1 . We don’t know how different our future will be in the future. We can only try to imagine it.
At first we think about human relationship. In the year 2050, we will use computers almost every day. We will be making new friends through the Internet—even our husbands or wives will be met in this way. It will be much faster and easier for us. On the other hand, our relationships with people won’t be as important as they are today—we will feel a little lonely.
Computers will also help us in many other activities in 2050. For example, they will be used by the children at school to make their learning easier. In addition, there will be much more other machines which will play the same role as computers, like robots which will do the housework for us.
Spending holidays will also be completely different. Traveling to other planets or to the moon will be possible for everyone. Means of transport will, of course, change, too. We will be using solar-powered cars, which will be much more environmentally friendly(环保).
Some of us may think that the faster technological progress would lead to a more polluted environment. But it isn’t true. We will pay more attention to protecting the environment. And, scientists will probably find cures for many dangerous diseases, like cancer or AIDS. Then, our surroundings as well as health will be in better condition.
Although we can’t predict（预测）the exact changes which will be made in the world, we often think about them. We worry about our and our children’s future; we have hopes as well as fears. But I think we should be rather sanguine about our future. We should be happy and believe good things will happen.
1. Why will people probably feel a little lonely in 2050?| A．Because the number of people will become much smaller. |
| B．Because there will be less face-to-face communication. |
| C．Because people won’t like making friends with each other. |
| D．Because people won’t communicate with each other much often. |
| A．that computers will do all the things for human beings |
| B．how people will use computers to communicate with each other |
| C．that machines like computers and robots will help people a lot |
| D．how people will use robots to do the housework |
| A．The relationship between people will be more important than today. |
| B．The way of spending holidays will be the same as that of today. |
| C．It won’t be difficult for people to travel to other planets. |
| D．Our environment will be much more polluted with a growing number of cars. |
| A．disappointed | B．surprised |
| C．sad | D．optimistic |
This idea may sound like something from a science fiction (科幻小说), but it is actually being taken seriously by many researchers. This suggests the future for the "red planet" will be the main topic for discussion at an international conference hosted by NASA (美国宇航局) this week. Leading researchers as well as science fiction writers will attend the event.
Turning Mars into a little earth has long been a topic in science fiction,” said Dr Michael Meyer, NASA's senior scientist for astrobiology (太空生物学)．“Now, with scientists exploring the reality, we can ask what are the real possibilities of changing Mars.”
Most scientists agree that Mars could be turned into a little earth, although much time and money would be needed to achieve this goal.
But many experts are shocked by the idea. "We are destroying our own world at an unbelievable speed and now we are talking about ruining another planet," said Paul Murdin from the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK.
Over the past months, scientists have become increasingly confident .They will find Martian life forms. Europe and America's robot explorers have found proof that water, mixed with soil, exists in large amounts on the planet.
1. The passage is about________.
| A．Mars supporting life |
| B．finding water in the Mars |
| C．a plan turning Mars into a little earth |
| D．the necessity of changing Mars |
| A．are short of confidence |
| B．will gain the support of NASA |
| C．are asking for advice on how to carry it out |
| D．realize that it’s not easy to achieve their goal |
| A．He is for the idea. |
| B．He is active in the idea. |
| C．He is against the idea. |
| D．He doesn’t care about it. |
| A．They have no idea about the plan. |
| B．They will find Martian lives very soon. |
| C．They may achieve their goals some day. |
| D．They have found much proof of Martian lives. |
