1 . What the future school will look like is difficult to make clear, but most experts agree that the school will be electronic in the future.

“Present-day schools will no longer exist in the next century,” says a report in The Age. “At that time, schools will become community-style centers, which run seven days a week, and 24 hours a day.” At the same time, computers will surely become a central part of the school in the future.

According to The Age, the distance learning will be popular and students will listen to teachers on computers. Going into classrooms on their computers, students will study at any time, which is very easy for them. However, it is necessary for students to go to the actual school in order to develop some social skills.

Seashore Primary School is an imaginary school in the future created by the Education Department of Australia. At this school, all the teachers and students have laptop computers. Teachers check messages and call students back with a special telephone system and students use telephones to search for information or speak to their teachers who give their lessons. Besides, all the lessons are related to all sorts of subjects and all the students have their own learning plans created by teachers.

As one headmaster says, a laptop computer is a student’s library, data storage(数据存储) device as well as the bridge to a wider world. Technology has changed the emphasis of future learning. Thus, we’ll pay more attention to the learning of kids rather than the teaching.

1. According to the report in The Age, students in future schools will ________.

A．mainly study online	B．study at set times
C．have no teachers	D．never go to actual schools

2. The example of Seashore Primary School is given to show _______.

A．telephones are important in Australia

B．how future schools will work

C．every student needs a learning plan

D．students enjoy getting in touch with teachers

3. What does the underlined word “emphasis” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Lesson.

B．Score.

C．Attitude.

D．Focus.

4. Which of the following is the best title of the text?

A．The Schools in the Future	B．Great Changes in Technology
C．Seashore Primary School	D．Actual Schools to Be Replaced

3 . All the efforts you put into studying at university may not have been enough—because robots could be coming for your job. A new study finds that as many as 800 million workers could be replaced by robots by 2030.

The study from the McKinsey Global Institute estimates that between 400 million and 800 million individuals could be replaced by automation(自动化) or robots and need to find new jobs by 2030 around the world. It estimates that 30 percent of the hours people spend on working globally could have been automated by that time.

Those most affected will be people who work in predictable environments doing tasks such as operating machines and preparing fast food. Those who make a living by collecting and processing data also face a high risk of being replaced by robots. But people who work in less predictable environments such as gardeners, plumbers, and childcare staff face a smaller risk, because their roles are technically difficult to be automated and often command relatively lower wages, which makes automation a less attractive business proposition(商业提议).

However, it’s not all doom for the future of employment. The Study notes that automation sometimes allows workers to remain employed in a different position. “Even when some tasks are automated, the employment rate in those occupations may not decline because workers may perform new tasks,” McKinsey &Company wrote in a release on its website.

It noted that China has the largest number of employees who would need to switch occupations, up to 100 million if automation was adopted rapidly, or 12 percent of the 2030 workforce. The numbers are higher in more advanced economies, with up to one-third of the 2030 workforce in America and Germany needing to switch occupations, along with nearly half of the 2030 workforce in Japan. Countries which fail to prepare workers for transition to new jobs will feel the impact of a rise in unemployment and depressed wages, according to the study.

1. Why will lots of people need to find new jobs by 2030 around the world?

A．They don’t put efforts into their study at university.

B．The world’s working population is on the steady rise.

C．They will be paid less with the development of technology.

D．Robots or automation will take the place of their positions.

2. Which will be the least likely to be replaced by robots?

A．Machine operation.	B．Fast food cooking.
C．Childcare in kindergarten.	D．Data collection.

3. What is the study’s statement about jobs’ being replaced by robots mainly based on?

A．Estimated figures.	B．Public opinions.
C．Financial reports.	D．Website contents.

4. Which part does the article belong to?

A．Education.

B．Business.

C．Lifestyle.

D．Technology.

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Cards and digital(数字的) technologies     1    (kill) off cash slowly, but is it a cause for concern? Not     2    (necessary). Here are some ways of making the most of digital finance.

Cash is no longer king. Over recent years fewer and fewer transactions have been made with cash. The most recent figures show coins and notes are used just 34% of     3     time, down from 63% a decade ago. And usage     4    (predict) to fall to just 10% in 15 years.

Instead we’re paying with cards and digital technologies. Some of this is down to user choice, with contactless cards and smartphones making spending     5    (fast) and more convenient.

But it’s also being forced upon us. Some retailers are refusing physical money as they can avoid the high bank charges levied(征收) at them for     6    (handle) cash. Meanwhile it’s harder to get your hands on notes as cash machines and     7    (bank) disappear from the high street. And these are trends which are likely     8    (increase) in the coming years.

This could be bad news if you still primarily use cash,     9     that’s how you pay your bills or how you budget. For some, cash is just what you know. For     10    , cash is a necessity—especially when going digital is the alternative.

As a result this move towards cashless society makes many uneasy.

5 .     1    

In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!

Not all past predictions have been proved wrong.    2    Some great thinkers predicted the arrived of the credit card, the fax machine and even the Internet-years before they happened. But for each prediction that has come true, some others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology, or whether people really needed it in their lives or not. Let’s look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.

    3    

Where’s the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he’s probably not coming any time soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other working environments.

Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people’s homes.

So why hasn’t it happened? Maybe because robots are still too expensive and clumsy. And probably the clothes is just too strange. At home we seem to be doing fine without them.

    4    

In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn’t caught on yet.

Why? The technology worked fine, but it over-looked something obvious: People desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just stepped out of the shower?

Probably not-it could be uncomfortable! Just because technology doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.

And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the Flying car?    5    But a flying car remains one of the most wonderful technology ideas to catch our imagination. Keep watching the news-or perhaps the sky outside your window-to see what the future will bring.

A．It’s not so crazy any more!

B．a few of them have been surprisingly accurate.

C．Robot Helpers

D．Predictions of the Future

E．It hasn’t appeared yet!

F．What will our future life be like?

G．Telephones of Tomorrow

6 . What will city life be like in the future? Some people think that life in the cities is going to be ____ They ____ that cities will become more and more crowded. ____the number of people increases, there will be less space for each person. This ____ will cause other problems—more crime, dirtier streets, and worse problems with traffic ____we have now. How will people find enough drinking water, energy (such as gas and electricity) and housing? ____ life will be hard, people who live in cities will worry more, and they may become sick. ____ these reasons, some say that nobody will want to live in urban areas.
How can we ____ such problems as overcrowding, crime, and traffic? In some cities, thousands of people are already ____ in the streets because there is so little suitable housing—and because ____ are so high. The crime rate isn't going down. ____, it is ____ so fast that many people are afraid to go out at night. Traffic is also getting worse. More and more often, traffic jams are so bad that cars don't move at all for several blocks. These ____ problems have been getting worse, not better, so many people see no ____ for the future of the city.
However, not all people believe in the horrible ____ for cities of the future. Instead, they feel that they can solve present urban problems and ____ future ones.
The _____ of any modern city are not unique(独特的) to that city, that is to say, all the cities in the world have to solve the problems of traffic jams, crime, housing, energy, drinking water, and overcrowding. Yet many cities have found answers to one or more of these difficulties. Some European cities, such as Stockholm, Sweden, or London, England, have planned communities that ____ people with apartments, jobs, shopping centers, green space, entertainment, and transportation. Many U.S. cities are building their downtown areas. Urban ____ can learn from one another. They can ____ solutions that have been successful in other parts of the world.1.

A．fantastic

B．horrible

C．regular

D．significant

2.

A．ensure

B．require

C．indicate

D．predict

3.

A．As

B．Though

C．With

D．Unless

4.

A．room

B．number

C．future

D．overcrowding

5.

A．as

B．which

C．what

D．than

6.

A．While

B．Because

C．Therefore

D．Once

7.

A．For

B．In

C．Because

D．Thanks to

8.

A．deal

B．keep

C．solve

D．cause

9.

A．calling

B．sleeping

C．robbing

D．starving

10.

A．flats

B．cars

C．rents

D．crimes

11.

A．And

B．Thus

C．Instead

D．Therefore

12.

A．increasing

B．changing

C．dropping

D．exchanging

13.

A．urban

B．rural

C．crime

D．traffic

14.

A．reality

B．trend

C．prediction

D．hope

15.

A．definitions

B．predictions

C．identification

D．indication

16.

A．reform

B．remain

C．cure

D．prevent

17.

A．disadvantages

B．advantages

C．properties

D．substitutes

18.

A．offer

B．satisfy

C．require

D．provide

19.

A．consumers

B．planners

C．systems

D．physicians

20.

A．try

B．identify

C．cure

D．forecast

7 . Most people, when they travel to space, would like to stay in orbit (轨道) for a few days or more. And this stands to reason, if you’re paying $ 20,000 for your trip to orbit! So in order for tourism to reach its full potential there’s going to be a need for space hotels. What would a space hotel actually be like to visit? Hotels in orbit will offer the services you expect from a hotel — private rooms, meals, bars. But they’ll also offer two unique experiences: impressive views — of Earth and space — and the endless entertainment of living in zero gravity — including sports and other activities that make use of this.

The hotels themselves will vary greatly — from being quite simple in the early days to huge luxury (奢侈的) structures at a later date. It’s actually surprising that as later as 1997, very few designs for space hotels were published. This is mainly because those who might be expected to design them haven’t expected the costs to come down far enough to make them possible.

Lots of people who’ve been to space have described vividly what it’s like to live in zero gravity. There are obviously all sorts of possibilities for dancing, gymnastics, and zero-G sports. Luckily, you don’t need to sleep much living in zero gravity, so you’ll have plenty of time for relaxing by hanging out in a bar with a window looking down at the turning Earth below.

Of course all good things have come to an end, unfortunately. And so after a few days you’ll find yourself heading back to the earth. You’ll be thinking how soon you can save up enough to get back up again-or maybe you should change jobs to get to work in an orbiting hotel!

1. When traveling in space, most people would like to stay in orbit for a few days because ________.

A．it is expensive to travel in space

B．they would find the possible life in other star systems

C．they could enjoy the luxury of space hotels

D．they want to realise the full potential of tourism

2. Which of the following is a unique experience that space hotels will offer?

A．The gravitational pull.	B．The special views.
C．The relaxation in a bar.	D．The space walk.

3. Which of the following is NOT discussed in the passage?

A．When was the space traveling made possible?

B．What are the unique experiences that space hotels will offer?

C．Why were there not many published designs for space hotels?

D．How can the travelers enjoy themselves in space hotels?

4. This passage is mainly about ________.

A．traveling in space	B．the ways of living in space hotels
C．zero gravity and space hotels	D．the description of space hotels