2. A。主旨题。文章最后一句Technology responds to our needs in helping us maintain our standard of living 就是主题句。

1. B。主旨题。文章的主要笔墨是用在科学技术的作用上，所以答案应选B。

3. According to the passage, people can live a long life with the help of _______.

A. higher quality of life 　　　　　　　　　　 B. medical technology C. modern farming machinery　　　　　　 D. technological substitute

[答案与解析]“科学技术是生产力”是这篇文章的主题。

2. Which is the main idea of the passage?

A. Modern technology is the key to the improvement of standard of living.

B. The three major factors of production (land, labor and capital) are all influenced by technology.

C. Technology is the response to our needs.

D. The United States is making great efforts to advance its technology.

1. What is the best title for the passage?

A. The definition of technology　　　　　 B. Modern technology C. The application of technology　　　　　 D. The development of technology

4. A。判断题。根据最后一句话The air is more moist(潮湿) in the tropics(热带) than in the cold polar regions 可知答案。

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Technology is the application(应用) of knowledge to production. Thanks to modern technology, we have been able to increase greatly the efficiency of our work force. New machines and new methods have helped cut down time and expense while increasing overall output. This has meant more production and a higher standard of living. For most of us in America, modern technology is thought of as the reason why we can have cars and television sets. However, technology has also increased the amount of food available to us, by means of modern farming machinery and animal breeding techniques, and has extended our life span via(通过) medical technology.

Will mankind continue to live longer and have a higher quality of life? In large measure the answer depends on technology and our ability to use it widely. If we keep making progress as we have over the past fifty years, the answer is definitely yes. The advancement of technology depends upon research and development, and the latest statistics(统计) show that the United States is continuing to pump billions of dollars annually(每年) into such efforts. So while we are running out of some scarce resources(少的资源) we may well find technological substitutes(代用品)for many of them through our research programs.

Therefore, in the final analysis the three major factors of production(land, labor and capital) are all influenced by technology. When we need new skills, on techniques in medicine, people will start developing new technology to meet those needs. As equipment proves to be slow or inefficient, new machines will be invented. Technology responds to our needs in helping us maintain our standard of living.

3. D。语义理解题。从第2段第9句话On a very damp or humid day, however, you can sometimes see water vapour rising from a puddle(水坑) or pond in a mist(薄雾) above the water. 可以找到为什么。

2. B。判断题。读完第2段，不难发现水返回空中的方式有3种：第1种是太阳蒸发地面上的水使之变成水蒸气返回空中；第2种是树和植物释放出的水蒸气；第3种是人和动物呼出的水蒸气。

1. A。主旨题。文章第1段，特别是最后一句Meteorologists call this the water cycle. 已点明主题。

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Water cycle.　　　　　　 　　　 B. Water vapour.

C. How rain forms. 　　　 　 　 D. Water, vapour, rain. 2. How many ways of the water returning to the air are discussed in the text?

A. Two. 　　　　　　　 　 B. Three.　 C. Four.　 　 D. Five. 3. Whether water vapour can be seen or not depends on _______. A. how much water is evaporated　 B. how good your eyes are

C. in which way water is evaporated　　 　　　 D. climate or weather 4. From the passage we get to know _______. A. there is more water vapour in the air in the tropics than in cold polar regions B. there is more water vapour in the air in cold polar region than in the tropics C. it gets more rain in the tropics than in cold polar regions because there is less vapour D. the amount of water vapour in the air depends on how often it rains

[答案与解析]本文阐述了水循环的全过程。