1 . Future living: what will the home of tomorrow look like?

What will our homes be like in the future? Growing cities, shrinking living spaces, and climate change are major challenges     1    (face) urban planners and architects. We’re sharing three trends with you     2     will shape the home we live in tomorrow.

Energy efficient and carbon neutral

One of the greatest challenges for homes of the future is our increasing energy consumption, something that cannot be covered by fossil fuels going forward.     3    the impact of climate change becoming notable, it’s perfectly understandable that the buildings of the future could function as environmentally friendly power plants. Solar collectors and heat storage systems allow     4     are known as ‘plus-energy buildings’ to produce 100 percent renewable energy for emission-free operation.

The trend to downsizing

Living more efficiently not only means improving energy use and reducing one’s own carbon footprint, but also building to save space. Rooms     5    (design) to be multifunctional when there’s not a dedicated room available for every potential purpose. Modular and flexible furnishing systems that can be adapted to the individual floor space and room zones will replace     6    (fix) structures, ensuring that there’s room for everything even in a small space.   

Trends for living and working under one roof

Over the last few months, the office     7    (become) a feature in many people’s homes. For a number of years now, the home office has been evolving from a make-do desk into a comfortable long-term solution. This development means we need to ask     8     how we should construct our living spaces to allow us to concentrate and work productively.   

    9     you rent or own your own home in the future, what’s clear is that the home of tomorrow will be smarter, more flexible, and more sustainable. It will offer us space     10    (live), sleep and work both indoors and outdoors.

2 . What life will be in 2050?

It’s hard to say definitively what life will be like in 2050. However, we can make some educated guesses based on the trends that are happening now. For instance, it’s likely that technology will play an even greater role in our lives than it does now. We might have flying cars, or robots to do our household chores.

The world population is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, so resources may be strained. People may live in smaller homes or even underground to conserve space and energy. We may also see drastic changes in the way we get our food. With advances in technology, it’s possible that we’ll be able to create artificial meat or grow food in laboratories.

In 2050, many aspects of our life will be very different from what they are now. People’s lives, the environment, transportation, and education all change at a new level.     1     People will have more transportation options as a result of scientific progress. Solar-powered, wind- powered automobiles that are less harmful to the environment will become available and utilized. Anyone will be able to visit other planets using modern technology. As flying cars become more common, cities will need to adapt by building more vertical infrastructure like skyports. These multi-level buildings would be used for takeoffs and landings, and could also include shopping, dining and entertainment options.

    2     And with the help of upcoming technology, we may not need formal schooling anymore. You would be able to learn anything you want from the comfort of your home with online teachers. The schedule will be more optional for you to choose as long as it meets your needs and timeframes.

There will be a lot of new jobs born to serve the development of society. And if you are good at using social media, you can be an online celebrity and make a lot of money. You can also choose to be a full-time housewife and take care of your family if you want.     3    

Rockefeller University mathematical biologist Joel Cohen predicts that by 2050, the world will be majority urban dwellers with a high average age. In contrast, U.S. cities theorist Richard Florida believes that urbanization trends will result in a work-from-home economy and do away with divisions between home and work life. Other experts interviewed by Popular Mechanics envision a future in which solar energy is ubiquitous, 3-D printing has replaced traditional manufacturing and everyone has a personal assistant in the form of an AI.

However, there are also some reasons to be pessimistic about the future. The world will be a more dangerous place in 2050. Global warming will cause rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions that will make life difficult for people around the world.     4    

A．As technology continues to develop, so does the concern for environment.

B．By 2050, everyone will be able to afford higher education.

C．In addition, there will be new diseases that we have not yet seen.

D．In general, life in 2050 is more convenient, more comfortable and more fun.

E．There are some grounds for optimism in this scenario.

F．As a result, we will have a lot of health problems.

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．Experiment on the future pizza.

B．Taste a specially-made pizza.

C．Travel to a future restaurant.

D．Meet with a group of futurists.

2.

A．They aimed to show people how to cultivate food in a lab.

B．They were curious to know what the future would look like.

C．They intended to promote the environmentally-friendly food.

D．They wanted to highlight the role of science in sustainable living.

3.

A．It is three times the size of a normal pizza.

B．All the ingredients come from an indoor lab.

C．Part of it has been 3D-printed by a robot chef.

D．It’s quite different from the traditional pizza except for the appearance.

4 . Being connected to the Internet has become a necessary part of modern life. Some people actually need it as they cannot do their jobs without it, and others simply feel they need it as they cannot imagine life without it.

To think that something that did not even exist 50 years ago has come to play a crucial role in our lives like this in just about 15 years makes one wonder–just what will the future bring?

In 2004, a survey was conducted in the US asking a group of technology experts their opinions on the Internet in the next ten years. 57% of them agreed that virtual classes will be more widely adopted in schools, allowing students to learn with those at the same level and with interests in the same subjects. It’s quite possible that, by the year 2030, every child in every school will do all their schoolwork on their own laptop with all their textbooks available (现成可使用的) on the Internet. No more heavy books to carry around and no more pens and paper!

At work, we already use email to deal with people both inside and outside our offices and video conferencing (电话会议) is occurring more frequently. This means that meetings can be held between offices in different countries without the trouble caused by business travel. Business travel will stop to exist in the future, and so will offices as people all start to work from home.

It has also become a trend for people to use pocket computers such as Blackberries. With this helpful equipment, people can send and receive emails, surf the Web, and read multimedia files from absolutely anywhere even if we are on a beach holiday.

The Internet will have a revolutionary (突破性的) effect on entertainment in the future. Already we can buy and download music and movies from the Internet but it is still possible for us to buy a CD or go to the DVD stores to rent the latest movies. However, it’s quite possible that in the future, CD shops and DVD rental stores will close and cinemas will no longer exist. Entertainment will become completely virtual although hopefully people will still want to get outside to play sports and entertain themselves in more healthy ways.

With the Internet we need only relax in the rocking chair. The Internet, however, has problems to be solved.

1. The expression “play a crucial role in” can be understood as “______”.

A．change a dull role into	B．play an interesting part in
C．have an important effect on	D．act a cruel character in

2. According to the passage, people are satisfied with all the following changes EXCEPT that ______.

A．people won’t have to make business travel any more thanks to the video conference

B．virtual classes can make students’ dream of getting rid of their schoolbags come true

C．people can be kept informed anytime and anywhere with the help of convenient equipment

D．CD shops and cinemas will shut down as a result of the adoption of virtual entertainment

3. What will the writer probably discuss after the last paragraph?

A．Bad effects the Internet can have on us.

B．The possible school life in the future.

C．More excitements the Internet will bring us.

D．The likely ways to solve the problems.

4. What is probably the best title for the passage?

A．Virtual reality, our best friend!

B．What will future life be like with the Internet?

C．Goodbye, textbooks and offices!

D．How can human beings deal with the Internet?

5 . Life in 2060

An international group of 40 scientists have made some very surprising predictions about the future. They say that in the next 50 years the way we live will change beyond our wildest dreams.

    1     With regular injections, centenarians will be as vigorous as today’s 60-year-olds. Women will be able to give birth well into old age; their biological clocks could be extended by 10 years.

Professor Ellen Heber-Katz says: “    2    ” Damaged parts will be replaced. Within 50 years whole-body replacement will be routine. But doctors will need huge supplies of organs for transplant. Where will they come from? Scientists say these could be grown inside animals from human cells.

Professor Susan Greenfield of Oxford University says, “in 50 years’ time we may have a clearer idea of how the brain generates consciousness.” Studies of the brain and the nature of consciousness will bring much greater understanding of disorders such as depression. Other scientists go further than Professor Greenfield. They believe that by 2060 computers will develop their own consciousness and emotions.     3    

Thanks to a device which can ‘read’ emotions, feelings, and thoughts, we will be able   to ‘talk’ to animals. The story of Dr. Dolittle will be fact, not fiction. “    4    ” says Professor Daniel Pauly from Canada. “so we might all become vegetarian.”

A．People will take for granted that injured or diseased organs can be repaired in much the same way as we fix a car.

B．This device could first work with primates(灵长类), then mammals, then other vertebrates, including fish.

C．Within 50 years, living to 100 years old while will enjoying active, healthy lives will be a common thing.

D．A number of scientists predict that the biggest breakthrough in the next 50 years will be the discovery of extra-planet beings.

E．Human beings may eventually be replaced by computers in some areas of life.

F．We don’t yet know how the brain gives us our awareness of being alive.

6 . 课文《2050》向我们展示了2050未来的生活。有同学认为机器人给我们带来很多方便，也有同学认为机器人会带来很多麻烦。请你谈谈未来机器人的带来的利弊，并谈谈你的看法。
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7 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct.
Hi, everyone.

Traditionally,     1     the year winds down, it’s a time for reflections—to give thanks, reconnect with loved ones, and cherish the more meaningful parts of life, removed from our usual day-to-day distractions.

Of course, the events of 2020 haven’t shown a lot of respect for our traditions. In a year of so much tragedy, it can be tough to give thanks when you’re doing your best to get by. And far too many of us will have to gather around a table with an empty chair, if we were able to gather together at all.

One thing, though, we can say about 2020 is that it forced us all to cherish what is most important, what’s most meaningful in our lives. To stop taking things for granted,     2     truly matters. To be grateful for what we have, and to be alive to the pain of those     3     (fortunate).

Throughout this challenging year, I’ve been moved, again and again, by the sacrifices so many were willing to make on behalf of others. The healthcare professionals who risked their lives to save ours. The workers who have kept our lights on and our shelves stocked, always essential to our economy, but finally     4     (recognize) for it. The protesters of every race and age who saw injustice in their streets and their institutions and demanded change. And the less heralded leaders, the quiet change-makers who saw need in their own communities and leapt to address it. They checked in on their neighbors, delivered food and PPE to seniors and those experiencing hardship, offered mental health support to those     5    (recover) from trauma.     6     holes this pandemic tore wide in our social fabric, these emerging leaders stepped forward to patch it up.

These are exactly the leaders Michelle and I started our Foundation to support. We always thought they     7     (lead) us into a bright future, if only we     8     empower them, connect them with each other, and give them a dose of inspiration when they needed it.

What we learned in 2020 is that these emerging leaders aren’t just building a brighter future, they’re safeguarding our present. In hard times, they are the ones who’ve given me solace. It’s     9     sacrifice in which I found hope. And as we begin to close the chapter on a difficult year with encouraging news on the horizon, it’s their leadership     10     will guide us today and tomorrow.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everybody.

—Quoted from Barack Obama’s Christmas speech in 2020

8 .

A．The vision phone had better be shut off.

B．A convenient life can be enjoyed at home.

C．People make a smart phone with much ease.

D．Robots may replace people in the workplace.

9 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Cars of tomorrow

Since 2008, when General Motors’ then boss delivered a keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas     1     (offer) a glimpse of car making’s digital future. This year nearly 200 automotive firms signed up     2     the online event, which got cracking on January 5th. GM’s current chief, Mary Barra, addressed a speech that day.     3     other big carmakers, GM did not show up in person. But GM’s virtual show signaled how rapidly cars are evolving from oil—filled lumps of metal into devices stuffed with silicon.

Ms. Barra talked about GM’s transformation from automaker to platform innovator, celebrated its advances in commercial electric vehicles and autonomous driving, and     4     (release) a battery-powered version of the Chevrolet Silverado pickup. Rival firms raced to appear even more innovative. BMW demonstrated a system that changes a car’s paint colour at the press of a button. Mercedes-Benz went so far as     5     (claim) that its Vision eqxx concept, with interior materials fashioned from bamboo, cactus and mushroom, and a battery—powered range of 1,000km, was “reinventing the car”. Not     6     (overtake), consumer-electronics giants showed off their automotive stuff. Sony, a Japanese one, surprised many attendees     7     it announced a possible raid into car-making.

Other announcements were     8     (fancy) but more telling when it comes to the digitization of car-making. Mobil eye, the self-driving arm of Intel, which supplies chips to many big car firms, announced expanded deals with Ford, Geely and Volkswagen. Qualcomm, another chip-maker, inked new     9     with Volvo, Honda and Renault.

The courtship between carmakers and chip firms will only intensify. The worldwide chip shortage that knocked nearly 8m units off global car output is thankfully easing and annualized global car production could return to pre-pandemic levels by the second half of 2022, according to an investment bank. Still, car bosses are desperate to avoid a repeat. Many look enviously at Tesla,     10     own intimate rapport with semiconductor suppliers celebrated its full-year output for 2021 to a total of 930,000 vehicles.

10 . When people talk about the future, we like to think that we will be able to drive out of our garages and take to the ________ in our own personal flying car. The advantages are obvious. Some people ________ this technology will allow complete three-dimensional freedom of movement. We could fly at 489 kilometres per hour, ________ traffic lights, busy roads and speeding tickets. However, some people point to the disadvantages of flying cars. They claim that there are certain to be problems with traffic ________. Another big problem is mechanical ________. What will happen if they break down? ________, if they become popular, there is likely to be another big problem: air traffic congestion. So it looks like flying cars face more than a few problems if they are to get off the ground!

Most of us have printed out an electronic document on paper, but think about the ________ of printing out a three-dimensional object in plastic. 3D printers build an object using layers line-by-line like a(n) ________ printer until the object is complete. Vehicle companies like BMW and Volkswagen already use 3D printers to make life-size models of car parts. At the moment the process is slow and quality is ________, but before long it might be possible to see a product on a website and then ________ it to your printer at home. In the future we could make our own furniture, jewellery, cups, plates, shoes and toys from designs on our computers, and reduce the amount of ________ we have to do.

Imagine having your own Ironman suit. There are several companies trying to build a practical robot ‘exoskeleton’. This is a suit of robot arms and legs which follows your ________. It will allow the wearer to lift heavy objects, walk long distances and even punch through walls! There are ________ military advantages for this technology and might help people to walk again after disease or injury. However, besides cost and battery life, another problem is that a badly ________ robot suit could injure the wearer because you wouldn’t want your robot leg or arm bending the ________ way.

1.

A．parking lot

B．valleys

C．skies

D．dimension

2.

A．confirm

B．predict

C．prove

D．approve

3.

A．neglecting

B．avoiding

C．changing

D．controlling

4.

A．flows

B．crashes

C．organization

D．control

5.

A．accidents

B．industry

C．failure

D．analysis

6.

A．Also

B．Hence

C．However

D．Therefore

7.

A．access

B．improvement

C．possibility

D．compliment

8.

A．normal

B．home-made

C．special

D．imported

9.

A．high

B．advanced

C．various

D．low

10.

A．click

B．check

C．remove

D．download

11.

A．shopping

B．bargaining

C．shipping

D．delivery

12.

A．intentions

B．movements

C．instructions

D．advice

13.

A．forceful

B．possible

C．obvious

D．doubtful

14.

A．criticized

B．programmed

C．developed

D．commented

15.

A．wavy

B．direct

C．wrong

D．straight