School’s out. It’s been a long day, so you head home to relax. You’re greeted by a friend who’s happy to see you, listens to you talk about rest, tells you a new joke, helps you put away your school stuff (东西), and reminds you to text your cousin happy birthday. And that’s before he helps you with your homework.

This is your future, and it all starts with a knee-high robot called NAO (pronounced NOW). It kind of looks like you, walks and dances, listens and talks, and even learns and thinks for itself. Its creators predict that the state-of-the-art robot could be a companion at home by the year 2040.

This $16,000 robot recognizes human facial features, so it knows who you are. NAO can even express emotions. It represents the new generation of “autonomous” —or self-guided robots. These robots can sense, think, and act. Other robots might do two out of the three. For example, a robot might sense things using cameras and think using computers, but with no arms, wheels, or claws, it can’t act. Other robots can move and sense things, but can’t think for themselves. These aren’t self-guided robots. But NAO can do it all.

“You can program your computer to give NAO what could be called personality,” says Natanel Dukan of Aldebaran Robotics, the French company that built NAO. The robot has cute, childlike features — a high voice, small body, big eyes, and a large head. “These are things that are known to have an emotional appeal to people,” robot expert Dan Kara says, “NAO’s friendly design helps in one of NAO’s main functions — to teach people how useful personal robots can be. Someday it may help you pass a test!”

21. What do we know about NAO from the first two paragraphs?

A. It is as tall as humans.                B. It is highly intelligent.

C. It is widely used in schools now.        D. It is designed to help with the housework.

22. The author develops the third paragraph mainly _____.

A. by cause and effect   B. by order in time         C. by comparison          D. by process

23. According to Dan Kara, NAO is _____.

A. silent                        B. low-cost            C. lightweight               D. user-friendly

24. The main purpose of the text is to _____.

A. ask people to buy the robot          B. introduce a new kind of robot

C. do an experiment about robots        D. compare different kinds of robots

    The Forbidden City is well known for being full of Chinese cultural and historical relics. But Masters in the Forbidden City (《我在故宫修文物》) does not just focus on the stories of the past. Instead, the documentary movie, which came out on in Chinese cinemas Dec. 16, focuses on ordinary people----the restorers (修复者) of relics and antiquities (古董).

   The stories are told at a slow and leisurely pace, reflecting the restorer’s work. Restoration of cultural relics and antiques can be time-consuming, and sometimes boring. Yet these restorer’s patience and peace of mind are especially precious in a society where everything is changing so fast.

    “If you choose this job, you have to stand hours of work sitting on a chair. You need to be quiet and get used to being quiet,” says Wang Jin, an ancient clock repair expert.

    A touching part of the documentary is the spirit of craftsmanship in the restorers. “Years of humdrum work require not only skill, but also faith and spirit,” China Daily commented. “Looking for preciseness and perfection, devoting yourself to work, patience, endurance, loneliness… all these qualities come form the‘craftsman spirit’.”

    But unlike the popular idea of stuffy (古板的) experts who sit around being serious, the documentary shows off the enthusiasm of the restorers. They play their guitars and make jokes about each other after a long day of restoration work.

    One scene that has been very popular with Internet users features a young female restorer riding a bicycle through the empty Forbidden City on a Monday. While she is doing this, a narrator says, “The last person to do this was Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty.”

    Masters in the Forbidden City has proved wrong many people’s ideas about antique restorers, allowing them to realize that they are not old, dull professors, but people in their 40s, 30s, and even 20s who can be quite pleasing to the eye.

25. According to the passage, what’s the main purpose of the documentary Masters in the Forbidden City ?

   A. To display relics seldom seen by ordinary people.

   B. To praise the craftsmanship of Chinese antique restorers.

   C. To draw attention to Chinese antique restorers’ lives.

   D. To show people how antiques are restored.

26. According to Wang Jin, we can learn that _____.

   A. there is no need to do restoration work fast

   B. antique restorers need to be patient and peaceful

   C. he often gets tired with his work

   D. it takes years of hard work to adapt to antique restoration

27. The underlined word “humdrum” probably means _____.

   A. boring           B. different              C. relaxing            D. unusual

28. The bicycle-riding scene in the documentary is used to _____.

   A. show the strange hobbies of young antique restorers

   B. show that the documentary breaks from the old, dull image of antique restorers.

   C. remind the audience of the last Qing emperor

   D. encourage the young to consider a career in antique restoration in the future

It’s time to study like a rock star! Many rock stars are smart enough to know that it’s cool to go to a top-rated school. Let’s check out these musicians who went to Ivy League colleges.

Rivers Cuomo

      The lead singer and guitarist of the band, Weezer, is an Ivy League rocker, graduating from Harvard with outstanding performance. Rivers Cuomo earned his bachelor’s degree in English after 10 year on-off work at this famous university.

John Legend

       The Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter had scholarship offers from Harvard, Georgetown and Morehouse before attending the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in English with an emphasis on African American literature. John Legend famously contributed to Kanye West’s album, “The College Dropout (辍学者)”. He always supports education reform and has even taken part in a public performance for dropout prevention for free.

Lisa Loeb

       It was just a few years after she graduated from Brown University with a degree in comparative literature that singer Lisa Loeb had a hit single (畅销的单曲唱片) with her song “Stay”. The smart rocker made history with “Stay” as the only artist to ever have a number one single before being signed to a recording contract.

Greg Graffin

       The lead singer of the L.A. punk band, Bad Religion, earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University. He later worked at the University of California at Los Angeles as a life science professor. Greg Graffin has said, “Evolution (进化) is a controversial topic that I research both on an academic (学术的) level and in my music.”

29. We can learn from the text that John Legend _____.

A. won a Grammy Award at college           B. majored in comparative literature

C. became famous for The College Dropout     D. once performed to help school dropouts

30. Which of the following musicians taught at a university?

A. Rivers Cuomo.      B. John Legend.    C. Lisa Loeb.          D. Greg Graffin.

31. Which university did the singer of “Stay” graduate from?

A. Harvard University.                          B. The University of Pennsylvania.

C. Brown University.                         D. Cornell University.

32. The text mainly aims to _____.

A. advise readers to pursue their studies

B. advise readers to learn to enjoy rock music

C. show the importance of entering a top-rated school

D. show the relationship between education and music

It was September 5, 2009. Lexi Youngberg, then 16, was on vacation in Spring Lake, Michigan. She was riding on a small boat with her friends, Robby and Kaitlin, when a motorboat crashed into them. The sound was so loud that other boaters heard it over the roar (轰鸣声) of their engines. The teen boy who had been driving the motorboat stepped on the gas by mistake. Kaitlin, 23, had only small cuts, but Robby, 15, had been badly cut by the propeller (螺旋桨). And Lexi was floating facedown in the water. When one boater swam to Lexi, she was breathing. However, she was unconscious. She had a deep cut on her head. And the lower part of her left leg, just below the knee, was gone. A doctor rode up in another boat and tried to save Robby, but it was too late.

For Lexi, the good news is that she survived while the bad news is that she lost one of her legs forever. When Lexi looked at her swollen leg, she felt hopeless. But as time passed, Lexi began to feel stronger. She was grateful that her life had been spared, and she decided to make the most of it. At the end of November 2009, Lexi met with Dr. John Hardy, who was an expert at making artificial legs. She hoped he would help her get back to doing the things she loved.

Three years after the accident, Lexi moved on with her life. In spring 2011, she joined a soccer team in her school. That fall, she started college. Lexi is thankful that she can still do the things she loves. One day, she wants to be a physical therapist (理疗师) and work with those with disabilities. But first she plans to compete in the Paralympics. Whatever Lexi decides to do, one thing is certain: Nothing is going to get in her way.

33. How was Lexi in the accident?

A. She had a small cut on her head.       B. She was unable to feel anything.

C. She was badly cut by the propeller.     D. She lost the lower parts of her legs.

34. What’s the right order of the events about Lexi?

a. She went to college.

b. She met with Dr. John Hardy.

c. She had one of her legs removed.

d. She played with her friends on a boat.

e. She joined a soccer team in her school.

A. d, c, b, e, a       B. c, b, a, e, d          C. d, c, e, a, b         D. c, d, a, e, b

35. The main purpose of the text is to _____.

A. persuade us not to go boating        B. entertain us with sports news

C. tell us the story of a brave teen       D. show how to survive an accident

    When touring Europe, people usually visit the UK, France, Germany, or Italy.   36   It’s a hidden treasure in Europe.

    The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France.  37   However, its population is over ten million, thus making it one of the most crowded countries in Europe.

      38   About 58% of people live in Flanders to the north, who speak Dutch.

    Approximately 41% of Belgians live in southern area. Less than ten thousand people living in the east speak German which only occupies 1%. Belgian university, TV channels and newspapers nay use Dutch, French and German.

    For most of its history, Belgium was controlled by foreigners, starting with the Romans over 2000 years ago. People from the area that is now Germany also ruled part of the country, and France fought two other kingdoms over control of Belgium in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Belgium finally won its independence in 1830 and has its own place in Europe.  39 

    If you like sweet food, Belgium is a wonderful place. It’s famous for its different kinds of chocolate. Belgium produces more than 170 million kilograms of chocolate each year. In fact. Belgians are also heavy user in it.  40   Another thing that all Belgians share is beer. There are also hundreds of kinds of beer, of which average Belgium consumes 100 liters per year.

    Whether you wish to try a strawberry beer or walk through the street of old Europe, Belgium is the place for you. Come to Belgium and experience something new.

A. The average person eats 6.8 kilograms of chocolate a year.

  B. Why not visit Belgium?

  C. Beer is as important to Belgians as wine is to the French.

  D. Belgium is linguistically divided due to its history.

  E. The nation covers 30,000 square kilometers.

  F. Belgium becomes one of the most attractive destinations.

  G. Today, the capital city, Brussels, is home to the European Union.