Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead. He told of different men and of strange civilisations（文明）, broken up by long 'dark ages' in between. In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men. In 2,000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth or Last Men.
However, most of our ideas about the future are really very short-sighted. Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years. But the next hundred ? The next thousand? The next million? That's much more difficult.
When men and women lived by hunting 50,000 years ago, how could they even begin to picture modern life? Yet to men of 50,000 years from now, we may seem as primitive（原始的）in our ideas as the Stone-Age hunters do to us. Perhaps through the spundels and ballalators, these words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas that we simply can't think of .
So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future ? Here are two reasons. First unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live because. we are careless or greedy（贪婪） or quarrelsome,our grand-children will not bother to think of excuses for us.
Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we may arrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now. So set your imagination free when you think about the future .
53．A particular mention made of Stapledon's book in the opening paragraph ____________
A．serves as a description of human history
B．serves an introduction to the discussion
C．shows a disagreement of views
D． Shows the popularity of the book
54．The text discusses men and women 50,000 years ago and 50,000 years from now in order to show that _________.
A．human history is extremely long B．life has changed a great deal
C．it is useless to plan for the next 50 years
D．it is difficult to tell what will happen in the future
55．Spundels and ballalators are used in the text to refer to _________.
A．tools used in farming B．ideas about modern life
C．unknown things in the future D．hunting skills in the Stone Age
56．According to the writer of the text, imagining the future will _________.
A．serve the interests of the present and future generations
B．enable us to better understand human history
C．help us to improve farming
D．make life worth living
As a nation we are becoming more aware of the food we and our children are eating.The recent campaign to improve school dinners by celebrity(名人) chef Jamie Oliver has helped raise awareness of our fast food lifestyles.While we may be trying to eat more healthily，it seems we still have some bad habits.
•Healthy eaters or just trendy?
Are there certain things that you do and don’t eat and why？With so many food programmes and books telling you what you should and shouldn’t eat to be healthy，it’s hard to make choices.
Some people are vegetarians for moral reasons，some don’t like the taste of meat and there are one or two people who do it because it’s trendy.Likewise，it can be trendy to follow the latest celebrity’s diet because it’s what the famous are doing.
•Eating out
People are eating out more often now，not just on special occasions as in the past.The choice of restaurants has also diversified.Italian，Chinese and Indian restaurants have been around for years but have now been joined by Mongolian，Japanese，Mexican and so on.Bars and pubs are still popular for food and often promote English cuisine made with local produce.
“We enjoy eating out a couple of times every month whether with friends or just as a couple.We like trying new things so we go to different restaurants.” said Craig,25，County Durham.
•Eating on the go
From chocolate bars to sandwiches more people are eating on the go—on the street，in cars or on buses and trains.While our parents and grandparents may frown at this behaviour，considering it to be bad manners，people eat on the go because they are rushing from one place to another.And in the home the number of people sitting down at a dining table for their evening meal is on the decrease as meal times become more informal.
“If I’m running late for work I don’t think twice about eating toast in the car or on the bus but I know my mum wouldn’t approve，” said Stacey,24.What can we infer from the text?
| A．Our parents think highly of the eating habits mentioned in the text. |
| B．We should get rid of the bad habits and try to be healthier. |
| C．Japanese restaurants have been around for years. |
| D．It’s good for people to eat out more frequently. |
People find it difficult to decide what to eat to keep healthy because ________.
| A．different programmes and books have different ideas about healthy eating |
| B．there are many celebrities having different diet styles |
| C．what the famous are doing is different from ours |
| D．they have some bad eating habits |
The underlined word “diversified” in Paragraph 4 probably means “________”．
| A．made a great change |
| B．made a big difference |
| C．had a rapid increase |
| D．had a wide variety |
Craig often goes to different restaurants because ________.
| A．he likes trying new things |
| B．he follows the latest celebrity diet |
| C．he enjoys the meal with his friends |
| D．he has more special occasions to celebrate |
President Abraham Lincoln’s first call for volunteers to fight in the Civil War was for whites only.The Civil War was a white man’s war，northern whites insisted.Its purpose was to preserve the Union.It was not being fought to end slavery.But by September of 1862，the sentiment toward black volunteers had changed.Lincoln had hoped that the war would be short，but it had already lasted for a year and a half.Union manpower had fallen dangerously.
Lincoln had a plan.He issued the Emancipation Proclamation.It stated that as of January 1,1863，all slaves living in the rebellious southern states would be forever free.And starting immediately，Union armies would accept black volunteers.
The southern rebels’response to Lincoln’s call for black troops was a deadly one.Captives (俘虏) of any Union regiment (团) with black troops were to be given “no quarter”．They were to be put to death immediately.
AfricanAmerican troops throughout the war distinguished themselves (表现突出) in battle at places like Milliken’s Bend，Fort Wagner，and the Crater at St.Petersburg.As to their conduct on the battlefield，Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson wrote，“Nobody knows anything about these men who has not seen them in battle.No officer in this regiment now doubts that the successful process of the war lies in the unlimited employment of black troops.” By the war’s end,186,000 black men had participated.They made up nearly 10 percent of Union forces.These black soldiers saw action in more than 250 battles.Black soldiers also gave their lives.By the war’s end，about 38,000 black soldiers had died.They died from disease，in battle，and after capture by rebel troops.This passage is mainly about________.
| A．cause of the Civil War |
| B．the Emancipation Proclamation |
| C．black soldiers in the Civil War |
| D．why Lincoln was a good president |
What does the underlined word “sentiment” in the first paragraph mean?
| A．Whites. |
| B．People who keep watch. |
| C．Rebels. |
| D．Thought and feeling. |
What can we conclude from the passage?
| A．Lincoln acted too late to free the slaves. |
| B．Blacks fought well for the Union cause. |
| C．The Civil War changed American history. |
| D．The southern rebels nearly won the Civil War. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The Civil War’s purpose was to drive the black away. |
| B．The Civil War ended just in one year with the help of the blacks. |
| C．All slaves were set free by September of 1862. |
| D．Black captives of any Union regiment were killed after Lincoln’s call. |
Why do human beings still risk their lives under ground and doing one of the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs in the world？It’s an increasingly urgent question，given the recent highprofile(引人注目的) mining accidents in Sago，W.Va.and Huntington，Utah.A small group of engineers and robotics experts look forward to a day in the nottoodistant future when robots and other technology do most of the dangerous mining work.
Robotic technology，in particular，holds much promise，McAteer says，especially when it comes to mapping mines and rescuing trapped miners—the special operations of the mining industry.
One of the first mining robots was developed five years ago at CarnegieMellon University’s Robotics Institute.It was called Groundhog and it looked like a golf cart.It used lasers(激光器) to “see” in dark tunnels and map abandoned mines—some of the most dangerous work in the business.
The latest design is called Cave Crawler.It’s a bit smaller than Groundhog，and even more advanced.It can take photos and video and has sensors mounted(增加) that can detect the presence of dangerous gases.Incredibly，the robot has a real sense of logic.If it comes across an obstacle it gets confused.It has to think through the process and where to go next，and sometimes it throws_a_fit just like a real person.
The biggest obstacle，though，is cost.The original research project was federally funded，but that money has dried up，and it’s not clear where future funding will come from. Partly for that reason，and partly because of advances in safety，mining is not nearly as dangerous as it was in the past.Since 1990，fatalities(致命性) have declined by 67 percent and injuries by 51 percent，according to the National Mining Association.
Some experts predict that robots in mines will serve much of the same function that they do in the automotive industry.The robots do the most repetitive and dangerous jobs，but don’t eliminate(消除) the need for human workers.The underlined phrase “throws a fit” in Paragraph 4 probably means “________”．
| A．gets angry | B．gets sick |
| C．becomes hungry | D．becomes cheerful |
We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.
| A．robots in mines will serve much in the automotive industry |
| B．there will be no need for human workers in mines |
| C．the mine robots will have a very bright future |
| D．robots in mines have a long way to go |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Mining robots do most of the mining work at present. |
| B．Groundhog can discover the presence of dangerous gases. |
| C．Experts are trying to make robots save miners in danger. |
| D．Robots cannot do dangerous work in dark areas. |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Mining Accidents in America |
| B．Could Robots Replace Humans in Mines? |
| C．Cave Crawler，the Latest Robot |
| D．The Development of Robots |
One day in 1965，when I worked at View Ridge School in Seattle，a fourthgrade teacher approached me.She had a student who finished his work before all the others and needed a challenge.“Could he help in the library？” she asked.I said, “Send him along.”
Soon a slight，sandyhaired boy in jeans and a Tshirt appeared.“Do you have a job for me？” he asked.
I told him about the Dewey Decimal System(杜威十进分类法) for shelving books.He picked up the idea immediately.Then I showed him a stack(摞) of cards for longoverdue books that I was beginning to think had actually been returned but were misshelved with the wrong cards in them.He said，“Is it kind of a detective job？” I answered yes，and he became working.
He had found three books with wrong cards by the time his teacher opened the door and announced，“Time for break！”He argued for finishing the finding job；she made the case for fresh air.She won.
The next morning，he arrived early.“I want to finish these books，”he said.At the end of the day，when he asked to be a librarian on a regular basis，it was easy to say yes.He worked untiringly.
After a few weeks I found a note on my desk，inviting me to dinner at the boy’s home.At the end of a pleasant evening，his mother announced that the family would be moving to a neighbouring school district.Her son’s first concern，she said，was leaving the View Ridge library.“Who will find the lost books？” he asked.
When the time came，I said an unwilling goodbye.I missed him，but not for long.A few days later he came back and joyfully announced，“The librarian over there doesn’t let boys work in the library.My mother got me transferred back to View Ridge.My dad will drop me off on his way to work.And if he can’t，I’ll walk！”
I should have had an idea such focused determination would take that young man wherever he wanted to go.What I could not have guessed，however，was that he would become a genius of the Information Age：Bill Gates，tycoon(企业巨头) of Microsoft and America’s richest man.What was the author when the story happened?
| A．A teacher. | B．A librarian. |
| C．A detective. | D．A student. |
Why was the boy sent to the library by the fourthgrade teacher?
| A．He failed to finish his work on time. |
| B．He challenged the teacher in the class. |
| C．He disturbed all the other students in the class. |
| D．He needed something to do to challenge himself. |
What was the boy told to do on his first day in the library?
| A．To rearrange the books according to the new system. |
| B．To put those overdue books back to the shelves. |
| C．To find out the books with wrong cards in them. |
| D．To put the cards back in the longoverdue books. |
The boy got transferred back to View Ridge because ________.
| A．he didn’t get along well with the librarian in the new school |
| B．he was not allowed to work in the new school’s library |
| C．he missed his old schoolmates and teachers |
| D．he had to walk a long way to go to school |
Peanuts to This
Proudly reading my words，I glanced around the room，only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes.Confused，I glanced toward my stonefaced teacher.Having no choice，I slowly raised the report I had slaved over，hoping to hide myself.“What could be causing everyone to act this way？”
Quickly，I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task.This was the first real task I received in my new school.It seemed simple：go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington.Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country，I had never heard of that name before.As I searched the name of this fellow，it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different！One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts，while the other led some sort of army across America.I stared at the screen，wondering which one my teacher meant.I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice：flip(掷) a coin.Heads—the commander，and tails—the peanut guy.Ah！Tails，my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter，George Washington Carver.
Weeks later，standing before this unfriendly mass，I was totally lost.Oh well，I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk，burning to find out what I had done wrong.As a classmate began his report，it all became clear，“My report is on George Washington，the man who started the American Revolution.”The whole world became quiet！How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously，my grade was awful.Heartbroken but fearless，I decided to turn this around.I talked to Miss Lancelot，but she insisted：No redos；no new grade.I felt that the punishment was not justified，and I believed I deserved a second chance.Consequently，I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year.Ten months later，that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather，now having an entirely different conversation.I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade.Justice is sweet！ (2012·北京，B)What did the author’s classmates think about his report?
| A．Controversial. | B．Ridiculous. |
| C．Boring. | D．Puzzling. |
Why was the author confused about the task?
| A．He was unfamiliar with American history. |
| B．He followed the advice and flipped a coin. |
| C．He forgot his teacher’s instruction. |
| D．He was new at the school. |
The underlined word “burning” in Para.3 probably means “________”．
| A．annoyed | B．ashamed |
| C．ready | D．eager |
In the end，the author turned things around ________.
| A．by redoing his task |
| B．through his own efforts |
| C．with the help of his grandfather |
| D．under the guidance of his headmaster |
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