Robots come in many shapes and sizes, but scientists in Zurich, Switzerland, have developed one new robot called Pleurobot, which looks and acts just like a salamander (火蜥蜴)．
To create the robot, scientists took hundreds of Xrays of real salamanders. They studied the images of these animals to see which joints (关节) and muscles the animals use as they move. Then the scientists built the Pleurobot's skeleton to move just like the real thing. This makes the robot's movements incredibly lifelike.
According to experts, salamanders were among the first animals to develop a skeleton and nervous system that allowed them to travel on land. “By studying the modern salamander, we have a time window to the ancestors of all vertebrates(脊椎动物), including humans，” Auke Ijspeert, the designer of the robot, told scholastic News Online.
Both people and salamanders have a spinal cord (脊髓). An injury to the spinal cord can result in the inability to move. Now, there is no cure for paralysis (瘫痪). Ijspeert hopes that the Pleurobot can help change that. Because these studies could help researchers develop new ways to help people who have been paralyzed by spinal cord injuries.
Scientists think that the Pleurobot could also be used for searchandrescue tasks too dangerous for humans. Because the robot is low to the ground and has a wide range of motion, it could be used to get into dangerous places, like fallen buildings, to look for survivors. Thanks to its waterproof suit, the robotic salamander could even participate in underwater missions.
Experts are now working on a smaller, sturdier (harder to break) model of the Pleurobot. They expect this one to be even better suited for getting into small spaces to do dangerous work.
这篇文章主要讲了瑞士的科学家发明了一款新的机器人，这款机器人看起来有些像火蜥蜴。
1．What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A．How real salamanders move.
B．What the Pleurobot looks like.
C．Why scientists invented the Pleurobot.
D．How scientists designed the Pleurobot.
答案：D
解析：主旨大意题。第二自然段主要讲了科学家设计这款机器人的过程，选D。
2．What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A．The shape of the spinal cord.
B．The movement of robotic animals.
C．The problem of spinal cord injuries.
D．The way the brain controls the spinal cord.
答案：C
解析：细节理解题。由上文内容An injury to the spinal cord can result in the inability to move. Now, there is no cure for paralysis (瘫痪)．可知，that指的是脊椎受伤的问题，选C。
3．Which of the following can best describe the Pleurobot?
A．Fashionable. B．Entertaining.
C．Functional. D．Powersaving.
答案：C
解析：推理判断题。由Scientists think that the Pleurobot could also be used for searchandrescue tasks too dangerous for humans. Because the robot is low to the ground and has a wide range of motion, it could be used to get into dangerous places, like fallen buildings, to look for survivors. Thanks to its waterproof suit, the robotic salamander could even participate in underwater missions.可推断出机器人Pleurobot非常实用，选C。
4．The text is most probably ________.
A．a news report B．a research paper
C．an advertisement D．an official document
答案：A
解析：推理判断题。这篇文章主要讲了瑞士的科学家发明了一款新的机器人，这款机器人看起来有些像火蜥蜴，所以这篇文章最可能是一则新闻报道，选A。
