A study by St.. Louis University has found that a lovable dog named Sparky and a robotic dog, AIBO, were about equally effective at reducing the loneliness of nursing home residents. The study confirmed previous findings that dogs have a good effect on nursing home residents. Dr. Andrew Smith led the Stanford University team that built a home-assistance robot. "If humans can feel an emotional tie with robots, some day they could be not just our assistants, but also our companions," he said. To test whether residents responded better to Sparky, a trained dog, or the Sony-made robotic dog, researchers divided 38 nursing home residents into three groups at three long-term care centers in St. Louis. One group had weekly 30-minute one-on-one visits with Sparky; another group had similar visits with AIBO; a control group had no contact with either dog. The groups' respective levels of loneliness were tested by having them answer a number of questions at the beginning and near the end of the visits. After two months, both groups that had contact with the dogs were less lonely and more attached. Most of the elderly regarded Sparky, a 9-year-old dog, as an audience for their life stories, said investigator Marian Banks. "He listened attentively, wagged his tail, and allowed them to pet him," said Banks, who adopted and trained Sparky after finding him in a street behind her home seven years ago. Those who were together with AIBO took a little longer to warm to the robotic creature. Over time, however, they grew comfortable with him, and petted and talked to him. He would respond by wagging his tail, vocalizing, and blinking his lights.. "AIBO is charming once you start to interact with him," said the study's author, Dr. William Banks, "He's an attractive sort of guy. He gives a feeling of being personal, not just a robot." The findings of the researchers tell us that _ . A) robots are better at caring for old people than nurses B) robots can to some degree replace dogs as companions for old people C) it's easy for people to become close with robots D) every home will have a robot assistant one day
B
Inventors are always looking for ways to make our lives easier, greener and a lot more fun.Take a look at 2010's biggest and coolest breakthroughs in science and technology.What in the world will inventors dream up next? Superhero Suit Have you ever dreamed of becoming a superhero? Dream no more.There's a real Iron Man suit, XOS 2, which provides the power to lift 200 pounds with ease .It was designed to help the military with heavy lifting.One person in the suit could do the work of three soldiers. Up, Up and Away! It took him 30 years to develop it, and now Glen Martin's invention is ready to take off.The Martin Jetpack allows its operator to fly 8,000 feet into the air.Unfortunately, you can't soar through the skies too long.The jetpack holds only about 30 minutes' worth of fuel. Hardworking Robot The EMIEW2 robot is the perfect office helper.Need a document delivered? No problem! It can also guide visitors to their destinations.The three-foot-tall robot can identify different human voices and respond to commands.One day, it may serve as a receptionist or a security guard. Green Machine Say goodbye to gasoline! The AirPod car runs on air power.That means this car won't pollute.A high-pressure air tank can fill the car in minutes.The three-wheeler can travel about 130 miles between fill-ups. Beef Power All aboard the beef train! Amtrak's Heartland Flyer runs partly on fuel that is made from cow fat.The goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 10%.The train travels between Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Fort Worth, Texas. Robo-Guard EMILY is a robotic, four-foot-long buoy .She can swim through riptides at up to 24 miles per hour.Her inventor, Tony Mulligan, says that's 15 times as fast as human lifeguards! EMILY is powered by a tiny electric pump and operated by remote. How many environment-friendly inventions are mentioned in the passage? A) One. B) Two. C) Three. D) Four.
B
Q: Patricia Blues, 29, has a new aim in life: to keep drivers' hands on their steering wheels and off their cell phones. On November 2, 2007, Blues lived through a horrible experience. A motorist dialing a cell phone drove through a stop sign at 45 miles per hour and ran into the side of Blues' car. Blues' 2-year-old daughter was killed immediately in the crash. Blues has since devoted her time top pushing for laws that would prevent this type of tragedy from happening again. Cell phones are not the only distractions that cause accidents. Eating, changing CDs, reading maps, talking to passengers, and just reaching for an object on the floor can be dangerous. Therefore, the emphasis should be on educating drivers to avoid all distractions. However, talking on cell phones might be easier to regulate than eating or changing music. At least 34 states have already passed laws to restrict cell phone use in moving cars. No state has banned it yet, but several US. cities. Worldwide, 13 nations, including Australia, England, Germany, Japan and China have banned drivers' use of cell phones in moving cars. To date, no scientific evidence has been published showing that talking on the phone affects driving safety. But according to a test by some high school students, "driving while on the phone does affect safety and probably shouldn't be done". Patricia Blues' new goal of life is to persuade the government _ . A) to forbid the carrying of cell phones in cars B) to educate drivers to avoid all distractions C) to ban talking on cell phones while driving D) to study harmful results of using cell phones
A: C
(Q).
Director of Overseas Finance Financial Services Edinburgh Permanent Updated October 30, 2014 Reporting into the Administration and Finance Partner, this is a new role with responsibility for oversight and leadership in international financial matters, overseas tax issues and overseas operational management. _ *Overseeing development and implementation of overseas tax strategy and managing relationships with relevant authorities and advisors. *Managing international financial planning, forecasting and reporting requirements. *Analysis and communication of impacts and responses to tax and other regulatory documents. *Establishment and maintenance of appropriate systems, controls and records. *Managing and leading senior accountants and managers. _ The successful candidate will be a qualified accountant with a strong academic record and will have: *Experience of managing the finances of an international commercial organization. *A track record of delivering improved efficiency and effectiveness in financial operations. *Experience of leading and developing teams with proven change management experience. _ Baillie Gifford is one of the UK's leading investment management firms and is a major player in the asset management business. As a market leader they have built their success around the stability of their partnership structure which provides guarantee for customers and motivation for employees. As by 31 December 2013 they managed more than PS72 billion (US 113 billion)in active equity and bond portfolios for customers in the UK and throughout the world. _ Attractive Salary + Benefits Package The primary responsibility of this position is to manage _ . A) international financial matters and national ones appropriately. B) relationships between the relevant matters and tax strategy. C) overseas tax strategy and relationships with authorities and advisors. D) establishment and communication of systems, responses and other requirements.
(A).
C