What if handheld tools know what needs to be done and were even able to guide and help inexperienced users to complete jobs that require skill? Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed and started studying a novel concept in robotics--intelligent handheld robots. Historically, handheld tools have been straight, unintelligent instruments that are _ of the context they operate in, are fully directed by the user, and therefore, lack any understanding about the task they are performing. Dr. Walterio Mayol-Cuevas and PhD student, Austin Gregg-Smith, from the University's Department of Computer Science, have been working in the design of the robot as well as in understanding how best to be with a tool that "knows and acts". Compared to other tools such as power tools that have a motor and perhaps some basic sensors , the handheld robots developed at Bristol are designed to have more degrees of freedom to allow greater independence from the instructions of the user, and importantly, understand the steps being carried out. This allows for a new level of co-operation between user and tool, such as the user providing directions and the tool performing the detailed task. Handheld robots, aim to share physical similarity with users but are neither fully independent as is a humanoid robot nor are part of the user's body. The aim with handheld robots is to develop the intuitiveness of using traditional handheld tools while adding planted intelligence and action to allow for new abilities. Dr. Mayol-Cuevas, Reader in Robotics Computer Vision and Mobile Systems, said, "There are three basic levels of autonomy we are considering: no autonomy, semi-autonomous when the robot advises the user but does not act, and fully autonomous when the robot advises and acts even by correcting or refusing to perform incorrect user actions." What can we learn from the passage? A) The handheld robots can never disobey the user's order. B) The autonomy is the only thing that the scientists are considering. C) There will be more intelligence and independence in the handheld robots. D) The aim of the handheld robots is to correct and refuse the user's directions.
C
(Question)
Passenger pigeons once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers. Written accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries described flocks so large that they darkened the sky for hours. It was calculated that when its population reached its highest point, there were more than 3 billion passenger pigeons--a number equal to 24 to 40 percent of the total bird population in the United States, making it perhaps the most abundant bird in the world. Even as late as 1870 when their numbers had already become smaller, a flock believed to be 1 mile wide and 320 miles (about 515 kilometers) long was seen near Cincinnati. Sadly, the abundance of passenger pigeons may have been their _ . Where the birds were most abundant, people believed there was an ever-lasting supply and killed them by the thousands. Commercial hunters attracted them to small clearings with grain, waited until pigeons had settled to feed, then threw large nets over them, taking hundreds at a time. The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants. By the closing decades of the 19th century, the hardwood forests where passenger pigeons nested had been damaged by Americans' need for wood, which scattered the flocks and forced the birds to go farther north, where cold temperatures and spring storms contributed to their decline. Soon the great flocks were gone, never to be seen again. In 1897, the state of Michigan passed a law prohibiting the killing of passenger pigeons, but by then, no sizable flocks had been seen in the state for 10 years. The last confirmed wild pigeon in the United States was shot by a boy in Pike County, Ohio, in 1900. For a time, a few birds survived under human care. The last of them, known affectionately as Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden on September 1, 1914. What can we infer about the law passed in Michigan? A) It was ignored by the public. B) It was declared too late. C) It was unfair. D) It was strict.
(Answer)
B
Ques: In Shanxi Province you may be offered brains to eat. Frightened? You shouldn't be because these brains are only a food, which is famous for its unusual name and rich nutrition . Brains as a food were invented more than 300 years ago by Fu Shan, an artist whose mother had been ill for a long time. To help her become well, he studied medicine and invented a kind of soup made of meat, vegetables and a number of Chinese medicines. Rice Wine was also used in the soup to cure illnesses caused by old age. After taking the soup his mother got better little by little and lived a long life. Fu's soup became the talk of the town. Many people came to see him. One day a restaurant owner asked him what was in the soup. "I'll tell you, " Fu said, "but if your restaurant is going to sell the soup, you must call it brains because of its shape and colour. And your restaurant should be renamed after my mother. " Before Fu told the restaurant owner what was in the food, he demanded that _ . A) the restaurant shouldn't offer any other food B) the restaurant should use his mother's name C) the shape of the food should never be changed D) the food should be used to help sick people
Ans: B
Ques:Below is a selection about some Guinness World Records. Top 6 Unusual Guinness World Records Fastest 100 m running on all fours The 2008 Guinness World Records Day was, according to CWR, their biggest day of record-breaking ever, with more than 290,000 people taking part in record attempts in 15 different countries. Kenichi Ito's record attempt was part of this special day. He is just another example of Japanese with "super powers". His "super power" is to run with great speed on all fours. Kenichi Ito ran 100 m on all fours in 18.58 seconds. The Japanese set this record at Setagaya Kuritsu Sogo Undojyo, Tokyo, in 2008. Most people inside a soap bubble The Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, California celebrated this year the 15th anniversary of the Bubble Festival. A bubble's math principles and science were presented and demonstrated at the three-week-long exhibition. The intriguing Bubble Show was also part of the program. Fan Yang and Deni Yang impressed the audience with their awesome skills for bubble making. The Yang family cooperated with the Discovery Science Center to set a new Guinness World Record for most people inside a soap bubble and they succeeded. The family that has been working with soap bubbles for 27 years created a huge soap bubble and got 118 people inside it. The record was set on April 4, 2011 Longest ears on a dog A bloodhound from Illinois has the longest ears ever measured a dog. The right ear is 13.75 inches long and the left one 13.5 inches. The dog named Tigger earned this title in 2004 and is owned by Christina and Bryan Flessner. Mr. Jeffries is the previous record holder of this title. Each of his ears measured approximately 11.5 inches long. His grandfather used to hold this amazing world record, but when he died Mr.Jeffries took over. Most living generations Did you ever wonder what is the Guinness World Record for most living generations in one family? Seven is the answer. The ultimate authority on record-breaking mentions on the website... How many T-shirts had Krunoslav Budiseli put on before he felt it difficult to go on? A) 68. B) 120. C) 2. D) 245.

Ans:
B