A
School's out. It's been a long day, so you head home to relax. You're greeted by a friend who's happy to see you, listens to you talk about recess, tells you a new joke, helps you put away your school stuff (东西), and reminds you to text your cousin happy birthday. And that's before he helps you with your homework.
This is your future, and it all starts with a kneehigh robot called NAO (pronounced NOW). It kind of looks like you, walks and dances, listens and talks, and even learns and thinks for itself. Its creators predict that the stateoftheart robot could be a companion at home by the year 2040.
This $16,000 robot recognizes human facial features, so it knows who you are. NAO can even express emotions. It represents the new generation of “autonomous” — or selfguided robots. These robots can sense, think, and act. Other robots might do two out of the three. For example, a robot might sense things using cameras and think using computers, but with no arms, wheels, or claws, it can't act. Other robots can move and sense things, but can't think for themselves. These aren't selfguided robots. But NAO can do it all.
“You can program your computer to give NAO what could be called personality，” says Natanel Dukan of Aldebaran Robotics, the French company that built NAO. The robot has cute, childlike features — a high voice, small body, big eyes, and a large head.“There are things that are known to have an emotional appeal to people，” robot expert Dan Kara says，“NAO's friendly design helps in one of NAO's main functions — to teach people how useful personal robots can be. Someday it may help you pass a test！”
语篇解读：本文是说明文。文章主要介绍了一款新型的机器人。
1．What do we know about NAO from the first two paragraphs?
A．It is as tall as humans.
B．It is highly intelligent.
C．It is widely used in schools now.
D．It is designed to help with the housework.
解析：选B 推理判断题。根据第一段中的“You're greeted by a friend ... before he helps you with your homework”及第二段中的“It kind of looks like you, walks and dances, listens and talks, and even learns and thinks for itself”可知，这是一款智能化程度很高的机器人。
2．The author develops the third paragraph mainly ________.
A．by cause and effect B．by order in time
C．by comparison D．by process
解析：选C 写作手法题。根据第三段中的“These robots”， “Other robots”可知，本段主要是把新型机器人与以往的机器人作比较，故选C项。
3．According to Dan Kara, NAO is________.
A．silent B．lowcost
C．lightweight D．userfriendly
解析：选D 推理判断题。根据末段中的“have an emotional appeal to people”及“NAO's friendly design”可知，这款机器人设计得很人性化。
4．The main purpose of the text is to________.
A．ask people to buy the robot
B．introduce a new kind of robot
C．do an experiment about robots
D．compare different kinds of robots
解析：选B 写作意图题。文章主要介绍了一款新型的机器人，故选B项。
