1 . We asked Professor John Williams, a futurologist, for his expert predictions on life in the next few decades.

“Unfortunately, it looks quite likely that the climate may ________significantly (显著地), with hotter summers, colder winters and more flooding. At the same time, fuel for heating or air conditioning will probably become much more expensive. For these reasons, our houses will certainly have to become much better ________. People are already building so-called ‘passive houses’, which have little or no central heating at all, ________ the body heat of the people who live there.

“Homes probably won’t be as big, and so we will need more adaptable (可改变的) furniture, such as sofa beds, and when we are not ________ our furniture we will be able to fold it away into wall cabinets (壁橱). Houses could have moveable walls so that the same space can be ________ in different ways.”

“New technology will make us more self-sufficient (自给自足的). Kitchens may have fish tanks which, as well as providing fish to eat, also ________ fresh vegetables. The plants will ________ oxygen for the fish. These tanks will be powered by household waste and create ________, which can then be used to run the family car—________ we might not all have cars!”

“Water will be more expensive and the home of the future will probably be designed to use much ________ water. Washing machines and dishwashers might use sound waves to shake ________ off. We may even take showers using sound waves. What water we do use will be recycled and used again round the house and private swimming pools will become a thing of the ________.”

“We will also ______ ) have more robots in our houses, though they won’t look like the ones in films. There will probably be small robots ________ to clean the fridge or open the curtains. ________ fridges will tell us when food is about to go out of date and even suggest recipes, and we will be able to communicate with our homes by mobile phone wherever we are.”

1.

A．change

B．improve

C．respond

D．cool

2.

A．prepared

B．placed

C．qualified

D．equipped

3.

A．dealing with

B．relying on

C．focusing on

D．giving out

4.

A．using

B．moving

C．cleaning

D．selling

5.

A．demanded

B．arranged

C．measured

D．enlarged

6.

A．produce

B．wash

C．store

D．cook

7.

A．find

B．save

C．provide

D．test

8.

A．spaces

B．energy

C．systems

D．material

9.

A．as

B．if

C．unless

D．though

10.

A．more

B．warmer

C．less

D．slower

11.

A．dirt

B．water

C．leaves

D．hair

12.

A．future

B．past

C．life

D．imagination

13.

A．regularly

B．suddenly

C．nearly

D．certainly

14.

A．designed

B．discovered

C．repaired

D．collected

15.

A．Old

B．Additional

C．Common

D．Clever

2 . 阅读下列材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Take a moment     1     (imagine) yourself in ten years. You might have a few more grey hairs and wrinkles, and hope to change your material circumstances, too. But does the person you imagine feel very close to the person you are today.

Some people have a vivid sense of future self, which feels     2     (extreme) close to their current identity. These people tend to be more responsible for their money     3     they are keen to act in a way     4     will make life easier in the years ahead than present. Many other people see their future self as a separate person that has little     5     (relevant) to their present identity and,     6     consequence, they are far less worried about the long-term consequences of their actions.

You could almost think about your future self as a relationship that should     7     (pay) great efforts to develop. Thinking more about whom we will be in the future has a profound effect on our health, happiness and     8     (finance) security. You might consider a simple imaginative exercise—writing     9     letter from the future. This encourages people to feel a greater sense of link with their future self, thus     10     (prepare) for positive behavioral change.

3 . Complete the passage using the correct forms of the words in the box. Do you believe Hawking’s predictions?

pros and cons             take over            on a scientific basis            have an urge to          superior conflict with          backwards

Time travel, alien invasions, and artificial intelligence have always been popular themes in science fiction. However, these were never the exclusive domains of sci-fi writers. Some scientists also    1     explore these themes    2    . Take time travel as an example. Many fascinating stories based on time travel go either    3     or forwards in time. However, the former is not really an option. World-famous scientist Stephen Hawking once explained that travelling into the past would     4    the basic rule that cause comes before effect. But it would be possible to travel into the future in a vastly     5    spaceship approaching the speed of light. In addition to the question of time travel, Hawking also expressed his opinions on alien invasions and Al development. When many scientists and scholars were still arguing about the     6    of alien existence and AI development, Hawking said he believed aliens would invade Earth, and that humans would eventually    7     by Aland robots.