Close your eyes and imagine you are living in the next two centuries or more. You’ll be living in a world filled with smart robots, which will be helping you to take care of your children, or your elderly parents in your home. You’ll live much longer thanks to the medicine made by genetic (基因的) science. And mankind may be going farther in space than ever before ––you will be living on the moon or Mars.
How should we view the changes that wait for us in the future? Should we be optimistic about the years ahead, or worried about what the future holds? Some scientists and experts are having a discussion about how technology, science and society will develop in the future.
“I’m looking forward to the day when more technology will come to my life,” says John Searle, a professor at the University of California Berkeley Philosophy, “because I think further research in such areas as genetics, physics, chemistry and medicine will help us to overcome poverty, improve health, and
make life longer.”
Hugh Herr, at MIT’s Biomechatronics Group, considers very powerful weapons (武器) as concern (担心) over the future. Another is the growing role of technology in our lives. “Machines taking over what humans do is not a good thing,” Herr says.
That is a similar concern shared by Daniela Cerqui, a social and cultural scientist. “I am afraid that the long-term future we are building will have no space left for human beings,” says Cerqui. “The main values of our society are related to information that must progress as quickly as possible, and computers are much better than humans in these tasks.”
60. The first paragraph mainly tells us ________.
A. how science will develop in the next two centuries
B. how people will live in a modern society
C. what life would be like in the future
D. what computers will bring to our society
61. What is John Searle’s attitude towards the future of technology?
A. Worried. B. Optimistic. C. Uncertain. D. Disappointed.
62. The underlined word “That” in the last paragraph refers to______.
A. the poverty problem in the future
B. machines taking over what humans do
C. the technology of weapons
D. the health problem of humans
63. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The future––full of hope or concern?
B. Great changes will take place in the future
C. The relationship between technology and humans
D. The role of robots and computers in the future
Dear Kind-Trustee-Who-Sends-Orphans-to-College,
Here I am! I traveled yesterday for four hours in a train．It’s a funny feeling, isn’t it? I never rode in one before．
College is the biggest, most puzzling place—I get lost whenever I leave my room. I will write you a description later when I'm feeling less confused; also I will tell you about my lessons. Classes don't begin until Monday morning, and this is Saturday night. But I wanted to write a letter first just to get acquainted.
It seems strange to be writing letters to somebody you don't know. It seems strange for me to be writing letters at all—I've never written more than three or four in my life, so please overlook it if these are not a model kind.
Before leaving yesterday morning, Mrs. Lippett and I had a very serious talk. She told me how to behave all the rest of my life, and especially how to behave towards the kind gentleman who is doing so much for me. I must take care to be very respectful.
But how can one be very respectful to a person who wishes to be called John Smith? Why couldn't you have picked out a name with a little personality? I might as well write letters to Dear Flagpole or Dear Clothes-line.
I have been thinking about you a great deal this summer; having somebody take an interest in me after all these years makes me feel as though I had found a sort of family. It seems as though I belonged to somebody now, and it's a very comfortable feeling. I must say, however, that when I think about you, my imagination has very little to work upon. There are just three things that I know: I, You are tall. Ⅱ. You are rich. Ⅲ. You hate girls.
I suppose I might call you Dear Mr. Girl-Hater. Only that's rather rude to me. Or Dear Mr. Rich-Man, but that's rude to you, as though money were the only important thing about you. Besides, being rich is such a very external quality. Maybe you won't stay rich all your life; lots of very clever men get broke in Wall Street. But at least you will stay tall all your life! So I've decided to call you Dear Daddy-Long-Legs. I hope you won't mind. It's just a private pet name we won't tell Mrs. Lippett.
The ten o'clock bell is going to ring in two minutes. Our day is divided into sections by bells. We eat and sleep and study by bells. It's very lifeful. There it goes! Lights out. Good night.
Observe how precisely I obey rules--due to my training in the John Grier Home.
Yours most respectfully,
Jerusha Abbott
to Mr. Daddy-Long-Legs SmithJerusha felt “confused” because ______.
| A．she had never written to the trustee before |
| B．she was not familiar with the college yet |
| C．she could never find the way to her home |
| D．she had never traveled on a train berore |
Jerusha thought that she couldn’t be very respectful to “John Smith” because _______．
| A．he was a total stranger to her |
| B．she was sure it was a false identity |
| C．the name was too common |
| D．nobody would like to be called that name |
The fact that her day is “divided into sections by bells” makes Jerusha feel______.
| A．busy | B．restricted by rules | C．pressed for time | D．full of energy |
Jerusha decided to call the trustee Dear Daddy-Long-legs______.
| A．in order to show her respect for him |
| B．because it was one of his inner quality |
| C．in older to make them feel closer to each other |
| D．because she had always wanted a father |
Alexis was hot and tired. With rage in her voice she shouted, "Pull me up！I give up, I hate this. This is stupid!" It was at that moment when Jason, the adviser on the trip, looked at me and said, "Ed, I'm going to go down and talk with her." I then shouted down to Alexis, "Hold on! You can do this. We know you can!"
Jason grasped another rope, put his climbing harness(系带)on and began to repel down the cliff. Within moments Jason was beside Alexis. She had her cheek directly against the face of the rock with her feet barely resting on a small piece of the cliff that jetted outward. Jason said to Alexis, "I know that you have been on this cliff now for what seems like a long time. Your feet and fingers are cramping(痉挛)up and your forearms feel as though they are on fire. But , Alexis, you are strong, look how far up you are already. You have taken one of the more difficult paths up the cliff. Look Alexis, look at the path you have taken."
At that moment, Alexis moved her cheek away from the rock face and looked down. The bright white chalk she used on her hands to give her a better hold, showed the path where her tired hands had moved her upward on the cliff. Jason was right. Alexis had taken the hardest way up the cliff. Jason then looked straight into Alexis' eyes and in a calm voice he said, "You are not alone out here, there are people who care about you, who want to help you and see you succeed. We are going to do this together. Are you ready?" Slowly she shook her head yes and took a deep breath.Jason went down the cliff because _________.
| A．Alexis took a wrong path | B．Alexis was trapped in rocks |
| C．Alexis didn't believe in herself | D．Alexis' forearms were badly hurt |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A．Alexis was finally pulled up by Ed |
| B．Alexis regretted having taken the wrong path up the cliff |
| C．Alexis was immediately sent to hospital after she was pulled up |
| D．Alexis successfully rock climbed |
The underlined word "hot" in the story means _________.
| A．disappointed | B．angry | C．uncomfortable | D．running a high body temperature |
Alexis would probably become _________.
| A．more strong-minded | B．easier to give up |
| C．poorer in health | D．less interested in rock climbing |
Animation means making things which are lifeless come alive and move.
Since earliest times, people have always been astonished by movement. But not until this century have we managed to take control of movement, to record it, and in the case of animation, to retranslate it and recreate it. To do all this, we use a movie camera and a projector（放映机）.
In the world of cartoon animation, nothing is impossible. You can make the characters do exactly what you want them to do.
A famous early cartoon character was Felix the Cat, created by Pat Sullivan in America in the early nineteen twenties. Felix was a wonderful cat. He could do all sorts of things no natural cat could do like taking off his tail, using it as a handle and then putting it back.
Most of the great early animators lived and worked in America, the home of the moving picture industry. The famous Walt Disney cartoon characters came to life after 1928. Popeye the Sailor and his girl friend Olive Oyo were born at Max Ficischer in 1933.
But to be an animator, you don’t have to be a professional（专业人士）. It is possible for anyone to make a simple animated film without using a camera at all. All you have to do is to draw directly on to an empty film and then run the film through a projector.What does the passage mainly discuss?
| A．Animal world | B．Movie camera | C．Cartoon making | D．Movement |
According to the passage, Felix the Cat ______ .
| A．was created by the American cartoonist Felix |
| B．was designed by Pat Sullivan in the early twentieth century |
| C．was unable to do what natural cats could not do |
| D．was created in the United States in the nineteenth century |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．Walt Disney’s cartoon characters were born earlier that Pat Sullivan’s |
| B．only professionals can create cartoon characters |
| C．Popeye the Sailor and Olive Oyo were famous cartoonists |
| D．the animation industry started in the United States |
Which of the following statements best describes the author’s attitude towards cartoon making?
| A．Cartoon making is not a difficult job. Anyone can do it. |
| B．Only trained people can be employed in cartoon making industry. |
| C．Anyone can make cartoons under the instructions of professionals. |
| D．Cartoon making is no easy job. You have to spend much time drawing onto the empty film. |
Many crimes and social problems are caused by children. Despite the damage these teenage criminals cause, parents are not responsible in most countries. This article will discuss whether parents should be forced to pay for their children’s crimes.
There are many reasons why parents should not be responsible for crimes committed by teenage children. First of all, teenagers today are independent. They often move out of the parents’ house at 18 years of age or younger. They are expected to learn to take care of themselves and make their own decisions, and not to stay like small children attached to their parents. Secondly, parents are working. They cannot watch their adolescent children all the time. A third point is that even children from good families can sometimes commit crimes. Parents should not be responsible if they have worked hard to raise their children properly.
However, young troublemakers cause many problems, and I feel we should make parents responsible. Firstly, most juvenile（未成年的）crimes are committed by adolescents whose parents do not care or make any effort to control their children. If parents had to pay fines（罚款）, they might make more effort. Another point is that even though the children may seem mature, they are not really able to make good decisions. Parents should be responsible for raising and teaching their children until they are fully grown. Furthermore, if children know that their parents will have to pay, they will think carefully before getting into trouble.
In summary, there are good reasons both for and against making parents pay for acts committed by their children. However, I feel strongly that if we want to reduce the number of such crimes, we need to make parents take more responsibility.Those who insist that parents should not be responsible for their children’s crimes believe that ________.
a. teenagers are able to deal with things on their own
b. children need to experience difficulties to be fully grown
c. it’s impossible for parents to be with their children all the time
d. parents are not to blame as long as they try their best to educate their children
| A．a, c, d | B．a, b, c | C．b, c, d | D．a, b, d |
According to Paragraph 3, the main reason for children’s crimes is ________.
| A．unstable social environment | B．parents’ carelessness |
| C．bad family relationship | D．heavy financial burden |
The author thinks that making parents pay for their children’s crimes is ________.
| A．useless | B．easy | C．necessary | D．impractical |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Proper ways to educate children | B．Reasons for children’s crimes |
| C．Should children move out? | D．Should parents pay? |
Scientists from South Korea are trying to convert（转化）sound waves into electricity. The research could lead to charging a cell phone from a conversation or providing energy to the nation’s electricity system generated（产生）by the noise during rash-hour traffic.
“Just as speakers transform electrical signals into sound, the opposite process —turning sound into a source of electrical power — is possible,” said Young Jun Park and Sang-Woo Kim, the joint authors of a new article in the journal Advanced Materials.
Harvesting energy from phone calls and passing cars is based on materials known as piezoelectrics. When bent, piezoelectric materials turn that mechanical energy into electricity. Lots of materials are piezoelectric: cane sugar, quartz （石英）and even dried bone which could create an electrical charge when stressed. For decades, scientists have pumped electricity into piezoelectric materials for use in environmental sensors, speakers and other devices.
Over the past few years, however, scientists have made dramatic advances in getting electricity out of piezoelectric devices. In an experiment, by using sound waves, which at 100 decibels（分贝）were not quite as loud as a rock concert （a normal conversation is about 60-70 decibels）, the South Korean scientists produced a mild electrical current of about 50 millivolts（毫伏）. The average cell phone requires a few volts to function, several times the power this technology can currently produce.
“But the real question is whether there is enough surrounding noise to act as a power source as for a cell phone,” said McAlpine, a leading scientist. A consumer probably wouldn’t want to attend a rock concert or stand next to a passing train to charge his cell phone. The South Korean scientists agree but they expect to get a higher power output as they continue their work.According to the two South Korean scientists, ________.
| A．sound waves can travel faster than electricity |
| B．new materials can send cell phone signals better |
| C．using cell phones adds to heavy traffic in rush hour |
| D．electricity and sound can be transformed into each other |
We know from the passage that piezoelectric materials ________.
| A．can produce electricity when stressed |
| B．are good at changing electricity into sound |
| C．can reduce the noise of passing cars |
| D．have been widely used in phones and cars |
It can be inferred from the South Korean scientists’ experiment that ________.
| A．it is hard to change sound into electricity under current conditions |
| B．it is impossible to make use of loud sound |
| C．the technology has a long way to go to have a practical use |
| D．the technology can power cell phones easily |
What McAlpine doubts about the technology is ________.
| A．the noise pollution | B．the sound resource |
| C．the cost of piezoelectrics | D．the safety of devices |