's the cow?" "Well, I just don't know where the cow is," said Mr. Vinegar. And then he told her the whole story.

1.What’s the meaning of the underlined word in the passage?

2.How many exchanges happen in the passage?

3.Why does the parrot think Mr.Vinegar foolish?

4.What’s Mrs.Vinegar’s feeling after she knew the fact?