Whats going to happen in the future? Will robots control our planet? Will computers become smarter than us? Not likely. But here are some things that scientists say are most likely to happen in 10 to 30 years from now, according to the BBC.
Digital money
We used to pay with cash for everything we bought. Now when we use a credit card to shop online, money is spent without us seeing it. That means we are already using digital money. Using a card is much easier than searching our pockets for change. It is also safer than crying a lot of cash.
When ATM cards were fist introduced, they were not accepted everywhere. But now its hard to live without them. It’s reported that people in Sweden completely stopped using cash last year, and the US might be next.
Bionic（仿生的）eye
It’s no longer something only in a science fiction movie. People who are blind may have a chance to get their sight back—by wearing bionic eyes.
A blind eye can no longer sense light, but a bionic eye can use a camera to “see” environment and send data（数据）to the mind. Now the bionic eye only allows patients to see lights and unclear shapes. A high resolution（高清的）image could be just a few years away.
Self-driving cars
Unlike a human driver, a self-driving car won’t get distracted（分心）by phone call, the radio or something outside the window. Sensors（探测器）and cameras on the car would allow it to reduce the number of road accidents. You could even take a nap while the car drives itself. In the future, driverless cars would be widely accepted.
1. What does the writer mainly tell us about digital money?| A．Digital money is the most likely to be used instead of cash. |
| B．Using cash is easier and safer than a credit card. |
| C．We use digital money to shop online without paying money. |
| D．ATM cards are always popular. |
| A．The blind wearing bionic eyes may see clearly in the future. |
| B．Human drivers won’t get distracted by something outside. |
| C．Bionic eyes only appearing the science fiction film. |
| D．There will be no road accidents at all if self-driving cars are used. |
| A．culture and art | B．industry and farming |
| C．traffic and journey | D．science and technology |
| A．The blind could use cameras to see things around. |
| B．There would be a number of self-driving cars on the road. |
| C．Robots would control the world. |
| D．We would live a hard life with digital money. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】China sent a new X-ray astronomical satellite in space, Einstein Probe, on Jan. 9, 2024.
According to Yuan Weimin, a researcher of the satellite project, the satellite is expected to find the first light from supernova explosions (超新星爆炸) in the universe, monitor high-energy transient (瞬态) objects in the universe, which are now poorly understood by scientists.
When developing the satellite, a new generation of detection equipment (探测设备) with large fields of view and high sensitivity (灵敏度) was needed. But the important question was how to make such equipment.
Lobsters (龙虾) are a kind of sea animal which can be found around the world. Scientists discovered early on that lobsters’ eyes are different from other animals’. Lobsters’ eyes are made up of lots of tiny square tubes, pointing to the same center, which allows light from all directions to reflect in the tubes and meet on the retina (视网膜), which gives lobsters a large field of view. Scientists then simulated (模仿) the lobsters’ eyes to create a telescope to catch X-rays in space.
Through working together with other organizations, the X-ray Imaging Laboratory began the research and development work on lobster-eye X-ray imaging technology in 2010 and finally made a breakthrough.
“Thanks to the lobster-eye telescope technology, the Einstein Probe is able to monitor the poorly known soft X-ray band with a large field of view and high sensitivity,” Yuan said.
| A．A newly-found planet. |
| B．A newly-built space station. |
| C．A new X-ray astronomical satellite. |
| A．To enlarge the field of view. |
| B．To catch the supernova explosion. |
| C．To monitor the sensitivity of objects. |
| A．By simulating the lobsters’ eyes. |
| B．By observing lobsters’ movement. |
| C．By doing experiments on sea animals. |
| A．The new detection equipment looked like a lobster. |
| B．China is the first country to send Einstein Probe into space. |
| C．The lobster-eye telescope technology leads to Einstein Probe’s success. |
【推荐2】Picture this: You wake up in the morning. A soft light turned on in your room. You go into the kitchen. Your favourite breakfast is already cooked, and it’s on the table, ready to eat. Now it’s time to go to work. It’s a rainy day. You live alone, but you find that your umbrella and hat are already by the door. How is all this possible? Welcome to your future life!
Appliances （家电）That Talk
Technology will allow homes in the future to be “smart.” Appliances will communicate with each other and with you. Your stove, for example, will tell you when your food is cooked and ready to eat. Fridges will suggest what you can cook based on the food you already have. The technology is possible because of little information-storing devices（装置）called RFID chips. People already use them to search pets and farm animals. Future RFID chips will store information about all the food in your kitchen. For example, they will record the date that you bought the food. Other devices will “read” this information using radio waves. When you need more food, your fridges will tell you to buy it.
Houses that think
Are you tired of the colour of your walls? In a smart home, you won’t have to repaint them. The walls will actually be digital screens, like computer or TV screens. The technology is called OLED. OLEDs are little devices that use electricity to lighten things. You can find the same technology in today’s thin TV screens. OLED walls will become clear, like windows, or show colours, like walls. A computer network will connect these walls with everything else in your house. This computer “brain” will control your whole house. It’s called “ambient intelligence （环境智能）. ” It will also change to your preferences. Your house will learn about your likes and dislikes. It will then use that knowledge to control the environment. For example, it will set the heat in the house to your favorite temperature. It will turn on the shower at the right temperature. It will also darken the windows at night and lighten them when it’s time to wake up.
1. According to the writer, people can have a better life by _____.| A．living alone |
| B．buying a big house |
| C．using smart appliances |
| D．communicating with others |
| A．raise readers’ interest in a new smart appliance |
| B．show readers how smart future appliances will be |
| C．make readers know what his favourite appliance is |
| D．tell readers the great importance of smart appliances |
| A．The computer is likely to remind you to buy more food. |
| B．RFID chips are already used today for searching pets and kids. |
| C．OLED technology will help control and change the temperature. |
| D．Darkening windows at night is an example of ambient intelligence. |
【推荐3】In Tianjin, China, a group of people are waiting at the bus stop. Soon，the bus comes to the bus stop. It isn't the same bus as we usually see on the street. It looks like a panda with black ears and black eyes. After getting on the bus, people only need to buy their tickets (车票) by scanning (扫描) their hands! About one minute later, the bus begins its self-driving mode (模式). It stops for traffic lights automatically before it gets to the next stop. That is to say, it can drive and stop by itself.
There are also some robots on the bus. People can talk to them and ask them for help. If there is a bad person on the bus, the robots will call the police. “It's very convenient,” says a woman taking the bus, “And kids love it.”
DeepBlue Technology Co., Ltd (深蓝科技有限公司) makes this kind of buses. They're working in ten cities all over China. More cities in China will put this kind of buses into use this year. I think soon you can take the bus in your city. Now smart (智能的) buses are no longer buses in the future. Would you like to take a ride on the smart bus?
1. What does the underlined word “automatically” mean in Chinese?| A．主动地 | B．人工地 | C．被动地 | D．自动地 |
①Call the police ②Talk to people ③Play with kids ④Drive the bus
| A．①② | B．③④ | C．①③ | D．②④ |
| A．People can only take the bus in Tianjin. |
| B．People don't need to pay for tickets on the bus. |
| C．It's a smart bus with black ears and black eyes. |
| D．Over ten cities will put this kind of buses into use this year. |
| A．A new kind of technology. | B．A new kind of bus. |
| C．The history of DeepBlue. | D．Buses in the future. |
【推荐1】Times really change! When I heard that the Sunshine Bookstore was closing, I was so sad. The bookstore was in the neighborhood for about 50 years, and it was a great place where people could read the books they love.
When I met Old Peter, the store’s owner, he told me it was difficult to run a traditional (传统) bookstore. Most young people now would like to read e-books and more people bought books online.
Childhood memories came back to me so clearly. A group of us kids often went to the store. We looked at the new books, or just talked with Peter. We spent hours reading there. Peter encouraged us to share our ideas by writing them on a large board.
A few months later, I was back and was surprised to see that the Sunshine Bookstore was still open for business. It was still old outside, but when I went into it, it was quite a different world. A book reading was going on. Nearby, some readers were sharing their ideas on a screen instead of the large board. Some were reading on computers. It even had a coffee shop selling nice food. Clearly, the Sunshine Bookstore was in good, creative hands.
Peter told me that there were more activities in the coffee shop such as book readings and even music shows and movie nights. The bookstore was turned into a place where the book lovers got together and shared ideas and experiences.
“Well, as you can see, technology (科技) and creativity have brought my old bookstore into the 21st century! I’m so glad to see that everything I wanted it to offer (提供) to the neighborhood is still here,” said Peter.
No matter how times change, there are always people who love reading. Traditional bookstores are also changing in a creative way.
1. The writer was sad about the old Sunshine Bookstore because ________.| A．no kids read in it | B．it moved to another place |
| C．it was closing | D．it was quite different |
| A．They bought new books there. | B．They talked with Peter about their ideas. |
| C．They read books on computers. | D．They joined activities in the coffee shop. |
| A．The board helped people share ideas easily. | B．The coffee shop brought people closer together. |
| C．The new look from the outside surprised people | D．The quiet place only sold coffee and food. |
| A．a way for the neighbors to sell food | B．a chance for the kids to play games |
| C．an experience for the writer to learn from | D．a place for the book lovers to read and share |
| A．reading always plays an important role in our life | B．e-books will take the place of paper books |
| C．traditional bookstores will close down in the future | D．coffee shops are more popular than bookstores |
【推荐2】China is a country in East Asia. It is large in more than one way. More than 1.4 billion people live here. That’s about a fifth of all the people on the Earth! And China is the third largest country by total area in the world. It covers about 3.7 million square miles.
This large country has many different kinds of land. It has some very low areas of land. In fact, the second lowest point on the Earth is in China. It is Ayding Lake in the Turpan Basin(吐鲁番盆地). Other parts of China have mountains. For example, part of the Himalaya mountains is in the west part of the country. This area has some of the highest mountains in the world.
The snow in the mountains is a source(源头)of many rivers. In fact, the snow makes two of China’s most important rivers. They are the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. The Yellow River is China’s second longest river. It is very special to the Chinese people, as it was the birthplace of Chinese civilization(文明). The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia and the third longest river in the world!
There are thousands of rivers in China. But there is still desert in the country. And rainforests are also in some areas of the country. So visitors can enjoy diverse landscapes in this country!
1. What CANNOT we learn from the first paragraph?| A．How many people there are in China. | B．How large China is in size. |
| C．Which is the largest country in the world. | D．Where China is in Asia. |
| A．how to stop people polluting the rivers | B．something about China’s most important rivers |
| C．something about the rivers in the mountains | D．why the two rivers are important to Chinese people |
| A．单一的 | B．平坦的 | C．多样的 | D．崎岖的 |
| A．Ayding Lake is the second lowest point on the Earth. |
| B．About one fifth of the people in the world live in China. |
| C．A source of many rivers is the snow in the mountains. |
| D．The Yellow River is special because it’s the second longest river. |
| A．A geography magazine. | B．A diary. | C．A storybook. | D．A notice. |
【推荐3】What will our homes be like in the future? Here are some predictions:
◆Want to take a shower when you get home? You’ll be able to let your smart water heater (热水器) start heating up when you’re on your way home.
◆Did I turn off the oven? Did I close the window? Everyone may have a moment like that. But in the future, your home will check these for you.
◆In your home of the future, all of your devices (设备) can work together to make your life more comfortable. When you turn on the lights in the morning, your windows will open at the same time. The lights will slowly turn off by themselves after the sun appears.
◆Your home may have dangers. The hackers (黑客) could open your door and make your room messy through your phone or other devices. Your home will tell you about it but you can’t arrive in time. So people will have to be careful about their personal information.
1. In the future, what can we do on our way home according to the passage?| A．Take a shower. | B．Let the water heater work. |
| C．Keep working. | D．Look at our smart home devices. |
| A．Dirtier. | B．Much busier. | C．More comfortable. | D．More boring. |
| A．Your home | B．Your friend | C．The police | D．The hackers |
| A．Some Beautiful Houses | B．Some Famous Predictions |
| C．A Better World | D．Homes of the Future |
