閱讀地帶

A

“High tech” and “state of the art” are two expressions that describe very modern technology. High tech is just a shorter way of saying high technology. And high technology describes any invention， system or device （設備） that uses the newest ideas or discoveries of science and engineering.

What is high tech？ A computer is high tech. So is a communication satellite. A modern manufacturing （制造業的） system is surely high tech.

High tech became a popular expression in the United States during the early 1980s. Because of improvements in technology， people could buy many new kinds of products in American stores， such as home computers， microwave ovens， etc.

“State of the art” is something that is as modern as possible. It is a product that is based on the very latest methods and technology. Something that is “state of the art” is the newest possible design or product of a business or industry. A state of the art television set， for example， uses the most modern electronic design and parts. It is the best that one can buy.

“State of the art” is not a new expression. Engineers have used it for years to describe the best and most modern way of doing something.

Millions of Americans began to use the expression in the late 1970s. The reason was the computer revolution （計算機革命）. Every computer company claimed that its computers were “state of the art”.

Computer technology changes so fast that a state of the art computer today might be old tomorrow. The expression “state of the art” has become as common and popular as computers themselves. Now all kinds of products are said to be “state of the art”.

1. What do “high tech” and “state of the art” describe？

A. Modern art. B. Home computers.

C. Education in the future. D. Very modern technology.

2. Millions of Americans began to use “state of the art” because of ___ .

A. engineers B. the latest technology

C. the computer revolution D. new kinds of products

3. What can we infer from the passage？

A. A wooden spoon is “state of the art”.

B. “High tech” decribes a technology that is traditional.

C. “State of the art” became popular earlier than “high tech”.

D. American stores could provide all kinds of products for people.

4. Whats the best title of the passage？

A. Computer Technology

B. Two New Expressions

C. Most Advanced Technology

D. High Tech and State of the Art

B

There is that great an idea that in an information and knowledge based economy， the most important thing for companies is attracting and holding outstanding talented guys. Obviously I will not say that is not important， but in my opinion a successful and groundbreaking company cannot be built just from the collection of high talented people， as a great sports team cant be constructed only by the collection of great players.

It is more important to build teams of people that achieve the goals according to the companys organizational vision （洞察力）. It is necessary to create organizations where everybody （with outstanding talent or not） can develop their best personal abilities and that these abilities are addressed to achieve the corporate （共同的） goals and mission. The companys efforts must be addressed to design an organizational system that produces and uses talent from everyone in the company.

Trying to get the best from our people through corporate team building policies， establishing a concrete corporate culture and values， making our company a place where people want to work because it is a good place to stay and develop their abilities， is the best way to compete in the knowledge economy. That will keep us out of the obligation to continually seek for the “best players” and entering in the retribution auctions （拍賣）.

We have to take into account that， nowadays， the real talented and creative people like to work or keep themselves busy in projects where they can develop their abilities， where they can be involved in the organizational goals and vision， and where they are treated with respect and dignity. Definitively， they want to be happy doing their jobs. And we have to build organizations where they can find that.

5. What does the underlined word “that” refer to？

A. The great idea.

B. Information and knowledge.

C. The collection of talented people.

D. Attracting and holding talented people.

6. According to the author， a good company should consist of ___ .

A. common people

B. outstanding people

C. both talented and common people

D. more talented people than common people

7. The most important thing a successful company should do is ___ .

A. to continually seek for talented people

B. to employ people with different abilities

C. to make the company a place where employees can get the best pay and great respect

D. to make the company a place where employees are glad to devote themselves to work

單詞訓練營

從下列方框里10個單詞中選擇8個適當單詞的正確形式填入下列各句中，使其句意完整。每個單詞只使用一次。

breathe chase clone contrast disgust

fear murder refuse rush terrify

1. The small girl was ____ of that big black cat.

2. The police have been trying to ____ up the dead mans sister， but they have no idea where she lives.

3. Were all ____ at the way her husband has treated her.

4. The suspect was charged with ____ his wife.

5. If the bank ____ to lend us the money， were finished！

6. People can ____ better when the air is clean.

7. When the artificial flowers are ____ with natural ones， you can hardly tell the difference.

8. Crowds of people are ____ home from work at this hour.

單句改錯

下列各句每句有1個錯誤。

1. We spoke quietly with fear of waking up the baby. ____

2. It is interesting to contrast with the two writers. ____

3. It never occurred me that he would refuse. ____

4. It was at the airport where I picked up Mary this afternoon.

____

單句翻譯

1. 小時候，我們的老師反復告訴我們要努力學習。

2. 我倒在床上，開始哭起來。

3. 我們的制度與他們的相比，顯得過于守舊了。

4. 他無言地注視著母親。他已經很久沒見過她了。

單項選擇

1. When we heard the gun fire， we all stood still and shook with ___ .

A. fear B. a fear

C. fears D. the fear

2. — Its amazing that Bob and Steven ___ each other so much.

— Dont you know theyre twins？

A. look B. like

C. imitate D. resemble

3. The little girl stood there， not knowing what to do， ___ by what she had seen.

A. terrified B. terrifying

C. being terrified D. was terrified

4. She almost failed the exam， but her sister， ___ ， did very well.

A. contrasting with B. contrasted with

C. by contrast D. in contrast with

5. Summer in ___ south of France is for ___ most part dry and sunny.

A. the； / B. / ； /

C. the； the D. /； a

6. All visitors to his village ___ with kindness.

A. are treated B. are treating

C. treat D. had been treated

7. He put more wood on the fire to make it ___ .

A. burn away B. burn out

C. burn up D. burn down

8. If you like， well welcome you to join us ___ .

A. from time to time B. at times

C. again and again D. at any time

閱讀表達

Everyone has probably seen a movie or two about robots going against humans. As a kid it was interesting， but not a reality. But today， when we look at how far scientists have come， its not just a funny thought but a real possibility.

Honda has already created a robot with eyes， legs， arms and hands and it can act just like a person. There is no end to what a robot could do in the future. Just think what we can do in twenty to thirty years. Were dealing with almost an entire new species of human-like robots that could be cleverer than us. Can we continue to use these robots in a way that they serve us， or will they become so wise that they will want independence？

I am really not sure just how far scientists are going to perfect robots. But once this type of robot is made， they will be able to think， make decisions， sense the movement of others and decide what it wants to do.

A new invention has led to the introduction of a female robot， which was introduced at an entertainment show in Vegas. The robot called Roxy sells for between seven and ten thousand dollars. It is built to accompany females. This female robot companion is called true companion and you can find such robots on the Internet. Robots used to have limited uses， but now they are almost in every field. This has opened the door to many dangerous possibilities in the future.

1. What did we think about a robot when we were kids？ （no more than 6 words）

2. What could robots do in the future？ （no more than 10 words）

3. Which kind of robots may think as humans beings do？ （no more than 3 words）

4. Whats the purpose of inventing a female robot？ （no more than 3 words）

5. Why does the writer worry about robots in the future？ （no more than 9 words）