By 2050

Futurologists（未来学家）predict that life will probably be very different in 2050.

TV channels（频道）will have disappeared. Instead, people will choose a program from a “menu” and a computer will send the program directly to the television. Today, we can use the World Wide Web to read newspaper stories and see pictures on a computer thousands of kilometers away. By 2050, music, films, programs, newspapers, and books will come to us by computer.

Cars will run on new, clean fuels and they will go very fast. Cars will have computers to control the speed and there won’t be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination. Space planes will take people halfway around the world in 2 hours. Today, the United States Space Shuttle can go into space and land on Earth again. By 2050, space planes will fly all over the world and people will fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just 2 hours.

Robots will have replaced people in factories. Many factories already use robots. Big computers prefer robots—they don’t ask for pay rises or go on strike, and they work 24 hours a day. By 2050, we will see robots everywhere—in factories, schools, offices, hospitals, shops and homes.

Medical technology will have conquered many diseases. Today, there are devices（设备）that connect directly to the brain to help people hear. By 2050, we will be able to help blind and deaf people to see and hear again.

Scientist will have discovered how to control genes（基因）. Scientists have already produced clones（克隆）of animals. By 2050, scientists will be able to produce clones of people, and decide how they look, how they behave and how clever they are. Scientists will be able to do these things, but should they?

1.According to the passage, the following can be realized today EXCEPT __________.

2.We can learn from the passage that some big companies prefer robots to human workers, because human workers __________.

3.From Paragraph 5 we can infer that __________.

4.What is the author’s attitude towards the cloning technology?

“Cool” is a word with many meanings．Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little bit cold．As the world has changed，the word has had many different meaning．
“Cool” can be used to express feelings of interest in almost anything．
When you see a famous car in the street，maybe you will say，“It's cool．”You may think，“He's so cool，”when you see your favorite footballer．
We all maximize（扩大） the meaning of “cool”．You can use it instead of many words such as “new” or “surprising”．Here's an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used．A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall（瀑布）they had visited．On one student's paper was Just the one sentence，“It's so cool．Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt．
But the story also shows a scarcity（缺乏）of words．Without “cool”，some people have no words to show the same meaning．So it is quite important to keep some credibility（可信性）．Can you think of many other words that make your life as colorful as the word “cool”？ I can．And I think they are also very cool．
【小题1】We know that the word "cool" has had ________.

For centuries, the body's blood has been linked closely with the emotions．People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer．For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer．He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone's life as nothing．
Cold can affect other parts of the body．The expression "get cold feet" has nothing to do with cold or your feet．The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do．For example, you agree to be president of an organization．But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organizations will be your responsibility．You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation．
The expression "give someone the cold shoulder" probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face．You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you．Or, to someone who has lied about you to others．
A cold fish is not a fish．It is a person．But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth．A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone．Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted．Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy．Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers．
"Out in the cold" means not getting something that everybody else got．A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise——he was left out in the cold．And it is not a pleasant place to be．
【小题1】There are _____ expressions related to cold that are mentioned in the passage．

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Valuing water

Human beings use a little less than half the water available worldwide. Yet shortages and droughts(干旱) are causing starvation and poverty in some areas, and industrial and agricultural by-products are polluting water supplies. Since the world’s population is expected to double in the next 51 years, many experts think we are on the edge of a widespread water crisis.

But that doesn’t have to be the result. Water shortages do not have to trouble the world—if we start valuing water more than we have in the past. Just as we began to value petrol more after the 1970s oil crisis, today we must start looking at water from a fresh economic view. We can no longer afford to consider water a nearly free resource of which we can use as much as we like in any way we want.

Instead, for all uses except the demand of the poor, governments should price water to reflect its real value. This means charging a fee for the water itself as well as for the supply costs.

Governments should also protect this source by providing water in more economically and environmentally sound ways. For example, often the cheapest way to provide irrigation(灌溉) water in the dry places is through small-scale projects, such as gathering rainfall in depressions(凹地) and pumping it to nearby cropland.

No matter what steps governments take to provide water more efficiently, they must change their ways to use water. Rather than control hundreds or even thousands of local, regional agencies that watch water use, countries should set up central authorities to manage water policy.

65. What is the real cause of the potential water crisis?

A. Only half of the world’s water can be used.

B. The world population is increasing faster and faster.

C. Half of the world’s resources have been seriously polluted.

D. Human beings have not placed sufficient value on water resources.

66.We can conclude from the passage that the water problem______.

A. is already serious in certain parts of the world

B. has been exaggerated by some experts in the field

C. poses a challenge to the technology of building reservoirs

D. is underestimated by government organizations at different levels

67.According to the author, the water price should______.

A. be reduced to the minimum

B. stimulate domestic demand

C. equal its real value

D. take into account the occurrences of droughts.

The word “sharp” can be _1_ to describe many different things in your home, classroom, and places of work. In this chapter, the writer _2_sharp pencils, meaning pencils with a very fine _3_.The writer does not like dull pencils.

We can also use “sharp” to describe the blades of knives. Knives also have points. We can use “sharp” to describe a _4_ kind of point,_5_as the sharp points of kitchen and steak knives. Scissors have blades, too, and we can describe these blades as sharp or dull. Furthermore, the points of scissors are _6_ sharp or rounded _7_ on the kind of scissors. Some tools, such as saws, scrapers, and garden tools, also have blades. We can use the words “sharp” and “dull” to describe the blades of these tools, _8_.Sharp knives, scissors, and tools are_9_to use. They cut things easily and quickly, without effort.?

“Sharp” can be used to describe the edges of furniture and _10_some containers. For example, the edge of a table or desk can be _11_.In addition; we can describe the edge of _12_ open can as sharp. The top of a can is sometimes sharp_13_ to cut your hand. A piece of _14_ from a broken jar or bottle is_15_very sharp.

_16_we sometimes use “sharp” to describe people. A person who appears sharp is very well _17_.A person who is sharp, on the other hand, is intelligent, smart, and_18_ learn and understand.

To summaries, “sharp” can be used to describe many kinds of _19_ that have blades, points, and edges. When we used it to describe people, it can mean nice looking, well dressed, or intelligent. It is an expensive word _20_ it can be used in many different ways.?

1. A. written         B. used         C. seen           D. taken

2. A. talks about                       B. takes care of

  C. doesn't like to mention             D. makes up his mind to

3. A. sharp          B. color         C. point          D. edge

4.  A. some         B. any          C. only           D. certain

5. A. so           B. as soon         C. such           D. or

6. A. either        B. neither          C. too            D. very

7. A. working      B. which are       C. is             D. spending

8. A. too          B. even           C. either          D. ever

9. A. difficult      B. easy            C. interesting      D. clean

10. A. for         B. with            C. of             D. at

11. A. seen        B. sharp           C. smooth         D. hard

12. A. an          B. a              C. the             D.\

13. A. so as        B. in order        C. so that          D. enough

14. A. news        B. glass          C. information      D. advice

15. A. again        B. quite          C. rather           D. ordinarily

16. A. However     B. Finally        C. Therefore        D. In this way

17. A. prepared     B. dressed        C. mannered        D. served

18. A. easy to      B .is to           C. to              D. quick to

19 .A. funny things  B. knives         C. objects          D. containers

20. A. because      B. even if        C. though          D. not only