Supermarkets are trying out new computers that make shopping carts more intellig

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Supermarkets are trying out new computers that make shopping carts more intelligent. They will help shoppers find paper cups or toilet soap, and keep a record of the bill.
The touch-screen devices are on show at the Food Marketing Institute’s exhibition here this week, “These devices are able to create value and get you around the store quicker,” said Michael Alexander, manager of Springboard Retail Netwo

rks Inc., which makes a smart cart computer called the Concierge.
Canadian stores will test the Concierge in July. A similar device, IBM’s “Shopping Buddy”, has recently been test-marketed at Stop & Shop stores in Massachusetts.
Neither device tells you how many fat grams or calories are in your cart, but they will flash you with items on sale. The idea is to make it easier for people to buy, not to have second thoughts that maybe you should put something back on the shelf.
“The whole model is driven by advertisers’ need to get in front of shoppers,” said Alexander. “They’re not watching 30-second TV ads anymore.”
People can use a home computer to make their shopping lists. Once at the store, a shopper can use a preferred customer card to start a system（系统）that will organize the trip around the store. If you’re looking for toothpicks, you type in the word or pick it from a list, and a map will appear on the screen showing where you are and where you can find them.
The device also keeps a reco

rd of what you buy. When you’re finished, the device figures out your bill. Then you go to the checker or place your card into a self-checkout stand and pay.
The new computerized shopping assistants don’t come cheap. The Buddy devices will cost the average store about $ 160, 000, and the Concierge will cost stores about $ 500 for each device.
小题1:The underlined word “they”（paragraph 1）refers to ____________.

A．supermarkets	B．shop assistants
C．shopping carts	D．shop managers

小题2:We can learn from the last paragraph that ___________.

A．intelligent shopping ca

rts cost a large sum of money

B．the Concierge is cheaper than the Buddy devices

C．shop assistants with computer knowledge are well paid

D．average stores prefer the Concierge to the Buddy devices

小题3:What might be the most suitable title for the text?

A．New age for supermarkets

B．Concierge and Shopping Buddy

C．New computers make shopping carts smarter

D．Touch-screen devices make shopping enjoyable

答案

小题1:C
小题1:A
小题1:C

解析

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举一反三

Scientists made a great break through this year in England when the first "test tube" baby was born．The birth was the result of many years of research by doctors．The doctors did the research in groups to help the women who cannot conceive a baby in the normal way．
What happened when the baby was born "from a test tube"? Well, the baby did not literally grow in a test tube．The first stage of the process was that the egg from the woman and the sperm from the man were put together in the test tube．After all, the embryo was put into the womb of a woman．This process was difficult．But it was successful, so the baby was eventually born, like any other, from a woman, only the woman wasn"t the baby"s real mother, but a sort of "carrier" of a baby produced by another couple．
Obviously, this method is t

o help to couples who can"t have children because of physical problems in the woman．But very difficult moral problems arise in the kind of situation．Take it for instance, a case that happened this year．A couple who wanted a baby advertised for a woman to have a child by the father of the couple．They offered the woman a lot of money．The woman was made pregnant by artificial insemination; in this case, the woman "employed" to bear the child was its real mother．When the baby was born, the woman refused to give it back to the couple．But, in the eyes of the law, the woman had a right to keep the children because she was its biological mother．
You could argue that we should change the law to deal with this kind of situation．In earlier times, there were always healthy babies needing adoption, because family planning methods were not so effective as they are now．These days, however, most of the children who can be adopted are over six years old, often handicapped in some way．So a couple who want a young healthy baby cannot always adopt one, this is why the "test tube" baby is in demand．But is it normally righ

t to use this method? Should we temper with nature in this way? Even if we change the law, would this be the right step to take ?
小题1:The birth of the first "test-tube" baby is a great advance _____．

A．on medical science

B．in birth control

C．on the research for babies

D．in the lives of married women

小题2:When we say a baby was born "from a test-tube", we mean_____ ．

A．the baby didn"t develop in the womb of a woman

B．the baby has no biological parents

C．the embryo was formed in the test tube

D．the baby grew in the test-tube before it was born

小题3:According to the law, who has right to keep the baby produced by the artificial method?

A．The couple who want a baby．

B．T

he biological mother of the child．

C．The person who pays the money to the real mother．

D．The father who advertises for a biological mother．

小题4:According to the passage, people need "test-tube baby" because_____ ．

A．family planning methods are not effective．

B．they can"t always adopt a young healthy baby

C．they are unwilling to adopt a child．

D．there are so many babies needing adoption．

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Do you want to improve the way you study? Do you feel nervous before a test? M

any students say that a lack of concentration (注意力) is their biggest problem. It seriously affects their ability to study, so do their test results.
If so, use these tips to help you.
Study Techniques
l You should always study in the same place. You shouldn’t sit in a position that you use for another purpose. For example, when you sit on a sofa to study, your brain will think it is time to relax. Don’t watch TV while you are studying. Experts warn that your concentration may be reduced by 50 percent if you attempt to study in this way. Always try to have a white wall in front of you, so there is nothing to distract (make less concentrated) you. Before sitting down to study, gather together all the equipment you need. Apart from your textbooks, pens, pencils and knives, make sure you have a dictionary. If your study desk or table is needed when you are not studying, store all your equipment in

a box beside it.
l Your eyes will become tired if you try to read a text which is on a flat surface. Position your book

at an angle of 30 degrees.
l Be realistic and don’t try to complete too much in on

e study period. Finish one thing before beginning another. If you need a break, get up and walk around for a few minutes, but

try not to telephone a friend or have something to eat.
Test-taking Skills
l All your hard work will be for nothing if you are too nervous to take your test. Getting plenty of
rest is very important. This means do not study all night before your test! It is a better idea to have a long-term study plan. Try to make a timetable for your study which lasts for a few months.
l Exercise is a great way to reduce pressure. Doing some form of exercise every day will also
improve your concentration. Eat healthy food too.
l When you arrive in the examination room, find your seat and sit down. Breathe slowly and
deeply. Check the time on the clock during the test, but not too often. Above all, take no notice of everyone else and give the test paper your undivided attention.
小题1:Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．You should study in a different place every day, so you don’t get bored.

B．Your concentration will improve if you study and watch TV at the same time.

C．Check the time during the exam at a certain time.

D．Staying up all night and studying is tiring, but you will learn a lot using this method.

小题2:What does the underlined word “it”（paragraph 2）refer to?

A．Your study desk or table.	B．Your textbook.
C．Your dictionary.	D．The equipment you need.

小题3:What can be inferred from the passage?

A．You shouldn’t look at everyone else during the test.

B．You will have enough energy to deal with your study and exams by eating healthy diet.

C．You’ll concentrate more if there is nothing to distract you.

D．If you feel tired during study, you can walk around for a few minutes.

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Sometimes children do not do what their parents tell them to do. When this happens, a parent tries to help the child to do the right thing. When this does not work, the parent usually punishes the child.
There are many things that a parent can do. One thing that people have done is to spank (打屁股) the child. When a parent spanks a child, they will use their hand or a hard object to strike them on their bottom. This is meant to show the child that they have done something wrong.
One parent remembers being spanked when he was a child. His parents used a wooden spoon. When he spanked his own children with his hand, he saw that he put a red mark on his child’s leg. He never did that again.
One problem with spanking is that it teaches the child to hit someone when they do not like what the other person is doing. Another problem with spanking is that the parent is usually angry and can hit the child too hard. Sometimes parents will use spanking for everything and not try other ways to get the child to do the right thing.
Many parents are not sure of what to do instead of spanking. Some people think that their religion tells them that spanking is okay. Some think that the law lets them do it. The courts (法院) say that parents have the right to teach their children how to behave.
Other things should be tried before a parent decides to spank a child. Telling the child exactly what is wanted from them can be one thing. Giving a

child more than one choice is another thing that can be tried. Getting down to the child’s level and taking a more child-friendly approach (方法) can help as well.
小题1:According to the passage, when children do something wrong, one thing that parents usually do to punish them is to ________.

A．strike them on the bottom	B．try to help them do the right thing
C．teach them what to do	D．take them to court

小题2: Which of the following is NOT the problem caused by spanking?

A．It teaches the child to hit others when they offend（使人不快） him or her.

B．The parent may get angry and hit the child too hard.

C．Sometimes parents may use spanking for everything.

D．It makes parents try other ways to make the child do right.

小题3:Which of

the following can best describe the writer’s attitude towards spanking?

A．favorable

B．indiffe

rent

C．interested

D．unfavorable

小题4:From this passage, we can conclude that ________.

A．Good children always do the right thing.

B．Parents should try their best to avoid spanking their children.

C．Parents have no choice but to spank their children when they do something wrong.

D．Children can have more than one choice to avoid being spanked.

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Simply by analyzing a drop of blood, a doctor will be able to diagnose a birth defect or even cancer when it is in the early stage; using new technology, a material lighter but much stronger than steel can be produced.
These may sound like dreams at present. But the dreams may soon come true as research findings in laboratories are being turned into products more rapidly in the new century, according to experts participating in the fourth Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Technomart, a technology exhibition and trade fair in Suzhou.　　
"Most people think nano-technology（纳米技术）is too far-fetched to be real. But in fact nano-technology has been applied in a wide range of fields, such as medicine. It is coming into our daily life," said Cheng Jiachong from a Hong Kong-based nano-technology firm.
Nano-technology based on the nanometer, the unit of which is a billionth of a meter, enables scientists to have new concepts of disease diagnosis and treatment on a molecular（分子）and atomic scale, Cheng said.　　
By using nanometer particles, a doctor can separate the fetus cells（胚胎细胞）from the blood of a pregnant woman to see if the development of the fetus is normal. This method is also being used in the early diagnosis of cancer and heart disease, he said.　　
One of the most significant impacts of nano-technology is at the bio-inorganic materials interface, according to Greg Tegart, executive advisor of the APEC Center for Technology Foresight.　　
"By combining enzymes（酶）and silicon chips we can produce biosensors. These could be implanted in humans or animals to monitor health and to deliver corrective doses（剂量）of drugs," he told the participants a technology forum during the exhibition.　　
"Nano-technology could affect the production of nearly every man-made object, from automobiles, tires and computer circuits（电路）, to advanced medicines and tissue replacement, and lead to the invention of objects yet to be imagined," said David Minns, a special advisor to the National Research Council of Canada.　　
It has been shown that carbon nano-tubes are ten times as strong as steel, with one sixth of the weight, and nano-scale systems have the potential to make supersonic transport cost- effective and to increase computer efficiency by millions of times, he said.
The experts agreed that the APEC technology exhibition and trade fair provided many chances for exchanges of innovative ideas and products.
小题1:Realization of the dreams mentioned in the first paragraph will mainly base on ________.

A．APEC	B．Chinese scientist
C．the APEC Center for Technology Foresight	D．Nano-technology

小题2:The length of a nanometer equals to ______.

A．

meter

B．

meter

C．

meter

D．

meter

小题3:We can imply from what David Minns said that _________.

A．Nano-technology could only be used to invent new objects.

B．Nano-technology could be widely used to produce or invent objects.

C．Nano-technology is a money-consuming technology.

D．Nano-technology can not be used to improve the service of Internet.

小题4:Compared to steel, carbon nano-tubes are ________.

A．stronger and lighter	B．lighter but as strong
C．stronger but as light	D．poor in quality

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Googlefight is a simple service available on the Internet which offers you the chance to compare two different items and see how many hits they get on the Google search engine. The seemingly simple device has proved invaluable to users, especially to help win arguments.
For example, imagine that you and your friends are arguing about who are the most popular music or movie stars, you can decide the argument by writing the names in the Googlefight boxes. Let’s say that you are arguing about Jackie Chan and Jet Li. You will quickly discover that Jet Li is mentioned 16 million times on Google pages, whereas Jackie Chan is mentioned a mere 12 million times! In this unscientific way, you can claim victory for one Star over another.
But teachers have come up with ways of using Googlefight which are much more useful from an academic point of view, particularly when it comes to studying languages. You can, for example, find out the frequency of two words with the same meaning, and deduce (推断) from the answers which one is more common. For example, let’s take the words “buy” and “purchase”, which mean the same thing (although “buy” is only a verb and “purchase” is both a verb and a noun). It is immediately clear from Googlefight that “buy” is much more commonly used, with a massive three and a half billion hits, compared to only one billion occurrences for the more formal word.
But the real value of Googlefight to the language learner is in determining which is the more common of two phrases. For example, “raining cats and dogs” is an old-fashioned English expression about the weather. Do English speakers still use it? Or are they more likely to say “pouring down”? Googlefight suggests the latter. “Pouring down” has 898,000 Google hits, whereas “raining cats and dogs” only has 326,000.
With phrases, it’s important to remember that you need to use quote marks to make the search more accurate. For example, if you type in the similar phrases “look after” and “take care of “ without quote marks, the second phrase seems to be more common, but with quote marks, the result is reversed.
小题1:What is Googlefight?

A．A fight between two people on Google.

B．A way to make sure you win an argument.

C．A website showing how many hits two different things have.

D．A list of all the websites on Google.

小题2:Language teachers find it useful because _______.

A．there are a lot of words on Googlefight

B．it can tell them which of the two words with the same meaning appears more often

C．some words mean the same thing

D．common words have a billion hits

小题3:What must you remember to do if you are checking phrases by Googlefight?

A．Make sure they mean be same thing.

B．Make sure they are different.

C．Remember to put quote marks round the phrase.

D．Don’t put quote marks round the phrase.

小题4:Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Googlefight is effective to determine the more common of two phrases.

B．Googlefight is a scientific way to decide an argument.

C．Quote marks can make the search more accurate.

D．Googlefight is invaluable to help win arguments.

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