A
Why do human beings still risk their lives under ground doing one of the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs in the world? It's an increasingly urgent question，given the recent highprofile(引人注目的) mining accidents in Sago，W.Va.，and Huntington，Utah.A small group of engineers and robotics experts envision(展望) a day in the nottoodistant future when robots and other technology do most of the dangerous mining work.
One of the first mining robots was developed five years ago at Carnegie—Mellon University's Robotics Institute.It was called Groundhog and it looked like a golf cart.It used lasers to “see” in dark tunnels and map abandoned mines—some of the most dangerous work in the business.
The latest prototype(原型) is called Cave Crawler.It's a bit smaller than Groundhog，and even more advanced.It can take photos and videos and has sensors mounted(装置) that can detect the presence of dangerous gases.Incredibly，the robot has a real sense of logic.If it comes across an obstacle(障碍物)，it gets momentarily confused.It has to think through the process and where to go next，and sometimes it throws a fit just like a real person.
The biggest obstacle，though，is cost.The original research project was federally funded，but that money has dried up，and it's not clear where future funding will come from.Partly for that reason，and partly because of advances in safety，mining is not nearly as dangerous as it was in the past.Since 1990，deaths have declined by 67 percent，and injuries by 51 percent，according to the National Mining Association.
Some experts predict that robots in mines will serve much of the same function that they do in the automotive industry.The robots do the most repetitive and dangerous jobs，but don't eliminate(消除) the need for human workers.
【语篇解读】 本文介绍了可代替人类从事采矿等危险工作的矿山机器人。
1．The phrase “throws a fit” in Paragraph 3 probably means“________”．
A．gets angry B．gets shocked
C．becomes excited D．becomes cheerful
A [词义猜测题。根据第3段最后一句的语境可知，在障碍不能被解决时，矿山机器人有时也会像人一样大发脾气。]
2．The latest robot is more advanced than Groundhog mainly because________．
A．it can map abandoned mines
B．it's a bit smaller than Groundhog
C．it can “see” in the dark tunnel
D．it has a real sense of logic
D [细节理解题。根据第3段第4句可知，最新型机器人具有真实的逻辑能力。]
3．We can infer from the last paragraph that ________．
A．robots in mines have a long way to go
B．the mine robots will have a very bright future
C．there will be no need for human workers in mines
D．robots in mines will serve much in the automotive industry
B [推理判断题。根据最后一段中的robots in mines will serve much of the same function that they do in the automotive industry可推知，矿山机器人前景广阔。]
4．Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
A．The Development of Robot
B．Cave Crawler，the Latest Robot
C．Could Robots Replace Humans in Mines?
D．Highprofile Mining Accidents in America
C [标题归纳题。通读全文尤其最后一段可知，矿山机器人可做采矿等危险工作，但是不能完全离开人工。]
