Areyouworriedbytherisingcrimer-优题课

In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!
For each prediction that has come true today, several others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology, or if people really needed it in their lives or not. Let’s look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.
Robot Helpers
Where’s the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he’s probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other manufacturing environments.
Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people’s homes.
So why hasn’t it happened? Probably because robots are still too expensive and clumsy. And maybe the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too weird. At home we seem to be doing fine without them.
Telephones of Tomorrow
In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn’t caught on yet.
Why? The technology worked fine, but it over—looked something obvious: people’s desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just step out of the shower? Probably not---it could be embarrassing! Just because a technology available doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.
And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the flying car? It’s not so crazy anymore! But a flying car remains one of the most fascinating technology ideas to capture our imagination. Keep watching the news, or perhaps the sky outside your window, to see what the future will bring.
The whole passage is mainly about ________________.

A．predictions that have come true.	B．predictions that haven’t come true.
C．why predictions don’t come true easily.	D．what technology will bring about.

The author of this passage won’t believe that _________________.

A．predictions needn’t consider people’s practical use of technology.

B．the future isn’t always easy to guess.

C．not all past predictions have come true.

D．many of the high—tech things our parents thought we’d be using by now

simply never appeared.
The underlined word “weird” probably means __________.

A．wonderful

B．stupid

C．practical

D．strange

What does the author think of the flying car?

A．It is too difficult to imagine.	B．It is too crazy an idea.
C．It is likely to be made.	D．It is often reported in the news.

The sea has always interested man. From it he can get food, minerals, and treasure. For thousands of years, he could sail on it. But he could not go far beneath its surface.
Man wants to explore deep into the sea. However, he is not a fish. He must breathe air, so he can’t stay under the water’s surface for any length of time. To explore deep water, man faces even more dangers and problems.
A diver who wants to stay under water for more than a few minutes must breathe air or a special mixture of gases. He can wear a diving suit and have air pumped to him from above. He can carry a tank of air on his back and breathe through a hose(软管) and a mouthpiece. Water weighs 800 times as much as air. Tons of water pushes against a diver deep in the sea. His body is under great pressure.
When a diver is under great pressure, his blood takes in some of the gases he breathes. As he rises to surface, the water pressure becomes less. If the diver rises too quickly, the gases in his blood form bubbles(气泡). The diver is then suffering from the bends(潜函病). The bends can cause a diver to double up in pain. They can even kill him.
On the whole, this text is about _________.

A．special mixtures of gases in deep sea.

B．the problems a diver faces in deep sea.

C．air pressure under the surface of sea water.

D．a kind of illness that man suffers in the sea.

The text does not say so, but it makes you think that ____________.

A．deep-sea divers should be in good health.

B．divers explore the deep sea only for treasure.

C．there is

a special mixture of gases under the sea.

D．diving under the water too quickly causes a kind of illness.

Why does a diver get the bends?

A．The air in his blood is used up.	B．His diving suit weighs too much.
C．He comes to the surface too quickly.	D．He tries to do exercise under the sea.

If you are in charge of a project, the key to success is getting everyone to want to help you. As a director, I point, I suggest. I gently push the actors in the direction I want them to go. In the 1986 movie“Nothing in Common”, Jackie Gleason’s character, Max Basner, gets fired from his job as a clothing salesman. The scene, shot on a boat, shows Max’s despair about being out of work. I was looking for some gesture that would allow Max to show his feelings.
Jackie had far more experience at everything than I did, and at first I was frightened. What could I possibly tell “The Great One” about acting? Finally I decided to direct by suggestion, and sat down with Gleason to talk about the scene. “So Max is sad, right?” I said.Gleason nodded.“And he’s probably still carrying his pens with name on them—the ones he used to hand out to his customers, right?”Gleason nodded.“So what would you want to do with the pens after you were fired?”He was silent for a moment. “Why don’t I throw them overboard?”I stood up and turned up and turned toward the crew. “Hey, everybody, Jackie has a wonderful idea. Let’s shoot it.”
After filming the scene, Gleason called me over and said with a smile. “Garry, what kind of wonderful idea am I going to have tomorrow?”
You and your team can discover the answers to problems together. When there are no prizes or gold stars for who gets the solution first, you’ll all benefit when everything turns out right.
According to the writer, to succeed in a project you are in charge of , you should______.

A．make everyone work for you	B．get everyone willing to help
C．let people know you have the idea	D．keep talking to them

“The Great One” in Paragraph 2 refers to______.

A．Gleason

B．the director himself

C．Max

D．Max’s boss

After filming the scene, Gleason called the director over and smiled at him. That’s because Gleason________.

A．thought the director gave him a good idea

B．formed the habit of thinking of ideas while talking

C．was not confident about his acting

D．appreciated the director’s directing skill

The most suitable title for the passage is “_______”.

A．Directing a Film	B．The Key to Success
C．A Wonderful Experience	D．Working with Film

After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me. I was told it would mean a great deal to him, so I agreed.
During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy (肌萎缩症). When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to five, and then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams.
I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, “Why me?” He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weights with me. When we had finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I had won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.”
Last summer I received a letter from Matthew’s parents telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:
Dear Dick,
My mum said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. I also want to let you know that the doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live any more, but I still smile as much as I can.
I told you someday that I would go to the Olympics and win a gold medal, but I know now I will never get to do that. However, I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you. Thank you for loving me.
Your friend,
Matthew
The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that_______.

A．the boy never complained about how unlucky he was to have this disease

B．the boy never complained about not being able to go to school

C．the boy never complained why the author had never come to see him before

D．the boy never complained about not gettig a medal

From the passage we learn that ________.

A．Matthew was an athlete

B．Matthew was an optimistic and determined boy

C．The author used to have the same disease as Matthew had

D．Matthew became a champion before he died

Matthew didn’t accepted the author’s medal because .

A．he thought it was too expensive

B．he was sure that he could win one in the future

C．he thought it was of no use to him as he would die soon

D．he would not be pitied by others

What would be the best title for this passage?

A．A sick boy.	B．A special friend.
C．A real champion.	D．A famous athlete.

Broken rubber bands and flat tires requiring replacement could soon be a thing of the past．
French researchers have developed a new kind of rubber that can repair itself when broken．The new rubber is made from widely available materials including vegetable oil and a common industrial chemical．All the materials are considered safe to the environment and can be easily reused．
The best part is that the new rubber can be repaired and used again and again without losing its strength or ability or stretch．When cut, the rubber can be made new again, simply by pressing the two broken ends back together．
The product can be repaired at room temperature, around twenty degrees Centigrade；other self-healing materials require higher temperatures for repair．
Traditionally, rubber substances are made from huge molecules（分子）connected by strong chemical links, or bonds．The new rubber is made of smaller molecules．The molecules are linked together using hydrogen bonds．When connected in this way, the molecules act like one long molecule, forming what is called supramolecular networks（超分子网）．When the rubber is cut, the molecules attempt to connect with whatever molecule is near them．When pressed together, the molecules are able to repair themselves at the molecular level, making the repaired rubber like new．
However, time is an important element in the process．If the broken ends are not brought together quickly, a repair is not possible．This is because molecules will form bonds with molecules on their own side．The inventors say the surfaces of the rubber can be repaired within a week of being separated．
The rubber is the creation of scientists at the Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Education Institution in Paris．The organization is part of France’s National Center for Scientific Research．The new material is described in greater detail in the research publication Nature．
According to the introduction, which of the following is NOT the advantage of the new rubber?

A．It can be made as easily as common rubber．

B．It is environmentally-friendly．

C．It can repair itself at room temperature．

D．It is made of smaller molecules．

What does the 5th paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Why the new rubber is unique．

B．Why the new rubber can repair itself．

C．The new rubber is made from huge molecules．

D．The new rubber is different from the common rubber．

If we want to know more about the technology of this kind of new rubber, where can we get the information?

A．In the researchers’ diary．

B．In a guide book．

C．In a research magazine．

D．In a newspaper．