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Could a robot dog help people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia? American businessman Tom Stevens thinks so. He recently presented a test version of a yellow Labrador puppy to residents in a nursing home in California.

Stevens believes the Tombot dog, which moves its head from side to side and wags its tail, can help people with dementia. It is also easier to care for than a real dog. The robot has 16 motors to control its movements and has sensors to respond to people’s voice and touching. Stevens said he came up with the idea for the robot after his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2011. "Of the many bad days that we had early on, by far the worst was when I had to take away her dog," Stevens said.

The robot puppy, which is called Jenny, cannot walk and is carried on a small bed. During a visit last month, at the Sage Mountain nursing home in Thousand Oaks, people suffering from dementia and other memory-related illnesses put smiles on their faces while petting the puppy. Jenny has visited the nursing home a number of times. "The dog is very interactive, the tail wagging, responding to them calling her name," said Caroline Gibson, a spokeswoman for the nursing home. She added that it was "really amazing" to see the nursing home's residents feel at ease.

Tombot plans to sell its robot dogs in 2020 and it will enter a robot dog market that includes
Sony's Aibo. P&S Market Research estimates that the market for personal robots may reach over $30 billion by 2022.

1.We can know from the second paragraph that _______.

A Stevens presents the robot puppy to the residents in the nursing home

B the robot puppy can make people smile while petting it

C why Stevens came up with the idea for the robot puppy

D Caroline Gibson thinks the robot dog is helpful for the residents in the nursing home

解析：选C。段落大意题。通读第二段，可知此段主要讲了Tombot狗狗的外形，功能及作者设计这款机器人小狗的原因，故选C。

2.The underlined word "petting" refers to _____ .

A beating

B smiling at

C living with

D touching

解析：选D。词义猜测题。根据第二段第三句The robot has 16 motors to control its movements and has sensors to respond to people's voice and touching.可猜测是“说话”或者“触摸”，结合选项，A，B和C不符合文意，故选D。

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A Jenny can walk on a small bed.

B People in the nursing home in California show no interest in the robot puppy.

C The Tombot dogs will enter the robot dog market in 2020.

D Steven’s mother lives in the nursing home in Thousand Oaks.

解析：选C。细节理解题。由最后一段第一句Tombot plans to sell its robot dogs in 2020 and it will enter a robot dog market that includes Sony's Aibo.可知：Tombot计划在2020年出售其机器人小狗，并将进入一个包括索尼的Aibo在内的机器人小狗市场，A和B错误，D未提及，故选C。

4.What’s the best title of the passage?

A An American businessman — Tom Stevens.

B A lovely and helpful robot dog.

C A terrible disease — Alzheimer's disease.

D A spokeswoman for the nursing home.

解析：选B。主旨大意题。通读全文，文章主要介绍了一种可能能帮助患有阿尔茨海默氏症和其他痴呆症的人的新型机器人小狗，故选B。

5.The text is probably in the "_________" part of a newspaper.

A Advertisement

B Health

C Agriculture

D Art

解析：选B。文章出处题。文章主要介绍了一种可能能帮助患有阿尔茨海默氏症和其他痴呆症的人的新型机器人小狗，故可以在健康版块里看到这篇材料，故选B。