Researchers are placing robotic dogs (機器狗) in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in 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(使……成為現實)that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”
In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.
“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady.“When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his 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 was 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.”
48. The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to ______
A. understand human-animal relationship B. make lonely old people’s life better
C. find the causes of old people’s loneliness D. promote the animal-assisted research
49. In the research, the old people are asked to ______
A. note the activities of AIBOs B. keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks
C. record their feelings and activity D. analyze the collected information
50. What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?
A. It is easier to keep at home. B. It can help the disabled people.
C. It responds to all the human orders. D. It can watch TV with its owner.
51. The author seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may ______
A. cure certain diseases B. keep old people active
C. change people’s beliefs D. look more like real dogs
48--51 BCAB
48．答案：B
解析：這是一道推斷題。第一段第一句話“to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans”，因此專家研究的目的是讓孤獨老人生活更好，選B。
49．答案：C
解析：這是一道細節判斷題。從第二段“These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO.”可知老人們需要做的是record，選C。
50．答案：A
解析：這是一道細節判斷題。從第四段最后一句“A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.”可知，機器狗比狗的好處是easier to keep。
51．答案：B
解析：這是一道判斷題。從本文最后一句“AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people’s mind.”可知，機器狗將來可以讓老年人更活躍，選B。
新課標階梯閱讀訓練系列答案科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
The Best of Friends
The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on with their parents, which is the opposite of the popularly held image (印象) of unhappy teenagers locked in their room after endless family quarrels.
An important new study into teenage attitudes surprisingly shows that their family life is more harmonious than it has ever been in the past. “We were surprised by just how positive today’s young people seem to be about their families,” said one member of the research team. “They’re expected to be rebellious (叛逆的) and selfish but actually they have other things on their minds; they want a car and material goods, and they worry about whether school is serving them well. There’s more negotiation (商議) and discussion between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decision-making process. They don’t want to rock the boat.”
So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends. “My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me,” says 17-years-old Daniel Lazall. “I always tell them when I’m going out clubbing. As long as they know what I’m doing, they’re fine with it.” Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. “Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiation. For example, as long as I’d done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that.”
Maybe this positive view of family life should not be unexpected. It is possible that the idea of teenage rebellion is not rooted in real facts. A researcher comments, “Our surprise that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in our social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really only happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change from helping out with the family business to taking it over.”
What is the popular image of teenagers today?
A. They worry about school. B. They quarrel a lot with other family members
C. They have to be locked in to avoid troubles. . D. They dislike living with their parents.
The study shows that teenagers don’t want to ______.
A. share family responsibility B. make family decisions
C. go boating with their family D. cause trouble in their families
Compared with parents of 30 years ago, today’s parents______.
A. go to clubs more often with their children B. give their children more freedom
C. care less about their children’s life D. are much stricter with their children
According to the author, teenage rebellion ______.
A. existed only in the 1960s B. is common nowadays
C. may be a false belief D. resulted from changes in families
What is the passage mainly about?
A. Harmony in family. B. Education in family.
C. Negotiation in family. D. Teenage trouble in family.
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Mr William Shakespeare and the Internet
Explanation of Contents
This is the fourth edition of these pages. It is hard to believe, but once again they are new and improved. My motive in publishing these pages remains to help and stimulate others in Shakespeare studies, and especially those who might contribute their work to the Internet. The spirit of altruism (利他主義) that originally built the Internet is not quite gone, though, sadly, through the pressure of time and profit has lessened.
A major new addition to the pages is a Shakespeare Timeline, which is an online biography mounted at this site. The problems with searching for Shakespeare resources using the available Search Engines are:
---- It is difficult to focus most searches so that you get a manageable number of relevant hits;
---- It is impossible by simply reading an abstract to make any distinction between the output of a Junior High School student and that of a professional researcher.
Another change in these pages over previous editions is the “What’s News” page. If you come away from these pages with the feeling that they are very useful but slightly pedantic (學究的), I will have realized my goal.
An Apology
I am continually apologizing to the many who have written me requesting revisions of the pages. We are all too busy. I simply have not had the time to dedicate to these pages that I wish. But I love the material and so have, at long last, made some time to update them.
A Reminder to Young Students
These pages contain the best links I can find to Shakespeare on the Internet. As a reminder, I would say I very much enjoy hearing from people who view and use these pages. If you want to do Shakespeare research using the web, this page is a great starting point, and I keep it as current as I can. The web is in its infancy in bringing good, scholarly content to students. Don’t forget the best, if not quickest, resources are still in your library.
57. The passage is written to ____.
A. introduce the fourth edition of these pages
B. make an apology to readers
C. show off these pages to readers
D. let Shakespeare researchers buy these pages
58. Which of the following is the new addition to the pages?
A. The writer’s apology.
B. Search Engines.
C. A Shakespeare Timeline.
D. Receiving readers’ e-mails.
59. When searching for Shakespeare resources using Search Engines, you ____.
A. will waste some time in finding what you want
B. can easily recognize what the abstract means
C. will often come into the “What’s News” pages
D. will find something special on your computers
60. Which of the following can best conclude the last paragraph?
A. The writer will often read letters from those who use these pages.
B. The writer of the passage is very selfish.
C. The web was just created four years ago.
D. Shakespeare researchers should first of all refer to these pages.
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Romance does not have to fizzle out（失敗） in long-term relationships and progress into a companionship/friendship-type love, a new study has found. Romantic love can last a lifetime and lead to happier, healthier 1 .
"Many believe that 2 love is the same as passionate（多情的）love," said lead researcher Bianca P. Acevedo, PhD, then at Stony Brook University (currently at University of California, Santa Barbara). "It isn't. Romantic love has the intensity, engagement and sexual chemistry that passionate love has, minus the obsessive component（過度成分）. Passionate or obsessive love includes 3 of uncertainty and anxiety. This kind of love 4 drive the shorter relationships but not the longer ones."
These findings 5 in the March issue of Review of General Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association.
Acevedo and co-researcher Arthur Aron, PhD, reviewed 25 studies with 6,070 individuals in short- and long-term relationships to 6 whether romantic love is associated with more satisfaction. To determine this, they 7 the relationships in each of the studies as romantic, passionate (romantic with obsession) or friendship-like love and categorized them as long- or short-term.
The researchers looked at 17 short-term relationship studies, which included 18- to 23-year-old college students who were 8 , dating or married, with the average relationship lasting less than four years. They also 9 at 10 long-term relationship studies including middle-aged couples who were typically married 10 years or more. Two of the 10 ncluded both long- and short-term relationships in which it was possible to distinguish the two samples.
The review found that those who reported greater romantic love were more 11 in both the short- and long-term relationships. Companion-like love was only moderately 12 with satisfaction in both short- and long-term relationships. And those who reported greater passionate love in their relationships were more satisfied in the short term 13 to the long term.
Couples who reported more satisfaction in their relationships also 14 being happier and having higher self-esteem.
Feeling that a partner is "there for you" 15 or a good relationship, Acevedo said, and facilitates（促進） feelings of romantic love. On the other hand, "feelings of insecurity are generally associated with 16 satisfaction, and in some 17 may spark conflict in the relationship. This can manifest（表白） into obsessive love," she said.
This discovery may change people's 18 of what they want in long-term relationships. According to the authors, companionship love, which is what many couples see as the natural 19 of a successful relationship, may be an unnecessary compromise(妥協). "Couples should strive for love with all the trimmings（修剪）," Acevedo said. "And couples who've been together a long time and wish to get back their romantic edge should know it is an attainable（可達到的） goal that, like most good things in life, 20 energy and devotion."
( ) 1. A. scholarships B. friendships C. relationships D. companionships
( ) 2. A. obsessive B. romantic C. passionate D. companion
( ) 3. A. feelings B. factors C. consequences D. barriers
( ) 4. A. contributes B. helps C. prevents D. speeds
( ) 5. A. occur B. take C. write D. appear
( ) 6. A. find out B. work out C. take out D. bring out
( ) 7. A. separated B. classified C. divided D. cut
( ) 8. A. alone B. lonely C. single D. unique
( ) 9. A. glanced B. glared C. stared D. looked
( ) 10. A. findings B. examinations C. experiments D. studies
( ) 11. A. unpleased B. disappointed C. satisfied D. desperate
( ) 12. A. referred B. associated C. contended D. conflicted
( ) 13. A. compared B. comparing C. added D. led
( ) 14. A. reported B. said C. believed D. hoped
( ) 15. A. takes B. makes C. means D. depends
( ) 16. A. higher B. lower C. no D. much
( ) 17. A. environments B. states C. air D. cases
( ) 18. A. views B. expectations C. remarks D. statements
( ) 19. A. progression B. change C. results D. choice
( ) 20. A. produces B. satisfies C. requires D. consumes
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
A new study warns that about thirty percent of the world's people may not have enough water by the year 2025.
A private American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people lack enough water now. The people live in twenty-eight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa or the Middle East.
P-A-I researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three-thousand-million people may lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have severe water problems. The demand for water keeps increasing. Yet the amount of water on Earth stays the same.
Mr. Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing faster than in other parts of the world. He says population growth in these countries will continue to increase.
The report says lack of water in the future may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking waters are not safe. Mr. Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases, such as cholera, which are carried in water. Lack of water may also result in more international conflict. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. This is true of Egypt, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Syria, Sudan, and Iraq. And the report says lack of water would affect the ability of developing to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.
The Population Action International study gives several solutions to the water problem. One way, it says, is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third way is to use less water of agriculture.
The report also says long-term solutions to the water problem must include controls on population growth. It says countries cannot provide clean water unless they slow population growth by limiting the number of children people have.
are expected to have severe water problems by the year 2025.
A. 18 countries B. No countries
C. 46 countries D. 28 countries
All the following are true except .
A. New industries need a lot of water
B. There are solutions to the water problem
C. Egypt now has enough fresh water
D. Lack of water may cause conflict between countries
It can be learned that .
A. The ability of developing has nothing to do with lack of water.
B. . It is not known whether diseases have something to do with lack of water
C. Lack of water may also result from international conflict
D There is connection between providing clean water and slowing population growth
The best title of the passage would be .
A. World Water Shortage B. Population and Water
C. World Conflict D. Diseases and Water
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科目：高中英語 來源：2011-2012學年安徽省高三英語綜合測試題二 題型：閱讀理解
Grown-ups know that people and objects are solid. At the movies, we know that if we reach out to touch Tom Cruise, all we will feel is air. But does a baby have this understanding?
To see whether babies know objects are solid. T. Bower designed a method for projecting an optical illusion (視覺影像) of a hanging ball. His plan was to first give babies a real ball, one they could be expected to show surprised in their faces and movements. All the 16 to 24-week-old babies tested were surprised when they reached for the illusion and found that the ball was not there.
Grown-ups also have a sense of object permanence. We know that if we put a box in a room and lock the door, the box will still be there when we come back. But does a baby realize that a ball that rolls under a chair does not disappear and go to never-never land?
Experiments done by Bower suggest that babies develop a sense of object permanence when they are about 18 weeks old. In his experiments, Bower used a toy train that went behind a screen. When 16-week-old and 22-week-old babies watched the toy train disappear behind the left side of the screen, they looked to the right, expecting it to re-appear. If the experiment took the train off the table and lifted the screen, all the babies seemed surprised not to see the train. This seems to show that all the babies had a sense of object permanence. But the second part of the experiment showed that this was not really the case. The researcher substituted (替換) a ball for the train when it went behind the screen. The 22-week-old babies seemed surprised and looked back to the left side for the train. But the 16-week-old babies did not seem to notice the switch (更換). Thus, the 16-week-old babies seemed to have a sense of “something permanence,” while the 22-week-old babies had a sense of object permanence related to a particular object.
1.The passage is mainly about .
A. babies’ sense of sight B. effects of experiments on babies
C. babies’ understanding of objects D. different tests on babies’ feelings
2.In Paragraph 3, “object permanence” means that when out of sight, an object .
A. still exists B. keeps its shape C. still stays solid D. is beyond reach
3.What did Bower use in his experiments?
A. A chair B. A screen C. A film D. A box
4.Which of the following statements is true?
A. The babies didn’t have a sense of direction.
B. The older babies preferred toy trains to balls.
C. The younger babies liked looking for missing objects
D. The babies couldn’t tell a ball from its optical illusion.
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