1 . “May 17, 2157
Dear diary,
Today, Tommy found a real book!...”
“What’s it about?” Margie asked.
“School.” replied Tommy, turning the yellow pages.
“Why would anyone write about school? I hope they can take my geography teacher away.”
“It’s not our school. This is the old sort that they had centuries ago.”
“Anyway, they had a teacher.” Margie said, reading the book over his shoulder.
“Sure, they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
“A man? How could a man be a teacher?”
“Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave them assignments and asked them questions.”
“A man isn’t smart enough.”
“Sure, he is. My father knows as much as my teacher.”
Margie wasn’t prepared to argue about that. She said, “I wouldn’t want a strange man in my house to teach me.”
Tommy laughed. “The teachers didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there.”
“And all the kids learned the same thing?”
“Sure, if they were the same age.”
“But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.”
“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read the book.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly.
They weren’t even half-finished when Margie’s mother called, “Margie! School!”
“Not yet, Mamma.”
“Now!” said Mrs. Jones.
Margie said to Tommy, “Can I read the book some more with you after school?”
“Maybe,” Tommy said.
Margie went into the schoolroom, right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on waiting for her.
The screen was lit up, and it said, “Please insert yesterday’s assignments in the proper slot.”
Margie was still thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things, so they could help one another on the assignments and discussed them.
And the teachers were people…
1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?| A．Margie doesn’t like her school. |
| B．It’s common to read paper books in 2157. |
| C．Online learning is what Margie wants. |
| D．Tommy feels his father is smarter than his teacher. |
| A．There are only female teachers at school. |
| B．Teachers give no assignments to students. |
| C．A special building is constructed for teachers. |
| D．Students learn different things at their own pace. |
| A．Envelope. | B．Opening. |
| C．Screen. | D．Schoolroom. |
| A．Longing. | B．Objection. |
| C．Suspicion. | D．Tolerance. |
2 . A robot with a sense of touch may one day feel “pain”, both its own physical pain and sympathy for the pain of its human companions. Such touchy-feely robots are still far off, but advances in robotic touch-sensing are bringing that possibility closer to reality.
Sensors set in soft, artificial skin that can detect both a gentle touch and a painful strike have been hooked up to a robot that can then signal emotions, Asada reported February 15 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This artificial “pain nervous system,” as Asada calls it, may be a small building block for a machine that could ultimately experience pain. Such a feeling might also allow a robot to “sympathize” with a human companion’s suffering.
Asada, an engineer at Osaka University, and his colleagues have designed touch sensors that reliably pick up a range of touches. In a robot system named Affetto, a realistic looking child’s head, these touch and pain signals can be converted to emotional facial expressions.
A touch-sensitive, soft material, as opposed to a rigid metal surface, allows richer interactions between a machine and the world, says neuroscientist Kingson Man of the University of Southern California. Artificial skin “allows the possibility of engagement in truly intelligent ways”.
Such a system, Asada says, might ultimately lead to robots that can recognize the pain of others, a valuable skill for robots designed to help care for people in need, the elderly, for instance.
But there is an important distinction between a robot that responds in a predictable way to a painful strike and a robot that’s able to compute an internal feeling accurately, says Damasio, a neuroscientist also at the University of Southern California. A robot with sensors that can detect touch and pain is “along the lines of having a robot, for example, that smiles when you talk to it,” Damasio says. ‘It’s a device for communication of the machine to a human.” While that’s an interesting development, “it’s not the same thing” as a robot designed to compute some sort of internal experience, he says.
1. What do we know about the “pain nervous system”?| A．It is named Affetto by scientists. | B．It is a set of complicated sensors. |
| C．It is able to signal different emotions. | D．It combines sensors and artificial skin. |
| A．Delivered. | B．Translated. | C．Attached. | D．Adapted. |
| A．Robots can smile when talked to. |
| B．Robots can talk to human beings. |
| C．Robots can compute internal feelings |
| D．Robots can detect pains and respond accordingly. |
| A．Machines Become Emotional | B．Robots Inch to Feeling Pain |
| C．Human Feelings Can Be Felt | D．New Devices Touch Your Heart |
3 . In the 1960s and 1970s, the greatest fear was that the human race, and possibly all advanced life forms on the planet, could be wiped out by nuclear missiles. Today, however, environmental problems have taken over as the greatest risk to life on Earth. Scientists are thinking of ways to lower this risk, such as replacing coal and oil with forms of renewable energy. But they are also preparing for the worst: what can we do if the terrifying scenes in films such as The Day After Tomorrow happen in real life? What is our plan B for Earth?
One option is to explore other planets to see if we could live on them. The most likely choice is Mars, which is relatively close to Earth and has an environment less hostile than that of other planets. Mars has fascinated people since ancient times, and today our interest in Martian exploration is greater than ever before. Besides, more governments are making efforts to educate the public on the Red Planet.
There is no doubt that humankind is drawn towards Mars. However, sending people there will require all the skill, courage and intelligence. While the Moon can be reached within days, it would take months to reach Mars, travelling through dangerous solar radiation. And even if the first settlers do reach Mars safely, they may not be able to return to Earth — ever. Staying alive will be a daily challenge, but as proved by the Biosphere 2 experiment, not impossible. As early as the 1980s, scientists were building Biosphere 2 in the Arizona desert, consisting of a closed space in which people, animals and plants could live together. Although the two-year experiment was not a success, it did provide us with a better understanding of how humans might be able to live on another planet.
For now, human settlement of Mars is still decades away. Until we are finally able to live on another planet, we need to take much better care of our own. Right now, it's the only one we have!
1. What was the biggest threat to humans in the 1960s and 1970s?| A．Human race themselves. | B．All advanced life forms. |
| C．Nuclear missiles. | D．Environmental problems. |
| A．It's closest to the earth. |
| B．It has relatively appropriate living conditions. |
| C．It has drawn the public's attention in recent years. |
| D．It has a more hostile environment. |
| A．Humans have visited Mars. |
| B．The Biosphere 2 experiment proved to be valueless. |
| C．Humans will have to go and live on another planet. |
| D．Our Plan A includes developing renewable energy resources. |
| A．The Traveler. | B．Environmental Concerns. |
| C．All About Space. | D．Biology for Fun, |
4 . Farms of the Future
Skyscrapers(摩天大楼) are the ultimate symbol of urban life. By 2050, almost 80 percent of the earth’s population could live in cities. The human population could increase to 9.1 billion people yet the amount of land available for farming will be the same.
Vertical farms, where farmers could grow crops in environmentally friendly skyscrapers, could be the solution. In spite of concerns over high costs, experts want to make these urban farms a reality and use these skyscrapers to grow crops.
Vertical farms would have many advantages, experts say. The food would be grown with minimal effects on the environment. Unlike traditional farming, vertical farming would not force animals out of their habitats by taking over large areas of land, nor would it pollute the air with the use of heavy farming equipment.
Growing prosperity has led to many people demanding that all foods are available all year round. Indoor farming could produce crops constantly and crops would not suffer from weather-related problems like drought or flooding. In addition, the use of agricultural chemicals for controlling insects would be minimal.
Experts agree that the new farming practices are needed to support the planet’s need for more and more food at affordable costs, both to the farmer and to the consumer. Vertical farms may be a small-scale answer, but the best ideas could be yet to come.
| A．Still, there are some people who are critical of vertical farms. |
| B．That is where vertical farms are often needed for year-round crops. |
| C．So how to meet the increasing food needs of our planet could be a big problem. |
| D．For these reasons, natural light cannot be a workable solution for vertical farms. |
| E．Vertically grown food is grown in environmentally controlled conditions in big cities. |
| F．Those farms would also reduce the cost and negative effects of transporting food over distances. |
| G．They believe that we can increase the food production by changing our thinking from out to up. |
5 . In the near future, IoT (Internet of Things) will drive huge innovation (革新) in the way our food is grown. Plants will have a “voice”, not a human voice, but a voice based on data that can tell people, computers, and machines when, for example, they are thirsty, or need more sun, medicine, etc.
Take vertical (垂直的) farms, for example. Farming is moving indoors where the growth of plants can be monitored and controlled. The facilities are built vertically, so growing areas can be put in piles. This greatly reduces the amount of land needed for farming.
From an IoT point of view, vertical farms are connected in two ways. First, small sensors (传感器) in the soil or connected to plants tell a control system exactly how much light, water, and nutrients are needed to grow the healthiest crops. Sensors will also tell vertical farmers when crops are nearing their peak for harvesting at just the right time to make sure it’s still fresh when it reaches its final destination.
Second, vertical farms will be connected to other networks and information systems, including databases that track local demand. For example, local restaurants may input when they need fresh food supplies. And vertical farmers could get that information so they know which crops to grow in what quantities. This type of IoT system would have been unimaginable a generation ago.
Today, vertical farms are being experimented. Yet, the numbers point to a bright future for the industry, especially as the world’s population continues to grow. For example, Green Sense Farms in Chicago is able to harvest crops 26 times a year using 85 percent less energy, one-tenth the water, and no pesticides. A side benefit of lower energy use is lower CO2 output of two tons per month, with the added benefit of creating 46 pounds of oxygen every day.
1. What is the main idea of the text?| A．Voice machines help plants speak up. |
| B．Farmers are all turning to vertical farming. |
| C．IoT has brought great innovation to our future life. |
| D．Vertical farms driven by IoT are a future for agriculture. |
| A．By recording farmers harvesting crops. |
| B．By monitoring farmers working their fields. |
| C．By analyzing information to preserve crops. |
| D．By passing information on to a control system. |
| A．expand the output of crops | B．match supply with demand |
| C．determine the needs of farmers | D．move restaurants onto farms |
| A．Negative. | B．Indifferent. | C．Optimistic. | D．Doubtful. |
6 . Government intelligence agencies have a plan to build computers that store information inside DNA and other organic molecules（分子）.
Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity（IARPA）announced plans to develop tabletop-sized machines that can store and retrieve（取回）data from large batches of polymers — a term that refers to a wide variety of long，string-like molecules. Polymers can store data in individual atoms or groups of atoms.
The project is an attempt to solve a basic problem of the modern era:the vast and growing costs of data storage. Datacenters around the world sucked up 416. 2 terawatt hours of electricity in 2016. That's about 3 percent of the global supply，and it accounts for 2 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
A 2016 paper found that DNA，in particular，could store computer information more densely，require less energy，and survive higher and lower temperatures than conventional hard drives. The authors of that paper reported on the successes of prototype（雏形）DNA computers that used the genetic molecules for both long-term storage and random access memory（RAM）.
But no one has yet figured out how to handle DNA data storage on large scales.
IARPA officials said the new effort, called Molecular Information Storage, will be broken up into three periods:a two-year program to figure out how to store data in DNA or other molecules at high speed,a two-year program to figure out how to retrieve that data at high speed, and a two-year effort to develop an operating system that can run on that DNA.
Many of the technologies IARPA wants to develop are untested at these scales, so it's unclear how far away that proposed tabletop device really is.
1. What would be the best title for the text?| A．Store Data on DNA Computers |
| B．Develop Computers of Future |
| C．Polymers Used to Store Data |
| D．Information Stored in DNA |
| A．Consumed. | B．Stored. |
| C．Delivered. | D．Produced. |
| A．Produce and save less energy. |
| B．Store more information faster. |
| C．Be better for the environment. |
| D．Control temperatures more easily. |
| A．In Paragraph 3. | B．In Paragraph 4. |
| C．In Paragraph6. | D．In Paragraph 7. |
7 . From self-driving cars to carebots for elderly people，the rapid development in technology has long represented a possible threat（威胁）to many jobs normally performed by people. But experts now believe that almost 50 percent of occupations（职业）existing today will be completely unnecessary by 2025 as artificial intelligence（AI）continues to change businesses.
“The next fifteen years will see a change in how we work，and a change will necessarily take place in how we plan and think about workplaces，”said Peter Andrew，director of Workplace Strategy for CBRE Asia Pacific. A growing number of jobs in the future will require creative intelligence，social skills and the ability to use artificial intelligence.
The report is based on interviews with 200 experts，business leaders and young people from Asia Pacific，Europe and North America. It shows that in the US technology already destroys more jobs than it creates. But the report states，“Losing occupations does not necessarily mean losing jobs—just changing what people do.”Growth in new jobs could occur as much，according to the research.“The growth of companies that have the speed and technological knowledge will directly challenge big companies，”it states.
A report by Pew Research Center found 52 percent of experts in artificial intelligence and robotics were optimistic about the future and believed there would still be enough jobs in the next few years.“The optimists pictured a future in which robots do not take the place of more jobs than they create，”according to Aaron Smith，the report’s co-author.
“Technology will continue to affect jobs，but more jobs seem likely to be created. Although there have always been people out of work，when we reach a few billion people there will be billions of jobs. There is no shortage of things that need to be done and that will not change，”Microsoft’s Jonathan Grudin told researchers.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．The result of job reduction. |
| B．The fast development of Al. |
| C．The future life of elderly people. |
| D．The influence of technology on jobs. |
| A．Take the place of AI. |
| B．Work in a traditional way. |
| C．Take up jobs requiring creativity. |
| D．Enjoy life without working anymore. |
| A．More people will not have a job. |
| B．More jobs tend to appear in the future. |
| C．Job competition is likely to grow sharper. |
| D．Technology will have less control over jobs. |
| A．Are People Losing Their Jobs？ |
| B．The Requirements for Future Jobs |
| C．The Challenging Life in the Future |
| D．Does Technology Simplify Everything？ |
8 . Imagine being face-to-face with a woolly mammoth (猛犸象) . It would be quite a sight. Scientists believe it would tower above 11 feet tall and have a sloping back, a long, powerful trunk, and sharp, curved tusks that stretch up to 10 feet. Its thick hair would be up to three feet long. It would weigh six tons—about as heavy as a bus.
You’ve probably never seen a giant furry elephant before. Actually, you definitely haven’t. The species has been extinct for thousands of years.
But a few years from now, you might be able to see a woolly mammoth in person. Scientists believe they have the technology to recreate it.
A team of South Korean and Russian scientists plan to clone a woolly mammoth. How will they do it?
Several woolly mammoth bodies have already been discovered in Siberia, an icy region in Russia. The scientists plan to take cells from these frozen mammoths. In a laboratory, they’ll use them to create a new cluster (群) of cells called an embryo. The embryo will be placed into the womb of a living female elephant. That elephant will then give birth to a baby woolly mammoth.
The scientists believe the whole process will take five years. Many scientists and animal lovers can’t wait. It will be so exciting to be able to bring a creature that has been extinct for thousands of years back to life. People would travel from around the world for the chance to see a living woolly mammoth. By observing the way the creature looks and acts, scientists might make brand-new discoveries about the history of animal life.
Other experts aren’t so sure about the woolly mammoth project. One big question is what to do with a mammoth. The Earth has changed in the thousands of years since these animals roamed the planet. Where would the creature live, and would it be able to survive in today’s climate ? Some believe that the money being spent on the experiment could be better spent on other important scientific projects, such as fighting diseases.
But the South Korean and Russian scientists are sticking to their plan. They admit they have a big challenge ahead. There is no guarantee that they will succeed, but they’ re hopeful.
1. The first paragraph describes the mammoth’s ________.| A．habitat | B．food |
| C．appearance | D．lifespan |
| A．Whether they have enough money for the project. |
| B．Whether the mammoth can adapt to the new environment. |
| C．Whether the mammoth can survive the modern diseases. |
| D．Whether their plan wins support from the public. |
| A．negative | B．disapproving |
| C．optimistic | D．doubtful |
| A．Scientists are finding ways to deal with mammoths. |
| B．Scientists try to find out the history of animal life. |
| C．Scientists plan to bring the mammoth back to life. |
| D．Scientists pay little attention to the return of the mammoth. |
9 . For centuries，humans have wondered whether there is life on Mars.Scientists have asked why Mars is losing its atmosphere.Last week，the question was answered with a song.“The answer，is blowing in the wind，”said Michael Meyer，taking a line from a Bob Dylan song.Meyer is the lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program.It turns out solar winds from the sun are slowly blowing away Mars' atmosphere.
Today，Mars has a thin atmosphere.It is cold and dry，with a desert－like environment.Jakosky says it used to be much more different.“When we look at ancient Mars，we see a different type of surface.One that had valleys looked like they were carved by water，lakes that were standing for a long period of time.We see an environment that was much more able to support liquid water.”
Recently they found a kind of liquid water that flows with salt down a mountain area of the planet.But，it is not always there.Scientist Michael Meyer describes what they found：“We're seeing water，with the salt that's able to flow down the sides of the cliff.Why is this important？That means there is water on Mars，on the surface of Mars today.”
Scientists already knew that ice exists on Mars.So why is it important to find liquid water？Meyer explains：“It means that we have a resource.And when we're looking at sending humans to Mars，water is one of the key things that we need to have，not only for astronauts to drink，but also to make oxygen，to make fuel.”
Sending humans to Mars is still in the distant future.NASA is aiming for the 2030s.Both U．S.government and private industries are developing rockets and spacecraft to get people to Mars.
1. Why is the atmosphere of Mars disappearing?| A．Because the atmosphere is affected by the earth. |
| B．Because the atmosphere is blown away by the solar wind. |
| C．Because Mars has no condition to make the atmosphere exist. |
| D．Because Mars doesn't have water to keep the atmosphere. |
| A．Drinking for astronauts. |
| B．Producing oxygen. |
| C．Making fuel. |
| D．Watering plants. |
| A．Mars' atmosphere has changed a great deal since it existed. |
| B．Water can not appear on Mars because of its thin atmosphere. |
| C．Whether water exists on Mars or not isn't important to humans. |
| D．We can successfully send humans to Mars from now on. |
| A．Mars and Its Thin Atmosphere |
| B．Water Does Exist on Mars |
| C．Mars Has Conditions to Support Humans |
| D．Mars Is Strongly Influenced by the Solar Wind |
10 . NASA(美国宇航局) may be going to the same old moon soon，but it’s going to do something different this time—stay there.
According to NASA，it will set up an international camp on one of the moon’s poles(极)，and in 2020 astronauts will land on it.For the next four years，astronauts will only spend a week at a time there，but in 2024，NASA will have astronauts living on the moon for six months.
Very different from NASA’s moon tasks of the 1960s，the new plan stands for a new step of space exploration.
NASA’s tasks in the 1960s were all around the middle area of the moon.This time NASA has decided to go to the moon’s poles because they are the best for longer term(更长期的) research.NASA’s moon plan is not just for American astronauts—it includes space travellers from other countries，too.In 2004，the US announced a plan to return astronauts to the moon by 2020.Last year，NASA said it would cost $104 billion to get back to the moon，but NASA did not say what a permanent moon camp would cost.According to NASA，the time frame(期限) for its moon plan is：
2011—the first test of one of the spaceships.
2014—the first manned test flight(试飞)of the exploration vehicle with no moon landing.
2020—the first flight of four astronauts to the moon.
根据短文内容回答问题
1. When will astronauts stay on the moon for six months according to NASA?
2. What does NASA plan to do?
3. What does the underlined word “permanent” mean in Chinese?
4. What’s the main idea of the passage?
