二、阅读理解
In some science fiction movies, evil robots refuse to die, no matter how hard people fight
back.
Now science fiction has become science fact. For the first time, scientists have made a
robot that can take a beating (挨打) and keep on going. Scientists from Cornell University made
the robot, which looks like a spider with four legs.
Until now, even the most advanced (先进的) robot is almost certain to break down when it
is damaged. That is because its computer inside simply doesn't know how to make the machine
work after its shape has changed.
To deal with this problem, the scientists put eight motors and two sensors in the robot to
read how the machine is working. They all give signals to the machine's software. Using this
information, the computer can then figure out the machine's shape at any moment.
The new technology is a big advance in robot-making, scientists say, and it's far from scary.
It may someday help scientists create better
artificial arms and legs and give new freedom to
people who lose them. It might also help scientists understand how people and animals figure out
their own sense of place in space.
"It has been difficult to design robots that can work well when the environment changes or
when it's damaged," says Olaf Sporns of Indiana University in the US. "With this work, we are
nearer to solving this problem."
(
) 1. Why do robots easily break down when they are damaged?
A. Because they cannot repair themselves.
B. Because the computers have changed a lot.
C. Because they have no computers inside.
D. Because the computers cannot work if the robots change.
(
) 2. The new technology allows the robot to
.
A. do housework for humans
B. tell people where it is
C. remember a lot of information
D. keep working after being damaged
(
) 3. The underlined word "artificial" in Paragraph 5 means "
".
A. man-made
B. new
C. metal
D. unusual
(
) 4. According to the article, what will the robots probably be like in the future?
A. More and more evil robots will be created.
B. Scientists will put as many sensors as possible inside the robots.
C. Robots will be able to work well even if the environment changes.
D. There will be robots to help people who lose arms and legs.
(
) 5. The passage is probably from
.
A. a news report
B. an advertisement
C. a travel guide
D. a job application
