For many blind people, computers are inaccessible. It can cost $1,000 to purchas
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For many blind people, computers are inaccessible. It can cost $1,000 to purchase “screen reader” software, but two blind computer programmers from Australia have solved this problem.
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) graduate James Teh and business partner Michael Curran developed a free, open-source program, called NVDA, which provides a voice to read the words on a computer screen as the cursor(光标) moves over them. NVDA won the blind inventors an award in the grand final program of the ABC’s New Inventors, which aired on September 23. They took home the award for an invention that “might make a real difference to people’s lives or the environment.”
“A sighted person takes for granted that they can sit down at any computer and use it,” Mr Teh said. “We really are in the information age — everything is online these days. So access to computers for the blind is very important, which is why we wanted our software to be free.”
Mr Teh, who majored in software engineering at QUT, said blind students typically didn’t have the money to purchase “screen reader” technology, at the time in their life when they most needed it. Now NVDA could be downloaded on to anyone’s personal computer free of charge.
“It can also be copied to a USB stick, which can be used on any PC at school or university, with no installation required,” he said.
Mr Teh and Mr Curran have drawn on their own experience as blind computer users to develop a product which has some unique features. For example, as the mouse moves up and down the screen, a sound becomes higher and lower to let you know where the cursor is located.
NVDA has been translated into 27 languages, thanks to volunteer translators. To date, there have been over 50,000 downloads.
Mr Teh and Mr Curran have been working on the project since 2006. They worked on their product without any pay for two years. When Mozilla offered some funding in 2008, Mr Teh was able to quit his day job and work full-time developing NVDA.
小题1:NVDA won an award in the program of the ABC’s New Inventors because it _____.| A．causes no harm to the environment | B．influences people’ s lives | | C．is aiming at blind people | D．is easy to use |
小题2:Why did James Teh and Michael Curran want their software to be free?| A．They got funding from Mozilla. | | B．They belonged to a volunteer group. | | C．They wanted to help the blind. | | D．They wanted people to give up “screen reader” software. |
小题3:What do we know about Teh and Curran?| A．They are studying at QUT. | B．They are good at translating. | | C．They know how the blind feel. | D．They began to develop NVDA in 2008. |
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答案
小题1:B
小题2:C
小题3:C |
解析
试题分析：文章介绍了两个学生Teh and Curran发明了NVDA，并获奖的事情，他们发明的NVDA可以帮助盲人方便的上网。
小题1:细节题：从第二段的句子：NVDA won the blind inventors an award in the grand final program of the ABC’s New Inventors, which aired on September 23. They took home the award for an invention that “might make a real difference to people’s lives or the environment.” 可知NVDA获奖，是因为它可以改变人们的生活。选B。
小题2:细节题：从第三段的句子：So access to computers for the blind is very important, which is why we wanted our software to be free.”可知他们想要这个设备免费，是想帮助盲人。选C
小题3:细节题：从第六段的句子：Mr Teh and Mr Curran have drawn on their own experience as blind computer users to develop a product which has some unique features.可知 Teh and Curran 非常了解盲人的感受，选C
点评：文章介绍了两个学生Teh and Curran发明了NVDA，并获奖的事情，他们发明的NVDA可以帮助盲人方便的上网。集中考查了推理题和细节题，要求考生有较强的细节理解能力。做题时也可以结合自己的生活常识和经验，再通过逻辑推理和判断。主旨题关键是弄清每段的大意，再结合重点的句子判断。 |
举一反三
The city of Rome has passed a new law to prevent cruelty to animals. All goldfish bowls are no longer allowed and dog owners must walk their dogs,
"The civilization of a city can be measured by this," said Monica Cirinna, the councilor(议员 ) behind the new law.
"It"s good to do whatever we can for our animals who in exchange for a little love fill our existence with their attention," she told a Rome newspaper.
The newspaper reported that round bowls don"t give enough oxygen for fish and may make them go blind.
"Rome has tried to protect fish more than anywhere else in the world. It stands out for recognizing that fish are interesting animals who deserve our respect and compassion every bit as much as dogs and eats and other animals,” said Karin Robertson, a director of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Last year a law was passed in Italy that gives people who desert pets big fines (罚款) and prison sentences. Since then local governments have added their own animal protection rules.
The northern city of Turin passed a law in April to give pet owners fines of up to $ 598 if they do not walk their dogs three times a day.
The new law in Rome also says that owners mustn"t leave their dogs in hot cars or cut their dogs" tails to make them look lovelier. The law also gives legal recognition to the "cat ladies" who feed homeless cats. The cats live all over the city from ancient ruins to modem office car parks.
小题1:The new law passed in Rome will .| A．help improve fishing environment | | B．guarantee better conditions for goldfish | | C．stop people from catching goldfish | | D．discourage keeping goldfish at home |
小题2:People in Rome believe that the civilization of a city can be judged by its .| A．exchanges with" other cities | | B．protection for ancient ruins | | C．awareness of animal protection | | D．recognition of animal lovers |
小题3:The underlined word" compassion" in Paragraph 5 is the closest in meaning to .| A．pity | B．praise | C．support | D．popularity |
小题4:People may break the law in Turin if they| A．keep their dogs or cats in cars | | B．feed homeless animals in car parks | | C．raise their cats near ancient ruins | | D．shut their dogs home all day long |
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BERLIN （AP）----A tiger escaped its enclosure at Cologne Zoo in western Germany on Saturday and killed a female keeper before being shot dead by the zoo"s director, police said．
The tiger slipped through a passage between the enclosure and a neighboring storage building, where it fatally attacked the 43-year-old keeper, said police spokesman Stefan Kirchner．
"It appears the gate wasn"t properly shut," Kirchner told The Associated Press．
The zoo was evacuated and a SWAT （特警） team was called in, police said．But before it arrived, the zoo"s director managed to kill the tiger by climbing onto the storage building and shooting it through a skylight using a rifle．
Kirchner said it was unlikely that members of the public had witnessed the incident. "This is the darkest day of my life," the zoo"s director, Theo Pagel, was quoted as saying by Cologne newspaper Express．
The paper said on its website that the Siberian tiger was a 4-year-old male called Tltai that came to Cologne Zoo from an animal park in England．In November it fathered three cubs with a 7-year-old Siberian tiger called Hanya, according to the zoo"s website．
Police said the zoo reopened after Saturday"s incident, which occurred around noon．However, a planned late-night opening of the zoo has been canceled．
Cologne Zoo is one of the oldest in Germany．It was founded in 1860 and houses some 10,000 animals consisting of more than 700 different species．
小题1:Which of the following can be the best title of the news text?| A．Tiger Escapes, Kills Keeper in German Zoo | | B．Tiger Escapes in German Zoo, Shot Dead | | C．German Zoo Keeper Shot Escaped Tiger | | D．People Killed in Oldest Zoo in German |
小题2:According to the police, what was the direct reason for the incident?| A．The zoo keeper was a new hand． | | B．A gate was not closed appropriately. | | C．The zoo had neglected the secret passage. | | D．It was very dark when the incident happened. |
小题3:What did the zoo do after the incident?| A．They honored the killed person in a way. | | B．They paid SWAT for their timely help. | | C．They returned the tiger’s three cubs to England. | | D．They called off the late-night opening. |
小题4:How did the zoo director feel after the incident?| A．Proud. | B．Disappointed. | C．Sad. | D．Angry. |
小题5:What can we learn about Cologne Zoo?| A．It keeps a large variety of species. | | B．It is one of the largest in German. | | C．It has a history of more than 700 years. | | D．No such incident has happened before. |
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One of the world"s richest men has taken a close interest in one of man"s most basic functions: visiting the toilet．Bill Gates’ charitable organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is looking for inventors to design the loo of the future, which, they hope, would improve sanitation for millions of people around the world．
So, what"s wrong with the traditional flush toilet? Firstly, it wastes a huge amount of potential drinking water．Secondly, they are more likely to cause pollution．This is a real problem in many areas of the developing world, where, according to United Nations’ estimates, unsafe sanitation causes half of all hospitalizations．Younger people are particularly at risk．Illnesses which cause diarrhea are responsible for the deaths of about 1．5 million children a year．Finally, standard lavatories simply aren"t practical in remote areas．
The challenge set by Bill Gates was to come up with a latrine which works without running water, electricity or aseptic tank．It also needed to operate for less than 5 cents．28 designs were displayed at the recent event of the Toilet Fair in Seattle, USA．Among them was one which turned human waste into electricity using microwaves, another which converted human waste into charcoal, and yet another which used urine for flushing．
But the winner was a solar-powered design which generated hydrogen gas and electricity．The team from the California Institute of Technology（CIT）picked up a prize of $ 100,000.
But clearly Bill Gates doesn"t feel he"s flushing money down the toilet．After the Seattle event he said, "We couldn"t be happier with the response we"ve gotten," Gates has even promised $370 million more to the future toilet project．They hope to field test more prototypes over the next three years．
小题1:Why is Bill Gates paying people to invent new toilets?| A．Because he wants to test people"s sense of creativity． | | B．Because he wants to improve sanitation for many people． | | C．Because he thinks the traditional ones are out of fashion． | | D．Because he can"t design this kind of things himself． |
小题2:Which of the following is NOT a problem with the traditional flush toilet?| A．They waste too much water． | B．They might cause diseases． | | C．They are not always practical． | D．They are too complicated to use. |
小题3:The underlined word "latrine" in the third paragraph might have similar meanings to the word "__ " in the text．| A．loo | B．sanitation | C．diarrhea | D．prototype |
小题4:The team from CIT won the prize because their design .| A．can change human waste into electricity | | B．can turn human waste into charcoal | | C．can produce power with solar energy | | D．can use urine for flushing |
小题5:If people "flush money down the toilet", they are .| A．showing off their wealth | B．angry with their working conditions | | C．wasting money for nothing | D．expressing their great determination |
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Anger at the practice of demanding dowries, which can lead to violence against brides, has caused a takeoff of "Angry Birds" called "Angry Brides" that aims to highlight the illegal practice still common in many South Asian countries.
Dowries -- such as jewelry, clothes, cars and money -- are traditionally given by the bride"s family to the groom and his parents to ensure she is taken care of in her new home.
The custom was outlawed more than five decades ago. But it is still widely practiced, with the groom"s family demanding even more money after marriage, leading to mental and physical abuse that can drive the woman to suicide.
"The Angry Brides game is our way of throwing a spotlight on the nuisance (陋习) of dowry," said Ram Bhamidi, senior vice president and head of online marketing for Shaadi.com, a matrimonial (婚姻的) website with two million members.
"According to a 2007 study, there is a dowry-related death every four hours in India. We condemn this and have consistently run campaigns on social media to help create awareness of the issue."
The name of the app, available on the group"s home page, is a spinoff from the globally popular "Angry Birds" game. Its home page shows a red-clad, eight-armed woman resembling a powerful female Hindu goddess. Underneath, there is a caption: "A woman will give you strength, care and all the love you need ... NOT dowry!"
To play the game, users have to try and hit three dodging grooms -- a pilot, builder and doctor. There is a wide array of weapons to choose from, including a stiletto shoe, a frying pan, broomstick, tomato and loafer.
Each groom has a price tag, starting at 1.5 million rupees ($29,165). Every time the player hits a groom, his value decreases and money is added to the player"s Anti-Dowry Fund, which is saved posted on their Facebook page.
"Since we launched the game last week, more than 270,000 people have liked the app. Both men and women seem to be playing it," said Bhamidi.
小题1:What caused "Angry Brides" to appear online? | A．Women"s rights" being seriously abused． | | B．Anger at the practice of demanding dowries． | | C．The bride"s giving a great many dowries． | | D．The popularity of Angry Birds online． |
小题2:Which of the following is True about "Dowries"?| A．The custom of giving dowries has been in practice for five decades． | | B．Lack of abundant dowries may lead to the bride"s being in violence． | | C．The illegal practice of dowries is still popular in many African countries． | | D．More dowries the bride gives mean a high social status of her family． |
小题3:The underlined word "spinoff” probably means_____________．| A．relation | B．connection | C．copy | D．fake |
小题4:Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the game "Angry Brides"?| A．There are a variety of weapons to choose from． | | B．Ram Bhamidi thinks highly of the game． | | C．Men players don"t find the game enjoyable． | | D．The game character looks like a Hindu goddess． |
小题5:What is the text mainly about?| A．Women"s unfair treatment in the marriage． | | B．The popularity of the game "Angry Brides"． | | C．The groom"s demanding too many dowries． | | D．How to build an equal relation in the marriage． |
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London taxis, with their friendly drivers who actually know where they are going, are ranked best in the world, according to an annual taxi poll(调查).
The survey by travel website hotels.com found London taxis, despite being the most expensive, beat rivals across the globe to head the list for the third consecutive years, scoring a total of 59 percent in votes on several categories by travellers.
London taxi drivers were voted both friendliest and most knowledgeable. Drivers in the English capital must pass a rigorous examination called The Knowledge to earn their taxi licence.
New York’s yellow taxis came second in the list, scoring 27 percent which was up 10 percentage points from last year even though Manhattan’s cab drivers tied with Parisian taxi drivers as the rudest.
Travellers said New York had the most available taxis.
Cabbies in Rome were voted the worst drivers in the world with almost one in 10 travellers thinking the Italian capital had the world’s worst taxi drivers when it came to the quality of driving.
“Travelling by taxi is one of the first experiences that many travellers have upon arrival in a new city. In fact, the research found that cabs are by far the most popular method of travelling from the airport to their hotel,” a spokesman for hotels.com said in a statement.
The global poll scored city based taxis for their levels of cleanliness, value, quality of driving, knowledge of the area, friendliness, safety and availability.
Rounding out the top five were Tokyo with a total score of 26 percent, Berlin with 17 percent, and Bangkok famed for its tuk-tuks scoring 14 percent.
Madrid’s taxis were ranked sixth in the poll, followed by Copenhagen and Dublin with 11 percent and Frankfurt and Paris with 10 percent.
Taxis in Sydney fell short of the top 10, scoring badly in the areas of value for money, availability and knowledge of the area.
The survey for hotels.com, part of the Expedia group, was conducted among over 1,900 travellers between May 11-28 this year.
小题1:What does the underlined word “rigorous” in the third paragraph mean _______?| A．official | B．lawful | C．strict | D．important |
小题2:The writer introduced the result of the survey by _____.| A．listing the ranks of the taxi service of the European cities | | B．listing the ranks of the taxi service of the cities concerned | | C．different kinds of reading forms and famous travel websites | | D．interviewing the taxi drivers and travellers of the cities |
小题3:Rome’s taxi drivers are lack of _______.| A．driving skills | B．good manners | | C．the sense of cleanliness | D．the sense of safety |
小题4:What does the writer want to tell us?| A．The global taxi drivers should be trained strictly. | | B．The global taxi drivers should be given an exam. | | C．The global taxi drivers have different driving skills. | | D．The global big cities’taxis service is scored by a travel website. |
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