Garry Golden is a futurist. Futurists are scientists who analyze the way the world is today and use that information.to predict what the world will be like in the future. Golden focuses on the study of transportation. He spends his days studying the relationships between cars, subways, and trains. But he's most excited about imagining the way these relationships will change in the future.
Many public transportation supporters dislike big cities because they spend hours driving from one side of the city to the other. And there aren't enough buses and. subways.
However, Golden sees a trend (趋势) toward fewer cars' in the future. He explains, "Cities have a cost of car ownership, which is a challenge. All these vehicles cost the city in services, in having to repair roads and other things. "Cars also take up a lot of space.
Golden points out that having so many parking spaces is wasteful. Much of the time the parking spaces
sit empty. What is the solution?"I think cities will make new laws to limit the number of cars people can have ," says Golden. "Instead, people will use taxis, subways, and buses. New technology, like smartphones, can make these forms of public transportation even better. Imagine if everyone had a smartphone and used them to signal(发信号) when they wanted to ride the bus. Buses could change their route(路线) to meet people's requests."
How soon would these changes come? Golden admits that it will take several years. Cities can be slow to change. Also, new systems of transportation can be expensive. "But it's coming," he says. "The trend of the empowered city will be here soon. "
The other trend that excites Golden is electric cars. Golden especially believes in the future of electric cars that have sensors(传感器) to understand the world around them. "If we have cars that can communicate with one another, they can adjust speeds to cut down on traffic jams,"he says. Rush hour in big cities would be much less painful.
One challenge is that it is hard to cheaply produce batteries that are strong enough for these cars. But Golden argues we could, also make cars out of strong plastic composites(合成物). The cars would then be much lighter and much cheaper to make.
Golden remains positive about the future. "There are so many exciting developments ,"he says. "In thirty years we will live a different world. "What does Garry Golden mainly study?
A.The changes of future transportation |
B.What cars will be like in the future. |
C.How the world .is different from today |
D.The relationships between cars and people. |
Why does Golden see a trend toward fewer cars in the future?
A.-Because cities-take up a lot of space. |
B.Because cars cost too much of the city |
C.Because people prefer to take the subway |
D.Because roads are sometimes too crowded. |
Which of the following statements is true according to Golden?
A.New buses will take the place of cars as a way of transportation. |
B. Electric cars with sensors will be able to put an end to traffic jams. |
C.Future cars could be lighter because of strong and powerful batteries. |
D. Future buses can receive signals and change their routes accordingly: |
What is Golden's attitude to the future of transportation?
A.Uncertain. | B. Worried. |
C. Hopeful. | D. Careful. |
阅读短文,判断正(A)误(B)
Len was thirty years old, and he had very long hair, He lived in a big city, but one year he did not find any work there, so he went to a small town and began looking for work there. He went to a lot of places, but nobody wanted him. Then he met an old friend, and this man said to him, “People in this town don’t like long hair. Why don’t you go to a barber (理发师) ? He can cut a lot of it off and then you can get some work..” Len went to a barber and said, “Please cut most of my hair off.” The barber began. He cut and cut for a long time and then he said to Len , “Were you in the army a few years ago?” “Yes, I was.” Len answered. “Why did you ask that?” “Because I have found your cap,” the barber answered. Len was twenty years old.
Len had very long hair
Nobody wanted Len for work.
Len met an old classmate.
The barber cut off a lot of Len’s hair.
阅读理解
I had a summer camp with my classmates last year. Early in the morning. We gathered at the bus station. After saying goodbye to our parents,we got on the buses. It took us more than two hours to arrive at the campground. We got off the buses cheerfully. Laughing and shouting. We jumped and ran all over the place. It was the first time for us to be away from the parents .Some of us started to feel homesick(想家). However, when the night party and dances began, the homesickness was gone. The next day, everybody rushed to the boating class, hoping to be at the head of the others. At first ,my friends and I worked hard, but the boat wouldn’t listen to us and kept going round and round. Then the teacher taught us how to work together. After many tries, we did much better. Swimming class was my favorite. It was about the hottest time of a day and the best time to stay in the cool water. The swimming teacher was a funny man, and during the class he often made us laugh happily. During the week I learned a lot of new things and made many new friends. I also learned how to take care of myself.They got to the campground__________ .
A.on foot | B.by bike | C.by bus | D.by plane |
The campground was __________ from their homes.
A.quite near | B.not far | C.very long | D.quite far |
Why swimming class was the writer’s favorite?
A.Because it was good to stay in the cool water when the weather was hot. |
B.Because the writer felt quite relaxed during the class. |
C.Because the swimming teacher was interesting. |
D.Because of all the above |
Which statement is NOT true?
A.he children were happy to be away from Dad and Mum. |
B.Their homesickness lasted for long. |
C.It was teamwork to boat. |
D.They camped for a week. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
A.I Learnt a lot. | B.Boating and Swimming. |
C.On the Campground | D.My First Summer Camp |
The car was invented (发明) just a century ago. You may know all kinds of cars’ names, but many people don’t know who was the inventor of the first car. The first car was invented not by a German, but by an American. His name was Henry Ford. Henry was born in a poor family. He was the eldest of six children. When he was a boy, he became interested in mending watches and machines. When he was twelve years old, his mother died. Soon he had to work in a machine shop for two dollars and fifty cents a week. In the evenings he repaired watches for another dollar a week. The hard life made him strong and able.
At that time there was another interest in the life of the young ford. He dreamed(梦想) to make a machine. It could run without a horse, so named “horseless carriage.” He over-came(克服) a lot of difficulties and in April 1893, the “horseless carriage” was finally finished. It was the first car.
Later Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company(福特汽车公司). He was really the first inventor of the car in the world.Who really invented the car first? _____.
A.A German | B.An American | C.Frenchman | D.Japanese |
From this story we can know the car was invented_____.
A.more than 100 years ago | B.less than 100 years ago |
C.just 100 years ago | D.50 years ago |
Henry Ford must have_____.
A.five brothers and sisters | B.six brothers and sisters |
C.five younger brothers | D.three brothers |
How many dollars did young Ford earn(挣) every week? _____.
A.2.5 dollars | B.3.5 dollars | C.3 dollars | D.4 dollars |
Which is not true? _____.
A.He repaired watches in the evenings for fun |
B.He enjoyed repairing watches and machines when he was very young. |
C.He met with a lot of difficulties in the invention. |
D.The first car was invented in 1893. |
Mr. Gao lives in a town. When he was twenty-five, his son was born. He calls him Gao Ling. The little boy is clever. He and his wife love him very much. It’s September 1st today. A new school year begins. Gao Ling is happy and wears his most beautiful clothes. He’s going to school with his new bag. “Let me take you to school, dear.” said Mrs. Gao. “Thank you, Mummy,” said the boy. “The school is not far from here. I can go there myself.”
At school a teacher met the little boy and asked, “What’s your name, my little friend?” “Gao Ling, sir.” answered the boy. “How old are you?” “Six, sir.” “What’s your father’s name?” “Gao Daling, sir.” “How old is he?” “He is six, too, sir.” “Oh,” the teacher said in surprise. “Is he as old as you?”
“Yes, sir,” said the boy. “He became a father only on the day when I was born.”Mr. Gao is _____now.
A.six | B.twenty-five | C.thirty one | D.thirty-five |
Mr. and Mrs. Gao love their son because_____.
A.the boy is clever | B.he can go to school himself |
C.he likes to go to school | D.he can answer their question |
Gao Ling didn’t let his mother take him to school because_____.
A.she was too busy |
B.his friends could took him |
C.the policeman could help him |
D.the school is near and he could take care of himself |
Gao Ling went to school_____.
A.by car | B.on foot | C.by train | D.by bike |
Gao Ling thought_____.
A.his father and he were born on the same day |
B.his father was younger than him |
C.his father forgot to tell him about his age |
D.Gao Daling became a father only for six years |
TV PROGRAMMES |
|
Channel 1 |
Channel 2 |
18:00 Around China 18:30 Children’s programme 19:00 News 19:30 Weather report 19:40 Around the world 20:10 TV play: Sisters 21:00 English for today 21:15 Popular music 21:55 Talk show |
17:45 Computers today 18:10 Foreign arts 18:30 “Modern English” 19:00 Animal world 19:25 In Asia 20:20 Sports 21:00 Sports player: Yao Ming 21:45 English news 22:05 On TV next week |
If you want to watch a football game, the best programme for you would be ______.
A.TV play | B.Sports | C.TV play: Yao Ming | D.Talk show |
The programme of ___ will let you know much about western countries.
A.Sisters | B.Around China |
C.Around the world | D.In Asia |
If you want to know something about tigers, elephants and monkeys, the best programme for you is ____.
A.at 19:40 on Channel 1 | B.at 19:00 on Channel 2 |
C.at 18:30 on Channel 2 | D.at 21:15 on Channel 1 |
“Modern English”is a programme that ____.
A.lets you know something about classroom |
B.tells you something about students |
C.lets you know something about school life |
D.teacher you English |
The programme at the end of Channel 2 means ____ on TV next week.
A.news | B.programmes | C.people | D.places |