Researchers are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in the human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people’s depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated (刺激), ”Edwards points out. “The problem is how we promote that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”

In the study, the robotic dogs, called AIBO, are placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activities before and after AIBO being placed. Then, the researchers will study the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.

“I talk to it all the time, and it responds (回应) to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady. “When I’m watching TV, it’ll stay in my arms until it wants to go down. It has a mind of its own.”

The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.

“At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog because it is metal and not furry,” Beck says. “But it’s amazing how quickly we have given up that belief.”

“Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people’s minds.”

【小题1】What is the purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study?
A．To understand the human-animal relationship.
B．To find the causes of old people’s loneliness.
C．To make lonely old people’s life better.
D．To promote the animal-assisted research.【小题2】In the research, what are the old people asked to do?
A．To note the activities of AIBOs.   B. To keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks.
B．To analyze the collected information.     D. To record their feelings and activities.【小题3】What is the advantage of AIBOs over live dogs?
A．AIBOs can watch TV with their owners. B. AIBOs can help the disabled people.
B．AIBOs respond to all the human orders. D. AIBOs are easier to keep at home.【小题4】What does the author seem to suggest about the future robotic dogs?
A．They may keep old people’s minds active. B. They may cure certain diseases.
B．They may change people’s beliefs. D. They may look more like real dogs.

The following is a father's advice to his son or daughter, who has just graduated from high school：
First of all, congratulations on your graduation!Graduation from high school means that a new stage of life is ahead of you．At the beginning of this new stage, I have some advice for you．
Clean your own room and do your own laundry(洗衣物的活). After you have messed up(弄乱)something, you should learn to clean it up yourself．Cleanliness is indeed close to godliness(信奉上帝)．
Don't mistake knowledge for wisdom. No matter how much information or knowledge you have gained, you'll never make sound(正确的)judgments if you don't have wisdom. Wisdom comes from imagination and reflection(反省)．If you can imagine the possible future outcomes of your present decisions and actions, you can avoid mistakes．And if you can reflect on the mistakes you have made, you can avoid making the same mistakes again and again．Such is wisdom．
Don't complain．When you take up a job, do your best to carry it out．Don't waste time complaining about it, no matter how difficult and boring it is．
Finally, be an early bird．If you get up earlier than the sun, you can watch it rising up slowly into the sky．And the sight of the rising sun will warm your heart and give you energy for the day ahead．Besides, being an early bird, you have plenty of time to take exercise or do a lot of work．
【小题1】The father wants to give his daughter some advice, because ___

A．the father is a philosopher(哲学家)

B．another period of life lies ahead of him/her

C．he/she does not know how to behave himself/herself

D．the teacher is disappointed at his son's/daughter's performance

【小题2】According to the father, wisdom enables one to ________．

A．avoid one's responsibilities	B．acquire(获得)a lot of knowledge
C．complain about many things	D．evaluate(评价)situations correctly

【小题3】In the opinion of the father, complaining ________．

A．gets you nowhere	B．is a pleasant thing
C．usually leads to success	D．can be appreciated by people

【小题4】The father says that being an early bird makes one ________．

A．sleepy and tired	B．clean and happy
C．hungry and angry	D．energetic and efficient(高效的)

_【小题1】___ .Being angry doesn’t really solve much, but what people do when they feel angry is important. The goal is to calm down and try to solve what is bothering you. This is hard for some kids and adults, too. Instead of calming down, some kids might keep getting more and more upset until they explode like a volcano!【小题2】___ .Their anger might be so strong that they lose control of their temper. They may act in ways unacceptable and hurtful. People may say that someone has trouble controlling their temper.【小题3】Some kids might get so angry that they scream at their parents, break something , or even worse , hit their brothers or sisters.【小题4】.However, it’s not OK for a kid to do any of those things .Kids don’t want to act in this way , but sometimes angry feelings can be hard to manage. So what to do?Well, the good news is that kids don’t just have to keep making the same mistakes over and over again.【小题5】.Imagine your temper as a puppy inside you that needs some training. The puppy is not bad ---- it will probably turn out a great dog. It just needs to learn some rules because, right now, that puppy is causing some problems to you.

A．In fact, they usually mean that a kid behaves badly when feeling angry. B．You don’t want to cause trouble. C．Kids should be allowed to express their feelings, even angry ones. D．Some kids get angry more often or more easily than some other kids. E．You can train you temper. F．Instead of thinking of the person you’re angry with, think of something else. G．Everybody gets angry sometimes.

 

短文改错

We may have different opinions on organizing class activities. We may have various way to deal with such a situation. When I have a better idea, I would choose to stick to. By doing so, I can not only share good ideas with others but also learn to express myself clear.

Once we were discussing which to go on a outing. Most of my classmates wanted to go to a park and I had an idea of going to a nice place. I managed to persuading my classmates into accepting my idea. We do have a good time that day. Good opinions are well worth sticking to because they can benefit to us all.

短文改错

Planning is good as it decides in details how we do what we want to do it. However, a plan bears no fruit without being actual carried out. My experience in the English speech contest last month was a case in point. A month before the event, I spent hours work out a schedule with my goals and practical steps. After that, I set out read widely for an inspired topic , wrote a speech, and practised my pronunciation with good public speech skills. I finally stood out as a first prize winner. I know why I achieved my success. It came from good planning but better practice.