1 . Travel is predicted to look extremely different in 2070.
Take airports for example, paperwork will be a thing of the past. Instead of paper passports,your information will be stored in the cloud. This type of technology won’t just include what we are familiar with today——like fingerprints or face scans—but also your heartbeat, as everyone’s heartbeat is unique.
There will be no need to check in. The facial recognition programme will instead be able to recognise you, match you with your booked flight and send messages to your phone as you walk through the airport without stopping.
Your bags, especially the heavy ones, will be sent directly from your train or taxi to the right plane. And that taxi will not be like the ones we know today. People will be expected to travel to the airport--and around their holiday destinations-in eVTOLs, which refers to électric air taxis that can take off and land without a runway.
As for the trouble of packing, 3D printers will provide perfect solutions. Simply provide your destination with your size using a body scan before you fly and, upon arrival, you will find a wardrobe(衣橱) filled with 3D-printed clothes. When you leave, these clothes will be recycled and. reprinted for the next tourist. Not only will this solve the problem of packing, but also make holiday fashion more environment-friendly.
While the predictions might seem unbelievable now, you only have to look back 50 years to realize it’s all possible. Think back to 1973 when smartphones were just a wild dream. “Google” seemed like a made-up word then, and notebook computers were still almost years away from being invented. Similarly, when we look forward to the next 50 years, the possibilities for development in technology for travel are endless.
1. What can we learn about the check-in at the airport in 2070?| A．You’ll have to carry your paper passports. |
| B．It won’t need your heartbeat information. |
| C．You must stop to check the phone for boarding. |
| D．It is no longer needed because of the facial recognition programme. |
| A．your bag will be sent to you by taxi |
| B．a body scan will work out your size |
| C．the clothes of your size will be ready for you |
| D．your packing may do harm to the environment |
| A．To prove the predictions are possible. |
| B．To show the inventions are necessary. |
| C．To list the achievements of the year. |
| D．To express the confidence for travel. |
| A．A new type of air taxi.。 | B．Prediction for future of travel. |
| C．The advantage of 3D prints. | D．The solution to future packing. |
2 . What will life in the future be like? Will it be much better than it is now? And what will we be able to do in 10, 20 or 30 years’ time?
Genetic engineering (基因工程) may help us make the perfect human. Babies may grow up to play basketball like Yao Ming or look like Cecilia Cheung. Also, we may be able to bring the dead back to life. Maybe people will be able to meet and talk with their dead family members.
Over the next 20 to 50 years, it will become harder to tell the difference between humans and machines. Perhaps we will be able to make copies of ourselves, so we will appear to be alive long after we are dead. People may be able to find ways of putting the life of a person into a new body.
Nanobots (纳米机器人) will be important. We will use them when we are sick. For example, when we have a stomachache, we will swallow (吞下) a nanobot and it will travel through our stomach, taking a video of what’s happening there. The video will help the doctor cure us.
In the future, computers may have their feelings. They may be able to think better than us. We may be more and more interested in computers and the internet, spending all our time in front of computers. Perhaps we will forget our real needs. Perhaps we will become super couch potatoes weighing 250 kg!
1. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?| A．What genetic engineering is. | B．Why we use genetic engineering. |
| C．How to bring the dead back to life. | D．How genetic engineering can help humans. |
| A．a computer | B．a camera |
C．medicine  | D．water |
| A．talk like human beings | B．have feelings |
| C．talk with dead people | D．cure sick people |
| A．We will no longer be interested in our own lives in the future. |
| B．Computers and robots will take the place of humans. |
| C．Humans may get fatter in the future. |
| D．We will no longer need doctors and teachers. |
3 . “The past is a different country; they do things differently there," L.P. Hartley wrote in one of his best-known novels, The Go-Between. To the British novelist, the past was irrelevant. And one of my Chinese students once told me "I have no interest in the past. I'm only interested in the present and the future." I have to disagree. The "past" is a very interesting country, and the more we know about it, the more we will be able to understand the present and thus, prepare ourselves for the future.
An ideal place, as I see it, that can allow us to look back on the past is the museum. I prefer to visit museums as if you are sitting in the same room with some of the greatest men in history. While no museums can claim to offer a complete picture of human history, the lessons we can learn from the events and wonders of the past are of great value.
Thanks to modern technology, museums are being transformed from places of looking and learning to spaces of participation and interaction. A large number of immersive (沉浸式) multi-media displays, which allow visitors to engage with its exhibits during their visit, play a big part at the Shanghai Natural History Museum.
The rise in technology has also made museums more accessible than ever. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, traditional museums have started to think outside of the box in order to create new ways for visitors to experience their collections online. It is definitely good news for those who are fascinated by museums but are struggling to actually go there. However, you shouldn't expect to get the same experience that an in-person visit would provide, at least, that is, for now.
International Museum Day is observed on May 18 every year. This is a quick reminder that you should always spare some time to visit museums and appreciate the "must-see 'em" things that are an important part of the cultural heritage of humankind.
1. What does the writer think of “the past”?| A．Different. | B．Significant. | C．Unrelated. | D．Understandable. |
| A．It’s where to learn and reflect. |
| B．It’s where to learn about previous events. |
| C．It’s where to meet with great minds. |
| D．It’s where to appreciate ancient wonders. |
| A．Offering online exhibits. | B．Allowing more in-person visits. |
| C．Adding multi-media displays. | D．Showing a complete picture of history. |
| A．Technology Revives Museums | B．Observe International Museum Day |
| C．Museums Are “Must-see 'ems” | D．Visit Museums In-person or Online |
4 . By mid-century there will likely be 9 billion people on the planet, using ever more resources and leading ever more technologically complex lives. What will our cities be like? How much will artificial intelligence (AI) advance? Will global warming cause disastrous changes, or will we be able to engineer our way out of the climate change issues? Recently, the magazine Big Think asked top minds from a variety of fields to weigh in on what the future holds 40 years from now. The result is as follows.
It's likely that by 2050 the majority of the people in the world will live in urban areas and will have a much higher average age than people today. Cities theorist Richard thinks urbanization will transform the education system of, making our economy less houses driven and removing the divisions between home and work.
And rapidly advancing technology will continue ever more rapidly. Cities of the future won't look like “some sort of science-fiction fantasy”, but it's likely that technological advances and information overlays (VR and AR) will greatly change how we live. Self- driving cars will make the roads safer and provide faster transports. A larger version of driverless cars-driverless trucks — may make long-distance drivers out of date.
Some long view predictions are completely dire. Environmentalist Bill says that if we don't make great progress in fighting global warming, it's likely we could see out-of- control rises in sea levels, huge crop shortfalls and wars over limited freshwater resources.
In terms of how we will eat, green markets founder and “real food" supporter Nina believes that there will be more small milk processing plants and more regional food operations and we'll be healthier as a result. New York Times writer Mark thinks that people will eat fewer processed foods and eat foods grown closer to where they live. And more people will be aware of the ethical responsibility" to grow foods.
1. What may happen by 2050 based on the magazine Big Think ?| A．Education will be driven by economy. | B．The majority of people will be taller. |
| C．AI will cause disastrous changes. | D．Most people will live in big cities. |
| A．It will make people live in science-fiction fantasy. |
| B．It will ensure safer transports due to faster cars. |
| C．It will greatly change the way in which people live. |
| D．It will increase the number of long-distance drivers. |
| A．Magical. | B．Terrible. | C．Ridiculous. | D．Meaningful. |
| A．People will eat healthier and fresher foods. |
| B．Land-raised farm systems will be improved. |
| C．There will be smaller regional food operations, |
| D．Food supplies will become much more limited. |
