根据下列文章,请回答 31~35 题。
Almost Human?
Scientists are racing to build the world's first thinking robot. This is not science fiction:
some say they will have made it by the year 2020. Carol Packer reports.
Machines that walk, speak and feel are no longer science fiction. Kismet is the name of an android (机器人) which scientists have built at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Kismet is different from the traditional robot because it can show human emotions. Its eyes, ears and lips move to show when it feels happy, sad or bored. Kismet is one of the first of a new generation of androids w robots that look like human beings -- which can imitate human feelings. Cog, another android invented by the MIT, imitates the action of a mother. However, scientists admit that so far Cog has the mental ability of a two-year-old.
The optimists (乐观主义者) say that by the year 2020 we will have created humanoids (机器人) with brains similar to those of an adult human being. These robots will be designed to look like people to make them more attractive and easier to sell to the public. What kind of jobs will they do? In the future, robots like Robonaut, a humanoid invented by NASA, will be doing dangerous jobs, like repairing space stations. They will also be doing more and more of the household work for us. In Japan, scientists are designing androids that will entertain us by dancing and playing the piano.
Some people worry about what the future holds: will robots become monsters (怪物)? Will people themselves become increasingly like robots? Experts predict that more and more people will be wearing micro-computers, connected to the Internet, in the future. People will have micro-chips in various parts of their body, which will connect them to a wide variety of gadgets (小装置). Perhaps we should not exaggerate (夸大) the importance of technology, but one wonders whether, in years to come, we will still be falling in love, and whether we will still feel pain. Who knows?
第 31 题 Kismet is different from traditional robots because
A. it thinks for itself.
B. it is not like science fiction.
C. it can look after two-year-olds.
D. it seems to have human feelings.
根据下列文章,请回答 31~35 题。
Text 3
At the European Commission in Brussels, they have a joke about the work interpreters do--Languages", they say, "have nothing to do with interpretation, it helps to know them. "Anyone thinking of becoming an interpreter would bear this so well in mind. Translating languages, especially in a political context, involves far more than mere linguistic ability.
To work in an international organization, such as the United Nations, you need to be approved by one of the various international translators or 'interpreters' associations. To achieve this, you must experience rigorous and lengthy training, either at an accrediting organization' s own school, or on a postgraduate course at university. But a qualification in languages is not the only route into the job. At London' s University of Westminster, candidates get offered a place on the interpreter' s course if they can show that they have "lived a bit", in the words of one lecture. Young people who have just left university often lack adequate experience of life.
The University also looks for candidates who have lived for long time in the countries where their acquired languages are spoken. They are also expected to have wide cultural interests and a good knowledge of current affairs. This broad range of interests are essential in a job which can re- quire interpreting discussions of disarmament(裁军) on Monday, international fishing rights on Tuesday, multinational finance on Wednesday , and the building and construction industry on Thursday.
Interpreters also rely on adrenaline(肾上腺素)which is caused by the stress and challenges of the job--to keep them going through their demanding schedules. Many admit that they enjoy the buzz of adrenaline they get from the job, and it' s known that their heart rates speed up while they are working.
It' s also a job with its own risks and excitement. Interpreters are needed in war zones as well as in centers of international diplomacy, like the U. N.
第 31 题 According to the passage, what does the underlined phrase "lived a bit "mean?
A. To be older than others.
B. To travel to more countries.
C. To have abundant life experience.
D. To have longer training in interpreting.
A.reservesB.handlesC.subscribesD.transmits
A. reserves
B. handles
C. subscribes
D. transmits
根据下列材料请回答 36~40 题:
Doubtful Ways to Reduce and Increase Your Weight
You hear this:“No wonder you are fat.All you ever do is eat.”You feel sad:t “I skip my breakfast and supper.I run every morning and evening.What else can I do?”Basically you can do nothing。Your genes,not your life habits,determine your weight and your body constantly tries to maintain it.
Albert Stunkard of the University of Pennsylvania found from experiments that,“80 percent of the children of two obese(肥胖的)parents become obese,as compared with no more than 14 percent of the offspring of two parents of normal weight.”
How can obese people become normal or even thin through dieting? Well,dieting can be effective, but the health costs are tremendous.Jules Hirsch,a research physician at Rockefeller University, did a study of eight fat people。They were given a liquid formula providing 600 calories a day.After more than 1 0 weeks,the subjects lost 45ka on average.But after leaving the hospital,they all regained weight.The results were surprising:by metabolic(新陈代谢的)measurement,fat people who lost large amounts of weight seemed like they were starving.They had psychiatric problems.They dreamed of food or breaking their diet.They were anxious and depressed;some were suicidal.They hid food in their rooms.Researchers warn that it is possible that weight reduction doesn'tresult In normal weight,but in an abnormal state resembling that of starved non—obese people.
Thin people,however, suffer from the opposjte :They have to make a great effort to gain weight.Ethan Sims,of the University of Vermont,got prisoners to volunteer to gain weight?In four to six months,they ate as much as they could.They succeeded in increasing their weight by 20 to 25 percent。But months after the study ended.they were back to normal weight and stayed there.
This does not mean that people are completely without hope in controlling their weight.It means that those who tend to be fat will have to constantly baffle their genetic inheritance if they want to significantly lower their weight。the findings also provide evidence for something scientists thought was true—each person has a comfortable weight range.The range might be as much as 9kg.Someone might weigh 60_69kg without too much effort.But going above or below the natural weight range is difficult.The body resists by feeling hungry or full and changing the metabolism to push the weight back to the range it seeks.
第 36 题 What determines your weight?
A. Your working manner
B. Your eating habit
C. Your life style
D. Your genes