1 . Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific advances will one day enable humans to last tens of years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.

“I think we are knocking at the door of immortality(永生),” said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. “I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate(保守的估计).”

At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nanotechnology(纳米技术) make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what was possible in the past. “There is a great effort so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years.”

However, many scientists who specialize in aging are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last past about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.

Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live. “It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life?” said Leonard Poon, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Centre. “At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”

1. By saying“we are knocking at the door of immortality”,Michael Zey means_________.

A．they have got some ideas about living forever

B．they believe that there is no limit of living

C．they are able to make people live past the present life span

D．they are sure to find the truth about long living

2. Donald Louria’s attitude towards long living is that________.

A．the human body is designed to last past about 120 years

B．it is possible for humans to live longer in the future

C．it is still doubtful how long humans can live

D．people can live from 120 to 180

3. The underlined word“it”(in Paragraph 4)refers to________.

A．a great effort

B．the conservative estimate

C．the idea of living from 200 to 300 years

D．the idea of living beyond the present life span

4. What would be the best title for this text?

A．No Limit for Human Life

B．Living Longer or not

C．Science,Technology and Long Living

D．Healthy Lifestyle and Long Living

2 . Japan's biggest airline is betting that the future of travel isn't traveling at all. For the last month, a married couple has been interacting with a robot—called an Avatar—that's controlled by their daughter hundreds of miles away. Made by ANA Holdings Inc., it looks like a vacuum cleaner with an iPad attached. But the screen displays the daughter's face as they chat, and its wheels let her move about the house as though she's really there.

“Virtual travel” is nothing new,of course.Storytellers, travel writers and artists have been stimulating the senses of armchair tourists for centuries. It's only in recent decades that frequent, safe travel has become available to the non- wealthy.

Yet even as the world's middle classes climb out of the armchair and into economy-class seat, there are signs of a post-travel society emerging. Concerns about environmental sustainability cause loss to airlines which release much carbon. And the aging of abundant societies is both restricting physical travel and creating demand for alternative ways to experience the world. For the travel industry, virtual reality offers an attractive response to these trends.

Of course, new technologies encourage far-out claims. ANA doesn't plan to start selling Avatars until next year. Profits, too, will probably be difficult to make: By one estimate, the global market for this kind of technology will be worth only about $300 million by 2023. By contrast, ANA's traditional travel business brought in more than $19 billion last year.

But if the business value for virtual vacations is still weak, the market for technologies that bridge physical distances between families and coworkers seems likely to only expand. ANA's robots may not replace its airplanes any time soon, but they ll almost certainly be a part of travel's high-tech future.

1. Why does the author use the example of a couple interacting with a robot?

A．To show the Japanese are crazy about travel.

B．To indicate virtual travel begins to enter people's real life.

C．To show the couple are very enthusiastic over robots.

D．To express the close relationship between the couple and their daughter.

2. Which of the following is the possible reason for virtual travel's appearance?

A．Storytellers, travel writers and artists have been using it for centuries.

B．Frequent and safe travel has become available to the ordinary people.

C．People are worried about the air pollution caused by airlines.

D．More and more people lose interest in travel.

3. What can we learn about Avatars from the last two paragraphs?

A．They will be put on the market soon.

B．They will bring ANA a lot of money,

C．They will replace ANA's airplanes soon.

D．They are almost unavoidable in travel's future.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Your Next Travel May Be Virtual

B．Easy Travel in the Future

C．Virtual Travel Benefits

D．Air Travel Disappearing

3 . Researchers in Australia have discovered an effective new method to capture the atmospheric carbon dioxide that is damaging our planet and transform it into something solid, making it much easier to store.

Carbon capture isn’t new, but previous methods call for the gas to be compressed into liquid and then injected underground. Widespread usage of that technology has been locked by economic and environmental concerns due to possible leaks. Instead, in a study published in Nature Communications, the group details their sustainable and cost-effective plan for transforming CO2 into coal.

This new process involves a liquid metal catalyst( 催化剂 )that is efficient in conducting electricity. CO2 gas is dissolved in a container with some liquid. Once electricity charge is introduced, the CO2 begins to turn into solid pieces of carbon, which can be collected and stored.

What makes this particularly unique is that the entire process can occur at room temperature. Previous experiments have only shown a gas to solid conversion at extremely high temperature, which made it impossible on a large scale. Now, the researchers are hoping that their work will be used to create even further when it comes to carbon storage.

In an interesting side benefit, the solid carbon also works as an electrode( 焊 条 ), which opens up a world of possibilities. “A side benefit of the process is that the carbon can hold electrical charge, becoming a super battery, so it could potentially be used as a part in future vehicles,” explains Dr. Dorna Estrafilzadeh, a researcher. “The process also produces fuel as a by-product, which could also have industrial applications.”

1. What can we know about the previous carbon capture methods?

A．People have to inject liquid to the gas.

B．The previous methods can be done easily.

C．The previous methods are not very popular.

D．People have widely accepted previous methods.

2. What is the special part of the new method?

A．It needs electricity to make the process efficient.

B．It can be done in any kind of container.

C．It doesn’t need extreme temperature.

D．It can produce much solid carbon.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．The method will make fossil oil disappear.

B．The method will influence the future industry.

C．The method will make developed countries more powerful.

D．The method will be used to make new vehicles.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．How to change carbon into CO2.

B．A new carbon capture technology.

C．A new technology to get useful carbon.

D．Australia makes the world cleaner than before.

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Cards and digital(数字的) technologies     1    (kill) off cash slowly, but is it a cause for concern? Not     2    (necessary). Here are some ways of making the most of digital finance.

Cash is no longer king. Over recent years fewer and fewer transactions have been made with cash. The most recent figures show coins and notes are used just 34% of     3     time, down from 63% a decade ago. And usage     4    (predict) to fall to just 10% in 15 years.

Instead we’re paying with cards and digital technologies. Some of this is down to user choice, with contactless cards and smartphones making spending     5    (fast) and more convenient.

But it’s also being forced upon us. Some retailers are refusing physical money as they can avoid the high bank charges levied(征收) at them for     6    (handle) cash. Meanwhile it’s harder to get your hands on notes as cash machines and     7    (bank) disappear from the high street. And these are trends which are likely     8    (increase) in the coming years.

This could be bad news if you still primarily use cash,     9     that’s how you pay your bills or how you budget. For some, cash is just what you know. For     10    , cash is a necessity—especially when going digital is the alternative.

As a result this move towards cashless society makes many uneasy.

5 . 一家英语报社向中学生征文，主题是“十年后的我”，请根据下列要点和你的畅想完成短文。
1.家庭：
2．工作：
3.业余生活。
注意：1.词数100左右：
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯：
3.开头语已为你写好。
I often imagine what my life will be like in the future._______________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

6 .     1    

In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!

Not all past predictions have been proved wrong.    2    Some great thinkers predicted the arrived of the credit card, the fax machine and even the Internet-years before they happened. But for each prediction that has come true, some others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology, or whether people really needed it in their lives or not. Let’s look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.

    3    

Where’s the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he’s probably not coming any time soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other working environments.

Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people’s homes.

So why hasn’t it happened? Maybe because robots are still too expensive and clumsy. And probably the clothes is just too strange. At home we seem to be doing fine without them.

    4    

In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn’t caught on yet.

Why? The technology worked fine, but it over-looked something obvious: People desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just stepped out of the shower?

Probably not-it could be uncomfortable! Just because technology doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.

And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the Flying car?    5    But a flying car remains one of the most wonderful technology ideas to catch our imagination. Keep watching the news-or perhaps the sky outside your window-to see what the future will bring.

A．It’s not so crazy any more!

B．a few of them have been surprisingly accurate.

C．Robot Helpers

D．Predictions of the Future

E．It hasn’t appeared yet!

F．What will our future life be like?

G．Telephones of Tomorrow

7 . Someone has put forward a dream home which is so advanced that its kitchen can suggest what to make with certain things. Also, a Microsoft home doesn’t just warn you when you’re out of milk—it can send you a fresh gallon.

But are these innovations just magic, or are they really coming soon to a neighborhood near you? To find out, US News asked some experts to get their opinions about the home of the not-so-distant future. Here’s a look at the innovations.

The housing boom was marked by mass-produced buildings filled with units which look the same. The coming years, however, will give way to a personalized approach to home construction, with houses as more of an instrument of self-expression. “The successful builders will be the ones that figure out how to change their production model enough to make the buyers feel like they are really getting something that is designed for them, not just a model,” says Kermit Baker, the chief economist at the American Institute of Architects.

Future homes will probably shrink. “We will be building smaller but smarter houses,” says Ed McMahon, a senior resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute. “Instead of having a room for just one use, consumers will demand homes that make better use of space,” says Susanka, whose best-selling book, The Not So Big House, has become increasingly influential in home design. Seldom-used quarters, such as dining and living rooms, will be replaced with space that can serve both functions. “The goal of his ‘right-size’ home is to fit its owners like a specially cut suit rather than a jacket you buy in a store,” says Susanka.

1. Why does the writer mention a dream home and a Microsoft home?

A．To lead to the topic of the passage.

B．To tell us what kind of house to buy.

C．To tell us that technology develops fast.

D．To tell us something about future homes.

2. According to the third paragraph, future houses will ________.

A．be mass-produced

B．have a lot of things in common

C．express the owners’ personalities

D．be designed by the owners themselves

3. The underlined word “shrink” can be replaced by “________”.

A．become cleaner

B．become brighter

C．become smaller

D．become more comfortable

4. Smarter houses in the last paragraph refer to houses that ________.

A．have a room for every use

B．can make better use of space

C．have very advanced furniture

D．can warn you when you’re out of milk

8 . Over the next 20 years, we are going to send more and better robots to Mars. Those robots will send back better pictures, maps, samples, and weather reports. There is a limit to what robots can tell us, though, so eventually we will have to send people to study the planet.

Before people can visit Mars, we need to invent a spaceship that can take us there. Mars is very far away. Depending on where Mars and Earth are in their orbits around the sun, it could take between six months to a year to get there.

The moon is much closer, and we were there, 25 years ago. Over the next 10 years, we are going to work on building a new spacecraft that can go to the moon. Using this craft, we will practice the skills we need to go to Mars.

Once we return to the moon, we are going to build a station so that people can live and work on the moon for months at a time. This is important so that we have a place to start from when we want to visit Mars, but it is also important because it gives us practice (实际经历) with living away from Earth.

By the time you are old enough to be an astronaut, we will have people spending months on the moon. By the time you are old enough to be a commander of a space mission, we will be taking trips to Mars. By the time your kids are old enough to be astronauts, we may have people living on Mars. Wouldn’t it be cool to get a postcard from someone who was building a house on Mars? Wouldn’t it be cooler if it was you who sent the postcard?

1. We eventually have to send people on Mars because_________.

A．robots could not send back pictures

B．robots can’t tell us all we want to know

C．robots are controlled by us humans

D．robots are no longer of any use to us

2. A space station on the moon is important because_________.

A．it gives us experience with living on other planets

B．people can plant crops in it

C．the new spacecraft can only land in it

D．it is a place for astronauts to have fun

3. The author of the passage_________.

A．thinks that trips to the moon are impossible

B．encourages all kids to become astronauts

C．hopes to receive a postcard from the moon

D．thinks people’s dream of living on Mars may come true

9 . What will city life be like in the future? Some people think that life in the cities is going to be ____ They ____ that cities will become more and more crowded. ____the number of people increases, there will be less space for each person. This ____ will cause other problems—more crime, dirtier streets, and worse problems with traffic ____we have now. How will people find enough drinking water, energy (such as gas and electricity) and housing? ____ life will be hard, people who live in cities will worry more, and they may become sick. ____ these reasons, some say that nobody will want to live in urban areas.
How can we ____ such problems as overcrowding, crime, and traffic? In some cities, thousands of people are already ____ in the streets because there is so little suitable housing—and because ____ are so high. The crime rate isn't going down. ____, it is ____ so fast that many people are afraid to go out at night. Traffic is also getting worse. More and more often, traffic jams are so bad that cars don't move at all for several blocks. These ____ problems have been getting worse, not better, so many people see no ____ for the future of the city.
However, not all people believe in the horrible ____ for cities of the future. Instead, they feel that they can solve present urban problems and ____ future ones.
The _____ of any modern city are not unique(独特的) to that city, that is to say, all the cities in the world have to solve the problems of traffic jams, crime, housing, energy, drinking water, and overcrowding. Yet many cities have found answers to one or more of these difficulties. Some European cities, such as Stockholm, Sweden, or London, England, have planned communities that ____ people with apartments, jobs, shopping centers, green space, entertainment, and transportation. Many U.S. cities are building their downtown areas. Urban ____ can learn from one another. They can ____ solutions that have been successful in other parts of the world.1.

A．fantastic

B．horrible

C．regular

D．significant

2.

A．ensure

B．require

C．indicate

D．predict

3.

A．As

B．Though

C．With

D．Unless

4.

A．room

B．number

C．future

D．overcrowding

5.

A．as

B．which

C．what

D．than

6.

A．While

B．Because

C．Therefore

D．Once

7.

A．For

B．In

C．Because

D．Thanks to

8.

A．deal

B．keep

C．solve

D．cause

9.

A．calling

B．sleeping

C．robbing

D．starving

10.

A．flats

B．cars

C．rents

D．crimes

11.

A．And

B．Thus

C．Instead

D．Therefore

12.

A．increasing

B．changing

C．dropping

D．exchanging

13.

A．urban

B．rural

C．crime

D．traffic

14.

A．reality

B．trend

C．prediction

D．hope

15.

A．definitions

B．predictions

C．identification

D．indication

16.

A．reform

B．remain

C．cure

D．prevent

17.

A．disadvantages

B．advantages

C．properties

D．substitutes

18.

A．offer

B．satisfy

C．require

D．provide

19.

A．consumers

B．planners

C．systems

D．physicians

20.

A．try

B．identify

C．cure

D．forecast

10 . Most people, when they travel to space, would like to stay in orbit (轨道) for a few days or more. And this stands to reason, if you’re paying $ 20,000 for your trip to orbit! So in order for tourism to reach its full potential there’s going to be a need for space hotels. What would a space hotel actually be like to visit? Hotels in orbit will offer the services you expect from a hotel — private rooms, meals, bars. But they’ll also offer two unique experiences: impressive views — of Earth and space — and the endless entertainment of living in zero gravity — including sports and other activities that make use of this.

The hotels themselves will vary greatly — from being quite simple in the early days to huge luxury (奢侈的) structures at a later date. It’s actually surprising that as later as 1997, very few designs for space hotels were published. This is mainly because those who might be expected to design them haven’t expected the costs to come down far enough to make them possible.

Lots of people who’ve been to space have described vividly what it’s like to live in zero gravity. There are obviously all sorts of possibilities for dancing, gymnastics, and zero-G sports. Luckily, you don’t need to sleep much living in zero gravity, so you’ll have plenty of time for relaxing by hanging out in a bar with a window looking down at the turning Earth below.

Of course all good things have come to an end, unfortunately. And so after a few days you’ll find yourself heading back to the earth. You’ll be thinking how soon you can save up enough to get back up again-or maybe you should change jobs to get to work in an orbiting hotel!

1. When traveling in space, most people would like to stay in orbit for a few days because ________.

A．it is expensive to travel in space

B．they would find the possible life in other star systems

C．they could enjoy the luxury of space hotels

D．they want to realise the full potential of tourism

2. Which of the following is a unique experience that space hotels will offer?

A．The gravitational pull.	B．The special views.
C．The relaxation in a bar.	D．The space walk.

3. Which of the following is NOT discussed in the passage?

A．When was the space traveling made possible?

B．What are the unique experiences that space hotels will offer?

C．Why were there not many published designs for space hotels?

D．How can the travelers enjoy themselves in space hotels?

4. This passage is mainly about ________.

A．traveling in space	B．the ways of living in space hotels
C．zero gravity and space hotels	D．the description of space hotels