Thirteen vehicles(车辆)lined up last March to race across the Mojave Desert, seeking a million
in prize money. To win, they had to finish the 142-mile race in less than 10 hours. Teams and
watchers knew there might be no winner at all, because these vehicles were missing a key part-drivers.
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, organized the race as part of a push
to develop robotic vehicles for future battlefields. But the Grand Challenge, as it was called, just
proved how difficult it is to get a car to speed across an unfamiliar desert without human guidance.
One had its brake locked up in the starting area. Another began by throwing itself onto a wall. Another
got tied up by bushes near the road after 1.9 miles.
One turned upside down. One took off in entirely the wrong direction and had to be disabled by
remote (远距离的) control. One went a little more than a mile and rushed into a fence; another
managed to go for six miles but stuck on a rock. The "winner," if there was any, reached 7.8 miles
before it ran into a long , narrow hole , and the front wheels caught fire.
"You get a lot of respect for natural abilities of the living things," says Reinhold Behringer, who helped
design two of the car-size vehicles for a company called Sci-Autonics. "Even ants can do all these
tasks effortlessly. It"s very hard for us to put these abilities into our machines."
The robotic vehicles, though with necessary modern equipment such as advanced computers and
GPS guidance, had trouble figuring out fast enough the blocks ahead that a two-year-old human
recognizes immediately, Sure, that very young child, who has just only learned to walk, may not think
to wipe apple juice off her face, but she already knows that when there"s a cookie in the kitchen she
has to climb up the table, and that when she gets to the cookie it will taste good. She is more advanced,
even months old, than any machine humans have designed.
Museum of the Moving Image(MMI) (Monday Closed) As the best museum in New York City and with a balance of hands-on(实际操作的)activities and information, it"s the rare bird that can entertain and educate people of different ages. It"s a perfect destination for a family trip of a couple | |
New York Hall of Science(NYHS) (Monday Closed) Being New York City"s only hands-on science and technology center, it is an interactive science museum focused on its audience of children. It has the most hands-on exhibits in an NYC museum, and it"s a fun destination for ages 5 and up. Older folks might take great interest in the NASA rockets outside the museum, but don"t bother unless you"ve kids to keep you company. | |
Queens County Farm Museum(QCFM) (Year-round 7 days a week) It is an actual farm in New York City and home to animals your kids can feed and a yard full of a climbing plant whose fruit can be made into wine. Good chance to meet sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and cow! The animals are mostly readily accessible to visitors. And the museum sells feed for young hands willing to get licked by sheep and goats. Pros - Outdoor fun. Cons - Expensive Festivals, long bus ride, no subway. | |
Queens Museum of Art(QMA) (Monday and Tuesday Closed) Opened in 1972 to serve as a cultural center for the borough(行政区), it exhibits art by local and international artists. Its best exhibits are on the two World"s Fairs, and of course, the Panorama of New York City, a giant, highly detailed diorama(透景画)of all five New York City boroughs.Pros - The Panorama!, great gift shop. Easy subway access. Cons - not much for kids. | |
阅读理解 | |
A scientist turns out to be able to see the future by offering each of some four-year-olds a piece of candy and watching how he or she deals with it. Some children reach eagerly for the treat they see. Some last a few minutes before they give in. But others are determined to wait until the last moment. By the time the children reach high school, something remarkable has happened. A survey found that those who as four-year-olds had enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation(诱惑) early on were more likely to be lonely, easily frustrated(沮丧)and inflexible(固守己见的). Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn"t show up on an IQ test. The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists" concerns. But brain theory can"t explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would sink a less resistant soul. Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting people"s success, brain ability as measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as "character". EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together; how one"s ability to handle stress, for instance, affects the ability to concentrate and put intelligence to use. Among the ingredients(要素) for success, researchers now generally agree that IQ counts for about 20%; the rest depends on everything from social class to luck. While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues finally taken seriously, some few fear EQ invites misuse. | |
1. The experiment with the four-year-olds makes it clear that _____. | |
A. the age of 4 is a proper time for scientific experiment B. emotional intelligence won"t show up until adolescence C. the ability of self-control plays a role in personal success D. candy can be used to measure a person"s emotional intelligence | |
2. Which of the following is true of EQ and IQ according to the text? | |
A. The higher a person"s EQ is, the higher his or her IQ is. B. The higher a person"s IQ is, the higher his or her EQ is. C. Some people can be blessed with lots of both, but some with little of either. D. Scientists have already discovered the way in which EQ and IQ work together. | |
3. The underlined word "upbeat" in Paragraph 4 probably means _____. | |
A. kind B. floating C. excited D. optimistic | |
4.Why does the author mention the experiment at the beginning of the text? | |
A. To amuse both the children and readers. B. To prove the scientist"s wisdom. C. To introduce the topic of the text. D. To show us how to do an IQ test. | |
5.What is most likely to be written in the paragraph that follows? | |
A. Information about famous people with high EQ. B. Examples showing the opposite voice about EQ. C. Some reasons why EQ is a relatively new field. D. Strong demand for basic emotional education. |