We don’t know how different our future will be in the future. We can only try to imagine it.
At first we think about human relationship. In the year 2050, we will use computers almost every day. We will be making new friends through the Internet----even our husbands or wives will be met in this way. It will be much faster and easier for us. On the other hand, our relationships with people won’t be as important as they are today----we will feel a little lonely.
Computers will also help us in many other activities in 2050. For example, they will be used by the children at school to make their learning easier. In addition, there will be much more other machines which will play a similar role as computers, like robots which will do the housework for us.
Spending holidays will also be completely different. Traveling to other planets or to the moon will be available for everyone. Means of transport will, of course, change, too. We will be using solar-powered cars, which will be much more environmentally friendly.
We could expect that the faster technological progress would lead to a more polluted environment. But it isn’t true. We will pay more attention to protecting the environment. And, scientists will probably find cures for many dangerous diseases, like cancer or AIDS. Therefore, our surroundings as well as our health will be in a better condition.
Although we can’t predict the exact changes which will be made in the world, we often think about them. We worry about our and our children’s future; we have expectations, hopes as well as fears. But I think we should be rather sanguine about our future. We should be happy and believe good things will happen.Why will people probably feel a little lonely in 2050?
| A．Because the number of people will become much smaller. |
| B．Because people won’t communicate with each other much often. |
| C．Because people won’t like making friends with each other. |
| D．Because there will be less face-to-face communication. |
According to the passage, which of the following will happen in 2050?
| A．It won’t be difficult for people to travel to other planets. |
| B．The way of spending holidays will be the same as that of today. |
| C．The relationship between people will be more important than today. |
| D．Our environment will be much more polluted with a growing number of cars. |
The underlined word “sanguine” in the last paragraph most probably means ______.
| A．disappointed | B．optimistic |
| C．curious | D．surprised |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．How people will communicate in the year 2050. |
| B．What high technology will appear in the year 2050. |
| C．How people will travel and spend their holiday in the year 2050. |
| D．What our life will be like in the year 2050. |
A handsome middleaged man walked quietly into the 
cafe and sat down. Before he ordered，he couldn’t help but notice a group of younger men at the table next to him. It was obvious they were making fun of something about him and it wasn’t until he remembered he was wearing a small pink ribbon(丝带) on the lapel of his suit that he became aware of what the joke was all about.
The man pretended not to notice it，but the whisper and laughter began to get to him. He looked one of the rude young men straight into the eye，placed hi
s hand beneath the ribbon and asked，“This？”
With that the young men all began to laugh out loud. The man he spoke to said，“Hey，sorry，man, but we were just commenting on how pretty your little pink ribbon looks against your blue jacket！”
The middleaged man calmly invited the joker to come over to his table, and politely seated him. As uncomfortable as he was, the young guy had to, not really sure why. In a soft voice，the middleaged man said, “I wear this ribbon to bring awareness about breast cancer. I wear it in my mother’s honor.”
“Oh, sorry. She died of breast cancer？”
“No, she didn’t. She’s alive and well. But her breasts nourished me as a baby，and were a soft resting place for my head when I was scared or lonely as a little boy. I’m very grateful for my mother’s breasts, and her health.”
“Umm,” the young replied “yeah.”
“And I wear this ribbon to honor my wife” the man continued.
“And she’s okay, too？”the young guy asked.
“Oh, yes. She’s fine. Her breasts have been a great source of loving pleasure for both of us，and with them she nurtured and nourished our daughter 23 years ago. I’m grateful for my wife’s breasts，and her health.”
“Uh, huh. And I guess you wear it to honor your daughter, also？”
“No. It
’s too late to honor my daughter by wearing it now...”
Shaken and ashamed，the young guy said, “Oh, I’m so sorry，mister.”
“So, in my daughter’s memory, too, I proudly wear this little ribbon, which allows me the opportunity to enlighten others. And here...”With this，he reached in his pocket and handed the young man a little pink ribbon. The young guy looked at it, slowly raised his head and asked, “...？”The young men joked about the middleaged man’s________.
| A．looks | B．ribbon | C．attitude | D．clothes |
What may have happened to the man’s daughter?
| A．She died of breast cancer. | B．She was ill with cancer. |
| C．She had gone abroad. | D．She got married. |
What will the young man probably ask at the end of the story?
| A．May I give it to my mother? | B．Can you h elp me put it on? |
| C．Will you please forgive me? | D．Shall we have some drink together? |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．An Unusual Meeting | B．An Impressive Lesson |
| C．Be Grateful to Your Beloved | D．A little Pink Ribbon |
ALBANY，New York—Students who rely on working at night to improve their
grades might want to sleep on that strategy: A new survey in the US says those who never study all night have slightly higher grades than those who do.
A survey of 120 students at St.Lawrence University found that students who had never pulled an allnighter on average had higher grades than those who had. The survey found tho
se who did not study through the night had a grade point average of 3.2 compared to 2.95 for those who did.
The study, by assistant professor of psychology Pamela Thacher, is to be included in the January issue of BehavioralSleepMedicine.
“It's not a big difference，but it's pretty striking, ” Thacher said, “I am primarily a sleep researcher and I know nobody thinks clearly at 4∶00 in the morning. You think you can do，but you can't.”
Many college students, of course, have inadequate or irregular sleep, for reasons ranging from excessive caffeine to poor time management.
“A lot of students were under the impression that allnighters were a very useful tool for accomplishing work, and that caffeine intake was very useful in meeting deadlines and stuff like that, ”said Mr Chatani, who had a 3.4 grade point average last term.
Dr Howard Weiss, a physician at St.Peter's Sleep Center in Albany, said the study results made sense.
“Certainly that data is out there showing that short sleep duration absolutely interferes with concentration and performance on objective testing, ”he said.
“Some night owls do get good grades, of course，which may be explained by circadian (昼夜节律的
，生理节奏的) rhythms, ”Weiss said, “Some people have different 24hour body clocks from others, and may do better depending on classes and testing time.”The purpose of the passage is to tell us
| A．the bad effects of pulling an allnighter |
| B．pulling an allnighter leads to sleep problems |
| C．Thacher's doubt about allnighters |
| D．allnighters influence students' grades |
According to Thacher's study，around 4 o'clock in the morning is a time when .
| A．one can think more clearly |
| B．one has his/her best memory |
| C．one can't learn efficiently |
| D．one's brain falls into a period of deep sleep |
What can we know from Dr Howard Weiss' words？
| A．Thacher's study is not convincing enough. |
| B．He believes in Thacher's study. |
| C．Thacher's study makes no sense. |
| D．Thacher should take exceptions into consideration. |
Both my parents came from towns in Mexico. Then I was born in E1 Paso，Texas and when I was four, my family moved to a housing project in East Los Angeles.
Even though we struggled to make ends meet, my parents stressed to me and my four brothers and sisters how fortunate we were to live in a great country with limitless opportunities. They influenced us with the concepts of family, faith and nationalism.
I got my first real job when I was ten. My dad injured his back working in a cardboardbox factory and was retrained as a hairstylist. He rented space in a little shopping mall and gave his shop the fancy name of Mr.Ben’s Coiffure.
The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a discount on his rent for cleaning the parking lot three nights a week，which meant getting up at 3 a．m..To pick up rubbish, Dad used a little machine that looked like a lawn mower. Mom and I emptied garbage cans and picked up litter by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. I’d sleep in the car on the way home.
I did this for two years，but the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime. I acquired discipline and a strong work ethic(道德), and learned at an early age the importance of balancing life’s competing interests－in my case，school，homework and a job. This really helped during my senior year of a high school, when I worked 40 hours a week flip
ping burgers at a fastfood joint while taking a full load of college preparation courses.
The hard work paid off. I attended the U．S.Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in law and business from Harvard. Later, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California StateAssembly(州议会)．In these jobs and in everything else I’ve done, I have never forgotten those nights in the parking lot. The experience taught me that there is dignity in all work and that if people are working to provide for themselves and their families that is something we should honor.Before my father got injured，we________.
| A．didn’t like living in the USA | B．lived a poor but happy life |
| C．were lucky to move to the USA | D．had many ways to make money |
When he recovered，to make a living my father________.
| A．ran a small shopping mall | B．did a parttime job |
| C．worked as a barber | D．became a street cleaner |
Working in the parking lot for two years had tau
ght me________.
| A．how to obey school discipline | B．how to do two things well at a time |
| C．that discipline and work were of equal value | |
| D．that I must do as many things as possible at a time |
The au
thor tells us in the last paragraph that we should be proud of those who________.
| A．have done all kinds of jobs | B．are cleaning the parking lot |
| C．have achieved a lot in their lives | D．are bearing their responsibilities |
Do you ever run out of great books to read? So what should I read next? Is fast-paced crime fiction your thing? Try the new Patricia Cornwell book, Scarpetta (Putnam). She is such an able writer and handles complex forensic(法庭的) intelligence with ease. You need to be prepared, though, for the world you're entering—this isn't for the faint of heart, let's say.
If peace is more your thing, try Mary Pipher's wonderful new book, Seeking Peace:Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World (Riverhead). Mary is a lovely, comfortable writer who takes the reader through her personal awakening after reputation and fortune came her way. Even if you've never experienced life as a bestselling writer (as she has done, in her book years back, Reviving Ophelia), you'll totally understand and sympathize with her renewed need for privacy, distance and quiet.
What if you want a straightforward, totally thrilling read with vivid characters, set about World War II? You cannot go wrong with Jim Lehrer's new novel, Oh, Johnny (Random House), about a young Marine whose life is changed forever when he meets a woman on his way to war. His relationship with her lasts him through danger and hardship, and there's an impressive ending. See our interview with the productive novelist/newsman in the current issue of Reader's Digest (March, on stands now), by the way, for insight into the very talented Mr. Lehrer and what interests him.
Well, what about something wickedly funny and totally offbeat? Does the name Carrie Fisher do anything for you? Try her vivid and new life in Hollywood and elsewhere, Wishful Drinking (Simon & Schuster). Be prepared for humor as sharp as knives. In which column will you probably find the above passage?
| A．Advice. | B．News story. |
| C．Advertisement. | D．Comments. |
What does the writer intend to tell us by the underlined sentence?
| A．The world is complex and hard. | B．Scarpetta is a thriller. |
| C．The fiction is hard to understand. | D．Society is hard to fit into. |
Which of the following is true of Mary Pipher?
| A．She is an adventurous writer. |
| B．She doesn’t care about fortune. |
| C．Her books normally sell well. |
| D．She can help you achieve writing skills. |
To get further information about Jim Lehrer, you may________.
| A．go to Reader’s Digest issued in March |
| B．go to Random House |
| C．analyze the characters in Oh, Johnny |
| D．read the novel Oh, Johnny |
Which book isn’t directly based on the writer’s own life?
| A．Seeking Peace. | B． Reviving Ophelia. |
| C．Wishful Drinking. | D．Oh, Johnny. |
New York State has passed the USA’s first state law banning motorists talking on hand-heldcell phones. The ban will begin November 1, although drivers caught using hand-held cell phones will be given only warnings during the first month.
First-time violators(违法者) will face a ＄100 fine. A second time call for a ＄200 fine and every violation after that will cost＄500.
At least a dozen localities(地方) have established bans, starting in 1999; and 40 states have had bans proposed but not passed. At least 23 countries, including the Great Britain, Italy, Israel and Japan, ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones.
There are about 115 million cell phones in use in the United States and more than 6 million in New York State.
“To think that I’m not going to use cell phone when at the same time I can still use my laptop, I still can read a paper, I can still change my pants(裤子) while driving 65 mph. I think there’s just something wrong,” an official said.
Other critics noted that other things like eating, drinking coffee and applying make-up while driving posed(造成) at least as much of a concern. They suggested that the ban include a broader range of things. How much fine will a hand-held cell phone user receive if he has been caught using it four times while driving after November?
| A．$500. | B．$1000. | C．$1200. | D．$1300. |
We can see from this passage that _______.
| A．the ban has been put into effect in most states in the U. S. |
| B．many of the developed countries forbid drivers using hand-held cell phones |
| C．over fifty localities or states ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones |
| D．more people in the U. S. are against the ban than for it |
The official mentioned in this passage _______.
| A．does not agree with this ban |
| B．doesn’t believe using hand-held cell phones while driving will cause any danger |
| C．doesn’t understand why hand-held cell phones alone should be banned among many others |
| D．believes changing pants while driving will cause greater danger |
The writer intends to tell us in the last paragraph that _______.
| A．it is not fair to have this ban passed |
| B．the ban will never be passed in the whole country |
| C．more activities of the same kind should also be banned |
| D．the ban will meet with more criticism |
This article is most probably taken from _______.
| A．a newspaper article | B．an advertisement |
| C．a personal diary | D．a letter |
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