2013年职称英语型必备 字典版

第二部分阅读判断1.Inventor of LED2.E1 Nino3.Smoking4.Engineering Ethics5.Recue Platform6.Microchip Research Center Created7.Moderate Earthquake Strikes England8.Easy Learning9.Dangers Await Babies with Altitude10.Irish Dolhpins May Have a Unique Dialect11.*Computer Mouse12.*Study Helps Predict Big Mediterranean Quake第三部分概括大意和完成句子1.More Than 8 Hours Sleep Too Much of a Good Thing2.Soot and Snow: a Hot Combination3.Icy Microbespact Disks5.LED Lighting6.How We Form First Impression7.Screen Test8.The Mir Space Station9.More Rural Research Is Needed10.Washoe Learned American Sign Language11. *The Tiniest Electric Motor in the World12. *A Strong Greenhouse Gas第四部阅读理解第一篇Ford Abandons Electric Vehicles第二篇World Crude Oil Production May Peak a Decade Earlier Than Some Predict第三篇Citizen Scientists第四篇Motoring Technology第五篇Late-Night Drinking第六篇Making Light of Sleep第七篇Sugar Power for Cell Phones第八篇Eiffel Is an Eyeful第九篇Egypt Felled by Famine第十篇Young Female Chimps Outlearn Their Brothers第十一篇The Net Cost of Making a Name for Yourself第十二篇Florida Hit by Cold Air Mass第十三篇Invisibility Ring第十四篇Japanese Car Keeps Watch for Drunk Drivers第十五篇Winged Robot Learns to Fly第十六篇Japanese Drilling into Core of Earth第十七篇 A Sunshade for the Planet第十八篇Thirst for Oil第十九篇Graphene's Superstrength第二十篇Explorer of the Extreme Deep第二十一篇Plant Gas第二十二篇Snowflakes第二十三篇Powering a City? It's a Breeze.第二十四篇Underground Coal Fires -- a Looming Catastrophe 第二十五篇Eat to Live第二十六篇Male and Female Pilots Cause Accidents Differently 第二十七篇Driven to Distraction第二十八篇Sleep Lets Brain File Memories第二十九篇Food Fright第三十篇Digital Realm*第三十一篇Hurricane Katrina*第三十二篇Mind-reading Machine*第三十三篇Experts Call for Local and Regional Control of Sites for Radioactive*第三十四篇Batteries Built by Viruses*第三十五篇Putting Plants to work*第三十六篇Listening Device Provides Landslide Early Warning *第三十七篇"Don't Drink Alone" Gets New Meaning*第三十八篇"Life Form Found" on Saturn's Titan*第三十九篇Clone Farm*第四十篇Teaching Math, Teaching Anxiety第六部分完型填空第一篇Captain Cook Arrow Legend第二篇Avalanche and Its Safety第三篇 Germs on Banknotes第四篇Animal's "Sixth Sense"第五篇Singing Alarms Could Save the Blind第六篇Car Thieves Could Be Stopped Remotely第七篇An Intelligent Car第九篇Wonder Webs第十篇 Chicken Soup for the Soul：Comfort Food Fights Loneliness*第十一篇Climate Change Poses Major Risks for Unprepared Cities*第十二篇Free Statins With Fast Food Could Neutralize Heart Risk完型部分第一篇Captain Cook Arrow Legend （库克船长弓箭的传说It was a great legend while it lasted, but DNA testing has 1 finally ended a two-century-old story of the Hawaiian arrow carved from the bone of British explorer Captain James Cook 2who died in the Sandwich Islands1 in 1179.“There is 3no Cook2 in the Australian Museum,”museum collection manager Jude Philip said not long ago in announcing the DNA evidence that the arrow was not made of Cook’s bone. But that will not stop the museum from continuing to display the arrow in its 4 exhibition , “Uncovered: Treasures of the Australian Museum,3”which 5 does include a feather cape presented to Cook by Hawaiian King Kalani’opu’u in 1778. Cook was one of Britain’s great explorers and is credited with 6 discovering the “Great South Land,”7 now Australia, in 1770. He was clubbed to death in the Sandwich Islands, now Hawaii.The legend of Cook’s arrow began in 1824 8 when Hawaiian King Kamehamcha on his deathbed gave the arrow to William Adams, a London surgeon and relative of Cook’s wife, saying it was made of Cook’s bone after the fatal 9 fight with islanders. In the 1890s the arrow was given to the Australian Museum and the legend continued 10 until it came face-to-face with science.DNA testing by laboratories in Australia and New Zealand revealed the arrow was not made of Cook’s bone but was more 11 likely made of animal bone, said Philp.However, Cook’s fans 12 refuse to give up hope that one Cook legend will prove true and that part of his remains will still be uncovered, as they say there is evidence not all of Cook’s body was 13 buried at sea in 1779. “On this occasion technology has won,4”said Cliff Thornton, president of the Captain Cook Society，in a 14 statement fromBritain. “But I am 15 sure that one of these days …one of the Cook legends will prove to be true and it will happen one day.”第二篇Avalanche and Its Safety 雪崩和安全问题An avalanche is a sudden and rapid flow of snow, often mixed with air and water, down a mountainside. Avalanches are 1 among the biggest dangers in the mountains for both life and property.All avalanches are caused by an over-burden of material, typically snowpack, that is too massive and unstable for the slope 2 that supports it. Determining the critical load, the amount of over-burden which is 3 likely an avalanche, 4 is a complex task involving the evaluation of a number of factors. Terrain slopes flatter than 25 degrees or steeper than 60 degreestypically have a low 5 risk of avalanche. Snow does not 6 gather significantly on steep slopes; also, snow does not 7 flow easily on fiat slopes. Human-triggered avalanches have the greatest incidence when the snow's angle of rest1 is 8 between 35 and 45 degrees; the critical angle, the angle at which the human incidence of avalanches is greatest, is 38 degrees. The rule of thumb2 is: A slope that is 9 flat enough to hold snow but steep enough to ski has the potential to generate an avalanche, regardless of the angle. Additionally3, avalanche risk increases with 10 use ; that is, the more a slope is disturbed by skiers, the more likely it is that an avalanche will occur.Due to the complexity of the subject, winter travelling in the backcountry4 is never 100% safe. Good avalanche safety is a continuous 11 process , including route selection and examination to the snowpack, weather 12 conditions , and human factors. Several well-known good habits can also 13 reduce the risk. If local authorities issue avalanche risk reports, they should be considered and all warnings should be paid 14 attention to. Never follow in the tracks of others without your own evaluations; snow conditions are almost certain to have changed since they were made. Observe the terrain and note obvious avalanche paths where plants are 15 missing or damaged. Avoid traveling below others who might trigger an avalanche.增加的完型第三篇Giant Structures巨型建筑It is an impossible task to select the most amazing wonders of the modem world since every year more 1 wonderful constructions appear. Here are three giant structures which are worthy of our 2 admiration although they may have been surpassed by some more recent wonders.The Petronas Twin Towers The Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world when they were completed in 1999. With a 3 height of 452 metres, the tall twin towers, like two thin pencils, dominate the city of Kuala Lumpur. At the 41st floor, the towers are linked by a bridge, symbolizing a gateway to the city. The American __4 architect _ Cesar Pelli designed the skyscrapers. Constructed of high-strength concrete, the building provides around 1，800 square metres of office space _5 on every floor. And it has a shopping centre and a concert hall at the base. Other 6features of this impressive building include double-decker lifts, and glass and steel sunshades.The MiUau BridgeThe Millau Bridge was opened in 2004 in the Tam Valley，in southern France. 7_ A.t the time it was built，it was the world’s highest bridge, 8 reaching over 340m at the highest point. The bridge is described as one of the most amazingly beautiful bridges in the world. It was built to 9 relieve Millau's congestion problems. The congestion was then caused by traffic passing from Paris to Barcelona in Spain. The bridge was built to withstand the 10 most extreme seismic and climatic conditions. Besides, it is guaranteed for 120 years!The Itaipu DamThe Itaipu hydroelectric power plant is one of the largest constructions of its kind in the world. It consists of a series of dams across the River Parana, 11 which forms a natural border between Brazil and Paraguay. Started in 1975 and taking 16 years to complete, the construction was carried out as a joint project between the two _12 countries. The dam is well-known for both its electricity output and its size. In 1995 it produced 78% of Paraguay’s and 25% of Brazil’s 13 energy needs. In its construction, the 14_ amount of iron and steel used was equivalent to over 300 Eiffel Towers. It is a __15 truly __ amazing wonder of engineering.第四篇Animal’s “Sixth Sense”动物的第六感A tsunami was triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean in December, 2004. It killed tens of thousands of people in Asia and East Africa. Wild animals, 1 however , seem to have escaped that terrible tsunami. This phenomenon adds weight to notions that1 they possess a “sixth sense”for 2 disasters , experts said.Sri Lankan wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over 24,000 people along the Indian Ocean island’s coast clearly 3 missed wild beasts, with no dead animals found. “No elephants arc dead, not 4 even a dead rabbit. I think animals can 5 sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening,”H. D. Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lanka’s Wildlife Department, said about one month after the tsunami attack. The 6 waves washed floodwaters up to 2 miles inland at Yala National Park in the ravaged southeast, Sri Lanka’s biggest wildlife 7 reserve and home to hundreds of wild elephants and several leopards.“There has been a lot of 8 apparent evidence about dogs barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. But it has not been proven,”said Matthew van Lierop, an animal behavior 9 specialist at Johannesburg Zoo. “There have been no＿10 specific studies because you can’t really test it in a lab or field setting2,”he told Reuters. Other authorities concurred with this 11 assessment . “Wildlife seem to be able to pick up certain 12 phenomenon , especially birds …there are many reports of birdsdetecting impending disasters,”said Clive Walker, who has written several books on African wildlife. Animals 13 certainly rely on the known senses such as smell or hearing to avoid danger slid as predators. The notion of an animal “sixth sense”—or 14 some other mythical power is an enduring one3 which theevidence on Sri Lanka’s ravaged coast is likely to add to. The Romans saw owls 15 as omens of impending disaster and many ancient cultures viewed elephants as sacred animals endowed with special power or attributes.第五篇Singing Alarms Could Save the Blind警报器就盲人If you cannot see, you may not be able to1 find your way out of a burning building —and that could be fatal. A company in Leeds could change all that2 1 with directional sound alarms capable of guiding you to the exit.Sound Alert, a company 2 run by the University of Leeds, is installing the alarms in a residential home for 3 blind people in Sommerset and a resource centre for the blind in Cumbria. 4 The alarms produce a wide range of frequencies that enable the brain to determine where the 5 sound is coming from. Deborah Withington of Sound Alert says that the alarms use most of the frequencies that can be 6 heard by humans. “It is a burst of white noise 7 that people say sounds like static on the radio,”she says. “Its life-saving potential is great.”She conducted an experiment in which people were filmed by thermal-imaging cameras trying to find their way out of3 a large 8 smoke-filled room. It 9 took them nearly four minutes to find the door ＿10 without＿a sound alarm, but only 15 seconds with one.Withington studies how the brain 11 processes sounds at the university. She says that the 12 source of a wide band of frequencies can be pinpointed more easily than the source of a narrow band. Alarms 13 based on the same concept have already been installed on emergency vehicles.The alarms will also include rising or falling frequencies to indicate whether people should go up 14 on down stairs. They were 15 on with the aid of a large grant from British Nuclear Fuels.第六Car Thieves Could Be Stopped Remotely 远程制止偷车贼Speeding off1 in a stolen car, the thief thinks he has got a great catch2. But he is in a nasty surprise3. The car is fitted with a remote immobilizer, and a radio signal from a control center miles away will ensure that once the thief switches the engine 1 of , he will not be able to start it again.For now, such devices 2 are only available for fleets of trucks4 and specialist vehicles used on construction sites. But remote immobilization technology could soon start to trickle down to ordinary cars5, and 3 should be available to ordinary cars in the UK 4 in two months.The idea goes like this. A control box fitted to the car incorporates6 5 a miniature cellphone, a microprocessor and memory, and a GPS7 satellite positioning receiver. 6 If the car is stolen, a coded cellphone signal will tell the unit to block the vehicle’s engine management system and prevent the engine 7 being restarted.There are even plans for immobilizers 8 that shut down vehicles on the moves8, though there are fears over the safety implications of such a system.In the UK, an array of9 technical fixes10 is already making 9 life harder for car thieves. “The pattern of vehicles crime has changed.”says Martyn Randall of Thatcham, a security research organization based in Berkshire11 that is funded in part 10 by the motor insurance industry.He says it would only take him a few minutes to 11 teach a novice how to steal a car, using a bare minimum of tools12. But only if the car is more than 10 years old.Modern cars are a far tougher proposition13, as their engine management computer will not 12 allow them to start unless they receive a unique ID code beamed out14 by the ignition key. In the UK, technologies like this 13 have helped achieve a 31 per cent drop in vehicle-related crime15 since 1997.But determined criminals are still managing to find other ways to steal cars. Often by getting hold of the owner’s keys in a burglary. In 2000, 12 per cent of vehicles stolen in the UK were taken by using the owner’s keys, which doubles the previous year’s figure.Remote-controlled immobilization system would 14 put a major new obstacle in the criminal’s way by making such thefts pointless. A group that includes Thatcham, the police, insurance companies and security technology firms have developed standards for a system that could go on the market sooner than the15 customer expects.第七篇An Intelligent Car 只能汽车Driving needs sharp eyes, keen ears, quick brain, and coordination between hands and the brain. Many human drivers have all 1 these and can control a fast-moving car. But how does an intelligent car control itself?There is a virtual driver1 in the smart car. This virtual driver1 has “eyes,”“brains,”“hands”and “feet,”too. The minicameras 2 on each side of the car are his “eyes,”which observe the road conditions ahead of it. They watch the 3 traffic to the car’s left and right. There is also a highly 4 automatic driving system in the car. It is the built-in computer, which is the virtual driver’s “brain.”His “brain”calculates the speeds of 5 other moving cars near it and analyzes their positions. Basing on this information2, it chooses the right 6 path for the intelligent car, and gives 7 instructions to the “hands”and “feet”to act accordingly. In this way, the virtual driver controls his car.What is the virtual driver’s best advantage3? He reacts 8 quickly . The minicameras are 9 sending images continuously to the “brain.”It 10 completes the processing of the images within 100 milliseconds. However, the world’s best driver 11 at least needs one second to react. 12 Besides , when he takes action, he needs one more second.The virtual driver is really wonderful. He can reduce the accident 13 rate considerably on expressways. In this case, can we let him have the wheel4 at any time and in any place? Experts 14 invite that we cannot do that5 just yet6. His ability to recognize things is still 15 limited . He can now only drive an intelligent car on expressways.增加的完型八Why India Needs Its Dying Vultures为什么印第安需要秃鹰The vultures in question may look ugly and threatening, but the sudden sharp _1 decline in three species of India’s vultures is producing alarm rather than celebration, and it presents the world with a new kind of environmental __2 problem The dramatic decline in vulture numbers is causing widespread disruption to people living in the same areas as the __3 birds __ . It is also causing serious public health problems __4 across __ the Indian sub-continent.While their reputation and appearance may be unpleasant to many Indians，vultures have__5_ long _played a very important role in keeping towns and villages all over India clean. It is__6 because __they feed on dead cows. In India, cows are sacred animals and are __7 traditionally __ left in the open when they die in their thousands upon thousands every year.The disappearance of the vultures has __8 led to __ an explosion in the numbers of wild dogs feeding on the remains of these dead animals. There are fears that rabies may __9 increase __ as a result. And this terrifying disease may ultimately affect humans in the region, since wild dogs are its main carriers. Rabies could also spread to other animal species, causing an even greater problem in the __10 future __.The need for action is __11 urgent __, so an emergency project has been launched to __12_ find _ a solution to this serious vulture problem. Scientists are trying to identify the disease causing the birds，deaths and, if possible, develop a cure. Large-scale vulture 13 deaths were first noticed at the end of the 1980s in India. A population survey at that time showed that the three species of vultures had declined 14 by over 90 per cent. All three species are now listed as “critically endangered”. As most vultures lay only single eggs and 15 take about five years to reach maturity, reversing their population decline will be a long and difficult exercise.第九篇Wonder Webs 奇妙的网Spider webs are more than homes, and they are ingenious traps. And the world’s best web spinner may be the Golden Orb Weaver spider. The female Orb Weaver spins a web of fibers thin enough to be invisible to insect prey, yet 1 tough enough to snare a flying bird without breaking.The secret of the web’s strength? A type of super-resilient 2 silk called dragline. When the female spider is ready to 3 weave the web’s spokes and frame, she uses her legs to draw the airy thread out through a hollow nozzle in her belly. Dragline is not sticky, so the spider can race back and forth along 4 it to spin the web’s trademark spiral.Unlike some spiders that weave a new web every day, a Golden Orb Weaver 5 reuses her handiwork until it falls apart, sometimes not for two years1. The silky thread is five times stronger than steel by weight and absorbs the force of an impact three times better than Kevlar, a high-strength human-made 6 material used in bullet-proof vests. And thanks to its high tensile strength, or the ability to resist breaking under the pulling force called tension, a single strand can stretch up to 40 percent longer than its original 7 length and snap back as well as new. No human-made fiber even comes 8 close .It is no 9 wonder manufacturers are clamoring for spider silk. In the consumer pipeline: high-performance fabrics for athletes and stockings that never run2. Think parachute cords and suspension bridge cables. A steady 10 supply of spider silk would be worth billions of dollars —but how to produce it？Harvesting silk on spider farms does not 11 work because the territorial arthropods have a tendency to devour their neighhors.Now, scientists at the biotechnology company Nexia are spinningartificial silk modeled after Golden Orb dragline. The 12 first step: extract silk-making genes from the spiders. Next, implant the genes into goat egg cells. The nanny goats that grow from the eggs secrete dragline silk proteins in their 13 milk . “The young goats pass on the silk-making gene without 14 any help from us,”says Nexia president Jeffry Turner. Nexia is still perfecting the spinning process, but they hope artificial spider silk will soon be snagging customers 15 as fast as the real thing snags bugs.第十篇Chicken Soup for the Soul：Comfort Food Fights Loneliness心灵鸡汤：爽心食品排解孤独感Mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, may be bad for your arteries．1 but according to a study in Psychological Science, they’re good for your heart and 2 emotions ．The study focuses on “comfort food1”and how it makes people feel．"For me 3 personally ,food has always played a big role in my family,”says Jordan Troisi, a graduate student2 at the University of Buffalo3, and lead author4 on the study．The study came out of the research program of his co—author Shira Gabriel．It has4 looked at non-human things that may affect human emotions．Some people reduce loneliness by bonding with their 5 favorite TV show, building virtual relationships with a pop song singer or looking at pictures of loved ones．Troisi and Gabriel wondered if comfort food could have the same effect 6 by making people think of their nearest and dearest5.In one experiment, in order to make 7 participantsfeel lonely, the researchers had them write for six minutes about a fight with someone close to them．Others were given an emotionally neutral writing assignment. Then, some people in each8 group wrote about the experience of eating a comfort food and others wrote about eating a new food．9 Finally ,the researchers had participants10 complete questions about their levels of loneliness6．Writing about a fight with a close person made people feel lonely．But people who were generally11 secure in their relationships would feel less lonely by writing about a comfort food．"We have found that comfort foods are consistently associated with those close to us．"says Troisi．"Thinking about or consuming these foods later then serves as a reminder of those close others．"In12 theiressays on comfort food, many people wrote about the 13 experience of eating food with family and friends.In another experiment, 14 eating chicken soup in the lab made people think more about relationships, but only if7 they considered chicken soup to be a comfort food．This was a question they had been asked long before the experiment, along with many other estions, so they wouldn’t remember it. Throughout everyone’s daily lives8 they perience stress, often associated with our 15 connections with others," Troisi says．"Comfort food Can be an easy remedy for loneliness．第十一篇Climate Change Poses Major Risks for Unprepared Cities 气候变化给不备城市带来重大风险A new examination of urban policies has been 1 carried out recently by Patricia Romero Lankao．She is a sociologist specializing in climate change and 2 urban development．She warns that many of the world’s fast-growing urban areas，especially in developing countries．Will likely1 suffer from the impacts of changing climate．Her work also concludes that most cities are failing to 3 reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse 4 gases ．These gases are known to affect the atmosphere．”Climate change is a deeply local issue and poses profound threats to the growing cities of the world,”says Romero Lankao. “But too few cities are developing effective strategies to 5 protect their residents.”Cities are 6 major sources of greenhouse gases．And urban populations are likely to2 be among those most severely affected by future climate change. Lankao’s findings3 highlight ways in which city-residents are particularly vulnerable, and suggest policy interventions that could offer immediate and longer-term 7 benefits ．The locations and dense construction patterns of cities often place their populations at greater risk for natural disasters. Potential 8 threats associated with climate include storm surges4 and prolonged hot weather. Storm surges can flood coastal areas and prolonged hot weather can heat 9 heavily paved cities5 more than surrounding areas．The impacts of such natural events can be more serious in an urban environment．For example，a prolonged heat wave can increase existing levels of air pollution，causing widespread health problems．Poorer neighborhoods that may 10 lack basic facilities such as drinking water or a dependable network of roads，are especially vulnerable to natural disasters．Many residents in poorer countries live in substandard housing 11 without access to reliable drinking water，roads and basic services.Local governments, 12 therefore ,should take measures to protect their residents.”Unfortunately，they tend to move towards rhetoric 13 rather than meaningful responses7, Romero Lankao writes, “They don’t impose construction standards that could reduce heating and air conditioning needs. They don’t emphasize mass transit and reduce 14 automobile use. In fact, many local governments are taking a hands-off approach8.”Thus, she urges them to change their 15 idle policies and to take strong steps to prevent the harmful effects of climate change on cities.第十二篇Free Statins With Fast Food Could Neutralize Heart Risk 快餐加免费降胆固醇药物可以降低患心脏病的风险Fast food outlets could 1provide statin drugs free of 1 charge so that customers can reduce the heart disease dangers of fatty food, researchers at Imperial College London2 2 suggest in a new study．Statins reduce the 3 amount of unhealthy "LDL" cholesterol3 in the blood. A wealth of trial data4 has proven them to be highly effective at lowering a person's heart attack4 risk .In a paper published in the American Journal of Cardiology5，Dr Darrel Francis and colleagues calculate that the reduction in heart attack risk offered by a statin is 5 enough to offset the increase in heart attack risk from 6 eating a cheeseburger and drinking a milkshake．Dr Francis，from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London，who is the senior author of the study, said:"Statins don't cut out a11 of the 7 unhealthy effects of cheeseburgers and French fries6．It's better to avoid fatty food altogether．But we've worked out that in terms of your 8 possibility of having a heart attack. Taking a statin can reduce your risk to more or less the same 9 degree as a fast food meal increases it." "It's ironic that people are free to take as many unhealthv condiments in fast food outlets as they 10 like , but statins, which are beneficial to heart health, have to be prescribed. It makes sense7 to make risk-reducing statins available just as easily as the unhealthy condiments that are 11 provided free of charge．It would cost less than 5 pence per 1 2 customer 一not much different to a sachet of sugar8." Dr Francis said．When people engage in risky behaviours like driving or smoking, they're encouraged to take13 measures that lower their risk, 1ike 14 wearinga seatbelt or choosing cigarettes with filters. Taking a statin is a rational way of 1 5 loweringsome of the risks of eating a fatty meal．增加的阅读第十一篇When Our Eyes Serve Our Stomach我们的视觉服务于我们的胃口Our senses aren’t just delivering a stri ct view of what’s going on in the world；they’re affected by what’s going on in our heads. A new study finds that hungry people see food-related words more clearly than people who’ve just eaten.Psychologists have known for decades that what’s going on, inside our head affects our senses. For example, poorer children think coins are larger than they are, and hungry people think pictures of food are brighter. Remi Radel of University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis，France，wanted to investigate how this happens. Does it happen right away as the brain receives signals from the eyes or a little later as the brain’s high-level thinking processes get involved.Radel recruited 42 students with a normal body mass index. On the day of his or her test, each student was told to arrive at the lab at noon after three or four hours of not eating. Then they were told there was a delay. Some were told to come back in 10 minutes; others were given an hour to get lunch first. So half the students were hungry when they did the experiment and the other half had just eaten.For the experiment, the participant looked at a computer screen. One by one, 80 words flashed on the screen for about l/300th of a second each. They flashed at so small a size that the students could only consciously perceive. A quarter of the words were food-related. After each word，each person was asked how bright the word was and asked to choose which of two words they’d seen — a food-related word like cake or a neutral word like boat. Each word appeared too briefly for the participant to really read it.Hungry people saw the food-related words as brighter and were better at identifying food- related words. Because the word appeared too quickly for them to be reliably seen, this means that the difference is in perception, not in thinking processes, Radel says.“This is something g reat to me. Humans can really perceive what they need or what they strive for. From the experiment, I know that our brain can really be at the disposal of our motives and needs,” Radel says.1. What does the new study mentioned in Paragraph 1 find?C Hungry people are more sensitive to food-related words than stomach-full people.2. Why was there a delay on the day of the experiment?B Because Radel wanted to create two groups of testees, hungry and non-hungry.3. What does the writer want to tell us?C Human brains can really be at the disposal of our motives and needs.4. What did the results of the experiment indicate?A 80 words flashed on the screen too fast for the participant to intentionally perceive.5. What can we infer from the passage?D Humans can perceive what they need without involving high-level thinking processes.答案与题解： 1. C2. B 3. C 4. A 5. D第二篇musical robot companion enhances listener experience 音乐机器人将提升音乐欣赏体验Shimi, a musical companion developed by Georgia Tech’s Center for Music Technology, recommends songs, dances to the beat and keeps the music pumping based on listener feedback. The smartphone-enabled, one-foot-tall robot is billed as an interactive “musical friend”.“Shimi is designed to change the way that people enjo y and think about their music，” said Professor Gil Weinberg, the robot’s creator. He will unveil the robot at the June 27th Google I/O conference in San Francisco. A band of three Shimi robots will perform for guests, dancing in sync with music created in the lab and composed according to its movements.Shimi is essentially a docking station with a “brain” powered by an Android phone. Once docked, the robot gains the sensing and musical generation capabilities of the user’s mobile device. In other words, if there’s an “app” for that, Shimi is ready. For instance, by using the phone’s camera and face-detecting software，Shimi can follow a listener around the room and position its “ears”，or speakers, for optimal sound. Another recognition feature is based on rhythm and tempo. If the user taps a beat, Shimi analyzes it, scans the phone’s musical library and immediately plays the song that best matches the suggestion. Once the music starts，Shimi dances to the rhythm. “Many people think that robots are limited by their programming instructions, said Music Technology Ph. D. candidate Mason Bretan. “Shimi shows us that robots can be creative and interactive. ’’Future apps in the works will allow the user to shake their head in disagreement or wave a hand in the air to alert Shimi to skip to the next song or increase/decrease the volume. The robot will also have the capability to recommend new music based on the user’s song choices and provide feedback on the music play list.Weinberg hopes other developers will be inspired to create more apps to expand Shimi’s creative and interactive capabilities. “I believe that our center is ahead of a revolution that will see more robots in homes.” Weinberg said.Weinberg is in the process of commercializing Shimi through an exclusive licensing agreement with Georgia Tech. Weinberg hopes to make the robot available to consumers by the 2013 holiday season. “If robots are going to arrive in homes, we think that they will be this kind of machines一small, entertaining and fun，，，Weinberg said. “They will enhance your life and pave the way for more intelligent service robots in our lives.”练习：1. Which of the following is NOT true according to the first three paragraphs?B Shimi is the creator of the musical companion.2. What does Shimi do if the user taps a beat?D It selects a perfectly-matched song and plays it in sync with that beat.3. Which of the following about Shimi is true?D Shimi can be creative and interactive.4. What does the author want to tell us?A The research center is developing a stronger and more versatile Shimi.5. Which of the following is Weinberg’s assertion?B human lives will be filled with more fun if Shimi is going to arrive in homes.答案与题解：B 2. D 3. D4. A5. B第四部分阅读理解第一篇福特放弃电动汽车分析人士评论，福特汽车公司放弃电动汽年的举动有力地证明了这种技术是行不通的。