Your House Will Take Care of You In Old Age
Have you ever thought what your life would be like in old age? Everyone talks about the “aging” society with large numbers of elderly people needing home care. Now German researchers have set up a “smart” house, programmed to help the elderly live at home with dignity. Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute say the house combines existing technology with future-oriented technology.
For example, the “smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror that can remind people to take their medicine, wash their hands or brush their teeth. The hardware behind Fraunhofer’s electronic bathroom is not new, and the software runs on a regular personal computer.
When the medicine cabinet is opened, a display in the middle of the mirror tells the person how many pills to take. The mirror is linked to a care provider, who can remotely check whether a patient at home is actually taking medicine and brushing his or her teeth. As many elderly people have arthritic(关节炎的) conditions that make it difficult to operate water taps, the mirror also has displays that turn the water tap on or off or control the water temperature.
The bathroom is only the start. Kitchens, bedrooms and all other parts of the “intelligent” home will become “user-friendly” to meet all kinds of individual needs. Sensors in doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets detect every activity and record them electronically. Doctors or care staff can see from the computer records what personal hygiene tasks have been completed, how often the elderly person visits the bathroom or uses the toilet. In case of an emergency, the computer automatically alerts the chosen contact person or calls the care center.
【小题1】 The ‘smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror ________.

A．that can help the elderly brush their teeth	B．which is linked to a nursing house
C．behind which is a medicine cabinet	D．that can remind people to do many things

【小题2】 The underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A．every activity

B．doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets

C．individual needs

D．sensors

【小题3】The house mentioned in the passage can be described as _________.

A．smart but expensive	B．intelligent and convenient
C．smart and environmentally-friendly	D．fashionable and energy-saving

【小题4】 How is the passage mainly developed?

A．By inferring

B．By listing examples.

C．By comparing.

D．By introducing a practical method.

【小题5】The author of the text mainly _________.

A．calls on people to care for the old	B．encourages the old to live with dignity
C．introduces a new house	D．promotes a new house

Your House Will Take Care of You In Old Age

Have you ever thought what your life would be like in old age? Everyone talks about the “aging” society with large numbers of elderly people needing home care. Now German researchers have set up a “smart” house, programmed to help the elderly live at home with dignity. Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute say the house combines existing technology with future-oriented technology.

For example, the “smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror that can remind people to take their medicine, wash their hands or brush their teeth. The hardware behind Fraunhofer’s electronic bathroom is not new, and the software runs on a regular personal computer.

When the medicine cabinet is opened, a display in the middle of the mirror tells the person how many pills to take. The mirror is linked to a care provider, who can remotely check whether a patient at home is actually taking medicine and brushing his or her teeth. As many elderly people have arthritic(关节炎的) conditions that make it difficult to operate water taps, the mirror also has displays that turn the water tap on or off or control the water temperature.

The bathroom is only the start. Kitchens, bedrooms and all other parts of the “intelligent” home will become “user-friendly” to meet all kinds of individual needs. Sensors in doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets detect every activity and record them electronically. Doctors or care staff can see from the computer records what personal hygiene tasks have been completed, how often the elderly person visits the bathroom or uses the toilet. In case of an emergency, the computer automatically alerts the chosen contact person or calls the care center.

1. The ‘smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror ________.

A．that can help the elderly brush their teeth	B．which is linked to a nursing house
C．behind which is a medicine cabinet	D．that can remind people to do many things

2. The underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A．every activity

B．doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets

C．individual needs

D．sensors

3.The house mentioned in the passage can be described as _________.

A．smart but expensive	B．intelligent and convenient
C．smart and environmentally-friendly	D．fashionable and energy-saving

4. How is the passage mainly developed?

A．By inferring

B．By listing examples.

C．By comparing.

D．By introducing a practical method.

5.The author of the text mainly _________.

A．calls on people to care for the old	B．encourages the old to live with dignity
C．introduces a new house	D．promotes a new house

 

Your House Will Take Care of You In Old Age

Have you ever thought what your life would be like in old age? Everyone talks about the “aging” society with large numbers of elderly people needing home care. Now German researchers have set up a “smart” house, programmed to help the elderly live at home with dignity. Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute say the house combines existing technology with future-oriented technology.

For example, the “smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror that can remind people to take their medicine, wash their hands or brush their teeth. The hardware behind Fraunhofer’s electronic bathroom is not new, and the software runs on a regular personal computer.

When the medicine cabinet is opened, a display in the middle of the mirror tells the person how many pills to take. The mirror is linked to a care provider, who can remotely check whether a patient at home is actually taking medicine and brushing his or her teeth. As many elderly people have arthritic(关节炎的) conditions that make it difficult to operate water taps, the mirror also has displays that turn the water tap on or off or control the water temperature.

The bathroom is only the start. Kitchens, bedrooms and all other parts of the “intelligent” home will become “user-friendly” to meet all kinds of individual needs. Sensors in doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets detect every activity and record them electronically. Doctors or care staff can see from the computer records what personal hygiene tasks have been completed, how often the elderly person visits the bathroom or uses the toilet. In case of an emergency, the computer automatically alerts the chosen contact person or calls the care center.

The ‘smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror ________.

A. that can help the elderly brush their teeth    B. which is linked to a nursing house

C. behind which is a medicine cabinet         D. that can remind people to do many things

The underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A. every activity B. doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets C. individual needs D. sensors

The house mentioned in the passage can be described as _________.

A. smart but expensive                 B. intelligent and convenient

C. smart and environmentally-friendly     D. fashionable and energy-saving

How is the passage mainly developed?

A. By inferring  B. By listing examples. C. By comparing. D. By introducing a practical method.

The author of the text mainly _________.

A. calls on people to care for the old       B. encourages the old to live with dignity

C. introduces a new house               D. promotes a new house

Bright red post boxes, the Queen and queuing—what do they all have in common? They are all important parts of British life. At least I thought so.

     However, the ability to queue for long periods of time, once believed to be a traditional characteristic of the British, is no longer tolerated by people in the UK, according to a survey done for British bank Barclays.

     Once upon a time, queuing was seen as normal. During World WarⅡ, everyone had to queue up to receive their daily supply of foods. In fact, if you didn't stand up and wait in line with all the others, it was seen as uncivilized.

     The famous English double-decker buses, with only one entrance, might also help explain why queuing was seen as a part of British life. Almost always, there is queue to get on. www.zxxk.com

     But perhaps the British are tired of being pushed past by the Spanish, the Italians or the French as they queue up to get a table at a restaurant. The people of these other European countries have more than one entrance to their buses, which explains their more relaxed attitude to the queue.

     Two minutes is now the longest time most British people are prepared to stand and wait. But could it be that the Internet, which allows us to carry out tasks quickly, is the main reason why British people are no longer prepared to queue?

     "Used to buying without delay, customers are even giving up purchases rather than wait their turn," says Stuart Neal of Barclaycard. "Shoppers are also less likely to queue for long if the item they are buying is of low value."

     Perhaps I will have to replace "queuing" with "impatience" in my list of things I relate to the British. 

1. What can we learn about the tradition of queuing in Britain? 

A. It was considered a symbol of a civilized behavior.

B. It was a long time tradition as old as the Queen.

C. It was a product of the slow pace of life.

D. It has made the Britain different from other Europeans. 

2. According to the passage, the British gradually stopped queuing because ______.

A. they prefer shopping online

B. the Internet has changed their way of life

C. what they are buying is of low value

D. they follow the example of foreigners

3. It can be learned from the text that ______. 

A. the British used to buy without delay

B. the British have to queue to receive food

C. the British get impatient with queuing for long

D. the British prefer to take double-decker buses 

4.The author's main purpose of writing the passage is _______.

A. to tell us the influence of the Internet on the British ways of life

B. to compare the cultural difference between Britain and other countries

C. to report his research on the British ways of life

D. to talk about the changes in the attitude to queuing in Britain 

 

Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from the list A-F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.?

A. The engine in your body. B. The location, size and heartbeat of a heart. C. What happens when the heart beats? D. How does your heart work? E. How do we know about the heart? F. What can a doctor tell by feeling your pulse?

1.

    Your heart is located in your chest, a little to your left. This heart of yours, which is about the size of your two fists held together, beats about 90 times a minute. A grown person's heart beats about 60 to 80 times a minute. The heartbeat is not just the same in all persons, and it is not the same in any one person at all times.

2. 

    When your heart beats, it is pumping blood to all parts of your body. If you could examine your heart closely, you would see that it is really two pumps placed side by side, and working at the same time. Each pump has two parts, the upper part called the auricle (心房), and the lower part called the ventricle (心室). The auricles receive the blood as it comes into them after it has been pumped through the body. The ventricles pump the blood out. The right one pumps the blood to the lungs and the left one pumps the blood to all other parts of the body. At the top and bottom openings of each ventricle are valves (阀门) which make the blood go in only one direction.

3.

    Your heart is sometimes called the engine or the motor in your body and sometimes called the pump. It works away, both day and night. First it pumps out some blood, rests for a few seconds, and then it pumps some more. In a normal day, the heart pumps about 2,500 gallons of blood from the auricles and ventricles.

4.

    By using a stethoscope to listen to the heart, the doctor can tell whether your heart is beating evenly and whether the valves are closing tightly. The stethoscope makes these sounds so clear that the doctor can hear them easily. The stethoscope has an earpiece that he places on your chest and tubes that he places in his ear. The earpiece carries the sound or your heart's beating along the tubes to the doctor's ears, and it makes the sound seem much louder than it really is. The doctor could listen to your heartbeat by pulling his ear against your chest.

5.

An easy experiment can help you understand what happens when the heart beats. You can do this experiment with a hollow rubber ball. Make a small hole in it, and fill the ball with water through the hole. When you squeeze the ball, you will notice how the water comes out in a spurt each time you squeeze. After each spurt the ball comes back to its round shape again. Something like this happens when your heart beats. The muscles in your heart grow smaller, or contract, and squeeze the blood out of the heart. Each time this happens, we say your heart is beating. Perhaps you have noticed that the doctor places his finger on the pulse in your wrist when you are ill. By doing this he can tell how fast your heart is beating.