Today, the world is rapidly urbanizing．With half of the world population expected to live in cities by the early part of the 21st century, the Shanghai 2010 World Expo's focus on a better city bears profound meaning．
What might future cities look like 28 years from now? Here are some scenarios： things to come, things to go．
Zero waste
Waste disposal is one of the biggest headaches for cities．Apart from recyclable waste, everything is buried or incinerated(焚烧), only to pollute the environment．Plastic waste remains underground for several decades．The world produces much more garbage than it can dispose of．
Now at the Expo, all waste is delivered to a compression station where the waste is sorted, filtered, decontaminated, deodorized and compressed before finally being disposed of at designated spots．In Beijing, people living in the Asuwei area turn their household waste into organic fertilizers which are used to grow plants at residence communities．
No more transportation problems during Spring Festival
The Spring Festival, the most important Chinese holiday when everyone returns home, has caused headaches for millions of Chinese．More than 2 billion people travel at the same time, making obtaining travel tickets and the journey difficult．
But in 28 years, Spring Festival travel may not be a problem at all．China plans to have more than 120, 000 kilometers of railway and a rapid transportation network that will serve 90 percent of the population by 2020．And because most of China will be cities, people will not have to go to other places to find a job, so migration will no longer be so large－scale．
Newspapers to disappear
American scholar Philip Meyer predicts that newspaper will come to an end in 2043．Utagawa Reizou, former editor－in－chief of The Mainichi Daily News, believes that the newspaper will be gone in 2030．
This kind of prediction may worry those in print news business．In the U．K．, the circulations of national newspapers are declining．Major Japanese newspapers have gone into debt．In the U．S．, declining circulations and ad revenues have forced several newspapers to stop printing paper editions．
Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch thinks the future of media relies on interaction through the Internet．In the future, digital newspapers will be sent to portal web terminals through wirelessly．Readers can discuss issues with journalists and editors．Information will move faster．
Oil to run out
In August 2009, Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency, said that oil is running out faster than expected and that the world will likely feel the tightness in supply in the next five years．
Scientists have found substitutes for oil as fuel．Coal, natural gas, soar power, nuclear power and even water can replace oil as sources of energy．Flammable ice reserves alone can support humans for the next 1, 000 years．
(1)
By now, the world population in cities has grow to about ________．
[ ]
A．
6.9 billion
B．
0.75 billion
C．
3.5 billion
D．
1.3 billion
(2)
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
[ ]
A．
Everything buried or incinerated, besides recyclable waste, pollutes the environment．
B．
People deal with their household waste in an environmentally－friendly way in the Asuwei area, Beijing．
C．
More than 2 billion people suffer from headaches during the Spring Festival in China．
D．
By 2020, 90 percent of the population will have to go to other places to find a job．
(3)
According to the American predictor Philip Meyer, what will happen in 2043?
[ ]
A．
Newspaper will disappear．
B．
Japan has to stop printing newspapers．
C．
Digital newspaper will be sent to portal web terminals．
D．
Information will move faster．
(4)
________ can replace oil as sources of energy in the future．
[ ]
A．
Coal and natural gas
B．
Solar power and nuclear power
C．
Water and flammable ice reserves
D．
All the above
(5)
Which of the following can be best title for the passage?
April 22,2010 will be the 18th celebration of the annual Take Our Daugluers to Work Day(TOD), a project the National Ms．Foundation for Women of America(NFW)developed to expose girls to expanding opportunities for women in the workplace．
The program offers, millions of girls a first - hand view of the many career opportunities available in their futures．Now that women make up 46 peroent of the U．S．workforce, girls can find role models in every occupational field-from politics to molecular biology to professional athletics, to name just a few．TOD encourages girls to focus on their abilities and opportunities, not just their appearance．
The NFW developed the project more than a decade ago to address the self-esteem problems that many girls experience when they enter adolescence．At school, boys often receive more encouragement in the classroom, especially in math．science and computer science, the academic fields that tend to lead to the highest salaries．Women receive on average only 73 cents for every dollar that men are paid．and remain vastly underrepresented(数量不足)in top executive positions and technology fields．TOD aims to give girls the confidence and inspiration they need to develop successful careers, particularly in non-traditional fields．
Perhaps because the program had become so widespread and successful, TOD had been criticized for excluding boys．and it was expanded in 2003to include boys．The program's official website states that the program was changed in order to provide both boys and girls with opportunities to explore careers at an age when they are more flexible in tenns of gender stereotyped roles．"We should also show boys that becoming a child care provider is as acceptable a choice as becoming a police officer or CEO," added Sara K．Gould．executive director of the NFW．
(1)
The purpose for having a Take Our Daughters to Work Day is ________
[ ]
A．
to encourage girls to get top paying jobs
B．
to let girls spend more time with their mothers
C．
to show girls possibilities for work and careers
D．
to give girls a chance to visit their mothers' offices
(2)
Why are women underrepresented in some fields such as technology?
[ ]
A．
They are not interested in these fields．
B．
They are not encouraged to work in these fields．
C．
They are not paid the same as men in these fields．
D．
They are not allowed to be educated in these fields．
(3)
TOD was criticized because some people ________．
[ ]
A．
thought it was not fair to boys
B．
did not like having children at work
C．
did not have daughters to take to work
D．
would rather have their daughters stay at home
(4)
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
[ ]
A．
Boys are now included on Take Our Daughters to Work Day．
B．
Women and men have always been treated equally at work．
C．
Homemaking and raising children are jobs for girls only．
D．
Girls grow up receiving more attention than boys．
(5)
What can we learn from Sara K．Gould's words?
[ ]
A．
Boys are sometimes more careful and responsible than girls．
B．
It is most suitable for women to look after children at home．
C．
Aboy's life ambition should be to become an officer or CEO．
D．
It is also acceptable for boys to do what girls are supposed to．
