Contestants from around the world met in Pomona, California, this month to test their skills at things like driving a car, walking down stairs, and opening doors. Sounds easy, right? But the competitors weren't people--they were robots! The bots were participating in the final round of the US's DARPA(Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Robotics Challenge. This event, which took place on June 5-6, tested robots on how well they could respond during a disaster and the winning team finally took home a $2 million grand prize. The DARPA challenge was created after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. An earthquake caused a tsunami, which damaged a nuclear power plant. Workers at the plant needed to shut off an important valve , but it was too dangerous for humans to reach it. The US scientists at DARPA wondered whether the disaster could have been avoided if a robot had been sent to do _ . So they set up the robotics competition. Turning a valve was just one task a robot might have to perform when entering a disaster zone. In addition to doing this, robots participating in the challenge had to navigate a course containing several other tasks: driving and exiting a vehicle, opening a door, walking over or clearing objects, cutting a hole in a wall, plus climbing a flight of stairs. Teams had to complete the challenge in one hour, and points were awarded based on how quickly the robots completed a task. They didn't have to attempt all the tasks. To make things even more realistic, challenge organizers caused short computer-system blackouts that prevented robots and the human operators controlling them from communicating. That means teams had to program their robots to be partially autonomous . Robots also couldn't be attached to anything that could keep them from falling down, which happened a lot. The robots that participated in the US's DARPA challenge were required to _ . A) challenge all the tasks B) have a good sense of smell C) complete their tasks in an hour D) act in the dark in the whole process
C
J.K. Rowling had reused her magic and brought Dumbledore back to life. A spokesperson for the author confirmed Rowling had sent a letter and a package to a Texas teenager who optimistically found strength in the words of a Harry Potter film after witnessing the murder of her family. Fifteen-yiear-old Cassidy Stay lost both parent s and four _ to a gunman in Texas last month. Cassidy was shot in the head and survived the gunshot wound only because she played dead. Authorities had called her survival a miracle. Cassidy had seen the unimaginable tragedy, but was still thinking about happiness. At the memorial( ) for her family, Cassidy gave a speech in front of the media saying she believed her family was "in a much better place." Quoting the words of Dumbledore, the wise headmaster of Hogwarts, she said, "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." The same day Cassidy gave her speech, a Facebook page called "We want J.K. Rowling to meet Cassidy Stay" formed and quickly draw public attention. The creator of the page claimed to know a friend of Cassidy's who "confirmed that J.K. Rowling did write Cassidy a personal letter under the name of 'Dumbledor'. She also sent a wand, an acceptance letter to Hogwarts with a school supply list, along with the 3rdbook with Rowling's autograph." What is the best title of the passage? A) J.K. Rowling's New Book B) A Smart Teen C) Cassidy's Tragedy D) J.K. Rowling Writes to the Sad Teen
D
Q: I was catching a later flight to St. Louis, then on to Minnesota. A couple of seats in front and the aisle over sat a very pretty lady. She smiled back at me, I smiled at her noticing her pretty dress. The rest of the flight was uneventful, but as I was getting off the plane I noticed her again standing by the prompters seeing what flight she was to take and what gate. I stood beside her looking for my gate, and flight number. I commented to her that I had seen her on the flight and she had on a pretty dress. She said "Thank you", I asked what flight she was taking? She said to "Phoenix". I looked and she had a two-hour _ , I also had a two and a half hours layover and asked her if she would like to go to the cafeteria for something to eat or drink. She said "Sure". We introduced ourselves on the way, and she told me that her name was "Phyllis". I laughed and said "my name is Phyllis also". As we sat in the booth she began telling me that she had been told she was dying of cancer and had less than 6 months to live. She was on her way to visit her children and grandchildren before she began taking treatment. She then told me that she had never flown before and she had prayed a specific prayer. She was afraid she would get lost at the airport and not be able to find her way to the gate, and didn't know what she was going to do for the two hours she was there. She prayed, that someone would meet her at the gate and stay with her until she left the airport. She then asked me "Are you an Angel God has sent"? No, I assured her I was no angel, but did God use me to answer her prayer? Yes. What's the lady's attitude to the writer? A) Pitiful B) Negative C) Doubtful D) Grateful
A: D
Q: One of the best-known women in the world is a small doll . This famous doll, called Barbie, was created by Ruth Handler in 1959. Now Barbie is known everywhere. Before Barbie, all dolls were made to look like babies. People thought that this was a way to teach young girls how to become a good mother. Barbie was the first doll made to look like an adult instead of baby. From the beginning, Barbie was a modern career girl. There was a different Barbie for each job: nurse, teacher, police officer, race car driver, professional basketball player, pilot, as well as the very first female to fly in space. Barbie made it possible for young girls to dream about a future other than being a mother and a housewife. It showed girls that they had choices and could become anything they wanted to be. At the time, these ideas were very new and positive. The movement for equal opportunity for women had just begun and women wanted to have the same chance as men to do important work. However, Barbie's approval as a role model has not lasted. Today, many people criticize Barbie for making young girls too concerned about their appearance . These people complain that the beautiful, well-dressed Barbie seems to tell girls that while they can hope to have different career, it is more important for them to be beautiful and thin. The female figure that Barbie represents has also been criticized for being unrealistic . Young girls might think that Barbie's figure is beautiful and desirable . However, if Barbie were a real person, she would be six feet tall and wear a size three shoe! What does the passage mainly discuss? A) The roles of a modern woman. B) The image of Barbie dolls C) What is role models? D) What is beauty?
A: B