1 . Now cities are full of cars. Some families even have two or more cars. Parking (停车) is a great problem, and so is the traffic in and around the cities. Something will have to be done to change it. What will the cars of tomorrow be like?
Little cars may some day take the place of today’s big cars. If everyone drives little cars in the future (将来) there will be less pollution (污染) in the air. There will also be more space for parking cars in cities, and the streets will be less crowded. Three little cars can fit (适合) in the space now needed for one car of the usual size.
The little cars will cost much less to own and to drive. Driving will be safer, too. What is more, these little cars can go about 65 kilometers per (每) hour.
Little cars of the future will be fine for getting around a city, but they will not be useful for long trips. If big cars are still used along with the small ones, two sets of roads will be needed in the future. Some roads will be used for the big, fast cars, and other roads will be needed for the slower small ones.
1. is the big problem for those people who have cars.A.Money | B.Parking | C.Driver | D.Waiting |
A.more | B.much | C.less | D.no |
A.one third of | B.two thirds of | C.as big as | D.as small as |
A.long trips | B.journeys | C.everyday life | D.sport |
2 . Children’s Sci-fi Art Predicts Extraordinary Future
More than 80 sci-fi artworks are on display at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, showing a beautiful yet puzzling future. The “Brave New Sci-Fi World” exhibition features paintings and art installations (设备) by students from Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing and other cities. They imagine the future as a world where robots and human beings co-exist.
Ru Chen, from Shanghai New Putuo Primary School, has pictured a robot chameleon (变色龙) to be used in outer space to aid in the search and rescue of human beings in case of danger.
Li Jiaqi from Guangzhou Dongfeng East Road Primary School has painted a city where advanced technologies are everywhere, and even the city itself turns into a large robot.
Huang Yanrui from Beijing Shijingshan Gucheng No. 2 Primary School imagines his rubber, pencil box and such stationery (文具) becoming conscious robots, and beginning to design future human beings.
Wang Zhihan, from Shanghai Shangde Experimental School and her schoolmates, stick electronic components on stone faces as a metaphor (隐喻) for the increasingly unclear boundaries between the reality and virtual world. “We hope to remind people never lose yourself in a world with advanced technologies,” she said.
The exhibition will last till November 4.
Opening hours:
Tuesdays-Sundays 9: 00- 17: 15; legal holidays 8: 45- 18: 30.
Transportation Guide:
Metro: Metro Line 2: Shanghai Science and Technology Museum Station.
Metro Line 4, Metro Line 6 and Metro Line 9: change to Metro Line 2 at the Century Avenue Station.
Bus Routes: Bus 184, 640, 794, 983, 984, 987, 1023, 640 inter-zonal bus will take you there.
1. Whose artwork is related with space?A.Ru Chen’s. | B.Li Jiaqi’s. | C.Huang Yanrui’s. | D.Wang Zhihan’s. |
A.Shanghai. | B.Guangzhou. | C.Chongqing. | D.Beijing. |
A.Metro Line 2. | B.Metro Line 4. | C.Metro Line 6. | D.Metro Line 9. |
3 . Is there a time when you are away from your hometown? When do you feel homesick the most? What do you often do to relieve your homesickness?
If the West has the apple, the East has the king of fruits: the enormously big mango. Called “aam” in Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi, this tropical fruit traces its origins to South Asia. Urdu and Hindi literature are filled with references to this fruit that once filled the kitchens and gardens of emperors.
Everyone is crazy about mangoes during the summer months in South Asia. City streets in India are lined with vendors (小贩) selling all varieties of mangoes. Young and old bargain for better prices, mangoes can be sent as gifts, restaurants have special mango menu items and the fruit becomes a gesture of goodwill between India and Pakistan, with the choicest varieties sent across the border to celebrate each country’s independence days.
South Asians all over the world expect the coming of mango season. South Asian stores receive shipments (运输的货物) of the fruit, though they are limited in quality and quantity. Each year, I taste my mangoes, though I’m saddened that popular varieties aren’t easily available in Vancouver.
Mango memories take me back to the city I was born in: Rourkela in the eastern part of India. In late March, just as the days would start to become hot, I remember mango trees blooming (开花) with their fresh fragrance in the breeze as we biked to school. Come April, the trees would start bearing fruit. I remember the thrill of sneaking out (潜行,偷偷溜出) to collect raw mangoes, climbing onto the roof of our houses and eating them with pink salt and powdered red chilies (红辣椒粉) alongside my best friend.
Mango stories from my childhood are endless. But this summer in Vancouver, tired from the pandemic (疫情), I can’t help but remember my sweet mango memories. I realize that I need to wander the streets of my home country, to feel the intense heat of the summer months and soak in the country of my birth.
Instead, I am in a semi-lockdown state tasting mangoes, enjoying those I can find in Canada but missing the Indian varieties. This year, the enormously big mango has become a symbol of the sense of loss that each one of us is feeling.
1. What do we know about the mangoes in South Asia?A.They are often given as gifts in India. |
B.They are a symbol of independence in India. |
C.In Pakistan, they are mainly grown on the borders. |
D.They are very popular among average people in India. |
A.Danger. | B.Excitement. | C.Anxiety. | D.Sweat taste. |
A.Vancouver has more varieties of mangoes than South Asia. |
B.The author works on transporting mangoes between Canada and India. |
C.The author is familiar with the growth stages of mangoes in Vancouver. |
D.In the author’s memory, mangoes blossom and bear fruit in March and April. |
A.To illustrate why mangoes are popular in the East. |
B.To provide proof for his experience in India and Canada. |
C.To recall mango memories and express a longing to return home. |
D.To analyze the negative impact of the pandemic on mango economy. |
注意:1. 词数100左右。
2. 开头已给出,但不计入总词数。
Now let me predict what my life will be like in five years.
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5 . By mid-century there will likely be 9 billion people on the planet, using ever more resources and leading ever more technologically complex lives. What will our cities be like? How much will artificial intelligence (AI) advance? Will global warming cause disastrous changes, or will we be able to engineer our way out of the climate change issues? Recently, the magazine Big Think asked top minds from a variety of fields to weigh in on what the future holds 40 years from now. The result is as follows.
It's likely that by 2050 the majority of the people in the world will live in urban areas and will have a much higher average age than people today. Cities theorist Richard thinks urbanization will transform the education system of, making our economy less houses driven and removing the divisions between home and work.
And rapidly advancing technology will continue ever more rapidly. Cities of the future won't look like “some sort of science-fiction fantasy”, but it's likely that technological advances and information overlays (VR and AR) will greatly change how we live. Self- driving cars will make the roads safer and provide faster transports. A larger version of driverless cars-driverless trucks — may make long-distance drivers out of date.
Some long view predictions are completely dire. Environmentalist Bill says that if we don't make great progress in fighting global warming, it's likely we could see out-of- control rises in sea levels, huge crop shortfalls and wars over limited freshwater resources.
In terms of how we will eat, green markets founder and “real food" supporter Nina believes that there will be more small milk processing plants and more regional food operations and we'll be healthier as a result. New York Times writer Mark thinks that people will eat fewer processed foods and eat foods grown closer to where they live. And more people will be aware of the ethical responsibility" to grow foods.
1. What may happen by 2050 based on the magazine Big Think ?A.Education will be driven by economy. | B.The majority of people will be taller. |
C.AI will cause disastrous changes. | D.Most people will live in big cities. |
A.It will make people live in science-fiction fantasy. |
B.It will ensure safer transports due to faster cars. |
C.It will greatly change the way in which people live. |
D.It will increase the number of long-distance drivers. |
A.Magical. | B.Terrible. | C.Ridiculous. | D.Meaningful. |
A.People will eat healthier and fresher foods. |
B.Land-raised farm systems will be improved. |
C.There will be smaller regional food operations, |
D.Food supplies will become much more limited. |
6 . One billion people in the world are short of water. How can this problem be solved. Some suggestions have been to desalinate ocean water or to build enormous water pipelines from areas where water is abundant. (Suggestions such as these prove extremely expensive when they are actually used.) One possibility that scientists are considering is pulling icebergs from either the North Pole or the South Pole to parts of the world with a water shortage. Although many questions must be answered before such a project could be tried, moving icebergs seems a reasonable possibility in the future.
Engineers, mathematicians, and glaciologists from a dozen countries have been considering the iceberg as a future source of water. Saudi Arabia is particularly interested in this project because it has a great water shortage. Scientists estimate that it would take 128 days to transport a large iceberg (about 1/2 square mile) to Saudi Arabia. Yet the iceberg would be completely melted by the 104th day. Therefore, insulation would be essential, but how to insulate the iceberg remains an unsolved problem.
The problems in transporting an iceberg are numerous. The first problem is choosing the iceberg to pull. The icebergs that form in the North Pole are quite difficult to handle because of their shape. Only a small portion extends above the water — most of the iceberg is below the surface, which would make it difficult to pull. South Pole icebergs, on the other hand, are flat and float like table tops. Thus they would be much easier to move.
How can a 200-million-ton iceberg be moved. No ship is strong enough to pull such enormous weight through the water. Perhaps several ships could be used. Attaching ropes to an iceberg this size is also an enormous problem. Engineers think that large nails or long metal rods could be driven into the ice. What would happen if the iceberg splits into several pieces during the pulling. Even if an iceberg with very few cracks were chosen, how could it be pulled through stormy waters. Furthermore, once the iceberg reached its destination, very few ports would be deep enough to store it.
All of these problems must be solved before icebergs can become a reasonable source of water. Yet scientists estimate that it will be possible to transport them in the near future. Each year, enough icebergs form to supply the whole world with fresh water for a full year. In addition, icebergs are free and nonpolluting. As a solution to the world’s water problems, icebergs may be a workable possibility.
1. What is a problem in transporting iceberg?A.The size of the iceberg. |
B.The colour of the iceberg. |
C.The salt in the iceberg. |
D.The movement of air and water. |
A.Pessimistic. | B.Objective. |
C.Optimistic. | D.Unconcerned. |
A.It is hard to use iceberg. | B.Iceberg are a good choice. |
C.There are problems with iceberg. | D.Man finds no other ways to solve water shortage. |
A.Shortage of water. | B.Icebergs for water. |
C.Scientists and icebergs. | D.Iceberg—scientists headache. |