In many parts of the world, cars play an important role in daily life and many societies would not exist without them. So the idea that in 20 years’ time, no one will own cars may be hard to believe. But this is the prediction made by a team of transport researchers who are taken seriously, not only by government but also by car manufacturers.
The Human Science and Advanced Technology Institute at Loughborough in the UK is part of an international research program. The team there believes that by 2020 all cars will be computerized, which will mean much saving, no accidents and better use of roads. The super-intelligent car of the 21st century will drive itself, and it will not be owned by one individual. Instead, we will have a choice of cars and change them as frequently as we change our clothing.
According to Dr. David Davis , who leads the research team, these predictions are based on the rising cost of the car culture, which has blocked up our cities, polluted our air , and caused more deaths than both world wars put together.
Davis says, cars will be fitted with some intelligent devices to regulate the distance between one car and another. The car will automatically speed up, or slow down, to match the speed of the car in front. Computers are much safer drivers than people, so cars in a road train will be able to drive much closer together than cars driven by people.
By 2010, Dr. David Davis believes, car technology will give motorists a clear view of the road, whatever the weather conditions, by projecting an image of the road ahead on to the car’s windscreen. And by 2020, cars will travel in convoy, linked to each other electronically. Cars will be connected by an electronic tow bar to the car in front to form “road–trains”. “The front vehicle in such a train burns the normal amount.” says Davis. “But all the others in the train would burn about ten percent of the normal amount, and so produce about ten percent of the pollution.”We know from the passage that governments and car manufacturers _______
| A．do not believe the prediction that no one will own cars by 2020 |
| B．are devoted to the technological revolution in car industry |
| C．consider the predictions seriously |
| D．have put the super-intelligent car into mass production |
Which of the following will be the characteristic of the cars of 2020?
| A．in line | B．sidelong | C．side by side | D．shoulder to shoulder |
What will happen if cars are joined to each other electronically in 2020?
To err is human．To blame the other guy is even more human．
Common sense is not all that common．
Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?
These three popular misquotes （戏谑的引语） are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature．To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem．Perhaps it is the natural thing to do．The original quote about human nature went like this, “ To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）．” This saying mirrors an ideal: people should be forgiving of others’ mistakes．Instead, we tend to do the opposite --- find someone else to pass the blame on to．However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a making of great maturity．
Common sense is what we call clear thought．Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan．Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine．Common sense does not seem to be common for large organizations, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything．People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing．”
And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time．There is a corollary（直接推论）to that: if good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?According to the author, what is a sign of a man’s maturity?
| A．Doing things his own way． |
| B．Bearing responsibility for his mistakes． |
| C．Making as few mistakes as possible． |
| D．Thinking seriously about his wrongdoing． |
Which of the following is N0T based on common sense?
| A．A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company． |
| B．A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather． |
| C．A company’s next move follows a good plan． |
| D．A lawyer acts on fine judgments． |
What is the author’s opinion about a good excuse?
| A．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy． |
| B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas． |
| C．A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty． |
| D．Bitter truth is better than a good excuse． |
What would be the best title for his passage?
| A．A Mirror of Human Nature | B．To Blame or to Forgive |
| C．A Mark of Maturity | D．Truth or Excuse |
Michael, a normal American, stays home on workdays. He plugs into his personal computer terminal in order to connect with the office. After work he puts on his headphones, watches a movie on his home video recorder or plays baseball on the computer. On many days, Michael doesn’t talk to any other human beings, and he doesn’t see any people except the ones on television. Michael is imaginary, but his life style is very possible. The inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from communicating with our fellow human beings.
The world of business is one area in which technology is separating us. Experts say, for example, that many people will soon be able to work at home. With access to a large central computer, employees such as office clerks, insurance agents, and accountants could do their job at display terminals in their own homes. They would never have to actually see the people they’re dealing with. Also, the way employees are paid will change. Workers’ salaries will be automatically paid into their bank accounts, making paper checks unnecessary. No workers will stand in line to receive their pay or cash their checks. Personal banking will change, too. Customers will deal with machines to put in or take out money from their accounts.
Another area in which technology is changing is entertainment. Music, for instance, was once a group experience. People listened to music at concert halls or in small social gatherings. For many people now, however, music is an individual experience. Walking along the street or sitting in their living rooms, they wear headphones to build a wall of music around them. Movie entertainment is changing, too. Movies used to be social events. Now, fewer people are going out to see a movie. Many more are choosing to wait for a film to appear on television or are borrowing videotapes to watch at home. Instead of laughing with others, viewers watch movies in their own living rooms.The underlined sentence in the first paragraph means _______.
| A．Michael is a person full of imagination and his dreams can come true |
| B．Michael is not a real person but the life style does exist |
| C．Michael has ambitions but he can’t make his dreams come true |
| D．Michael is full of imagination and his life style is common nowadays |
What does the author discuss in the last paragraph ?
| A．Technology is changing ways of entertainment. |
| B．People will never go to the concert in future. |
| C．How to borrow videotapes at home. |
| D．How to see a movie at home. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．We may no longer need to communicate with other people. |
| B．Modern technology seems to be separating people. |
| C．We may no longer need to work in the office. |
| D．Modern technology makes it possible for us to work at home. |
As is known to all, colors appear in every language to express people’s feeling and thoughts. Then, what is the situation in American English?
Red is a hot color. Americans may say they are red hot about something unfair. They are red hot when they are very angry about something. The small hot-tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hot for their color and their fiery taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland Jazz.
Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. It comes from the fact that many babies are born with nice pink skin that shows that they are in good health.
The color black is often used in expressions. People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day. People or things on a blacklist are connected with things illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations.
The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling in his stomach may say he feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green.
Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because green is the color of the back side of the paper money.Americans use “red hot” to describe the following EXCEPT _______.
| A．something unfair | B．small hot-tasting peppers |
| C．the person who is very angry | D．popular music like Dixieland Jazz |
When we say someone feels a little green, it means he/she _______.
| A．enjoys himself in boating | B．is hit by a high wave |
| C．has a stomachache | D．likes trees and grass |
In the writer’s eyes, what is related to a black day?
| A．Being sent a beautiful gift. | B．Passing a very difficult test. |
| C．Failing in an important interview. | D．Being invited to an exciting party. |
Can you imagine a stranger will read your e-mails without your permission or scan the website you’ve visited or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phones bills? All of the things may happen to you one day.
In fact, it’s likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen or even do something that may bring a disaster to you.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, and that it’s important to reveal to friends, family and lovers at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain nowadays. The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to know who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can leak the deepest thought in your mind. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is “No”.
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most of them say they are really concerned about losing it. And 60 percent of the respondents say they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me”.
But people say one thing and do another. Only a small of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that track automobile movements. Privacy economist Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give up personal information such as telephone number, address, or social security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cent-off coupon(优惠券). But privacy does matter—at least sometimes. It’s like health; when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it. Without privacy, one will be naked in front of others.What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?
| A．Friends should open their hearts to each other. |
| B．Friends should always be faithful to each other. |
| C．There should be a distance even between friends. |
| D．There should be fewer quarrels between friends. |
Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret”?
| A．Modern society has finally developed into an open society. |
| B．People leave traces around when using modern technology. |
| C．There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs. |
| D．Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities. |
What should be the best title for the text?
| A．No Privacy, No Health |
| B．Treasure Your Privacy |
| C．Boundaries are Important between Friends |
| D．The information Age Has Its Own Shortcomings |
It is common for older people to forget things. Now an American study has found that memory starts to fail when we are young adults. People younger than thirty years of age usually do not know that they are starting to forget information. But scientists from the University of Michigan say the loss of memory has usually already started.
Researchers say people do not observe this slow reduction in mental ability until the loss affects their everyday activities.
Denise Park led the new study. She directs the Centre for Aging and Cognition at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Her team studied more than 350 men and women between the ages of twenty and ninety years. The study identified people in their middle twenties with memory problems.
She says young adults do not know they are forgetting things because their brains have more information than they need.
But she says that people in their twenties and thirties are losing memory at the same rate as people in their sixties and seventies.
Ms. Park says people between the ages of sixty and seventy may note the decrease in their mental abilities. They begin to observe that they are having more trouble remembering and learning new information.
The study found that older adults are more likely to remember false information as being true. For example, they remembered false medical claims as being true. Younger people remembered hearing the information. But they were more likely to remember that it was false.
Ms. Park is now using modern imaging equipment to study what happens in the brains of people of different ages. She is studying what parts of the brain older adults use for different activities compared to younger adults. Ms. Park says mental performance is a direct result of brain activity and brain structure. She says keeping the brain active is important. She hopes future studies will identify ways to improve the operation of our aging minds.The passage is meant to _____________.
| A．emphasize the importance of exercising the brain |
| B．analyze the difference between different age groups on the loss of memory |
| C．reveal the decrease in mental ability of young adults as well as older adults |
| D．introduce effective ways to improve memory |
According to the passage, young adults differ from older adults in that ________.
| A．they lose their memory at a slower rate |
| B．they rarely realize they have memory problems |
| C．their brains can store much more information |
| D．all of the above |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
| A．Not until the loss of memory affects their daily activities, do people notice the decrease in their mental abilities. |
| B．People begin to lose memory in their twenties. |
| C．Older people tend to remember false information as being true. |
| D．Younger people find it easier to remember the information that is proven false. |
It can be inferred from what Denis Park says that ______.
| A．mental performance can be improved |
| B．mental ability is determined entirely by brain structure |
| C．people of different ages use different parts of the brain for memorizing |
| D．different parts of the brain are responsible for different mental activities |
Which of the following is a suitable title for the passage?
| A．The Mysterious Brain | B．The Ability to Forget |
| C．Memory Reduction | D．Mental Performance |