A chip inserted in a young quadriplegic's brain is already improving his quality of life. Soon the benefits may be more widespread. A 25-year-old man unable to move from the neck down recently did what many assumed impossible. After a knife attack that had left him paralyzed, all he could move was his head, which he used to push a switch and call for a nurse. And he could turn his wheelchair by blowing into a straw near his face. That was it. Then last June, a Foxborough (Mass.) company called Cyber Kinetics opened the man's skull and inserted a special chip no larger than a baby aspirin. That insert has given him a few additional and precious abilities. When connected to a special computer via a cable, the chip translates the young man's thoughts into commands that let him move a cursor across a PC screen and open e-mail. He can draw a circle with a computer painting program. And he can use a robotic hook to perform simple tasks like picking up a candy and sliding it across a table. All he has to do is to think. Several new studies have begun or been completed in the past year. In fact, more than half of the scientific papers in this field, called brain-to-computer interaction (BCI), have been published in the past two years, notes Jonathan Wolpaw, a research physician at Wadsworth Center, the New York State Health Dept.'s research laboratory. Brain surgeries are no longer rare: Thousands of Parkinson's disease patients have had special devices inserted in their brains to ease uncontrollable shaking and other symptoms. The inserts themselves have improved, so the body doesn't reject them as furiously . And significant development has been achieved in software used to interpret the brain's signals and change them into commands understood by computers. But increased demand for thought technology remains the biggest reason for the field's progress. Today, 4 million Americans live with paralysis according to the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. Scientists hope that thought technology will... What was the young man's trouble after a knife attack? A) It was impossible for him to do anything. B) By no means could he call for a nurse. C) He could not use his organs under the neck. D) He was unable to move his head.
C
(Question)
The next day I sat down,with almost a hundred other candidates,for the intelligence test.I must have done all right because after about half an hour's wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test.This time there were only about fifty candidates.The interviewer sat at a desk.Candidates were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed,after a greater or shorter time.Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones.Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes.Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half. I can remember the questions now:"Why did you leave your last job?""Why did you leave your job before that?""And the one before that?"I can't recall my answers,except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter.His closing statement,I thought,evealed a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist,he had risen no higher than the underground railway."You've failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position." Failing to get that job was my low point.Or so I thought,believing that the work was easy.Actually,such jobs--being a postman is another one I still desire--demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give.But I was still far short of full self-understanding.I was also short of cash. The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because _ . A) he often traveled underground B) he had written many poems C) he could deal with difficult situations D) he had worked in a company
(Answer)
C
Ques: Over the years I've been teaching my grandchildren about a simple but powerful concept--the ant philosophy. I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part: Ants never quit. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them, they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, or around. They keep looking for another way to get where they're supposed to go. What a great philosophy. Second, ants think summer all winter. That's an important perspective. You can't be so childish as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering their winter food in the middle of summer. The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think winter all summer. That is so significant. During the winter ants remind themselves, "This won't last long; we'll soon be out of here." And on the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down, but then they come out on the first warm day. They can't wait to get out. And here's the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-you-possibly-can" philosophy. Wow, what a great lecture to attend--the ant seminar! Which of the following might be the best title for the text? A) The Ant Life B) The Ant Philosophy C) The Ant Teamwork D) The Ant University
Ans: B
Question: Several weeks ago, a mysterious Christmas card dropped through our mailbox. The envelope was addressed to a man named Raoul, who, I was ly certain, did not live with us. The envelope wasn't sealed, so I opened it. The inside of the card was blank. Ed, my husband, explained that the card was both from and to the newspaper deliveryman. His name was apparently Raoul, and Raoul wanted a holiday tip. We were meant to put a check inside the card and then drop the envelope in the mail. When your services are finished at 4 a.m., you can't simply hang around, like a hotel bellboy expecting a tip. You have to be direct. So I wrote a nice holiday greeting to this man who, in my imagination, fires The New York Times from his bike aimed at our front door, causing more noise with mere newsprint than most people manage with sophisticated black market fireworks. With a start, I realized that perhaps the reason for the 4 a.m. wake-up noise was not ordinary rudeness but carefully executed spite : I had not tipped Raoul in Christmas past. I honestly hadn't realized I was supposed to. This was the first time he'd used the card tactic . So I got out my checkbook. Somewhere along the line, holiday tipping went from an optional thank-you for a year of services to a Mafia-style protection racket . Several days later, I was bringing our garbage bins back when I noticed an envelope taped to one of the lids. The outside of the envelope said MICKEY. It had to be another tip request, this time from our garbage collector. Unlike Raoul, Mickey hadn't enclosed his own Christmas card from me. In a way, I appreciated the directness. "I know you don't care how merry my Christmas is, and that's fine," the gesture said. "I want $30, or I'll 'forget' to empty your garbage bin some hot summer day." I put a check in the envelope and taped it back to the bin. The next morning, Ed noticed that the envelope was gone, though the trash hadn't yet been picked up: "Someone stole Mickey's tip!" Ed was quite certain. He made me call the bank and cancel... Which of the following is true about Mickey, the garbage collector? A) He wrote a letter to the couple afterwards. B) He failed to collect the money from the bank. C) He wanted the couple to send him a Christmas card. D) He collected both the check and the garbage that day.
Answer:
B