1 . 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.

2. What does paragraph 4 intend to show?

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.

3. What does the author want to express in the last paragraph?

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.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．High-tech Cars	B．Life in the Future
C．Is Cloning Really Good?	D．Are You Ready for the Future?

2 . If you could travel in time, where would you go? Perhaps you would watch an original 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 the science fiction novel The Time Machine, which was written by H. G. Wells and published in 1895 for the first time. 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 used to refer 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 British physicist Stephen Hawking said you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship—going at nearly the speed of light. Though building such a spaceship would of course be no simple task.

Even if you could travel into the past, there is something called the “grandfather paradox”. It asks what would happen if a time traveller 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 traveller 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．people’s interest in time travel

B．the special features of the book

C．the long history of time travel

D．the contribution of H. G. Wells

2. Einstein’s and Hawking’s theories 　　　.

A．have similarities in many ways

B．push the invention of the first spaceship

C．have proved wrong by some time travellers

D．suggest the possibility to invent the time machine

3. In Paragraph 4, “grandfather paradox” probably refers to the idea that 　　　.

A．the traveller is prevented from meeting his grandfather

B．the traveller goes back in time to seek for his grandfather

C．the grandfather’s death makes the traveller’s birth impossible

D．The reunion of the traveller and his grandfather brings happiness

4. What is probably the author’s attitude towards time travel?

A．Unclear.	B．Skeptical.
C．Supportive.	D．Unconcerned.

3 . The future home is something that people have talked about for decades. Because the future home idea inspires our imagination, scientists and engineers have been working hard to develop different systems to make houses “smarter”.

The video camera at the entrance recognize visitors using facial recognition. The facial recognition software of the future home will not only recognize friends, but strangers as well. And the software in the future home will run the strangers faces against a database of criminals.

The future home will also have smart application appliances (家电) as well. There will be a vast networking system connecting them. Ovens, microwaves and refrigerators will be controlled automatically, so remote cooking will be a possibility and meals are prepared for your arrival.

There will also be a green systems in place such as saving and reusing washing water and bathwater. Plants and people may receive pure or mineralized (含矿的) drinking water.

If you think this future home idea is pie in the sky or science fiction, then think again. Most of the systems described here are either in development or already out in the market. Future homes may not be standard yet for the middle class but this is not as far ahead as many people would think.

1. What can the facial recognition software be used for in the future houses?

A．Greeting friends.	B．Collecting criminals information.
C．Recognizing visitors.	D．Following dangerous criminals.

2. Which of the following indicates the future house is environment-friendly?

A．Facial recognition software.	B．Remote cooking.
C．Smart refrigerators.	D．Saving and reusing water.

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

A．Attractive.

B．Common.

C．Special.

D．Excellent.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Smart future home

B．A smart networking system

C．Software in future home

D．Various household appliances

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

There is no doubt that humankind dreams of making Mars our second home. However, sending people there will require all the skills, courage and     1     (intelligent) of the human race. While the Moon can be reached within days, it would take months to reach Mars,     2     (travel) through dangerous solar radiation. And even if the first settlers do reach Mars safely, staying alive will be     3    daily challenge, but as proved by the Biosphere experiment, not impossible.

As early as the 1980s, scientists were building Biosphere 2 in the Arizona desert. It consisted of a closed space    4     people, animals and plants could live together. The “closed” concept meant that the space was designed     5     (function) with its own oxygen, food and water, needing nothing from the outside world.     6     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. More recently, scientists     7     (succeed) in growing a variety of plants in an environment similar to that on Mars. That     8     (definite) is a big step forward.

For now, human settlement of Mars is still     9     (decade) away. In the meantime, scientific research shows that the planet Earth is getting     10     (warm). This change is having a terrible effect on the biosphere.

5 . Have you ever seen a rushing car without a driver?    1     Companies like Google and Tesla have been designing and testing these cars.

So how do they work? The cars have sensors all around which can detect other cars and obstacles in the road. Sensors on the wheels also help when parking, so the car knows how far it is from the kerb (马路牙子) or other parked cars. Road signs are read by cameras, and satellite navigation systems are used so the car knows how to get to your destination.     2    .

Sound like your idea of heaven? Sitting back, looking out of the windows and even watching a film or reading a book while “driving” would be possible with this new technology.     3     They would drive more safely than people and they have quicker reaction time in case of an emergency.

    4     For example, computers would have difficulties making ethical (伦理的) decisions: if a child ran into the road, would the computer choose to hit the child or swerve(突然转向) and potentially kill the car’s passengers?

Although being driven around by a machine would perhaps mean that no one needs a driving license, saving money for everyone, many people would be put out of a job by the dawn of driverless cars.     5     I’m not convinced I’d want a driverless car --- but it’s only a matter of time before they’ll become more affordable and commonplace on our roads.

A．All you have to do is type in the address!

B．There would also be many legal decisions to be made.

C．However, there are many drawbacks of driverless cars.

D．Driverless cars have many advantages as well as disadvantages.

E．It sounds crazy, but driverless cars will soon be filling roads near you.

F．In addition, computers are generally more efficient drivers than humans.

G．Bus, taxi, train and tram drivers as well as driving instructors would be made unnecessary.

6 . You are just waking up in the spring of 2030. Your Internet of Things bedroom opens solar powered e-windows and plays gentle music while your smart lighting displays a montage (剪辑的)of beachfront sunrises from your recent vacation.

Your shower uses very little water or soap. It recycles your grey water and puts the extra heat back into your home's operating system. While you dress, your artificial intelligence (Al) assistant shares your schedule for the day and plays your favorite tunes.

You still start your day with a coffee but it comes from your lot refrigerator which is capable of providing a coffeehouse experience in your home. A hot breakfast tailored to your specific nutritional needs (based on chemical analysis from your trips to the “smart toilet” is waiting for you in the kitchen.

When it's time to leave, an on-demand transport system has three cars waiting for you, your wife (or husband) and your kids. On the road, driverless cars and trucks move with mathematical accuracy, without traffic jams, routine maintenance or road rage. Accident rates are near zero.

On the way, you call your R&D team, who are enveloping a day's work in Shanghai. Your life-sized image is projected (投射)into the China Innovation Centre and your colleagues see you as if you were sitting in the room. It’s a bit surreal for them to see you in the morning light given that it's dark on the Bund, Shanghai's waterfront, though the novelty disappears after a few uses.

You review the day's cloud-based data from your Shenzhen manufacturing center, your pilot project in San Diego, and your QA team in Melbourne. The large amounts of datasets were collected in real-time from every piece of equipment and have been beautifully summarized by your company's AL All these facilities are closely maintained and operated through a advanced predictive analytics platform.

Pleased with the team's progress, you end the call and ease into a good book.

This is the future and it will be here sooner than you think.

1. How can we describe the life in the future?

A．Artificial

B．Accurate

C．Remarkable

D．Intelligent

2. What can we do in the year 2030 according to the passage?

A．We can have a bath without using water.

B．We can drive to work without concerning any accidents.

C．We can enjoy the coffeehouse experience without going there.

D．We can deal with all our work at home without turning to others for help.

3. How does the author develop the passage?

A．In time order.	B．In logical order.
C．By comparing.	D．By offering examples.

4. What's the purpose of writing the passage?

A．To attract us to use the Al system.

B．To introduce the life in the future.

C．To teach us how to use the Al system.

D．To encourage us to study hard for the future.

7 . In the future, when robots can be used both in homes and in other areas, they could improve the living standards of people.     1     When robots can complete such jobs, people can spend more time with their family and friends.

Experts believe robots can be used on certain jobs to avoid accidents caused by careless behavior of some people. When robots are used on such work, it does not risk any human life due to accidents at the workplace. Human resources can be efficiently used by performing tasks which demand human skills like critical thinking and problem solving.     2    

While some people talk about how robots can be useful to humans, others voice their concerns. When robots become cheaper to produce, employers may prefer to use more robots than humans. As the technology constantly improves the abilities of robots, it could weaken the value of humans.     3     Some may even develop the habit of using robots on tasks that they can easily do. This could create a lazy society.

    4     Without them, the nation’s health care system will break down. There will simply be too many elderly people to care for as the nation faces a decreasing birth rate, an aging population, and the loosening of family ties.     5     Above all, Japan needs its dreams of robots in the home to come true because its immigration policy is anti-immigration.

A．Robots have been widely used in Japan.

B．Many people may rely on robots heavily.

C．They can free people from such tasks as cooking.

D．Most people believe robots have changed their life.

E．Japan sees it as a must to build robots to take care of the elderly.

F．Robots can be also used on low-end jobs like moving heavy things.

G．However, many elderly people would prefer human helpers to robots.

8 . Let us suppose it is now about A.D. 2060. Let’s make believe it is about 45 years from now. Of course, things have changed and life is very different.

Voyages to the moon are being made every day. It is as easy to take a holiday on the moon today as it was for the people in 1960 to take a holiday in Europe. At a number of scenic spots on the moon, many hotels have been built. The hotels are air­conditioned, naturally. In order that everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the moon, every room has at least one picture window. Everything imaginable is provided for entertainment of young and old.

What are people eating now？People are still eating food. They haven’t yet started to take on heir (继承) supply of energy directly as electrical current or as nuclear power. They may some day. But many foods now come in pill form, and the food that goes into the pill continues to come mainly from green plants.

Since there are several times as many people in the world today as there were a hundred years ago, most of our planet’s surface has to be filled. The deserts are irrigated with water and crops are no longer destroyed by pests. The harvest is always good.

Farming, of course, is very highly developed. Very few people have to work on the farm. It is possible to run the farm by just pushing a few buttons now and then.

People are now largely vegetarians (素食者). You see, as the number of people increases, the number of animal decreases. Therefore, people have to be vegetarians and we are healthier both in our bodies and in our minds, and we know the causes and cure of disease and pain, and it is possible to get rid of diseases. No one has to be ill any more.

Such would be our life in 2060.

1. When was the passage written?

A．In about A. D. 2060.	B．In about 1960.
C．In about 2014.	D．In about 2015.

2. According to the text, what will be on the moon in about A. D. 2060?

A．Many other animals.

B．Many tourists.

C．Many plants.

D．A sea.

3. What will people eat then according to the passage?

A．Biscuits in pill form.	B．Foods in pill form.
C．Foods in liquid form.	D．Foods in gas form.

9 . 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。

Get ready and you will enjoy a space travel. The sky outside your spacecraft is mostly black. The planet you’re looking for is 4. 65 billion    1    (mile) away. Almost no light    2    (reach) it. Suddenly you see a glow (暗光) in the    3     (distant). As you approach, it becomes bigger and stranger. The light    4     (shine) ahead of you is bright pink. Getting closer, you realize    5    is giving off this glow. It's a magenta (紫红色的) planet!

    6    (name) GJ 504b, the planet is made of pink gas. It's similar to Jupiter, a giant gas planet in our own solar system. But GJ 504b is four times more    7     (mass). At 460°F, it’s the temperature of a hot oven, and it’s the planet’s intense heat that causes it to glow.

You stop your spacecraft to take     8    close look. The sky turns pink as you enter GJ 504b’s atmosphere. Since GJ 504b is made of gas, it has no solid surface. So you can fly right inside the planet, in    9    the gas envelops you like a thick fog. As you go    10    (deep), the gas begins to get darker. If you keep going down, your spacecraft could melt from the heat. You get away from this pink world and back into the darkness of outer space.

10 . What if we had the power to control time, instead of moving from the past to the present to the future? What if we could jump, loop and travel through time in a machine? What if we could go wherever and whenever we pleased?

This ability would allow us to witness historic wonders, change decisions and   see people from the past. We could right wrongs and stop wars from starting.

The mysterious puzzle of time has kept people debating its nature for hundreds of years. Science fiction writers have turned it into imaginative stories. Some scientists have even attempted to explain it using math. This math tries to make the dream of time travel come true.

The scientist Albert Einstein said that time and space are one thing. He called it “spacetime.” Einstein said that there are three dimensions in space: height, width and depth. A scientist named Hermann Minkowski added time as a fourth dimension.

Einstein introduced two ideas that have led to theories about the possibility of time travel. The first is relativity. The idea of relativity is that the force of gravity causes space to bend, which causes time to twist. The second idea focuses on special relativity. The idea is that a traveler moving super-fast through flat spacetime will enter the future. Einstein considered time “relative” because it is measured based on where we are on Earth or in space.

Stephen Hawking is a famous scientist. He believes that a time machine will never be built. If it were possible, he thinks we would already know. If a time   machine could be built, how come no one from the future has invaded us?

The first science fiction story with this theme is The Clock That Went Backward by Edward P. Mitchell, which was published in 1881. Since then, thousands of books, films and television shows have explored the idea of time travel, in which some tools such as phones, watches, photographs and old books take travelers backward and forward.

Will time travel ever happen? Who knows? Most important is to keep your eyes open and have a sense of wonder.

1. What is the author’s purpose of writing the first paragraph?

A．To show time and space are connected.	B．To show people’s interest in time travel.
C．To draw readers’ attention to time travel.	D．To make people believe time travel is possible.

2. Which of the following statement could Einstein agree with?

A．Time travel is possible in the future.	B．People can’t move faster than light.
C．Time travel is against scientific rules.	D．Spacetime is not a real thing in theory.

3. What is the last but one paragraph mainly about?

A．The first science fiction story.	B．Some tools used in time travel.
C．Edward P. Mitchell, the pioneer.	D．Different works about time travel.

4. What is the writer’s attitude toward time travel?

A．Cautious.

B．Approving.

C．Doubtful.

D．Hopeful.