1 . Education in 2080 is distinctive from education in the 2020s. Until about 2035, the main function of education systems was to supply the economy with the next generation of workers. In 2080, the purpose of education is the well-being of society and all its members. To make this a bit more tangible for you, I would like to give an example of what a child’s education looks like in 2080. Her name is Shemsy. Shemsy is 13, and she is confident and loves learning.
Shemsy does not go to school in the morning because schools as you know them no longer exist. The institution was abolished as it was widely thought of as more like a prison or a factory than a creative learning environment. Schools have been replaced with “Learning Hubs” that are not restricted to certain ages. They are where intergenerational learning happens, in line with the belief that learning is a lifelong pursuit.
Every year, Shemsy designs her learning journey for the year with a highly attentive “teacher-citizen”. Shemsy is actively engaged in designing her education and has to propose projects she would like to be involved in to contribute to and serve her community. She also spends lots of time playing as the role of play in learning has finally been recognized as essential and core to our humanity. Shemsy works a lot collaboratively. Access to education is universal, and higher education institutions no longer differentiate themselves by how many people they reject yearly. Variability between students is expected and leveraged (利用) as young people teach one another and use their differences as a source of strength. Shemsy naturally explores what she is curious about at a pace she sets. She still has some classes to take that are mandatory for children globally: Being Human and the History of Humanity.
We invite you to think about your vision for education in the year 2080, what does it look like, who does it serve,and how does it transform our societies?
1. What does paragraph 1 mainly tell us?| A．There are different types of education. |
| B．The present education needs improvements. |
| C．Education and economy are closely associated. |
| D．The goal of future education is fundamentally different. |
| A．It accepts students of all ages. | B．It promotes competition. |
| C．It discourages individualized learning. | D．It is all about play-based learning. |
| A．Tough. | B．Satisfactory. | C．Optional. | D．Required. |
| A．An Example to All | B．A Vision for Education |
| C．A Challenge for Education | D．A Journey into the Future |
2 . There’s a classic short story in which a young man travels years ahead and meets his future self. Narratives like this have always been related to science fiction. But what if you could meet your future self?
I’m a psychologist and professor. My research over the past 15 years isn’t far from this theme. I’ve largely focused on how people think about and relate to their future selves, and explored the reasons why we have such a hard time making long-term decisions. In my research, I’ve learnt that we often imagine our future selves like strangers, which can impede us in making long-term choices. One way to bridge the emotional gap is to think of future selves in more concrete and vivid ways, like writing letters to and from one’s future self, which can strengthen the connection between current and future selves.
Admittedly, having people engage in an imagined conversation is a far cry from actually meeting one’s future self. But it’s believed that far richer interactions may happen in the near future through artificial intelligence (AI). It wouldn’t be predicting exactly what choices you’d make. It’d be more about showing your potential, based on the lives of people similar to you: not just one possible life for you, but rather, the most possible life path for you. Such interactions could offer valuable insights into our potential future selves.
So, to return to my original question: if you could time-travel to meet your future self, what aspects of your life would you want to know more about? I realized, through thorough reflections, that the most powerful questions would be ones that helped me make better choices today —questions exploring personal growth, regrets and unfulfilled actions.
Actually, you don’t need to wait for time travel or advanced AI for answers that you can act on. Through my research, I’ve learnt that simply taking a bit of time to picture this meeting can help you make better choices now. All you need is a little imagination, and the willingness to put yourself in the shoes of a person you currently treat as a stranger.
1. Why is it difficult for people to make long-term decisions according to the author?| A．Technology for time travel is not available. |
| B．Strangers cannot help with decision-making. |
| C．Writing letters to one’s future self is impractical. |
| D．People find it hard to connect with their distant selves. |
| A．contradictory to | B．very different from |
| C．not as convenient as | D．less popular than |
| A．Why hasn’t my hard work ever paid off? |
| B．What can AI do to help people become better persons? |
| C．If given the chance, what would you have done differently? |
| D．How can I succeed without going through all the difficulties in life? |
| A．Time travel: What if you met your future self? |
| B．My research: How do people view their future selves? |
| C．Emotional gap: Why can’t we talk with our future selves? |
| D．Artificial intelligence: Is it possible to meet your future self? |
3 . When was the last time you used a telephone box? I mean to make an actual phone call — not to shelter from the rain. Ages ago, right? The last time I used a phone box for its intended purpose was…2006. I was conducting auditions (试演) for my play in my tiny old shared house in London. Hoping to impress some talented actors to come and work for me for nothing, I spread some throws over the sofas and lit candles to make it seem a bit more ”young professional”.
As I rushed outdoors to empty the wastepaper baskets, the door swung shut behind me. Suddenly I was locked outside. My mobile phone was inside, but luckily there was a telephone box across the street. So, I called Directory Assistance, got put through to our landlady’s managing agent, and had a spare key sent to me with just enough time to get back in before the actors arrived.
As it has been many years since I last used one, I should hardly be surprised that then are no longer any public telephones near my house. The last one standing has just been turn into a “mini community library”: any passer-by can “borrow” a book from its shelves return it later, or replace it with another title from their own collection.
For a few months after the “library” opened, I didn’t bother taking a look, as I had assumed that it would be stuffed full of cheese love stories. Then I noticed fork conducting spring cleans dropping boxes of voluminous books on various subjects there. And these books were free. This unbeatable price-point encouraged me to experiment with dozens of titles that I would never normally consider buying. And I’ve discovered some great books!
If I ever get trapped outside my house again, my local telephone box will, sadly no longer be able to connect me with my keys. But it can certainly keep me entertained while I wait for my wife to rescue me.
1. What does the underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refer to?| A．The play. | B．The shared house. |
| C．The sofa. | D．The telephone box. |
| A．To place an urgent call. | B．To put up a notice. |
| C．To shelter from the rain. | D．To hold an audition. |
| A．It provides phone service for free. | B．Anyone can contribute to its collection. |
| C．It is popular among young readers. | D．Books must be returned within a month. |
| A．He wanted to borrow some love stories. |
| B．He was encouraged by a close neighbour. |
| C．He found there were excellent free books. |
| D．He thought it was an ideal place for reading. |
内容包括：生活：足不出户就可购物、读书、就医等；
旅游：去月球、火星(Mars)等观光；
环境：利用太阳能，一个整洁的世界；
健康:……
注意：(1)标题已为你写好(不计入总词数)；
(2)为使文章连贯，可适当增减内容。
What Will Our Life Be in the Future?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We
1. smart homes (设备或功能)；transportation (出行方式)；…… (至少3个方面)；
2. 你对这些变化的态度；
注意：1、词数100左右；
2、可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3、开头已为你写好，但不计入总词数。
Our Life in the Future
With the development of science and technology, our life in the future will
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 . 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. |
8 . Computers vs. Books
Mia Murphy was tired when she got home from school last Friday. It had been a long week. She was working on a computer project and has stayed late at school to finish her work. After stepping off the bus and trudging home, she settled herself onto the chair in the kitchen.
“What’s up, Mia?” Mr. Murphy asked, He was making Mia her favorite after-school cheese sandwich.
“This project is taking me forever!” Mia replied. “I have to design a website page for my computer class.”
“Wow, fancy!” Mrs Murphy shouted from the living room. “When we were in middle school, we didn’t even know how to use computers.” She walked into the kitchen and sat down next to Mia. She asked her daughter if she had anyone to help her with her project.
“We have partners—mine is named Ali,” she explained. “Today we learned how to insert pictures into our page.”
Mr. and Mrs. Murphy looked at each other and smiled. Mia noticed their little exchange.
“What?” She asked, wondering what they were thinking.
“Well, we first met when we were working on a project on American Indian history together in high school.” Mr. Murphy explained.
Mrs. Murphy chimed in. “But we didn’t have computers back then, so we have to go to the library every day to do research!” She explained that they didn’t have online search engines; they could only rely on books. They didn’t have cell phones to text each other when they needed help. They have to work together at each other’s houses.
“But that sounds so tough!” Mia said. “I can’t imagine completing a project without the help of a computer.”
Mr. Murphy chuckled. “I know. But I have that project to thank for meeting your mom! All those countless hours in the library. We have to spend much time together,” he said.
Now Mia was curious. She wondered what else was different when her parents were growing up. So she asked.
Mrs. Murphy stared to list off things she didn’t have as a child, like MP3 player and a flat-screen television. “Also, since I have many brothers and sisters, we have to pitch in more. I helped my mom cook dinner, and we repaired our torn clothes,” she said, tapping Mia on the nose. “How about you help me cook dinner tonight then?” Mrs. Murphy suggested, laughing.
“Sure!” Mia exclaimed. “How about something that you used to make as a child?”
“Chicken noodle soup it is,” Mrs. Murphy said with a smile.
1. What does the underlined phrase “pitch in” mean?| A．sacrifice | B．suffer | C．donate | D．assist |
| A．A conversation about the popular devices |
| B．A conversation about the evils of technology. |
| C．A conversation about generation differences. |
| D．A conversation about Mia’s parents` puppy love. |
| A．Tough | B．Casual | C．Humorous | D．Eccentric |
9 . The village of Okere Mom-Kok was destroyed during the Ugandan Civil War in the 1980s. Now, pupils at the early childhood centre are noisily having a break, and a market is coming to life, as is local beer making, in what has become known as Okere City.
Okere City began in 2019.It has a school, a clinic, and a community hall that also serves as a nightclub.Electricity and clean water are available to everyone.
Ojok Okello started the project of Okere City with an investment（投资） from his own pocket to change the destroyed village of 4,000 people.The development expert had worked for several charities but grew sad seeing projects fail because communities weren’t involved in decisions about their own future.When he returned to Okere Mom-Kok to visit relatives, he decided to create a project that was truly led by the people who lived there.
Okere now produces income.Every project, from the school to the local bar, can fund itself, something that has been possible because the project is being built not as a charity, but as a social enterprise（事业）, Okello says.
This year, after local people said they needed a way to make money, Okello began to experiment with processing shea nuts（加工乳木果）, which locals collect and turn into butter for cooking.Soon, Okere Shea Butter arrived on the market.
Okello says the thought came to him when watching the movie Black Panther, as he sat under a shea tree one afternoon.“I realised that we have this important natural resource and we were not using it,” Okello says.“I thought, in the movie Wakanda and Black Panther had vibranium and this shea tree could be our vibranium.So I invest everything within my means into it.”
Once a week an investment club meets in the community hall.Member’s dues（会费） are carefully recorded before being offered as loans（贷款） to members who need them.When borrowers repay the loan, the cycle continues.
“This style of banking plays a big role because it’s uniquely African,” Okello says.“It’s been about community, patience, and long-term investment.”
1. What is the village of Okere Mom-Kok like now?| A．It’s lively. | B．It’s a wasteland. |
| C．It’s in poor condition. | D．It’s a tourist attraction. |
| A．It was built as a charity. |
| B．It was created by poor villagers. |
| C．It has cost little money up to now. |
| D．It includes the community in decision-making. |
| A．Making shea butter. |
| B．Protecting shea trees. |
| C．Directing a film about shea trees. |
| D．Attracting investment in shea nuts. |
| A．It is important to local people. |
| B．It will take a long time to improve. |
| C．It will be used in other communities. |
| D．It mainly encourages short-term investment. |
| A．Okere City was rebuilt successfully due to several charities started by Ojok Okello. |
| B．A nightclub lies in the community hall of the Okere City now. |
| C．Pupils at the early childhood centre find it hard to have a break because the environment it noisy. |
| D．Ojok Okello made full use of vibranium as Wakanda and Black Panther did. |
In real life, we usually forget
A smart home is one that
