听力原文: We are now living in a world in which robots are taking over much of the work.Robots make our cars, fly our planes and work out wages.
But these robots are not mechanical men and women.They do not look like us.They are machines specially built to do some of the things that human beings can.
Although they may not look like us,robots need some human features in order to be able to do human work.First of all they need some kind of brain.Their "brain" is a computer,which has a memory to human member instructions and ability to control other equipment.Another essential feature of many robots is an arm that can do the kind of things that human beings can with their arms.One-armed robots are now coming into widespread use in industry.They are being used,for example,on car assembly lines.
The great advantage of robots over human workers is that they can work non-stop for long periods. They never get tired,and always work with the same accuracy.They can also work in conditions that humans could not bear.Last but not least,as more robots are built,their cost will come down.
Although robots are rapidly taking over many jobs in industry, they seem a long way from taking over in the home. The problem is that it would take a very complex and costly robot to perform. half the tasks involved in housework.
According to the speaker,what can the present-day robots do?
A. Drive cars.
B. Fly planes.
C. Pay wages.
D. Repair machines.
What was the main purpose of having a watch during the 1800s?
A. To know direction.
B. To measure time.
C. To show off one's wealth.
D. To get to work on time.
听力原文:M: I'm sorry.I need to work late tonight.So you'd better cancel our reservation at the restaurant.
W: Oh,actually I've never got round to making one in the first place.
Q: What does the woman mean?
(17)
A. She forgot to cancel the reservation.
B. They can go to the restaurant tonight.
C. She has to work late tonight.
D. They don't have a reservation.
Section B
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.
Pregnant women who suffer lapses(忘却) in memory or concentration may no longer be able to blame it on "the bump". The idea that bearing children affects one's brain power---the "baby brain"--is a myth, researchers say.
Their study found no difference in how pregnant women or new mothers scored on tests of thinking speed and memory compared with those who were childless. Writing in the British Journal of Psychiatry, the authors said that pregnant women should be encouraged to stop attributing lapses in memory or logical thinking to their growing baby.
The findings contradict previous studies that claimed women's brains decline in size by up to 4 per cent while they are pregnant, potentially leading to worse performance on tests of memory and oral skills.
Helen Christensen, author of the latest study, said that the effect was "a myth". Professor Christensen's team recruited 1,241 women aged 20-24 in 1999 and 2003 and asked them to perform. a series of tasks. The women were followed up at four-year intervals and asked to perform. the same cognitive tests. A total of 77 women were pregnant at the follow-up assessments, 188 had become mothers and 542 remained childless.
The researchers found no significant differences in cognitive(认知的) change for those women who were pregnant or new mothers during the assessments and those who were not.
"Not so long ago, pregnancy was 'confinement' and motherhood meant the end of career aspirations," Professor Christensen said, "but our results challenge the view that mothers are anything other than the intellectual peers of their contemporaries."
Cathy Warwick, of the Royal College of Midwives, said that the difficulties of pregnancy and motherhood could explain why some women felt absent-minded or tired.
The number of infants in England dying before their first birthday is still greater than in countries such as France, Spain, the Audit Commission says.
The health of pre-school children has not significantly improved despite the Government having spent £10 billion, directly or indirectly, since 1998 on improving the health of children under the age of 5 in England. Infant death rates have fallen but are "still relatively high" compared with other European countries.
According to the first paragraph, some women attributed lapses in memory or concentration to ______.
A. their pregnancy
B. the "baby brain"
C. an unscientific cause
D. changes to their brains