When a magazine for high school students asked its readers what life would be like in twenty years, they said: Machines would be run by solar power. Buildings would rotate（旋转）so they could follow the sun to take maximum advantage of its light and heat. Walls would “give light” and “change color with the push of a button.” Food would be replaced by pills. School would be taught by electrical impulse（电脉冲）while we sleep. Cars would have radar（雷达）. Does this sound like the year 2000? Actually, this article was written in 1958 and the question was, “what will life be like in 1978?
The future is much too important to simply guess about, the way the high school students did, so experts are regularly asked to predict accuately. By carefully studying the present, skilled businessmen, scientists, and politicians are supposedly able to figure out in advance what will happen. But can they? One expert on Cities wrote: Cities of the future would not be crowded, but would have space for farms and fields. People would travel to work in “airbuses”, large all-weather helicopters carrying up to 200 passengers. When a person left the airbus station he could drive a coin-operated car equipped with radar. The radar equipment of cars would make traffic accidents “almost unheard of”. Does that sound familiar? If the expert had been accurate it would, because he was writing in 1957. His subject was “The city of 1982”.
If the professionals sometimes sound like high school students, it’s probably because future study is still a new field. But economic forecasting, or predicting what the economy will do, has been around for a long time. It should be accuate, and generally it is. But there have been some big mistakes in the field, too. In early 1929, most forecasters saw an excellent future for the stock market. In October of that year, the stock market had its worst losses ever, ruining thousands of investors who had put their faith in financial foreseers.
One forecaster knew that predictions about the future would always be subject to significant error. In 1957, H.J. Rand of the Rad corporation was asked about the year 2000, “Only one thing is certain,” he answered. “Children born today will have reached the age of 43.”How many examples does the author offer to describe the future life?
| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
The high school students’ answers to “What would life be like in 1978?” sound __________.
| A．accurate | B．imaginative | C．correct | D．foolish |
In the second paragraph, the writer gives examples to show _________.
| A．predicting about the future can be done in a humorous way |
| B．no predictions are based on careful research |
| C．experts are always better than others in figuring out what the future will be like |
| D．forecasting the future is not an easy job even for experts in this field |
From the third paragraph we can learn that _________.
| A．economy forecasting is rather a new field |
| B．experts began economy forecasting in 1929 |
| C．the predictions about economic situation caused the investors to lose lots of money |
| D．good, accurate forecasting helped the stock market overcome the difficulties |
H.J.Rand’s prediction about the year 2000 shows that ________.
| A．it is easy to figure out in advance what will happen |
| B．it is difficult to figure out in advance what will happen |
| C．only professionals can figure out in advance what will happen |
| D．very few professionals figure out in advance what will happen |
Young people looking for a job with good pay, flexible hours and job security should consider working in health care, according to a list of the top 15 best jobs in the US for young people.
Health care is the fastest growing sector of the US economy and nearly half of what are considered the top jobs for young people are in the sector, Forbes.com said.
With a medium annual salary of $33,470, dental assistants topped the ranking, while medical assistants, who earn about $28,860, came in No. 3, followed by physical therapist assistants who make a medium salary of nearly $50,000 and health aides who earn $20,560.
Teachers of self-enrichment courses such as pottery and art, were the only non-health job in the top five.
"Almost every one of these requires physical contact," Laurence Shatkin, the author of the book "150 Best Jobs for Your Skills," told Forbes. com. "You have to show up to do them, so you're not being shipped overseas, and they can't be done by a robot."
Shatkin studied which jobs have the highest concentration of 16 to 24 year olds, pay well and have opportunities for entry level positions. He based the ranking on annual salary and openings and projected growth. Many of the jobs do not require a college degree.
Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors, pharmacy technicians and surgical technologists were also among the top 10 jobs for young people.
Because many of the jobs can be done on a part-time basis, they offer the flexibility for people to continue their education while doing them. Some of the jobs offer career prospects and advancements.
"Young people may not have figured out what their priorities are yet," Shatkin told Forbes.com. "They may use these jobs to discover what they like and where they fit in."From the passage, we know that health care is a sector where people in the USA can ________.
| A．work the shortest time |
| B．make the most money |
| C．enjoy its safest working conditions |
| D．experience its fastest development |
After reading the passage, we can infer that _________.
| A．teachers of self-enrichment courses are No.2 among the top five jobs |
| B．dental assistants are listed as the best job due to their highest salary |
| C．people still need to go to college to get a good job |
| D．good jobs are those that can be done part-time |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Health Care among Top Jobs for Young People |
| B．Factors for People to Consider while Seeking Jobs |
| C．Results from Forbes.com on Best Jobs |
| D．The Higher the Pay Is, the Better the Job Is |
For almost two months Dominic York, a 23-year-old hairdresser, wandered about hospitals all night, wearing a white coat and pretending he was a doctor. Yesterday he proudly claimed in court that despite his complete lack of medical experience or qualifications, he had saved several people’s lives. He had even been allowed to assist a surgeon during an emergency operation on a patient who was about to die on something she had swallowed.
“I watched one of those TV dramas about a hospital and suddenly I felt like playing one of the roles myself. So I put on a white jacket and a stethoscope(听诊器)and walked around one of the biggest hospitals in London. At first I just watched. Once you learn how doctors talk to patients, nurses and others doctors, it’s easy to take people in,” he said.
One of the patients he treated was Laura Kennan. She had been knocked down by a car and fainted. When she came into hospital, York was standing over her.
“He looked very professional. He told me his name was Doctor Simon. Then he gave me some sort of injection,” she said. And then he suddenly cleared off when a nurse asked who he was. She didn’t think there was anything wrong. “I would never have realized he was a fake if a policewoman hadn’t showed me his photograph a week later. When the policewoman told me who he really was, I could hardly believe my ears.”
Judge Raymond Adams told York that he was “shocked and horrified” that he got away with his deceiving for so long, and then sentenced him to eighteen months in a special prison for criminal with mental disorders.
“I can only hope that this will not lead to further problems. After all, you will have considerable opportunity to study the behaviour of the psychiatrists(精神科医生)who will look after you while you are there. If you try to persuade people that you yourself are a psychiatrist after you are set free, I shall make sure that you are given a much longer sentence.” Judge Adams warned York.York was proud of the fact that _________.
| A．a surgeon let him watch an operation. |
| B．he could perform some duties of a doctor |
| C．he had cheated doctors for so long |
| D．people thought he could become a real doctor |
York learned how to behave like a doctor by ________.
| A．watching other doctors work |
| B．talking to doctors and nurses |
| C．getting some training and experience |
| D．observing doctors while he was a patient |
Why was Laura Kennan in hospital?
| A．She had swallowed something and almost died. |
| B．She had to have and emergency operation. |
| C．She had been injured in a road accident. |
| D．She had lost consciousness while driving. |
The judge’s remark implied that York would be more severely punished if he ________.
| A．pretended to be a psychiatrist |
| B．tried to get away from prison |
| C．was proud of what he had done |
| D．studied the behaviour of the psychiatrist |
As many as one in five US teenagers have some degree of hearing loss, according to researchers. They say the problem is growing.
“Teenagers really don’t pay attention to how much noise they are exposed to(接触),” Josef Shargorodsky of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston told Reuters. “Often people won’t notice it, but even very little hearing loss may influence language development,” said Shargorodsky, one of the researchers.
The study compared surveys from the early 1990s and the mid-2000s. Each included a few thousand teenagers. In the first survey, about 15 percent of teenagers had some degree of hearing loss. Some 15 years later, that number had risen by a third, to nearly 20 percent.
“This certainly is big news,” said Alison Grimes, an ear doctor. “Hearing loss is very common in old people,” Grimes said, but she added that it was worrying to see it happen in the younger age group.
In babies and young children, hearing problems are known to slow language development. The science is less clear for teenagers, but it is easy to imagine how being hard of hearing could influence learning, said Grimes.
The reasons for the rise are still unclear. When researchers asked teenagers about noise exposure – on the job, at school or from activities, for example – the teenagers didn’t report any change. But Shargorodsky said that might not be true. “We know from before that it is difficult to ask this age group about noise exposure – they underestimate it.” Few people would call it noise when they listen to music on their MP3 player, for example. “There is a difference between what we think is loud and what is harmful to the ear,” said Grimes.
Although it’s not clear that the MP3 players cause teenagers’ hearing loss, Grimes said it was still a good idea to turn down the sound and take short breaks from listening.The writer advises teenagers __________.
| A．to turn the sound down |
| B．to stop using MP3 players |
| C．to be clear about the problem |
| D．to report the change in hearing loss |
The underlined sentence “they underestimate it” means __________.
| A．their love for music prevent them realizing the harm |
| B．their hearing loss is happening without being noticed |
| C．they think music can be taken as noise to some degree |
| D．they think it’s harmful sometimes although it’s not loud |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Hearing loss may lead to slow language development. |
| B．Hearing loss in old people is as common as in young people. |
| C．Researchers have already found some causes of hearing loss. |
| D．Teenagers know MP3 is harmful, but they can’t stop listening to it. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．A word short and simple | B．A report by teenagers |
| C．A message loud and clear | D．A letter from MP3 users |
Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.
Born in September, 1987, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies’ two daughters. Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of Sévigné in Paris.
Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities（设备） to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgrum. Her services were recognised in the form of a Military’s Medal by the French government.
In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and were married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.
Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity（辐射能）. Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military Medal?
| A．Because she received a degree in mathematics. |
| B．Because she contributed to saving the wounded. |
| C．Because she won the Nobel Prize with Frederic. |
| D．Because she worked as a helper to her mother. |
Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederio joliot?
| A．At the Curie Institute. | B．At the University of Paris. |
| C．At a military hospital. | D．At the College of Sevigne. |
When was the second child of Irene Curie and Frederic Joliot born?
| A．In 1932. | B．In 1927. | C．In 1897. | D．In 1926. |
In which of the following aspects was Irene Cuire different from her mother?
| A．Irene worked with radioactivity. | B．Irene combined family and career. |
| C．Irene won the Nobel Prize once | D．Irene died from leukemia. |
There are thousands of things to be sold that are of all colors and shapes in a supermarket, making you believe that they are good enough for you to have a try. How packaging(包装)is the quiet but persuading salesman?
There on the shelves，each bottle, can and box has been carefully designed to speak to the inner self of the consumer(消费者), so that he is buying not only a product but also his belief in life. Scientists have studied on this and found that the look of the package has a great influence on the “quality” of the product and on how well it sells, because “Consumers generally cannot tell between a product and its package. Many products are packages and many packages are products,” as Louis Cheskin, the first social scientist studying consumers’ feeling for packaging, noticed.
Colors are one of the best tools in packaging. Studies of eye movement have shown that colors draw human attention quickly. Take V8 for example. For many years，the bright red color of tomatoes and carrots on the thin bottle makes you feel that it’s very good for your body. And the word “green" today can keep food prices going up.
Shapes are another attraction．Circles often mean happiness, because they are pleasing to both the eye and the heart. That’s why the round yellow M sings of McDonald’s are inviting to both young and old.
This new consumer response(反应)to the colors and shapes of packages reminds(提醒)producers and sellers that people buy to meet the needs of both body and heart.According to the passage, ______ seems to be able to persuade a consumer to buy the product.
| A．the pleasing color of the package |
| B．the special taste of the product |
| C．the strange shape of the package |
| D．the belief in the product |
It can be inferred(推测)from the passage that V8 is a kind of .
| A．vegetable dish | B．healthy juice |
| C．hard drink | D．red vegetable |
“And the word ‘green’ today can keep food prices going up” This sentence
suggests that consumers today are .
| A．starting to notice the importance of new food |
| B．enjoying the beauty of nature more than before |
| C．beginning to like green vegetables |
| D．paying more attention to their health |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Colors and Shapes |
| B．Packaging Can Talk |
| C．The response to the packages |
| D．What is packing? |
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