1 . Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict.” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and a sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I am working harder than ever.” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work. In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday (but only on Friday). This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code.” “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative(保守的)dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale(心境，士气). Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative influence on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”
1. David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because .| A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt |
| B．he couldn’t stand a clean appearance |
| C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time |
| D．he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes |
| A．they make him feel at ease when working |
| B．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes |
| C．he looks handsome in casual clothes |
| D．he no longer works for any company |
| A．Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code. |
| B．Comfortable clothes make employees more productive. |
| C．A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees. |
| D．All the employers in the U. S. are for casual office wear. |
| A．Company workers started to dress down about fifty years ago. |
| B．Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 90s. |
| C．“Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers. |
| D．Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people. |
| A．saving employees’ money |
| B．making employees more attractive |
| C．improving employees’ motivation |
| D．making employees happier |
2 . There’s a good chance something you've bought online has been in the hands of a “ picker” first. These are the workers in warehouses(仓库)who pick, pack and ship all those things we’re ordering.
At Amazon and other companies, they’re working side by side with robots. Experts say while the robots are replacing some human workers, the machines aren't quite ready to take over completely.
When a robot finds its storage unit, it slides underneath, lifts it up and then delivers it to a worker 一 they’re called pickers. On a recent day, the computer told a picker to grab what looked like a fantasy board (棋盘)game. The picker found it, canned it and placed it on the conveyor belt.
“In a traditional fulfillment center where the associate would walk to the different items , it can take hours to fulfill a customer order. “ Robinson says.
Now, with the help of robots, that task takes minutes 一 and fewer humans.
So is this a sign we're entering a new industrial revolution?
“It’s definitely going to take over a lot of jobs. " says Karen Myers, a scientist at SRI, one of Silicon Valley's oldest research centers.
At the same time, she says, we're running against the limits of technology. Take “the picker” at the Amazon fulfillment center. Myers says those skills are proving to be uniquely human.
“Our fingers are incredibly flexible and the current generation of robotic operators, they’re getting much, much better,” she says. “But they're just not quite there yet. ”
There’s also the robot’s brain.
Remember that board game the Amazon worker was looking for? She could barely see the box filled into the storage bin — but she could tell it was a board game. Robots can’t do that.
Technologists say that, increasingly, humans will work side by side with robots — instead of robots working alone.
Amazon says robots and humans enabled the Tracy warehouse to fulfill customer orders faster. That means more customers and more human workers.
1. A picker does some tasks except .| A．picking goods | B．producing goods | C．spotting goods | D．packing goods |
| A．more efficient | B．less straight | C．more difficult | D．less profitable |
| A．powerful | B．artificial | C．flexible | D．energetic |
| A．Robots replacing humans completely. |
| B．The advantages of shopping online. |
| C．The future of robots. |
| D．Robots and humans working side by side. |
3 . A "smart city" that features pedestrians, green spaces and self - driving vehicles will be built in Shenzhen and its construction is scheduled to start later in 2020. It will be a model that could be applied to other urban developments after the coronavirus, the project's architect said.
The ambitious city-within-a-city, called "Net City", will be a 2 million square metre neighborhood in the southeastern city of Shenzhen, consisting of Tencent offices and residences for its employees, as well as public entertainment venues and parks.
With fewer streets for cars, "green" garden roofs on buildings and the use of artificial intelligence (Al), Net City is a model for the future of city building", said Jonathan Ward, a design partner at NB- BJ, a United States-based architecture firm.
"This moment strengthens the need to think about designing spaces, buildings and …plentiful in- door-outdoor spaces which are good for overall human health, perhaps even more so during a pandemic (流行病),"Ward said.
Besides, NBBJ considers a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle with rooftop solar panels and well -designed systems for capturing and reusing waste water. Planners also looked at projects for future sea level rises to ensure that buildings are better protected against climate change.
"The city will use technologies such as artificial intelligence," Ward said. "Mangroves (红树林)and other nature-based features will also be employed, for example, to help mitigate the impacts of climate change."
Smart cities are a part of China's plan to recover growth amongst a global economic downturn, authorities said in March. More than 500 smart cities are being built across China, according to government data, equipped with sensors, cameras, and other devices that can collect data on everything from traffic and pollution, to public health and security.
1. What can be learnt about the Net City ?| A．It will be completed in 2020. | B．It is just a city model in conception. |
| C．It's an example of city development. | D．It lies in northeastern Shenzhen. |
| A．Leaving plenty of space empty. | B．Putting people and environment first. |
| C．Avoiding using modern technology. | D．Focusing on economic development. |
| A．Ease. | B．Increase, |
| C．Remove. | D．Strengthen. |
| A．Emphasize the topic for the text. | B．Add some background information |
| C．Summarize the previous paragraphs. | D．Give an argument to support the opinion. |
1. What are the speakers talking about?
| A．The future way of working. |
| B．How to find a satisfying job. |
| C．The development of computers. |
| A．He would get much more done at home. |
| B．Working at home may not be for him. |
| C．He would like to watch TV at home. |
5 . In the far,far future,bicycles and perhaps skates may be run by jet power,and a new thing to ride may be a small flying saucer（飞碟）.Imagine a race between them!
There may be telepathy helmets（心灵感应帽）that send thought waves from your brain to that of your friend miles away.You just think a thought and your friend knows it!You can have secrets with each other that nobody else can turn in on!
What about the food of the future?Scientists think.that much of it will be artificial—made in factories from such surprising things as coal,limestone,air,and water.The artificial food will be healthful because all the things that you need to live a long and healthy life will be put into it.
The future hospitals will probably have "body banks" that can give you almost any new part you need to keep on living.People of the future may live to be a lot older than 100 years.
What about highways of the future?Well,a very small child probably will be able to drive a car.Nobody will need to steer（驾驶）.Electric signals will hold each car on the right road to get wherever the "driver" wants to go. And it probably will be impossible for cars to smash together.Controls that won't even have to be touched will make all speeding cars miss each other or will put on the brakes.Driving cars will be as safe as being at home.
But maybe the most wonderful surprise in the future will be weather control.Cities may have giant plastic domes（圆顶罩）over them to keep out snow,rain,or storms.When you plan a picnic in a park,you won't have to worry about rain.It will rain only when the "weatherman" thinks it is necessary to fresh the air inside the city.All other days will be fair and warm.
The future should be a wonderful time in which to live and the time we are living in now is also a wonderful future to the people who lived 100 years ago.
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．With telepathy helmets,we can share our thoughts without any word. |
| B．The artificial food made from coal and limestone tastes the most delicious in the future. |
| C．There will be “body banks” instead of hospitals in the future. |
| D．Plastic domes themselves can automatically control the weather. |
| A．small children have to learn to drive |
| B．car accidents still couldn't be avoided |
| C．we can be taken to the destination without steering |
| D．cars will be no longer equipped with brakes |
| A．optimistic | B．pessimistic |
| C．satisfied | D．doubtful |
Let us suppose it is now about A.D. 2060. Let’s make believe (假装；虚构) it is about sixty years from now. Of course, things have changed and life is very different.
Voyages to the moon are being made every day. It is as easy to take a holiday on the moon today as it was for the people in 1960 to take a holiday in Europe. At a number of scenic spots on the moon, many hotels have been built. The hotels are air-conditioned, naturally. In order that everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the moon, every room has at least one picture window. Everything imaginable is provided for entertainment (娱乐) of young and old.
What are people eating now? People are still eating food. They haven’t yet started to take on heir (继承) supply of energy directly as electrical current or as nuclear power. They may some day. But many foods now come in pill form, and the food that goes into the pill continues to come mainly from green plants.
Since there are several times as many people in the world today as there were a hundred years ago, most of our planet’s surface has to be filled. The deserts are irrigated with water and crops are no longer destroyed bypests. The harvest is always good.
Farming, of course, is very highly developed. Very few people have to work on the farm. It is possible to run the farm by just pushing a few buttons now and then.
People are now largely vegetarians (素食者). You see, as the number of people increases, the number of animal decreases. Therefore, the people have to be vegetarians and we are healthier both in our bodies and in our minds, and we know the causes and cure of disease and pain, and it is possible to get rid of diseases. No one has to be ill any more.
Such would be our life in 2060.
1. When was the passage written?
| A．In about A.D. 2060. | B．In about 1960. |
| C．In about 2004. | D．In about 2000. |
| A．Many other animals. | B．Many tourists. |
| C．Many plants. | D．A sea. |
| A．Foods in pill form. | B．Biscuits in pill form. |
| C．Foods in water form. | D．Foods in gas form. |
| A．there are fewer population |
| B．there are more pests |
| C．the crops are getting better |
| D．there is less water |
7 . Famous scientist Stephen Hawking issued another warning for the earth. He said we had about 600 years before the earth turned into a fireball and if we didn't leave the earth soon, overpopulation would increase energy consumption and it would kill us all.
But Hawking had a plan. Speaking at the Tencent WE Summit in Beijing, Hawking called on investors to support his plan to travel to Alpha Centauri. At around 4 light-year away. It's the closest star system to the sun. The adventure would use a tiny spacecraft that travels at the speed of light. Such a system could reach Mars in less than an hour, or reach Pluto in days and reach Alpha Centauri in just over 20 years.
"Maybe if all goes well, sometime a little after the middle of the century, we'll have our first picture of another planet that may be the nearest from our earth and suitable for human- beings to survive on, " Pete Worden, the former head at NASA's AMES Research Center and Starshot Breakthrough director, said at the summit.
Professor Stephen Hawking warned "I don't think we will survive another 1,000 years without escaping our weak plane. We face a lot of intimidation: nuclear war, global warming and genetically engineered viruses, "said Prof Hawking, speaking to the Rạdio Times. "Although the chance of a disaster on the earth in a given year may be quite low, it adds up over time, becoming a near certainty in the next thousand or ten thousand years. By that time we should have spread out into space, and to other stars, so it would not mean the epd of the human race."
"However, we will not establish our base in space for at least the next hundred years, so we have to be very careful in this period." Stephen Hawking also said.
1. What will the earth be like in about 600 years according to Hawking?| A．Pluto | B．The moon | C．Alpha Centauri | D．A fireball |
| A．Hawking needed help to finish his plan. |
| B．Viruses will be wiped out in l, 000 years. |
| C．The adventure would use a huge spacecraft. |
| D．Pete Worden will invest and supper Hawking's plans. |
| A．Opportunities | B．Construction | C．Threats | D．Possibilities |
| A．Comfortable Planet for Human Being | B．Hawking's Warning for the Earth |
| C．Travel to Other Planets | D．Hawking's Newest Research |
