Technology: Taking the good without the bad?
Very soon, unimaginably powerful technologies will remake our lives．This could have dangerous consequences, especially because we may not even understand the basic science underlyi ng them．There’s a growing gap between our technological capability and our basic scientific understanding．We can do very clever things with the technology of the future without necessarily understanding some of the science underneath, and that is very dangerous．
The technologies that are particularly dangerous over the next hundred years are nanotechnology （纳米技术）, artificial intelligence and biotechnology．The benefits that they will bring are beyond doubt．But they are going to be very, very dangerous．I’m working in the field of artificial intelligence．I have a model design for something that might be 50,000 million times smarter than the human brain．Target date is 2010．The only thing that's not possible in the film Terminator（终结者） is that the people win．If you're fighting against technology w hich is 50,000 million times smarter than you, you probably will not win．
Nanotechnology．We've all heard of the grey glue problem, that self-replicating nanotech devices might keep on copying until the world has become sticky glue．And certainly in biotechnology, we've really got a big problem because it's converging with nanotechnology and IT．Once you start mixing nanotech with organisms and you start feeding nanotech-enabled bacteria, we can really go an awful lot further than the Borg in Star Trek（星际迷航）．And those superhuman organisms might not like us very much．
Eventually these technologies will become routine．That’s a threat to humanity．I don’t think it’s possible to slow it down．So what we need to do is accelerate the scientific research and try to get some extra tools．The problems facing us in the future are getting bigger and bigger．I think if we don’t get some proper science done, the future is hopeless indeed．From the text, we know that the author’s greatest concern is ．
| A．our lack of technological understanding of the process involved |
| B．our lack of technological capability |
| C．creating technology without really understanding the basic science |
| D．Our refusal to face the consequences of the technology we create |
It can be inferred from the text that the author ．
| A．thinks people overvalue the capabilities of technology |
| B．is not optimistic that artificial intelligence will always be used positively |
| C．thinks that we should take science fiction movies more seriously |
| D．believes artificial intelligence is the greatest threat we face technologically |
Why does the author say it is not possible in the film Terminator that the humans win?
| A．Because the power of the technology is exaggerated（夸大）． |
| B．Because the strength of the machines is much greater． |
| C．Because machines with that much intelligence can easily defeat humans． |
| D．Because human beings are not courageous enough to win the battle． |
Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature．However，whether you are on the mountains，in the waves，or on the grassland，you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment．
Some sports are resource-hungry．Golf，as you may know，eats up not only large areas of countryside，but also tons of water．Besides，all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses(球场)in good condition．This causes major environmental effects．For example，in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain，golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas．
There are many environment-friendly sports．Power walking is one of them that you could take up today．You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes；and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse．Simple and free，power walking can also keep you fit．If you walk regularly，it will be good for your heart and bones．Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious，sleep well and have better weight control．
Whatever sport you take up，you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials．But the final goal should be“green gyms”．They RYe better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors，in the countryside or other open spaces．There is no special requirement for you to start your membership．And best of all，it’s free.Which of the following is the author most probably in favor of?
| A．Cycling around a lake． |
| B．Motor racing in the desert． |
| C．Playing basketball in a gym． |
| D．Swimming in a sports center. |
What do we know about golf from the passage?
| A．It produces chemicals and wastes． |
| B．It is popular in Portugal and Spain． |
| C．It causes water shortages around the world． |
| D．It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green． |
The author uses power walking as an example mainly because ______________.
| A．it is an outdoor sport |
| B．it improves our health |
| C．it uses fewer resources |
| D．it is recommended by experts |
The author writes the passage to _____________．
| A．show us the function of major sports |
| B．encourage us to go in for green sports |
| C．discuss the major influence of popular sports |
| D．introduce different types of environment-friendly sports |
Food，football and fashion—Milan has it a11．The city is perhaps most famous for its annual Milan Fashion Week and its world-class soccer teams AC Milan and Inter Milan．And May will see it host the six-month Milan Expo，the theme of which is food and nutrition．
Milan may not the first place tourists think of when they think of Italy．Rome is the most famous city in Italian history，Venice draws visitors who want to travel along its canals and Florence is popular with art lovers．Yet Milan can often be left off tourists’lists．But although some see Milan as the“ugly sister”of these cities，according to Lonely Planet，in 2015 the city is“suddenly back in fashion in a big way”．
The Milan Expo will look at the future of food，trying to answer the question of how Earth’s fast-growing population can be fed in the future．According to Lonely Planet website．“144 countries will set up shop northwest of central Milan，forming a mini city-within-a-city”．
Milan’s famous opera house，La Scala，normally closed in the summer，will also host daily performances during the expo，reported Fox News．
Not interested in opera?Don’t worry．Visitors who prefer sports may want to visit the San Siro stadium，home of the soccer teams AC Milan and Inter Milan．Tile stadium is one of the most famous in Europe and has seen many important games over the years，both in Serie A and the European Champions League．
So even if all of its fashion and beautiful people can make Milan seem“soulless”，as Lonely Planet said．it still has“a serious sense of history and place”．Many people will be discovering it this year，and eating great food from all over the world to help solve world problems．Will you?Which of the following statements is True about Milan?
| A．It is the largest city in Italy and has the longest history． |
| B．It is hosting the world’s largest Fashion Week in 2015． |
| C．Football，fashion and ancient canals are three features of the city． |
| D．The city’s La Scala opera house will offer additional performances in 2015． |
What’s the attitudes of the editors from Lonely Planet towards the city of Milan?
| A．uninterested． | B．modest． |
| C．favorable． | D．dissatisfied． |
In the 2015 Milan Expo，you can ___________．
| A．enjoy food from all over the world |
| B．Watch great football games |
| C．Travel along the canals |
| D．Enjoy great art works |
The author’s purpose in writing this article is to ____________．
| A．give an introduction to Milan as a tourist destination |
| B．inform readers of the theme of the 2015 Milan Expo |
| C．give an objective review of the food culture in Milan |
| D．explain why Milan will be holding the world Expo in 2015 |
When I set out to drop my dad of fat the airport，it was dark and dreary(沉闷的)．It started to rain on the way．When I left the airport，the visibility wasn’t clear because of the drops of rain．It was before 6 am．
Even though the road conditions were poor，I drove at my normal speed．I was angry with the more cautious drivers ahead of me that were delaying my drive．The exit ramp(坡道)to the highway was a tight spiral(急盘旋)．It is a dangerous spot in good weather and totally scary when the weather is miserable or it is dark．But I didn’t want to slow down and arrive home any later than necessary．I drove down the ramp too fast．The road was wet and my car slid，landing face down on the passenger side．
I didn’t like to drive by myself at the time and had debated taking my husband and son with me on the trip．Thankfully，I was alone in the car．My accident was slight．In fact, I was lucky enough not to have a single scratch．I shuddered to think the injuries my son would have suffered had he been in the backseat of that car with no seatbelt when it rolled．After the ear rolled three times，I found my mobile phone was lost in a pile of small things that were all lying in the bottom of the car．A lady was kind enough to let me borrow her mobile phone，but with-out the numbers preprogrammed who could I call? I was lucky enough to remember my father’s mobile phone number，and fortunate that he hadn’t yet got on his plane.
You never know when an accident will happen．As a driver，I will keep safety in mind by obeying all traffic laws and have safe-driving habits，especially in bad weather．Insist your children always wear their seatbehs．Life is a journey and everyone should value it and enjoy the ride．Why was the author angry with those drivers?
| A．She thought they drove too slowly． |
| B．They made much noise on the ramp． |
| C．They didn’t pay attention to the safety． |
| D．They tried to stop her car on the ramp． |
What does the underlined word“shuddered” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．Ensured the safety． |
| B．Remembered clearly． |
| C．Trembled because of fear． |
| D．Took control of the bad situation． |
What is the main reason that resulted in the accident?
| A．The visibility was not clear． |
| B．The author drove rather fast． |
| C．It started to rain heavily then． |
| D．It was an unsafe spot for driving． |
We can learn from this passage that the author _____________．
| A．had just a single scratch |
| B．called her father for help |
| C．felt sorry because her son was injured |
| D．found her mobile phone with the help of a lady |
In order to help customers to find what they want quickly，it’s important to keep the thou- sands of titles in the Main Street Movies store organized properly．This section of the Employee Handbook will tell you how to organize videos．
Each Main Street Movies store has three main sections：
1．New Releases Wall．
2．Film library．
3．Video Games．
New Releases Wall．A1most 70 percent of movie rentals are new releases，and that is the first place where most customers go when they enter the store．The center section of shelves on this wall holds Hottest Hits．When new titles come into the store，place them on this wall in alphabetical order．The shelves beside Hottest Hits are called Recent Releases．The New Releases Wall，including the Hottest Hits and Recent Releases shelves，holds about 350 titles.
Film Library．The thousands of tides in the Film Library are organized into categories. The films within each category are displayed alphabetically．Here are the categories and their two-letter computer codes：
*Foreign Language tides include films that were originally made in a foreign language and films with foreign language subtitles．A sticker on the back of each box tells which type of film it is.
Video Game．All the video games in Main Street Movies are arranged in alphabetical order．Although video games represent only a small percentage of our inventory(库存)，they are stolen more often than any other type of goods in our store．Therefore，video games are never displayed on the shelves. Shelves in the Video Game section hold cardboard with pictures and information about each game．When a customer wants to rent a particular game，you can find the game from the locked case behind the counter．Whom do you think this passage is most probably written for?
| A．The readers in the store． |
| B．The manager of the store． |
| C．The customers in the store． |
| D．The salespersons of the store． |
How can a customer find a film with foreign language subtitles?
| A．Check the computer． |
| B．Cheek the center section． |
| C．Look at the back of the box． |
| D．Watch a few minutes of the film． |
Why can’t video games be seen on the shelves?
| A．Because they’ve been sold out． |
| B．Because they’re in the storehouse． |
| C．Because they’re in a locked case behind the counter． |
| D．Because they represent a small percentage of the inventory． |
BEIJING，Feb．5，2013（Xinhua）－Chinese health authorities on Tuesday launched a campaign to fight against assisted reproductive technology （ART：辅助生育技术）abuse．Unauthorized ART use，surrogate motherhood and the illegal collection and supply of sperm and eggs，as well as the illegal sale and abuse of ovulation induction（诱导排卵） medicine，will be targeted．
The Ministry of Health and health department of the People's Liberation Army General Logistics Department jointly announced the campaign at a conference．Both departments also ordered all of their local branches to suspend permits for new organizations that wish to offer ART treatments．That is，new organizations will not appear recently．Official figures showed that at the end of 2012，China had 358 organizations authorized to conduct ART treatment．
The health ministry also delivered a brief statement of the country's current infertility rate（不孕率） and ART use．The infertility rate in China is now between 7 and 10 percent，the ministry said．Some 70 to 80 percent of women who are suffering from infertility can be pregnant after changing their lifestyles and receiving medical treatment．Around 20 percent of infertile couples have to resort to ART to have babies．In 2011，about 350，000 people received ART treatment and more than 60，000 infertile couples successfully had children with the help of ART，the ministry said．ART abuse DOSEN'T include________．
| A．surrogate motherhood |
| B．unauthorized ART use |
| C．the regular usage of medicine |
| D．the illegal supply of sperm and eggs |
What does the underlined word “suspend” （paragraph 2） probably mean?
| A．Support． | B．Pause． | C．Allow． | D．Ban． |
From the last paragraph we can know________．
| A．Nearly10 percent of couples could not have their own babies |
| B．70 to 80 percent of women could not be pregnant now |
| C．Over 350，000 infertile couples had their babies with the help of ART |
| D．About one fifth of infertile couples have to turn to ART for help |
What's the best title of the passage?
| A．China targets ART abuse |
| B．ART is used in China |
| C．ART is illegal in China |
| D．China increases ART using |