Can you imagine what our life will be like in the year 2050? Perhaps you will be flying off for a holiday on the moon, or maybe you will be taking your dog for a walk in virtual（虚拟的）reality. We recently carried out a survey（调查）of 1000 people from different countries find out what they think life will be like in the future. The results clearly show both our hopes and fears.

　　The survey suggests that friendship—one of the most important human relationships—will have changed dramatically（显著地）. People will make friends mainly through the Internet. What is more, a large number of people will come across their future spouses（配偶）in this way! Computers will have become Completely necessary by 2050. Even now, some people begin to regard them as their best friends! Others, however, say that we will become much more separated and estranged（疏远的）from each other because we will have little real human contact.

　　Education will have changed a lot, too. As more and more children will be using computers in schools, certain abilities, such as mental arithmetic（心算）won’t be necessary since there will be computer programs for most calculations（计算）. Even writing by hand—at least to some extent—will have become a thing of the past.

　　According to the survey, home life will be more and more comfortable. Most people believe that by 2050 robots will be doing housework and we will rely mainly on ready-made food. A lot of people think that we might only cook for fun in the future.

　　Space exploration（探险）will become increasingly popular. Fifty percent of the people we talked to believe that man will regularly visit Mars. They also believe that travel on our own planet will probably change. Almost everyone thinks that there will be no cars in the city center. Some even think that environmentally—friendly（利于环保的）electric of solar-powered cars will have replaced the cars we use now.

　　Pollution is something that worries us very much. Some fear that it will continue to get worse, and that it well be impossible for us to live on our polluted planet. Others even foresee（预言）that one day we’ll have to pay for clean air.

　　On the other hand, people seem to be quite optimistic about the benefits of genetic（遗传）engineering, as they think scientists will use it to cure diseases like cancers and AIDS. If scientists manage to find a cure for these, we’ll have a much healthier society.

　　Some people worry about the future, while others are full of hope and confidence（信心）. No matter how dark or bright it may seem, it is up to us to look after our planet and try to make it a better globe to live on.

(1) Many people believe that in 2050, we will ________.

[　　]

A．not pay for computers

B．seldom leave our homes

C．not have any real friends

D．find partners and friends mainly through computers

(2) The passage suggests that in 2050 ________.

[　　]

A．half of the world population will have traveled to Mars

B．students will write with typewriters only

C．cooking will not be easy to people

D．lessons taught at school and the ways in which they are taught will be very different

(3) Some people believe that pollution will have ________ by 2050.

[　　]

A．disappeared

B．killed most of the people on the planet

C．become an even worse problem

D．made our planet a warmer place to live on

(4) Many people think that by 2050 ________.

[　　]

A．there will be a cure for cancer and AIDS

B．people will have stopped dying

C．scientists will solve all the problems we face

D．people won’t get diseases

Can you imagine what our life will be like in the year 2050? Perhaps you will be flying off for a holiday on the moon, or maybe you will be taking your dog for a walk in virtual（虚拟的）reality. We recently carried out a survey（调查）of 1000 people from different countries find out what they think life will be like in the future. The results clearly show both our hopes and fears.

　　The survey suggests that friendship—one of the most important human relationships—will have changed dramatically（显著地）. People will make friends mainly through the Internet. What is more, a large number of people will come across their future spouses（配偶）in this way! Computers will have become Completely necessary by 2050. Even now, some people begin to regard them as their best friends! Others, however, say that we will become much more separated and estranged（疏远的）from each other because we will have little real human contact.

　　Education will have changed a lot, too. As more and more children will be using computers in schools, certain abilities, such as mental arithmetic（心算）won’t be necessary since there will be computer programs for most calculations（计算）. Even writing by hand—at least to some extent—will have become a thing of the past.

　　According to the survey, home life will be more and more comfortable. Most people believe that by 2050 robots will be doing housework and we will rely mainly on ready-made food. A lot of people think that we might only cook for fun in the future.

　　Space exploration（探险）will become increasingly popular. Fifty percent of the people we talked to believe that man will regularly visit Mars. They also believe that travel on our own planet will probably change. Almost everyone thinks that there will be no cars in the city center. Some even think that environmentally—friendly（利于环保的）electric of solar-powered cars will have replaced the cars we use now.

　　Pollution is something that worries us very much. Some fear that it will continue to get worse, and that it well be impossible for us to live on our polluted planet. Others even foresee（预言）that one day we’ll have to pay for clean air.

　　On the other hand, people seem to be quite optimistic about the benefits of genetic（遗传）engineering, as they think scientists will use it to cure diseases like cancers and AIDS. If scientists manage to find a cure for these, we’ll have a much healthier society.

　　Some people worry about the future, while others are full of hope and confidence（信心）. No matter how dark or bright it may seem, it is up to us to look after our planet and try to make it a better globe to live on.

(1) Many people believe that in 2050, we will ________.

[　　]

A．not pay for computers

B．seldom leave our homes

C．not have any real friends

D．find partners and friends mainly through computers

(2) The passage suggests that in 2050 ________.

[　　]

A．half of the world population will have traveled to Mars

B．students will write with typewriters only

C．cooking will not be easy to people

D．lessons taught at school and the ways in which they are taught will be very different

(3) Some people believe that pollution will have ________ by 2050.

[　　]

A．disappeared

B．killed most of the people on the planet

C．become an even worse problem

D．made our planet a warmer place to live on

(4) Many people think that by 2050 ________.

[　　]

A．there will be a cure for cancer and AIDS

B．people will have stopped dying

C．scientists will solve all the problems we face

D．people won’t get diseases

It’s all hot air!

For hundreds of year, human beings have been deeply interested in the idea of flying, but it was only in the eighteenth century that a piece of practical equipment was designed to achieve this aim. The French brothers Montgolfier observed that paper bags filled with smoke tended to rise. From these small beginnings, they developed the first hot air balloon, and the first manned balloon flight took place at Versailles in 1783.

Almost at once, ballooning became very popular, but it was the gas balloon which became more widely used than the hot air balloon. The gas balloon in turn was replaced by the airship, which gave way to the more reliable aeroplane at the beginning of the twentieth century. But the hot air balloon never died out completely, and during the 1960’s, using new materials and a safer method of producing hot air, it actually took off again.

By the 1980’s, marketing managers had realized that balloons made wonderful advertising boards and soon the skies were full of brightly colored and excitingly shaped advertisements for everything from butter to shoes.

Ballooning is an uncertain activity. Take-off is entirely determined by the local weather conditions. “Safety first!” is the strict rule and pilots who ignore it have short flying careers. Preparing the balloon for flight needs teamwork. The same team will follow the balloon as it flies in order to get it back when it lands, and no one is sure where the balloon will land exactly. The pilot carries out a last-minute check before flying and briefs the passengers. Nothing should be forgotten, as important objects left on the ground are difficult to pick up from 300 meters.

The flight itself takes place silently, interrupted by the very loud noise from the gas burner as more hot air is put into the balloon envelope. Soon, even nervous passengers begin to enjoy the feeling of floating gently over the countryside, admiring the interesting patterns of roads and fields below. There is a feeling that problems have been left behind on the ground. There is a sense of freedom.

Landing can sometimes be uncomfortable, depending on wind speed and ground, but as long as the passengers hold on tight and stay in the basket, there is little danger of injury and every chance that they will want to repeat the experience.

1．Which of the following is correct according to the order of their appearance in history?

       A．hot air balloon, gas balloon, aircraft, airship

       B．hot air balloon, gas balloon, airship, aircraft

       C．gas balloon, hot air balloon, airship, aeroplane

       D．gas balloon, hot air balloon, aeroplane, airship

2．According to the article, balloons are used for ________.

       A．advertising and education                      B．competition and transporting goods

       C．entertainment and scientific research      D．entertainment and promoting products

3．What can we know from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4?

       A．People are not sure of where the balloon will land.

       B．It’s necessary to get well prepared before the flight.

       C．It’s important to take as few things as possible to fly.

       D．People should be informed how high the balloon will rise.

4．What does the author think of traveling in a hot air balloon?

       A．Dangerous.      B．Frightening.      C．Enjoyable. D．comfortable.

It was only in the eighteenth century that people  Europe began to think mountains were beautiful .___36___ that time, mountains were ___37__ by the people living on the plains,__38___ by the city people, to whom they were wild and ___39___ places in which one was easily ___40___ or killed by terrible animals.

Slowly ,however , many of the people who were living ___41__ in the towns began to grow tired of ___42___. They began to feel interested in looking for things that could not be explained , for sights and sounds which produce a feeling of fear and excitement .___43___in the __44___century, people began to turn away from the man-made __45___ to the untouched country, and particulary ___46___a place where it was dangerous and wild. High mountains began to be __47__ for a holiday.

Then , mountain-climbing began to grow popular as a sport.  To some people ,there is something greatly __48__about getting to the _49___ of a hight mountain .  Struggling against nature is finer than a battle __50____ other human beings. And then, when you are at the mountain top after a long and difficult__51__, what a _52____ reward it is to be able to look _53___on everything within__54___! At such time, you feel happier and prouder than you can ever feel down__55____.

1.                A．After          B．In             C．At   D．Before

2.                A．hated          B．liked           C．feared   D．observed

3.                A．however        B．further         C．sometimes D．especially

4.                A．exciting        B．interesting      C．dangerous D．alone

5.                A．fallen down     B．lost            C．discovered    D．caught

6.                A．unhappily       B．lonely          C．comfortable   D．easily

7.                A．them          B．it              C．themselves    D．that

8.                A．Yet            B．So             C．However  D．But

9.                A．last            B．recent          C．eighteenth    D．early

10.               A．country        B．houses         C．town D．planet

11.               A．to             B．at             C．in    D．for

12.               A．important       B．right           C．necessary  D．popular

13.               A．pleasant        B．interested      C．dangerous D．terrible

14.               A．foot           B．spot           C．top   D．tip

15.               A．with           B．to             C．against    D．between

16.               A．fight           B．climb          C．walk  D．running

17.               A．surprising       B．satisfactory      C．disappointing   D．worrying

18.               A．behind         B．up            C．down D．around

19.               A．miles          B．minutes        C．seeing D．sight

20.               A．above          B．below          C．under D．away

For any person who must speak in public, to business or pleasure groups, humor is a helpful, and necessary, tool for getting your message across. Why does humor work a lot? There are several reasons.
People will enjoy what you have to say if it is presented with humor. But, more importantly, if you are in a situation where important, and perhaps controversial（有争议的）, ideas must be presented to less than open minds, humor allows those ideas to be presented in a non-threatening (无威胁的) manner. Abraham Lincoln was famous for his ability to relate humorous stories to make a point. Humor used carefully throughout a presentation will also keep the listener’s interest high. In a word, individuals learning how to use humor in their speeches can strengthen arguments, support interesting presentations and, most of all, entertain their audience in a positive and comfortable way. 
While popular culture may well hold many kinds of humor, some of it has no place in presentations that are designed to educate and encourage the audience. If you want to become a professional stand-up (单人表演的) comedian whose goal is 100% entertainment, then you may be able to use some of the reference materials like The Art of Using Humor in Public Speaking. They can help you develop your skills and sources of humor. To that end, your participation in this study of humor will become necessary. Hopefully, you will come to appreciate the special difficulty of entertaining the audience with good and clean humor.
【小题1】 How many reasons does the author give for using humor?