1 . Future means a time that is not yet here. It can be a short time from now or a long time from now. Scientists think that many wonderful things may come true in our future life.
Are you wondering whether there’ll be televisions in the future?
What about driving cars in the future? Well, a very small child probably will be able to drive a car. Computer systems will hold each car on the right road to get wherever the “driver” wants to go.
| A．What about the food of the future? |
| B．In the future, life will be the same as we live today. |
| C．People will suffer from serious hunger in the future. |
| D．And it probably will be impossible for car accidents to happen. |
| E．Now let’s see what the wonders are that may appear in the future. |
| F．The future televisions will be totally different from what they are. |
| G．But maybe the most wonderful surprise in the future will be weather control. |
2 . What will our world really be like 20 years from now? What does the future hold for the food we eat, the technology we use and the homes we live in? It would be beyond imagination--food pills, flying cars and bases on the moon--but the reality will probably be less exciting. The world in 2040 will probably be much like it is today, but smarter.
The future of food
The next major food change will be vertical farming (垂直农业) in which we grow food in AI-controlled vertical buildings rather than horizontal land. We could be eating insects in 2040. Insects are rich in proteins, low in fat and a good source of calcium.
The future of love
The Internet has forever changed the way people meet and fall in love. Online dating and location-based services have opened up possibilities that allow people to look beyond their friends, friends of friends, and co-workers.
The future of technology
We’re heading into a future where improved battery technology will make better electric cars, personal flying machines, and private space tourism possible.
The future of work
Rather than humans working with machines, robots are likely to reduce some jobs. Taxi drivers will be replaced by self-driving cars, for example. Clearly, there will also be new jobs created: the computer engineer, mechanics who fix the self-driving taxis, programmers, space tour guides and vertical farmers. Technology will continue to disturb businesses and get rid of some jobs, creating new professions we can’t yet imagine.
The future of health
Hospitals are the costliest part in the health system, Prevention will become the center of attention as we gain greater control of our health information.
1. What is the food in 2040 like?| A．People will not eat pork or beef then. |
| B．Insects will become the main food then. |
| C．The food will mainly exist in the form of pills. |
| D．Part of the food will come from vertical farming. |
| A．New professions will appear. | B．Boring jobs will be abandoned. |
| C．Most jobs will be done by robots. | D．Humans will work with machines. |
| A．Hospital treatment. | B．Health systems. |
| C．Prevention. | D．Health information. |
3 . Life will probably be very different in 2050. First of all, it seems that TV channels will have vanished by 2050. Instead, people will choose a programme from a “menu” and a computer will send the programme directly to the television. By 2050, music, films, programmes, newspapers and books will come to us in the similar way.
In many places, agriculture is developing quickly and people are growing fruit and vegetables for export. This uses a lot of water. Therefore, there could be serious shortages of water. Some scientist predict that water could be the cause of wars if we don’t act now.
In the future, cars will run on new, clean fuels (燃料) and they will go very fast. Cars will have computers to control the speed and there won’t be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination. Also, by 2050, space planes will fly people from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just two hours.
Some big companies now prefer to use robots that do not ask for pay rises or go on strike, and work 24 hours a day. They are also easy to control. And they never argue with people. They can be easily used in a variety of places — factories, schools, offices, hospitals, shops and homes.
Scientists will have discovered how to control genes (基因). Scientists have already produced clones (克隆) of animals. By 2050, scientists will be able to produce clones of people and decide how they look and how they behave. Scientists will be able to do these things, but should they?
1. Which of the following best explains “vanished” underlined in paragraph 1?| A．Settled. | B．Spread. | C．Disappeared. | D．Decreased. |
| A．Robots can work in different places. |
| B．Robots have much to be improved. |
| C．Robots work for humans for free. |
| D．Robots have many advantages. |
| A．He probably disagrees with the idea of human cloning. |
| B．He is looking forward to using of cloning technology. |
| C．The scientists have already discovered how to control genes. |
| D．The scientists will face many difficulties of controlling genes. |
| A．High-tech Cars | B．Life in the Future |
| C．Is Cloning Really Good? | D．Are You Ready for the Future? |
4 . “We are running out of space and the only places to go to are other worlds... Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I’m convinced that humans need to leave the earth.” These are the words of the famous scientist Stephen Hawking, spoken at a science festival in Norway in 2017, a year before his death.
Hawking was not alone in this view. Many experts feel that the only way for humanity to last far into the future is to colonise (移民于) other planets. That way, if a terrible disease, nuclear war or some other disasters strike the earth, civilisation as we know it would still have a chance. Mars is one of the most attractive destinations. NASA, the United Arab Emirates, the private company SpaceX, and the organisation Mars One all have plans to send humans there. “Either we spread the earth to other planets, or we risk going extinct,” SpaceX founder Elon Musk said at a conference in 2013.
But not everyone agrees that colonising Mars or any other planet is such a great plan. The most common argument against going is that it’s just too expensive or dangerous. It will take huge amounts of money and other resources just to get people there,let alone set up a place for them to live. It’s not even clear if humans could survive on Mars. One of the biggest dangers is its deadly radiation that ruins the planet.
Maybe all the time and money people would pour into a Mars mission would be better spent on more urgent projects here on Earth, like dealing with poverty or climate change. Some experts argue that handling a problem like an asteroid (小行星) strike or a disease outbreak while staying here on Earth would be much easier and less expensive than surviving on a new planet.
In addition, moving to a new planet could harm or destroy anything that already lives there. Mars seems uninhabitable, but micro-organisms could exist on Mars. Human visitors may destroy these lives or permanently change or damage the Martian environment. Some feel that’s too much of a risk to take.
1. Why did the author mention NASA, the United Arab Emirates, SpaceX and Mars One?| A．To stress the risk of dying out on Earth. |
| B．To provide evidence for Hawking’s theory. |
| C．To show growing intention of moving to Mars. |
| D．To explain the advanced technology in astronomy. |
| A．It is costly and risky to colonise Mars. |
| B．Civilisation is difficult to maintain on Earth. |
| C．Poverty is the most urgent problem to handle. |
| D．All the time and money should be spent on Earth. |
| A．Not steady to keep. |
| B．Not fit to live on. |
| C．Not easy to approach. |
| D．Not safe to set foot on. |
| A．Mars, Our Future Planet |
| B．Moving to a New Planet |
| C．Should We Colonise Mars? |
| D．Stay Home or Outer Space? |
5 . H. G. Wells, born in 1866, was trained as a scientist, a pioneer among his literary contemporaries, and was perhaps the most important figure in the genre (类型) that would become science fiction. Writers in this tradition have a history not just of imagining the future as it might be, but of inspiring others to make it a reality.
Audio book, Airplane, and Television
Wells imagined forms of future entertainment. In When the Sleeper Wakes (1899), residents use fantastic forms of technology like audio books, airplanes and television sets.
Visitors to The Island of Dr. Moreau(1896) meet odd creatures created by the mad man doctor in human-animal hybrid experiments that may predict the age of genetic engineering.
Lasers(激光)
Martians in The War of the Worlds(1898) give off what Wells called a Heat Ray.
Atomic Bombs(原子弹)
| A．Genetic Engineering |
| B．Directed-energy Weapons |
| C．It can burn enemies with a noiseless flash of light |
| D．It is often a warning about the consequences of technology |
| E．Here are some of the incredible Wells predictions that have come true |
| F．Wells recognized the damaging power that might be created by this weapon |
| G．Scientists are working towards the possibility that animal organs could save human patients |
6 . Some talk of building settlements on the moon or Mars to help make sure humanity survives long into the future. Others have their sights set closer to home: on future cities under the ocean.
“Technologically speaking, it is absolutely possible to colonize the bottom of the sea,” says Fabien Cousteau, a well-known ocean explorer who once spent 31 days living in what is now the world’s only functioning undersea habitat, Aquarius. It’s about the size of a school bus and located 62 feet below the ocean surface off the Florida Keys.
Just as astronauts test what it would be like to live in space, aquanauts (海底观察员) try out undersea living with an eye on the future. Escaping from disasters such as climate change, wars, or pandemics is one reason to live under the sea. Others include studying, exploring, or appreciating the ocean. It’s costly and expensive to constantly keep up an ocean habitat which must make its own air, electricity, and fresh water. Residents have to deal with high pressure. And infections can develop rapidly due to high humidity (湿度).
Despite the challenges, several new ocean habitats and cities are under construction. A series of space station-like undersea living areas for aquanauts called Proteus are scheduled to be completed by 2025 off Curacao, an island in South America. Meanwhile, an undersea city called Ocean Spiral in Japan would link its surface to the deep sea, using the difference in pressure to generate energy and produce fresh water. This sounds amazing, but it would be extremely expensive and remains just a design.
Not everyone agrees that building homes in the ocean is a good idea. This type of development could place even more pressure on ecosystems that are already struggling with pollution and climate change. It’s important to make sure that any construction is done carefully, says Susanne Menden-Deuer, an oceanographer at the University of Rhode Island. Wild undersea habitats should be treated as “the precious, irreplaceable resource that they are,” she says.
1. What do we know about Aquarius?| A．It is still under construction. |
| B．It functions as an undersea school bus. |
| C．It is the only ocean habitat in operation. |
| D．It only allows a person to live there for 31 days. |
| A．The present and future of living under the sea. |
| B．The reasons and challenges of living under the sea. |
| C．The purpose and cost of building undersea settlements. |
| D．The problems and findings of building undersea settlements. |
| A．Rapid development of undersea habitats. |
| B．Protection of irreplaceable ocean resource. |
| C．Negative impacts on undersea ecosystems. |
| D．Struggles with pollution and climate change. |
| A．Build up. | B．Settle in. | C．Think up. | D．Take in. |
7 . Below are several things that will have happened by the mid-point of this century both for the good and bad.
Right now, people are focused on AI potentially causing job losses but the reality could be far worse. George Stakhov said, “By 2050, AI will have profoundly(深刻地) reshaped the world. There is a dark AI future where those who control AI will gain huge power, while 99 percent of the population will be disenfranchised(剥夺权利) .The AI lords will control the world’s data and turn the rest of us into their serfs. The alternative is a bright AI scenario, where everyone benefits from AI through better healthcare, faster transport and less pollution.”
Futurist and former Google engineer Ray Kurzweil says that people will merge with machines by 2025. In an event he describes as the “Singularity”, Kurzweil predicts that by 2045, people will connect their brains to machines. “I have set a date for the Singularity in 2045, which is when we will increase our effective intelligence a billionfold by merging with the intelligence we have created.”
Alien-hunting astronomer Seth Shostak bet fellow astronomers that we should find aliens within two dozen years. That means we could be in contact with ET by 2036. Shostak has since doubled down on his prediction, saying that newer measurements suggest there could be billions of Earth-like worlds. That means if the Earth is the only place with life, it’s like a winner in a lottery where the odds are a billion to one. That may be the strongest argument for life in space.
Soaring humidity (湿度) and heat will lead to heatwaves where it is almost impossible for humans to survive outdoors in areas including South Asia, the Persian Gulf, and the Red Sea. By 2070, this will also be true in areas of Brazil and China. “Wet bulb” temperatures refer to conditions where temperature and humidity are high, making it hard to survive outdoors. Humans can survive temperatures of up to 50℃ when humidity is low, but in high humidity, humans cannot survive because there is no way to cool down by sweating. Even extremely strong and fit people die within hours. Large areas of the Earth might be uninhabitable.
1. What is the dark AI future according to George Stakhov?| A．AI will hold power over humans. |
| B．Humans will earn a basic low wage. |
| C．Humans will have to serve as AI’s masters. |
| D．AI will become the owner of the Earth. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Approving. | C．Cautious. | D．Negative. |
| A．Heatwaves occur in most areas in the world. |
| B．High humidity causes people to sweat a lot. |
| C．Huge areas of the Earth might be uninhabitable. |
| D．People can’t live in low humidity for a long time. |
8 . In the movie “The Wrong Trousers”, a pair of futuristic trousers lets people walk on walls and ceilings. Inspired by the movie, researchers in England created “The Right Trousers”, a set of trousers embedded(嵌入) with electrical pumps to force air into tiny tubes that expand and can help elderly or disabled people with issues like getting up or improving blood flow. Now, material scientists, computer programmers and fabric designers are working to advance robotic clothing.
In June, researchers in Australia created robotic fibers, which can make fabric move automatically. Last year, scientists at MIT built fiber batteries that could be embedded into clothes and power robotic clothing. In recent years, Google partnered with brands like Levi’s and Adidas to put sensors in jackets, backpacks and shoes, letting users access their phones instantly. Researchers said they could soon unlock an era where clothing will act more like a computer, sensing how your body feels and telling your clothes how to help.
At the University of New South Wales in Australia, researchers are creating fabrics that can shape-shift. Thanh Nho Do, a senior lecturer at the school, said his team has created tiny tubes that can weave into sheets of fabric. These tubes can make fabric take various preprogrammed shapes. But challenges still remain for Do’s team, notably around making these robotic tubes smaller so they can weave easily with other fabrics.
Rebecca Kramer Bottiglio from Yale University agreed that many challenges remain before smart clothing “reaches their full potential.” It will be challenging to make these clothes, equipped with fibers and technology, strong enough to go through multiple cycles in the laundry, she said. Despite that, she says researchers will figure out a way forward. “Recent breakthroughs point toward a not-so-distant future where smart clothing will be a part of our everyday life.” she said.
1. What inspired the researchers to come up with “The Right Trousers”?| A．A film. |
| B．A blood issue. |
| C．The way electrical pumps work. |
| D．The way the elderly and disabled move. |
| A．They put sensors in clothes. |
| B．They created movable robotic fibers. |
| C．They made batteries for robotic clothing. |
| D．They released smart clothing connected to cellphones. |
| A．Making robotic tubes smaller. |
| B．Keeping robotic tubes properly shaped. |
| C．Producing stronger robotic tubes. |
| D．Programming the shape of robotic tubes. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Indifferent. | C．Worried. | D．Hopeful. |
9 . 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. |
10 . 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. What will homes of the future be like?| A．They will be completely different from those of today. |
| B．They will be very similar to our homes. |
| C．They will be movable as you want. |
| D．They will 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．Because it won’t waste natural resource. |
| B．Because young people like it. |
| C．Because it will be cheaper to produce. |
| D．Because 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 |
