1 . Soon computers and other machines will be able to remember you by looking at your eyes! The program works because everyone’s eyes are different. So in the future you won’t have to remember a number when you want to use a machine or take money out of a bank. You’ll just have to look at the machine and it will be able to tell who you are.
The eye-recognition (眼睛识别) program is already being tested in shops and banks in the USA, Britain and France. Soon, this technology (技术) will change all other ways of finding out who people are.
However, scientists are working on other systems. Machines will soon be able to know you from the shape of your face or hands or even your smell! We already have machines that can tell who you are from your voice or the mark made by your fingers.
Eye-recognition is better than other kinds because your eyes don’t change as you get older, or get dirty like hands or fingers. And even twins have different eyes, so the program can be up to 94％ correct, depending on (依靠) how good the technology is. Some programs may only be right 51％ of the time. In Britain, it was found that 91％ of people who had tried it said that they liked the idea of eye-recognition.
In the future your computer will be looking at you in the eye. So smile!
1. The eye-recognition program has already been tested in ________ in a few countries.| A．shops and banks |
| B．libraries and schools |
| C．banks and schools |
| D．hospitals and hotels |
| A．You type a number. |
| B．You look at the machine. |
| C．The machine listens to your voice. |
| D．You need to walk with the machine. |
| A．your eyes or your smell |
| B．your face or your voice |
| C．your face or your foot print |
| D．your voice or the mark made by your finger |
technology is.
| A．51% | B．14% | C．94% | D．49% |
| A．Eye-recognition program has already been tested in the USA. |
| B．Smell-recognition will take the place of all other ways of finding out who people are. |
| C．51% of people like the idea of eye-recognition program. |
| D．Computers can remember you by looking at your clothes. |
A science fiction flying car looks like a normal car, but it is an aircraft (飞行器) that anybody can fly directly from any place to another without using roads or runways. Science fiction writers have written about flying cars for a long time. But now flying cars will soon fly out of the world of science fiction into our real world. And the dream of the science fiction writers will soon come true.
The first-known sky car is the FSC-1. The FSC-1 looks like an expensive sports car. You can drive the FSC-1 on the road like a normal car. If you touch a button, its wings and propeller (螺旋桨) fold out and then it can take off, fly and land as an airplane. The owners of the FSC-1 can choose if they want to drive or fly.
Another flying car or sky car is the Moller Skycar M400. Although you can’t drive it on the roads, it is small and easy to fly and can take off and land like a helicopter (直升飞机). Urban Aeronautics’ X-Hawk is another type of sky car. It is expected to be available for about $3 million.
Just like any new technology, flying cars have taken a long time to be developed. But some experts think the technology is far from what people imagine when they are sitting in traffic. It still needs to be improved.
1. ______ kinds of flying cars are mentioned in the passage.
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
| A．science fiction writers’ ideas are stupid |
| B．they are too expensive to make |
| C．they will soon be available |
| D．they are only in science fiction |
| A．change itself into a robot |
| B．move on water like a ship |
| C．be flown only like an airplane |
| D．be driven like a car and flown like an airplane |
| A．it can’t fly |
| B．it can’t be driven like a car |
| C．it is difficult to land |
| D．it is much more expensive |
| A．normal | B．traditional |
| C．not good enough | D．strange |
3 . What’s 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(现金) for everything we bought. Now when we use a credit card(信用卡) 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 carrying a lot of cash.
When ATM cards were first introduced, they were not accepted everywhere. But now it’s 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” the 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(分神) by a phone call, the radio or something outside the window. Sensors(探测器) and cameras on the car would allow it to stick strictly to the rules of the road and keep a safe distance from other cars. This would greatly reduce the number of road accidents. You could even take a nap while the car drives itself. In the future, driver-less cars would be widely accepted.
1. ______ has stopped using cash completely.| A．Sweden | B．ATM | C．BBC | D．America |
| A．We use digital money to shop online without paying money. |
| B．Digital money is most likely to be used instead of cash. |
| C．Using cash is easier and safer than a credit card. |
| D．ATM cards are always popular. |
| A．Bionic eyes only appear in the science fiction film. |
| B．Human drivers won’t get distracted by something outside. |
| C．The blind wearing bionic eyes may see clearly in the future. |
| D．There will be no road accident at all if self-driving cars are used. |
| A．culture and Art | B．industry and farming |
| C．science and technology | D．traffic and journey |
| A．There would be a number of self-driving cars on the road. |
| B．The blind could use cameras to see things around. |
| C．We would live a hard life with digital money. |
| D．Robots would control the world. |
Now modern robots don’t always look like people. Some are like big machines; others are nothing but long arms attached to boxy(箱子般四四方方的)bodies. However, modern robots are smart. Some can solve problems on their own. Their brains are computers and their eyes are sensors(传感器). Motors(发动机)help them move.
In the future, robots will learn from their mistakes more than they do now. They will be smarter. It’s possible that we will have robot judges, robot household workers, and robot factory workers. Robots will help people to do more things.
1. How long is the history of robots?
| A．Hundreds of years. |
| B．Several hundred years. |
| C．Seven hundred years. |
| D．A hundred year. |
| A．Talking like people. | B．Clever. |
| C．Unintelligent (迟钝). | D．Cute. |
| A．in the past | B．clever |
| C．in the future | D．all the time |
| A．Some robots can solve problems on their own. |
| B．Some robots are like big machines. |
| C．Modern robots are smart. |
| D．Some robots’ brains are sensors. |
| A．They can help people do housework. |
| B．They can work as judges. |
| C．They can work in the factory. |
| D．They can have brains as people. |
The idea of a smart city was brought up by US company IBM in 2010. Generally, a smart city is a city that uses digital technologies such as the Internet to improve city planning, save money and resources, and make our life convenient. How smart can a city be? Here are great examples that we can learn from.
In 2009, Dubuque became the first smart city in the US. The city used smart water meters to take the place of traditional water meters. They can detect（探测）water waste and leakage（泄漏）and send data to let the house owner know. The same system is used for other city resources like electricity and natural gas. This way, people know how they use their resources and are glad to help reduce waste.
Santander in Spain also gives us a look at the future. If people point a phone toward a nearby bus stop, the phone immediately shows all bus lines that serve the stop as well as their arrival times. The government organized a research team and provided an App（应用程序）that collects data on almost everything: light, temperature, and the movements of cars and people. Opening the App near a supermarket provides immediate information on special things.
1. According to the passage, which of the following is RIGHT?
| A．Digital technologies are used in smart cities. |
| B．An English company first raised the idea of a smart city. |
| C．A smart city is mainly made up of free Wi-Fi and phones. |
| D．A smart city is still an idea and hasn’t come into being. |
| A．useful | B．normal | C．suitable | D．easy |
| A．cleaning water | B．supplying water |
| C．saving water | D．producing water |
| A．business | B．health care |
| C．traffic controlling | D．public transportation |
| A．Digital technologies help improve city planning. |
| B．Smart cities will make our future life better and smarter. |
| C．Smart cities are very common in both Dubuque and Santander. |
| D．Spain and the US take the leading position in building smart cities. |
6 . The Internet, mobile phones and Ipads are part of our lives now. Technology is greatly affecting all ways of our lives, from the ways we work to the ways we play. And it even causes a number of social problems such as cloning humans.
We have had lots of technology and it has changed our lives a lot. There is no doubt that humans will continue to use more and more technology. Here are some examples of modern technology that will change our ideas and will affect our lives greatly.
Global positioning system(GPS)(全球定位系统)
It’s a system that uses radio signals from satellites to show exact(精确的) information. It tells you where the user is on the earth in all weather conditions. It’s made up of three parts：satellites, control equipments(设备) on land and receivers.
Space Technology
Russian and American scientists have worked together for the international Space Station(ISS) for a long time. They hope the ISS will provide a long-lasting lab. Such a lab will bring humans limitless(无限的) advantages. It’s even hoped that one day space technology will take humans to their new houses in space.
Underwater Robot
Hercules is a kind of underwater robot with some high technology equipments. It will be used to search for ancient ships which were destroyed into the deep sea during their journey long ago.
The world is changing so quickly that it’s hard for us to catch up with all the new inventions because they seem to come out every month. It’s important for us to learn about new technology and the role that it plays in our lives. So we should be willing to accept modern technology, or we will fall behind the times.
1. _______ can tell you where the user is on the earth exactly.| A．Satellites |
| B．Receivers |
| C．Global Positioning System |
| D．Underwater Robot |
| A．It has carried people to other planets. |
| B．It will provide a long-lasting lab for us. |
| C．Russian and American are working for it. |
| D．Humans will get a lot of advantages from it. |
| A．save lives in the sea |
| B．take picture in the sea |
| C．repair the broken ships |
| D．look for the ancient ships in the sea |
| A．the use of GPS is affected by the weather conditions |
| B．it’s very important for us to learn about new technology |
| C．it’s easy for us to catch up with all the new inventions |
| D．technology brings us many advantages such as cloning humans |
| A．To help us study some new technology. |
| B．To tell us technology is changing the world. |
| C．To help solve the problems that technology causes. |
| D．To remind us the advantages of technology are limitless. |
| The Hyperloop (超级高铁) The Hyperloop is a high-speed transportation. It works by having capsules (舱) with passengers in. The capsules run on the air. The Hyperloop plans to run from Los Angeles to San Francisco. With an average speed of 962 km per hour, it is only 35 minutes between the two cities. The solar panels (板) provide power to the Hyperloop. |
| Smart Wheel Smart Wheel is a bicycle wheel with a motor. This invention can easily fit onto almost any bike. And the motor allows bikes to travel up to 50km once. Smart Wheel is different from other electric bikes. It can be controlled through your smartphone’s Bluetooth. The smartphone can show your speed, distance and travel time. |
| Solar Sidewalk (太阳能步道) George Washington University made a special path in 2013. The path is about 9 square meters. It is covered with solar panels that can provide energy to power 450 LED lights. These lights can light the walkway after dark. The solar panel is also strong enough for people to walk on. |
1. A green city is ________.
| A．clean and tidy |
| B．full of plants |
| C．healthy and pleasant |
| D．rich for energy |
| A．About 962 km. | B．About 560 km. |
| C．About 700 km. | D．About 450 km. |
| A．It can travel 50km once. |
| B．It can fit onto almost any bike. |
| C．It’s a motorbike with a bicycle wheel. |
| D．The smartphone’s Bluetooth can control it. |
| A．They can run on the air. |
| B．They can provide energy. |
| C．They can carry passengers. |
| D．They can show your travel time. |
| A．Modern and clean. |
| B．Green and dangerous. |
| C．Exciting and crazy. |
| D．Expensive and impossible. |
