During the twentieth century, cars, electric lights, space travel and amazing advances in medicine changed people’s lives. So what might this new century bring? There are hundreds of predictions flying around — let’s have a light-hearted look at some of them.
In a recent UK survey, teenagers were asked to make predictions about the year 2020. One of the most common predictions was that school uniforms won’t be around. They also predicted that both girls and boys will wear make-up more often, and more than 75% of men will wear skirts regularly. My dad is 65 next Saturday — I think I’ll buy him a skirt as a birthday present and tell him he’ll soon be in fashion!
Other predictions involve changing roles of men and women. By 2017, some people say that single men of working age will form more than 10% of all families. It is also predicted that washing powder advertisements will include more men because more of them will do housework. I’ll tell that to my husband when he gets home and see how keen he is to wash the dishes!
Many predictions are about crime and safety problems. Some people think that crime will improve and the world will become a more peaceful place. Others believe that crime is going to worsen and that people will stay at home becoming completely dependent on the Internet for shopping and work. It is also predicted that you will need an electronic card to get into parks as parents demand safe play areas for their children. This is old news for me --- our local government is going to introduce one this summer.
Technology is predicted to play an even more important role in our lives in the future. Some parents might have cameras at home so they can keep an eye on their children while they are out. Quick, kids, turn off the TV and do your homework!
Here’s another prediction. Researchers have concluded that cultural activity may add years to your life. The cinema, theatre and concerts may give us a longer life because they encourage strong feelings. Well, we’re watching Bridget Jones’ Diary this Friday night. Will that help us live longer?
Let’s finish up with my favourite prediction. In the future, elderly people are going to make up a larger proportion of the world’s population than ever before. In Britain, an estimated 100,000 people now in their thirties may live to be 100. And that includes me! I’ll have a big, big party, I promise!
【小题1】 The writer’s father ________ .

During the twentieth century, cars, electric lights, space travel and amazing advances in medicine changed people’s lives. So what might this new century bring? There are hundreds of predictions flying around — let’s have a light-hearted look at some of them.

In a recent UK survey, teenagers were asked to make predictions about the year 2020. One of the most common predictions was that school uniforms won’t be around. They also predicted that both girls and boys will wear make-up more often, and more than 75% of men will wear skirts regularly. My dad is 65 next Saturday — I think I’ll buy him a skirt as a birthday present and tell him he’ll soon be in fashion!

Other predictions involve changing roles of men and women. By 2017, some people say that single men of working age will form more than 10% of all families. It is also predicted that washing powder advertisements will include more men because more of them will do housework. I’ll tell that to my husband when he gets home and see how keen he is to wash the dishes!

Many predictions are about crime and safety problems. Some people think that crime will improve and the world will become a more peaceful place. Others believe that crime is going to worsen and that people will stay at home becoming completely dependent on the Internet for shopping and work. It is also predicted that you will need an electronic card to get into parks as parents demand safe play areas for their children. This is old news for me --- our local government is going to introduce one this summer.

Technology is predicted to play an even more important role in our lives in the future. Some parents might have cameras at home so they can keep an eye on their children while they are out. Quick, kids, turn off the TV and do your homework!

Here’s another prediction. Researchers have concluded that cultural activity may add years to your life. The cinema, theatre and concerts may give us a longer life because they encourage strong feelings. Well, we’re watching Bridget Jones’ Diary this Friday night. Will that help us live longer?

Let’s finish up with my favourite prediction. In the future, elderly people are going to make up a larger proportion of the world’s population than ever before. In Britain, an estimated 100,000 people now in their thirties may live to be 100. And that includes me! I’ll have a big, big party, I promise!

1. The writer’s father ________ .

   A. has just turned sixty-five

   B. wears skirts

   C. is very fashionable

   D. is about to turn sixty-five

2.Why might more men do housework in the future?

   A. Washing powder advertisements suggest it.

   B. Men won’t want to work in offices any more.

   C. Traditional roles of men and women will change.

   D. Women will refuse to wash the dishes.

3.According to the passage, people might ________ , if crime worsens.

   A. need electronic cards to get into their homes

   B. stay at home and depend on the Internet

   C. help to make the world a more peaceful place

   D. work harder and make more money

4.Which of the following is NOT true？

   A. It’s likely that the writer is to live to be 100.

   B. The writer promises that she is going to hold a big, big party soon.

   C. Without an electronic card, you can’t get into a park freely in the future.

   D. The writer holds a positive attitude towards the changes in the new century.

5.From the passage, we may infer that the writer is probably ____ .

   A. a professional news reporter.

   B. a young and attractive sales girl.

   C. a middle-aged British housewife.

   D. a responsible government official.

During the day, Mercer, is a hard-working dog , helping his owner and making sure she stays safe. But at night, the big, black dog slips out of the house, tries his paws at ice-skating, and even makes hot chocolate for himself .

Or at least that's what he does in Marvelous Mercer, a new book written by the dog's 12-year-old owner, Shea Megale. Shea has spinal muscular atrophy, a condition that makes her muscles very weak. She uses a motorized wheelchair. Mercer is an assistance dog that is specially trained to do many of the things Shea can't.

Shea is writing a series of six books about Mercer Marvelous mercer arrived in stores this fall, and the second book is due out early next year.

Cool Tricks

During his training, Mercer learned to carry out 60 different commands, Shea now uses them to tell Mercer what she needs as she goes about her day. “Under ”tells down. “Car” tells him to get into a vehicle.

Shea’s favorite command is “lap”, which tells Mercer to put his front paws across her lap. “I love that ”, Shea says .

At school, Mercer carries Shea’s backpack and helps her order her lunch in the dining room. During class, he stays under her desk in case she drops her pencil. At night, he pulls the covers up for her and turns out her bedroom light.

Leading a Paw

Shea and Mercer aren’t the only ones benefiting from their special relationship. “Thanks to the book series . We’re helping a lot more people now ,” Shea says.

Some of the books profits are going to help pay for research into the disease Shea is suffering from. Money from the books also will be used to train assistance dogs for U.S. soldiers who were injured in Iraq.

Despite all of the attention –and his star status success hasn’t gone to Mercer’s head. In fact , when WR News interviewed Shea, Mercer slept through the whole thing-most likely dreaming about his next adventure !

67．We know from the passage that Mercer is     .

A．Shea’s pet dog               B．an assistance dog helping Shea

C．a 12-year-old dog          D．a character Shea makes up in her book

68．According to the passage , Shea’s “Cool Tricks ”include the following EXCEPT    .

A．commanding Mercer to lie down           B．commanding Mercer to get into a car

C．telling Mercer to open her backpack            

D．telling Mercer to put his front paws across her lap

69．The underlined expression “Lending a Paw ”is closest in meaning to “       ”

A．giving a helping hand                          B．acting as a guide

C．benefiting from friendship                   D．exploring adventures

70．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage ?

A．Shea has written 6 books about Mercer

B．Mercer is glad to be the focus of attention    

C．Mercer isn’t allowed in Shea’s classroom

D．Though disabled , Shea helps lots of people

During the next several weeks I went completely to the wolves. I took a tiny tent and set it up on the shore of bay. The big telescope was set up in the mouth of the tent in such a way that I could observe the wolves by day or night.
Quite by accident I had pitched (set up) my tent within ten yards of one of the major paths used by the wolves. Shortly after I had taken up residence one of the wolves came back and discovered me and my tent, but he did not stop or hesitate in his pace. Later, one or more wolves used the track past my tent and never did they show the slightest interest in me. I felt uncomfortable at being so totally ignored. The next day I noticed a male wolf make boundary markers by passing water on the rounds of his family lands.
Once I had become aware of the strong feeling of property rights which existed among the wolves, I decided to use this knowledge to make them at least recognize my existence. One evening, after they had gone off for their regular nightly hunt I staked out a property of my own, including a long section of the wolves’ path. In order to ensure that my claim would not be overlooked, I made a property mark on stones, dumps of moss, and patches of vegetation with a lot of tea. Before the hunters came back, task was done, and I retired, somewhat exhausted, to observe results. A few minutes later, the leading male appeared. As usual he did not bother to glance at the tent, but when he reached the point where my property line intersected (cut across) the trail, he stopped as suddenly as if he had run into an invisible wall.
Cautiously, he extended his nose and sniffed at one of my marked bushes. After a minute of hesitation he backed away a few yards and sat down. Then, he looked directly at the tent and at me.
His glare seemed to become more fierce as I attempted to stare him down. The situation was becoming intolerable. To break the impasse I turned my back on the wolf. Then quickly and with an air of decision, he turned his attention away from me and began a systematic tour of the area I had staked out as my own. As he came to each boundary marker he sniffed it once or twice, then carefully placed his mark on the outside of mine

1. 1.

   Why did the wolves manage to ignore the author’s presence?

   1. A.
      Because his tent was out of the wolves’ estate boundaries
   2. B.
      Because the author and the wolves were already good friends
   3. C.
      Because they did not know him at all
   4. D.
      Because the wolves were afraid of strangers
2. 2.

   Which is TRUE according to the passage ?

   1. A.
      The author likes staring matches esp. with wolves
   2. B.
      Staking the land was very easy
   3. C.
      Wolves can see the estate boundaries clearly with their eyes
   4. D.
      The author managed to know why the wolves ignore his presence
3. 3.

   What was the author’s discovery?

   1. A.
      Wolves were not settled beasts, as is almost universally believed
   2. B.
      Wolves were settled beasts and the possessors of an estate with definite boundaries
   3. C.
      Wolves were not interested with strangers
   4. D.
      Wolves’ family was dominated by a female
4. 4.

   Why did the author stake out an area of his own?

   1. A.
      Because he thought it better to be stared at than to be ignored
   2. B.
      Because he didn’t want the wolves to use the track past his tent
   3. C.
      Because he wanted the wolves to take cognizance of his existence
   4. D.
      Because he wanted to find out how fierce the wolf’s glare was

The way people hold to the belief that a fun - filled, pain free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain.

As a result, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment （预担的义务）, self - improvement.

Ask a bachelor（单身汉） why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.  

Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three - day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children. But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.

Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.

According to the author, a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because ________ .

A. he is reluctant to take on family responsibilities

B. he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single

C. he finds more fun in dating than in marriage

D. he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement

Raising children, in the author’s opinion is ________ .

A. a moral duty               B. a thankless job

C. a rewarding task            D. a source of inevitable pain

From the last paragraph, we learn that envy sometimes stems from ________ .

A. hatred　　B. misunderstanding　 C. prejudice　　　　　D. ignorance

To understand what true happiness is one must ________ .

A. have as much fun as possible during one’s lifetime

B. make every effort to liberate oneself from pain

C. put up with pain under all circumstances

D. be able to distinguish happiness from fun

What is the author trying to tell us?

A. Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain．

B. One must know how to attain happiness.

C. It is important to make commitments.

D. It is pain that leads to happiness.