1 . In 2011, the old style Malta buses were taken off the road and replaced by modern vehicles. Most of the old buses were deserted, a few were sold, and about 100 of them were put into storage in the hope of showing them in a museum at some stage.
A pre-2011 visit to Malta wouldn’t have been complete without a ride on one of the colorful buses. Until 1973 you could tell the destination of the bus just by looking at its color--Sliema was green and white, Zabbar was red and white with a blue stripe(条纹)etc. Later, the buses all had numbers. For a while, they were all painted green and white before the ‘final’ orange, yellow and white.
In their prime, walking around the Triton fountain at the Valletta bus station, you would have found it very difficult to see two buses of exactly the same design. Most of them had locally built bodies. On the front of the buses carried names like Dodge, Leyland, Bedford etc. You were equally likely to find football pennants(锦旗)and the like decorating the cabs. Real bus experts would have recognized that these were there mainly for decorative reasons, and were seldom an exact idea of the vehicle’s origins.
Nowadays much more modern buses are to be found at the Floriana bus station. They are more environmentally friendly and possibly even more comfortable than the older types. However, I miss the old buses. I remember, when you boarded your bus, you had to prepare the correct change to pay the usually bad-tempered driver as you got on. If you were seated anywhere near the front, you would have noticed that most drivers sat well to the right of their steering wheel. The reason for this, as any Maltese would tell you, was to leave space for their pet to sit alongside them. I wonder where the pet sits these days.
1. What makes a pre-2011 visit to Malta special according to Paragraph 2?| A．Traveling in colorful buses. |
| B．Using buses with stripes. |
| C．Painting buses bright colors. |
| D．Telling destinations by different colors. |
| A．the most painful time. | B．the loudest time. |
| C．the most disappointing time. | D．the strongest time. |
| A．They were of the same pattern. |
| B．The decorations showed their origin. |
| C．Most were uniquely designed. |
| D．Only football pennants decorated the cabs. |
| A．Comfortable. | B．Environment-friendly. |
| C．Safe. | D．Memorable. |
2 . The village of Okere Mom-Kok was destroyed during the Ugandan Civil War in the 1980s. Now, pupils at the early childhood centre are noisily having a break, and a market is coming to life, as is local beer making, in what has become known as Okere City.
Okere City began in 2019.It has a school, a clinic, and a community hall that also serves as a nightclub.Electricity and clean water are available to everyone.
Ojok Okello started the project of Okere City with an investment（投资） from his own pocket to change the destroyed village of 4,000 people.The development expert had worked for several charities but grew sad seeing projects fail because communities weren’t involved in decisions about their own future.When he returned to Okere Mom-Kok to visit relatives, he decided to create a project that was truly led by the people who lived there.
Okere now produces income.Every project, from the school to the local bar, can fund itself, something that has been possible because the project is being built not as a charity, but as a social enterprise（事业）, Okello says.
This year, after local people said they needed a way to make money, Okello began to experiment with processing shea nuts（加工乳木果）, which locals collect and turn into butter for cooking.Soon, Okere Shea Butter arrived on the market.
Okello says the thought came to him when watching the movie Black Panther, as he sat under a shea tree one afternoon.“I realised that we have this important natural resource and we were not using it,” Okello says.“I thought, in the movie Wakanda and Black Panther had vibranium and this shea tree could be our vibranium.So I invest everything within my means into it.”
Once a week an investment club meets in the community hall.Member’s dues（会费） are carefully recorded before being offered as loans（贷款） to members who need them.When borrowers repay the loan, the cycle continues.
“This style of banking plays a big role because it’s uniquely African,” Okello says.“It’s been about community, patience, and long-term investment.”
1. What is the village of Okere Mom-Kok like now?| A．It’s lively. | B．It’s a wasteland. |
| C．It’s in poor condition. | D．It’s a tourist attraction. |
| A．It was built as a charity. |
| B．It was created by poor villagers. |
| C．It has cost little money up to now. |
| D．It includes the community in decision-making. |
| A．Making shea butter. |
| B．Protecting shea trees. |
| C．Directing a film about shea trees. |
| D．Attracting investment in shea nuts. |
| A．It is important to local people. |
| B．It will take a long time to improve. |
| C．It will be used in other communities. |
| D．It mainly encourages short-term investment. |
| A．Okere City was rebuilt successfully due to several charities started by Ojok Okello. |
| B．A nightclub lies in the community hall of the Okere City now. |
| C．Pupils at the early childhood centre find it hard to have a break because the environment it noisy. |
| D．Ojok Okello made full use of vibranium as Wakanda and Black Panther did. |
3 . If you could travel in time, where would you go? Perhaps you would watch a performance of a Shakespeare's play in Elizabethan England? What about hanging out with Laozi in the Spring and Autumn Period? Or maybe you'd voyage far ahead of the present day to see what the future holds.
The possibility of time travel is indeed appealing. Stories exploring the subject have been around for hundreds of years. Perhaps the best known example is science fiction novel The Time Machine, written by H. G. Wells and published in 1895 . It was adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel using a vehicle that allows an operator to travel purposefully and selectively. The term "time machine", coined by Wells, is now universally referred to a vehicle transporting people into the far future.
But could time travel actually be possible? Some scientists say yes, in theory. They propose using cracks in time and space called "wormholes", which could be used as shortcuts to other periods. Einstein's theory of relativity allows time travel in extreme circumstances. And Stephen Hawking says you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship-going at nearly the speed of light. Though building such a spaceship wouldn’t of course be simple .
Even if you could travel into the past, there is something called the "grandfather paradox". It asks what would happen if a time traveler were to go back in time and have his own grandfather killed for some reason, and therefore prevent himself from being born. If the time traveler wasn't born, how would he travel back in time?
And would you really like to visit the future? In H. G. Wells' book, the main character travels into distant time where he arrives at a beach and is attacked by giant crabs. He then voyages 30 million years into the future where the only living thing is a black object with tentacles (触角).
If that's what's in store, maybe we are better just living in the present day after all.
1. The novel The Time Machine mentioned in Paragraph 2 aims to show________.| A．the long history of time travel |
| B．the contribution of H.G. Wells |
| C．the story's different features |
| D．people's interest in time travel |
| A．The Time Machine is one of the bestselling science fiction novels. |
| B．There are films, comic books and dramas adapted from the novel The Time Machine. |
| C．Works of Literature about time travel first appeared one hundred years ago. |
| D．It was H.G. Wells who invented the term "time machine". |
| A．suggest the possibility of time travel |
| B．have been proved wrong by some time travelers |
| C．have similarities because both are based on experiments |
| D．have pushed the invention of the first spaceship |
| A．the reunion of the traveler and his grandfather brings happiness |
| B．the grandfather's death makes the traveler's birth impossible |
| C．the traveler goes back in time to seek for his grandfather |
| D．the traveler is prevented from meeting his grandfather |
| A．Unclear. | B．Supportive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unconcerned. |
4 . The sea could be the food bowl of the future. In Jervis Bay, south of Sydney, seaweed, which is rich in fibre and omega 3, is grown and harvested.
Pia Winberg is a marine scientist who runs Australia's first food-grade fanned seaweed company. Her crop is grown alongside mussels (贻贝)and is used as an additive in pasta (意大利面)and other products.
Seaweed is also raised in large tanks, where it absorbs carbon dioxide waste from a wheat processing factory. The business is small, but could help to reduce the ecological footprint of traditional farming.
“We used ten percent of seaweed instead of wheat in breads and pastas, we've eliminated a million hectares of land, we've eliminated all of the carbon dioxide emissions associated with that, and we've also reduced the pressures on very precious fresh water.” said Pia Winberg.
Spiny sea urchins (多刺海胆虫)are another blue economy resource. They can destroy marine habitats, but a recent competition for environmental start-ups in Australia, saw them not as a pest but a delicacy (美味).
Martina Doblin, CEO of Sydney Institute of Marine Science, said, “By 2050 we will have some ten billion people on the planet, and about half the food they eat will come from the ocean. So, we really do need to pay attention to the way that we manage the blue economy-generating wealth from the ocean but in a sustainable (可持续的)way.”
Farming at sea has its challenges. Infrastructure (基础设施)has to be sound, as do supply chains and biosecurity. But get these things right, and the ocean might just be the next great economic frontier.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?| A．To lead to the main topic. |
| B．To describe a new kind of seaweed. |
| C．Tell how important the food safety is. |
| D．To explain the meaning of blue economy. |
| A．Ocean exploration has made little progress so far. |
| B．More and more people will die of hunger in the future. |
| C．More work is needed for a better use of the natural resources. |
| D．Sea farming will be a good way to solve the coming world food problem. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Objective. | C．Tolerant. | D．Negative. |
| A．How to Protect the Marine Animals |
| B．Measures to Develop Blue Economy |
| C．Farming the Sea for the Future of Food |
| D．Traditional Farming is Gradually Disappearing |
5 . The home of the future won't be completely different and we will be living in houses and flats just as we do today. But people will want to shape their homes to match their dreams. No two homes will be the same. People will be able to buy "house kits" containing a basic house structure, with movable walls, doors and windows. They will put together the different parts to create the home they want.
Many jobs that we do today will disappear, others will still exist but will change and new jobs will be created. Skilled workers such as builders, gardeners and electricians won't disappear because machines can't replace them. Teachers will still exist because students need human contact. But they will be using modem technology in class more and students will be working more at home. The medical technology revolution and space travel will create new jobs which we can only imagine today.
Space holidays will develop in the future, but these holidays won't be for everyone because they won't be cheap. Short space trips will develop first; then space hotels will orbit the earth where it will be possible to have a longer vacation. By the end of the next century, there will have been holiday centres on the moon with leisure facilities（休闲设施）for families.
Paper won't exist in the future. Instead, there will be e-paper which people will be able to use over and over again. This will develop in order to save natural resources. E-newspapers and e-magazines will replace traditional newspapers and magazines and we will download information and news articles from the Internet every day onto our reusable paper.
The laws of physics tell us that the earth is going to disappear some time in the future. This isn't going to happen tomorrow but scientists predict that it will happen in five billion years when our sun explodes. We will have to explore the universe and find another home. At some point in the distant future, either we stay on the earth and die with it, or we leave and move to another planet. There won't be any other choice.
1. Homes of the future will .| A．be completely different from those of today |
| B．be very similar to our homes |
| C．all be different from one another |
| D．be movable as you want |
| A．Skilled workers will face great challenges. |
| B．The future will witness job changes. |
| C．Technology will totally replace workforce. |
| D．An unimaginable life will come into being. |
| A．become a very common way to spend holidays |
| B．be the best holiday options for families |
| C．attract a lot of people |
| D．be still only for very rich people |
| A．it will be a symbol of fashion |
| B．it won't waste natural resource |
| C．it will be cheaper to produce |
| D．it will be convenient to carry |
6 . The home of the future won't be completely different and we will be living in houses and flats just as we do today. But people will want to shape their homes to match their dreams. No two homes will be the same. People will be able to buy "house kits" containing a basic house structure, with movable walls, doors and windows. They will put together the different parts to create the home they want.
Many jobs that we do today will disappear, others will still exist but will change and new jobs will be created. Skilled workers such as builders, gardeners and electricians won't disappear because machines can't replace them. Teachers will still exist because students need human contact. But they will be using modern technology in class more and students will be working more from home. The medical technology revolution and space travel will create new jobs which we can only imagine today.
Space holidays will develop in the future, but these holidays won't be for everyone because they won't be cheap. Short space trips will develop first, then space hotels will orbit the earth where it will be possible to have a longer vacation. By the end of the next century, there will be holiday centers on the moon with leisure facilities for families.
Paper won't exist in the future. Instead, there will be e-paper which people will be able to use over and over again. This will develop in order to save natural resources. E-newspapers and e-magazines will replace traditional newspapers and magazines and we will download information and news articles from the Internet every day onto our reusable paper.
The laws of physics tell us that the earth is going to disappear sometime in the future. This isn't going to happen tomorrow but scientists predict that it will happen in five billion years when our sun explodes (爆炸). We will have to explore the universe and find another home. At some point in the distant future, either we stay on the earth and die with it, or we leave and move to another planet. There won't be any other choice.
1. Homes of the future will__________.| A．be completely different from those of today. |
| B．be very similar to our homes |
| C．be movable as you want |
| D．all be different from one another |
| A．become a very common way to spend a holiday |
| B．be the cheapest holiday choice for families |
| C．still only be for very rich people |
| D．attract a lot of people |
| A．it won't waste natural resource |
| B．young people like it |
| C．it will be cheaper to produce |
| D．it will be convenient to carry |
| A．if we want to live a better life |
| B．if we want to save the human race |
| C．when the earth explodes |
| D．when the earth is too crowded to live on |
注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Life in the Future
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 . Have you ever forgotten to lock the door of your house? Or, have you ever forgotten to switch off the TV or computer?
Intelligent controls
Today, we have to use switches for your lights, and remote controls for our TVs and air conditioners. In the future, we will be using advanced technology every day for automatic control of just about everything in our home. You will no longer have to think about turning switches on and off yourself.
Regular Health Checks
In addition, your smart home will be monitoring your health for you every day. Your bed, for example, will record how well you sleep every night.
No more disasters
This smart technology is not a fantasy.
| A．Natural disasters happen all the time |
| B．It will also be checking your body weight |
| C．These kinds of things happen to us all the time |
| D．Many of these new inventions are already available |
| E．The smart technology is being widely-used in our daily life |
| F．Your home will also learn your daily schedule and preferences |
| G．Smart homes will be able to prevent serious damage from accidents |
9 . Researchers in Australia have discovered an effective new method to capture the atmospheric carbon dioxide that is damaging our planet and transform it into something solid, making it much easier to store.
Carbon capture isn’t new, but previous methods call for the gas to be compressed into liquid and then injected underground. Widespread usage of that technology has been locked by economic and environmental concerns due to possible leaks. Instead, in a study published in Nature Communications, the group details their sustainable and cost-effective plan for transforming CO2 into coal.
This new process involves a liquid metal catalyst( 催化剂 )that is efficient in conducting electricity. CO2 gas is dissolved in a container with some liquid. Once electricity charge is introduced, the CO2 begins to turn into solid pieces of carbon, which can be collected and stored.
What makes this particularly unique is that the entire process can occur at room temperature. Previous experiments have only shown a gas to solid conversion at extremely high temperature, which made it impossible on a large scale. Now, the researchers are hoping that their work will be used to create even further when it comes to carbon storage.
In an interesting side benefit, the solid carbon also works as an electrode( 焊 条 ), which opens up a world of possibilities. “A side benefit of the process is that the carbon can hold electrical charge, becoming a super battery, so it could potentially be used as a part in future vehicles,” explains Dr. Dorna Estrafilzadeh, a researcher. “The process also produces fuel as a by-product, which could also have industrial applications.”
1. What can we know about the previous carbon capture methods?| A．People have to inject liquid to the gas. |
| B．The previous methods can be done easily. |
| C．The previous methods are not very popular. |
| D．People have widely accepted previous methods. |
| A．It needs electricity to make the process efficient. |
| B．It can be done in any kind of container. |
| C．It doesn’t need extreme temperature. |
| D．It can produce much solid carbon. |
| A．The method will make fossil oil disappear. |
| B．The method will influence the future industry. |
| C．The method will make developed countries more powerful. |
| D．The method will be used to make new vehicles. |
| A．How to change carbon into CO2. |
| B．A new carbon capture technology. |
| C．A new technology to get useful carbon. |
| D．Australia makes the world cleaner than before. |
10 . Welcome to your future life!
You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. Your face is firm and young-looking. In 2035, medical technology is better than ever. Many people at your age could live to be 150, so at 40, you’re not old at all. And your parents just had an anti-aging(抗衰老的) treatment. Now, all three of you look the same age!
You say to your shirt, “Turn red.” It changes from blue to red. In 2035, “smart clothes” contain particles(粒子) much smaller than the cells(细胞) in your body. The particles can be programmed to change your clothes’ color or pattern(样式).
You walk into the kitchen. You pick up the milk, but a voice says,“ You shouldn’t drink that!” Your fridge has read the chip (芯片) that contains information about the milk , and it knows the milk is old . In 2035, every article of food in the grocery store has such a chip.
It’s time to go to work. In 2035, cars drive themselves. Just tell your “smart car” where to go. On the way, you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve. Such “smart technology” is all around you.
So will all these things come true? “For new technology to succeed,” says scientist
Andrew Zolli ,“it has to be so much better that it replaces what we have already.” The Internet is one example—what will be the next?
1. We can learn from the text that in the future__________.| A．people will never get old |
| B．everyone will look the same |
| C．red will be the most popular color |
| D．clothes will be able to change their pattern |
| A．Food in the grocery store will carry electronic information. |
| B．More drinks will be given for sale. |
| C．Milk in the grocery store will stay fresh much longer. |
| D．Milk will be harmful to health. |
| A．Cars will be able to drive automatically(自动地). |
| B．Fridges will know what people need. |
| C．Jacket sleeves can be used as a guide. |
| D．Nothing can replace the Internet. |
| A．Food and clothing in 2035 |
| B．The reason for the success of new technology. |
| C．Medical treatments of the future. |
| D．Future technology in everyday life. |
