In many parts of the world, cars play an important role in daily life and many societies would not exist without them. So the idea that in 20 years’ time, no one will own cars may be hard to believe. But this is the prediction made by a team of transport researchers who are taken seriously, not only by government but also by car manufacturers.
The Human Science and Advanced Technology Institute at Loughborough in the UK is part of an international research program. The team there believes that by 2020 all cars will be computerized, which will mean much saving, no accidents and better use of roads. The super-intelligent car of the 21st century will drive itself, and it will not be owned by one individual. Instead, we will have a choice of cars and change them as frequently as we change our clothing.
According to Dr. David Davis , who leads the research team, these predictions are based on the rising cost of the car culture, which has blocked up our cities, polluted our air , and caused more deaths than both world wars put together.
Davis says, cars will be fitted with some intelligent devices to regulate the distance between one car and another. The car will automatically speed up, or slow down, to match the speed of the car in front. Computers are much safer drivers than people, so cars in a road train will be able to drive much closer together than cars driven by people.
By 2010, Dr. David Davis believes, car technology will give motorists a clear view of the road, whatever the weather conditions, by projecting an image of the road ahead on to the car’s windscreen. And by 2020, cars will travel in convoy, linked to each other electronically. Cars will be connected by an electronic tow bar to the car in front to form “road–trains”. “The front vehicle in such a train burns the normal amount.” says Davis. “But all the others in the train would burn about ten percent of the normal amount, and so produce about ten percent of the pollution.”We know from the passage that governments and car manufacturers _______
| A．do not believe the prediction that no one will own cars by 2020 |
| B．are devoted to the technological revolution in car industry |
| C．consider the predictions seriously |
| D．have put the super-intelligent car into mass production |
Which of the following will be the characteristic of the cars of 2020?
- The car will speed up out of control.
- We will own as many cars as we want.
- All cars will be driven by computers.
- Cars will produce more pollution than present ones.
- cars play a very important role in daily life
- many societies would stop functioning without cars
- cars should not be owned by one individual
- it causes many deaths to human society
| A．in line | B．sidelong | C．side by side | D．shoulder to shoulder |
What will happen if cars are joined to each other electronically in 2020?
- Motorists will get a clear view of the road.
- The weather condition will not have effect on motorists.
- There will be less pollution caused by car.
- All trains will burn less fuel than present.
After Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham’s for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I’ll never forget.
I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales. Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock and the stock that people buy all the year round. Some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn’t sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in especially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale. Lastly, they buy in “seconds” for the sale and they are sold very cheaply.
When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building.
When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn’t believe my eyes; this wasn’t shopping. It was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn’t keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.
Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colors and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small children to crawl through people’s legs and get hold of things they couldn’t get near themselves.
Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first served. Where had the famous English queue gone? The whole day continued like that, but I kept my temper! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realize why, twice a year, Graham’s were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this.
In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking if they needed what they were buying. As long as it was a bargain, it was OK.
You won’t believe this, but as soon as I got home, I crashed out for four hours. Then I had dinner and went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.What kind of clothes is likely to be sold only a little cheaper according to the passage?
| A．Last summer’s clothes. | B．Clothes not in perfect condition. |
| C．Clothes bought in specially for the sales. | D．Clothes for winter. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The customers gave up the queuing as soon as the sale began. |
| B．The customers kept their temper while looking for clothes they wanted. |
| C．Small children were not helpful to their mothers in the sale. |
| D．The security guards of the clothes department were as confident as usual. |
Before you leave for the airport
Ensure that you have your passports (and any necessary visas), tickets and money in your hand luggage.
If packing medicines, ensure that they are in their original packaging as this will avoid delays or prevent them from being taken away at customs.
Do not wrap presents as they may have to be unwrapped by security staff or customs.
The Department of Health has devoted a section of their site to health advice for traveling abroad.
Getting to the airport
Always allow plenty of time to reach the airport. You should arrive there 2 hours before the take-off for international flights and one hour before the take-off for domestic flights.
If you are driving to the airport, ensure that you have booked airport parking in advance.
If you are being driven by a friend who wants to see you off, ensure that he / she knows where the short stay parking is located.
If taking a taxi, ensure that the firm you intend to use has taxis available at the time you wish to travel.
At the airport
Be aware that increased security has considerably lengthened the time it takes to go through check in and security.
Make sure you keep your baggage with you at all times and alert any member of airport staff to any unattended package.
Never look after baggage belonging to other people or carry anything onto the aircraft for someone else.
Keep a close eye on the display boards announcing which gate flights depart from.
In the air
If on a long flight, move your feet around, or get up and walk around regularly if you can.
Avoid dehydration (脱水) by drinking plenty of water or other non-alcoholic drinks.
Don’t eat too heavily before or during a long flight as this will help to avoid indigestion and hypertension (高血压).
To reduce jet lag (时差反应), have some extra sleep before the trip, get some sleep during the flight and try to make mealtimes the same as the time of meals at your destination. Before leaving for the airport, you should NOT ______.
| A．make sure that you have all the necessary things with you |
| B．ensure that any packed medicines are in their original packing |
| C．wrap presents up tightly for the safety |
| D．know some advice for traveling abroad from the website |
You should ensure that you have booked the airport parking in advance if _______.
| A．you are going on an international flights | B．you drive to the airport yourself |
| C．a friend drives you to the airport | D．you take a taxi to the airport |
When waiting for your flight at the airport, you should pay the most attention to _______.
| A．the display boards showing which gate the flight departs from | |
| B．baggage belonging to other people | |
| C．unattended package | D．the time it takes to go through check in and security |
During the flight you should follow the following advice EXCEPT _______.
| A．always to sit on a long flight | B．to drink enough water to avoid dehydration |
| C．not to eat too much so as to avoid indigestion and hypertension | |
| D．to make mealtimes the same as the time of meals at your destination |
Do your spirits soar (猛增) on a sunny day? Do you relax at the sound of flowing water?
Some scientists suggest that these contacts with nature are good for your health. In one study, hospital patients with a view of trees had shorter hospital stays and less need for pain medications. Another study indicated that prisoners with a view of the outdoors had fewer doctor visits.
“Why do we desire nature? Maybe we’re programmed to need it, since our ancestors’ survival was so dependent on their connection with nature,” suggests biologist E.O. Wilson.
Want to find out if contact with nature improves your outlook on life? Try a few of these ideas.
Hang out a bird feeder and watch the birds that visit it.
Sit down in the backyard or a nearby park. Close your eyes. What do you hear? Birds singing? The wind in the trees? Crickets (蟋蟀) chirping?
Find an anthill. Sit down and watch the ants work.
Take a walk right after a rainstorm. What looks different? Smells different?
Go barefoot on a sandy beach.
Open the curtains and the window, if the weather allows it.
On a windy day, watch the trees.
Go to a creek, river or park fountain. Listen to the sound of water in motion.
Camp out in the backyard or at a nearby state park. Use a tent or sleep on the ground.
Find a wide-open space to study the stars. Learn about the different constellations (星座).
Raise a garden. Or plant some seeds in a flowerpot.
Go hiking with your family. Talk about all of the colors you see in nature.
Take a camera and capture your nature experience.From Paragraph 2 we can learn that ______.
| A．prisoners don’t like to go to the doctor when ill | B．trees can be used as pain medications |
| C．prisoners should often get out of prison to come into contact with nature | |
| D．contacts with nature are very helpful for hospital patients |
According to E.O. Wilson, we desire nature probably because ______.
| A．it can help us feel relaxed |
| B．we have inherited (继承) from our ancestors who were dependent on nature |
| C．people have lived with nature for thousands of years |
| D．contacts with nature can improve a person’s outlook on life |
The author gives us many ideas in order to let us ______.
| A．find out if contacts with nature improve our outlook on life | |
| B．hear birds sing and watch ants work | |
| C．talk about the colors we see in nature | D．capture our experience in nature |
From the passage, we can learn that ______.
| A．studying the constellations is important to everyone | |
| B．you can know all the colors only by going hiking | |
| C．nature is quite important to us | D．walking in a rainstorm can be very helpful |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Go hiking with your family. | B．Let nature nurture you. |
| C．Visit your doctor less. | D．Watch the trees more often. |
The unknown world’s mystry
The sea is the biggest unknown part of our world. It covers seventy-one percent of the earth. There is still much to be discovered about this vast blanket of water. If the waters of the ocean could be removed, the sea floor with its wide valleys, irregular mountains and rivers in the sea would be an unbelievable sight.
Tourism under the deep blue sea
Tourists can now explore the world beneath the waves without ever getting wet. From tourist submarines (潜艇) to underwater dining, undersea tourism is making a big splash.
Tourist submarines
The popularity of submarine tours has grown rapidly in the last decade. Now, tourist submarines operate in more than 20 locations worldwide, including the waters around Okinawa and Taiwan’s Green Island. The submarines carry nearly 2 million tourists each year. Large windows offer passengers spectacular views as the submarines explore colorful coral reefs and sunken ships. Most one-hour tours cost about US $80.
Under water dinning
For a more upscale experience, tourists can enjoy fine dining under the sea. Last summer the Hilton Maldives Resort opened the world’s first underwater restaurant, Ithaa. Diners walk down a staircase into the restaurant, which rests 35 feet beneath the waves of the Indian Ocean. Transparent walls surround the dining area, and you can treat guests to a panoramic (全景) ocean view.
But this excellent view doesn’t come cheap. The tasting menu costs US $200 per person. Be sure to make reservations early, too. The restaurant seats only 14 people.What does the author want to tell us in Paragraph 1?
| A．The sea is the biggest unknown part of our world. | B．The sea covers 71% of the earth. |
| C．Some information about the sea floor. | D．The reasons for researching undersea tourism. |
What does the author really mean by saying “undersea tourism is making a big splash” in Para2 ?
| A．Undersea tourism is a new fashion in travelling. | B．Your clothes will be made wet by the water splash. | C．Undersea tourism is dangerous. | D．There is still a long way for undersea tourism to go. |
Which of the following statements about tourist submarines is RIGHT?
| A．Tourist submarines only have a history of about 10 years. |
| B．There are tourist submarines in every part of the world now. |
| C．Tourist submarines have carried about 2 million tourists so far. |
| D．People can enjoy tourist submarines in the waters around Okinawa. |
The walls of the restaurant Ithaa are most probably made of .
| A．stone | B．brick | C．glass | D．steel |
We need to make better use of our resources. In developing countries we have more than enough, if we are less wasteful in our ways. Fortunately, we can improve. The challenge lies not so much with ‘technical fixes’ but with our approach to our world around us. In the recent past we were in a “Wild West” economy, supposing that there would always be enough resources. Now we know there are no new Earth to explore and exploit; one image to illustrate this is to think of Earth as a spaceship, where most materials have to be recycled. For us, “moving on” will be a case of leaving behind the throwaway society and advancing to a conserver society.
To qualify as citizens of a conserver society, we must change traditional attitudes and thinking. We need to recognize that there is not very often such a thing as “waste”, rather, there are materials which sometimes end up in the wrong place. The change has already begun. The European steel industry reuses scrap（废弃的）metal, resulting in an energy saving of up to 50% . Recycling a glass container saves only 18%; but, in parts of the United States, a citizen buying a bottle of soda or beer now pays a deposit against return of the empty bottle.
If all drink containers in the USA were to be reused, the annual saving would be 0.5 million tons glass, plus about 50 million barrels of oil used in production processes. In Japan, OPEC promoted an increase in recycling of raw materials from 16% to 48% in just five years. In Norway, the price of a new car includes a disposal cost element of about 100 dollars, redeemable（可换成现款的）when the junked car is turned in at an approved receiving center.
Major new businesses are trying to exploit waste chemicals and oil. The Chinese claim to reuse 2.5 million tons of scrap iron and at least one million tons of waste paper each year. In the main, the conserver society depends on the commitment of individuals. But they can be encouraged by government incentive(鼓励) and punishment, which should apply at least as strongly to industry and other commercial interests.
73 Which of the following best expresses the meaning of “a conserver society” in the second paragraph?
A. A wasteful society.
B. A society which thinks of ways of recycling waste materials.
C. A society which keeps everything.
D. A society which saves electricity.
74 In the last paragraph, the author suggests governments _______.
A. depends on individuals to find ways of conserving energy.
B. find ways of encouraging those industries and individuals who conserve energy and of punishing those who don’t.
C. depend on companies to find ways of saving energy and rewarding workers
D. help establish businesses that will exploit waste materials
75 In this passage the author _______.
A. explains that meaning of the “Wild West” economy
B. tells us what recycled materials are.
C. teaches us how to recycle materials.
D. recommend a change in our use of resources strongly
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