1 . 根据课文内容，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Today, we have to use switches for our lights, knobs for our appliances,     1     remote controls for our TVs and air conditioners. In the future, we will be using     2     (advance) technology every day for automatic control of just about everything in our home. The future home will use integrated sensors to tell     3     you leave home each morning, and then go into     4     energy-efficient mode all by itself. You will no longer have to think about     5     (turn) switches on and off yourself. Your home will also learn your daily routine and     6     (prefer), so everything will be ready for you when you get home each evening. Your lights will come     7     the instant you enter the door along with your favourite music or TV programmes, and you will find your dinner already     8     (prepare) for you. All controls will respond to voice commands, so     9     you want to change your routine, you just say aloud what you want and the home system     10     (obey).

2 . In May this year, as part of our 150th anniversary, we asked readers aged between 18 and 25 to enter an essay competition. The task was to tell us, in no more than 1,000 words, what scientific advance they would most like to see in their lifetimes, and why it mattered to them.

The response was phenomenal: we received 661 entries. Some entrants hoped that science would make their lifetimes much longer than they can currently expect. Many looked forward to work that will end climate change. Others wanted to see advances in our understanding of human history, crop growth, space exploration, and medical technologies. The ideas were inspiring.

The winner is a compelling essay by Yasmin Ali, a PhD student at the University of Nottingham, UK. Ali submitted a piece on Beethoven, her brother’s hearing loss and the science which she hoped would one day cure it. It stood out to the judges as a reminder of why many scientists do research: to make the world better tomorrow than it is today.

All essays were judged by a group of Nature editors. The top ten submissions were then ranked by three members of a separate judging group: Magdalena Skipper, editor-in-chief of Nature; Faith Osier, a researcher; and Jess Wade, a physicist. All submissions were kept anonymous throughout the process.

We also selected two runners-up(非冠军的获奖者).Physicist Robert Schittko at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, proposes that nuclear fusion(核聚变) could offer a solution to the climate crisis, in a piece that effortlessly mixes grand ambition with gentle humour. And chemist Matthew Zajac at the University of Chicago in Illinois wrote a powerful personal account of why he wants to see advances in the field of same-sex reproduction.

The results show that today’s young scientists have a wealth of ideas, talent and conviction that research can transform their world. We look forward to seeing what they do next.

1. What’s the essay competition about?

A．The scientific expectation.

B．The fantastic scientific ideas.

C．The dreams of future life.

D．The celebration of anniversary.

2. Why Yasmin Ali was chosen the winner?

A．She showed great talent in music.

B．She found the cure for the loss of hearing.

C．She appealed for people to care about hearing loss problem.

D．She reminded people to remember the meaning of science development.

3. What can we learn about the result of the essay competition?

A．Robert Schittko won the second place.

B．There were two winners in the essay competition.

C．Matthew Zajac presented his view of same-sex reproduction.

D．The two runners-up were selected for the same field they chose.

4. What is the author’s attitude to the competitors’ ideas about science expectations?

A．Doubtful.

B．Favorable.

C．Impossible.

D．Ignorant.