閱讀理解

A

Imagine entering a very large building and you have no idea how to get to the office you are looking for. But then， as youre standing there， a nearly silent balloon floats over to you and speaks to you. It asks you where you want to go. You tell it， and then it simply says “follow me” like a childs game， and begins to float off in the direction of your destination. It keeps going， as you follow， leading you to where you want to go.

The guide works itself， without any help from any human being. It says hello to people as they arrive in the building， speaks to them， processes their requests and then guides them to the destinations.

The balloon has two tiny fans to help keep it floating and to provide just a touch of lift. Onboard is a wireless receiver for receiving directions from a computer that directs the fans and sensors （傳感器） that let it know where objects are around it.

The idea of such a simple robot is one that has been on the minds of scientists for years， and has been mentioned in novels many times. Today the iPhone does something similar but has to be connected to the Internet which is sometimes difficult. This is why this little balloon might be the wave of the future—because it is so much easier to follow！

1. What is the balloon mentioned in the passage used to do？

A. Lead the way. B. Bring people joy.

C. Catch criminals. D. Welcome visitors.

2. What does the underlined word “processes” in Paragraph 2 probably mean？

A. Asks for. B. Refuses.

C. Deals with. D. Repeats.

3. The balloon keeps right position with the help of _____ .

A. sensors B. two tiny fans

C. a wireless receiver D. human beings

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph？

A. The idea of such a robot is new.

B. Such a robot is difficult to make.

C. The technology has been widely used.

D. The technology may become popular in the future.

B

My kids tell me its unfair to play with the big children； I tell them thats right. The playing field is never even or equal. Your skills and attitude play a major role in the outcome （結(jié)果）.

Unfairness is a good thing. There is more to be gained by the effort when things seem unfair. It is true that many things in the world are unfair， but unfair things usually benefit you. For example， the early bird catches the worm. It is unfair that the bird that sleeps in misses out on breakfast， but it is nice to know that if he gets up early he is sure to get the worm.

I always try to explain to my kids that complaining about how unfair the thing is will get them nowhere. Instead， make use of it and get on the other side of it. Once you do that you are in the advantage. Above all， you have to focus on gaining the unfair advantage and you have to build your inner strength. When you empower yourself， you are gaining skills or abilities， confidence and self-esteem （自尊）. You should look at your place in the world. Where do you want to be financially， spiritually， emotionally， and physically？ You are creating your own story when you empower yourself.

You can build all the advantages that you need to live the life that you want. If you havent yet， you need to make a list of all the things you want to experience in your new life. This will help you focus on building the advantage so that you never have to say that its not fair. When you do this， then you will be able to realize that unfairness is a good thing.

5. Why does the author say unfairness is a good thing？

A. It will make us gain more.

B. It will lead us to success more easily.

C. Its common in the playing field.

D. It gives us a realistic view of the world.

6. How does the author explain the benefits of unfair things？

A. By listing facts.

B. By telling a story.

C. By giving an explanation.

D. By making comparisons.

7. According to the author， what should we do when facing unfair things？

A. Avoid them if possible.

B. Take advantage of them.

C. Change them to fair things.

D. Analyze the reason behind them.

8. Whats the authors main purpose of writing the text？

A. To show his attitude to competitive sports.

B. To ask us to stop complaining about unfair things.

C. To encourage us to try our best in the playing field.

D. To advise us to be positive before unfair things.