A Japanese toy maker declares that they have developed a gadget that translates dog barks into human language and plans to begin selling the gadget——under the name of Bowlingual——in U. S. pet stores and gift shops this summer.

Tokyo-based Takara Co. Ltd. says about 300, 000 of the dog translator gadgets have been sold since it was on sale in Japan late last year. It is forecasting far bigger sales once an English language translation for dogs comes to America in August. The United States is home to about 67 million dogs, more than six times the number in Japan.

"We know that the Americans love their dogs so much, so we don't think they will mind spending $ 120 on this product, " the Takara marketing manager said during an interview at a recent pet products conference in Atlanta.

Regarded as one of the coolest inventions of 2002 by Time magazine, Bowlingual is made up of a 3 - inch long wireless microphone that is fastened to a dog collar and sends out sounds to a small console (控制臺) that is connected to a database (數(shù)據(jù)庫). The console divides each bark into six emotional types——happiness, sadness, disappointment, anger, threat and desire——and shows common phrases, such as "You're ticking me off," that fit the dog's emotional state.

Takara says it has spent millions of dollars developing the gadget in cooperation（合作）with famous sound experts and animal behaviorists.

One thing that does appear certain is that the markets for animal translation products will likely remain a dog's world since Takara has no plans to develop a similar gadget for cats. "They are too unpredictable (反復(fù)無常) , " the marketing manager said.

1.This passage mainly tells us that Bowlingual ___________.

A．was invented in Japan 　　　　            B．has developed quickly

C．will be sold in America                   D．sells well for its price

2.The underlined word "they" in the last paragraph refers to ___________.

A．markets           B．products          C．plans             D．cats

3.From the passage, we can see that Takara Co. Ltd. is ___________ the sale of its new product.

A．proud of          B．satisfied with       C．confident of       D．worried about

 

As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.

Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(錄像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”

The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”

1.The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.

A．show the relationship between parents and children

B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table

C．report on the findings of a study

D．give information about family problems

2.Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ____________.

A．they are busy serving food to their children

B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table

C．they have to pay more attention to younger children

D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family

3.By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children _________.

A．have to help their parents to serve dinner

B．get the least attention from the family

C．a(chǎn)re often kept away from the dinner table

D．find it hard to keep up with other children

4.Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question _________.

A．why TV is important in family life

B．why parents should keep good order

C．why children in small families seem to be quieter

D．why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life

5.Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

A．It is important to have the right food for children.

B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.

C．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.

D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner

 

 Most people feel lonely sometimes，but it usually only lasts between a few minutes and a few hours，This kind of loneliness is not serious．In fact，it is quite normal．For some people，though，loneliness can last for years．Now researchers say loneliness comes in three different types．

The first kind of loneliness is temporary．This is the most common type．It usually disappears quickly and does not require any special attention．The second kind is situation，for example，family problem，the death of a loved one，or moving to a new place．Although this kind of loneliness can cause physical problems，such as headaches and sleeplessness，it usually does not last for more than a year．The third kind of loneliness is the most serious．Unlike the second type, chronic (the opposite of‘temporary’) usually lasts more than two years and has no specific cause．People who experience habitual loneliness have problems socializing and becoming close to others．Unfortunately，many chronically lonely people think there is little or nothing they can do to improve their condition．

Psychologists(心理學(xué)家) agree that one important factor in loneliness is a person’s social contacts，for example，friends，family members，co-workers，etc．We depend on various people for different reasons．For instance．our family give us emotional support，our parents and teachers give us guidance, and our fiends share similar interests and activities．

However，psychologists have found that, though lonely people may have many social contacts，they sometimes feel they should have more．They question their popularity．

Psychologists are trying to find ways to help habitually lonely people for two reasons：they are unhappy and unable to socialize arid there is a connection between chronic loneliness and serious illness such as heart disease，while temporary and situational loneliness can be a sad，and sometimes dangerous condition．

1.How would you treat temporary loneliness according to the passage?

A．Talk to friends．

B．Go to see a doctor．

C．Just ignore it．

D．Ask your teacher for guidance．

2.Why do psychologists want to help chronically lonely people?

A．Chronic loneliness can cause family problems．

B．Chronic loneliness is incurable．

C．Chronic loneliness can not be overcome．

D．Chronic loneliness call cause serious illness．

3.Loneliness is divided according to ________．

A．the time it lasts

B．the places where it appears

C．different people it happen to

D．different seasons when it appears

 

As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.

Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(錄像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”

The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are that it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”

1.Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ______.

A．they are busy serving food to their children

B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table

C．they have to pay more attention to younger children

D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family

2.By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children ______.

A．have to help their parents to serve dinner

B．get the least attention from the family

C．a(chǎn)re often kept away from the dinner table

D．find it hard to keep up with other children

3.Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question ______.

A．why TV is important in family life

B．why parents should keep good order

C．why children in small families seem to be quieter

D．why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life

4.Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

A．It is important to have the right food for children.

B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.

C．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.

D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner.

5.The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to ______.

A．show the relationship between parents and children.

B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table.

C．report on the findings of a study.

D．give information about family problems.

 

Dear Hamilton,

    We are fortunate that in such a large, high-pressure office we all get along so well. You are one of the people who keep the social temperature at such a comfortable setting. I don’t know anyone in the office who is better liked than you.

    You can perhaps help with this. The collection of contributions towards gifts for employees’ personal-life events is becoming a little troubling. Certainly, the group sending of a gift is reasonable now and then. In the past month, however, there have been collections for two baby shower gifts, one wedding shower gift, two wedding gifts, one funeral（葬禮）remembrance, four birthday gifts, and three graduation gifts.

   It’s not only the collected-from who are growing uncomfortable (and poor), but the collected-for feel uneasy receiving gifts from people who don’t know them outside the office, who wouldn’t even recognize their graduating children, their marrying daughters and sons, or their dead relatives.

    This is basically a kind gesture (and one that people think well of you for), but the practice seems to have become too wide-ranging and feels improper in today’s office setting.

    Thank you for understanding.

63. The underlined word “contributions” probably means ________.

A. money      B. suggestions        C. reports       D. understanding

64. Hamilton is expected to _______.

A. show more kindness.                      B. discontinue the present practice

C. quit being the organizer for gift giving         D. know more about co-workers’ families

65. This is basically a letter of ________.

A. apology    B. sympathy      C. appreciation   D. Dissatisfaction