Question

What's going to happen in the future? Will robots take over our planet? Will computers become smarter than us? Not likely. But here are some things that scientists say are most likely to happen 10 to 30 years later from now, according to the BBC.

1．Digital money

We used to pay with cash for everything we bought. Now when we swipe(刷) our bus pass or use a credit card to shop online, money is spent without us even seeing it. In fact, we are already using one type of digital money.

You have to admit that using a card is much easier than searching your pockets for change. It is also safer than carrying a lot of cash.

When ATM cards were first introduced, they were not accepted everywhere. But now it's hard to live without them. People in Sweden completely stopped using cash last year, according to the Associated Press, and the US might be next.

2．Bionic(能力超人的)eye

It's no longer something only in a sci?fi movie. People who are blind may have a chance to get their sight back—by wearing bionic eyes.

A blind eye can no longer sense light, but a bionic eye can use a camera to “see” the environment and send data directly to the brain.

Although the bionic eye that's out now only allows patients to see lights and unclear shapes, a high?resolution(高清晰度的) version could be just a few years away.

3．Self?driving cars

Everything is going automatic these days—washing machines, ticket selling machines and even cars. Unlike a human driver, a self?driving car won't get distracted by a phone call, the radio or something outside the window. Sensors and cameras on the car would allow it to stick strictly to the rules of the road and keep a safe distance from other cars. This would greatly reduce the number of road accidents. You could even take a nap while the car drives itself.

Many vehicle companies are now planning self?driving cars. “By 2040, driverless vehicles will be widely accepted and possibly be the dominant vehicles on the road，” said Jeffrey Miller, professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage, US, in Wired magazine.

1.The underlined word “distracted” in the article is closest in meaning to “________”．

A．directed B．discouraged

C．attacked D．disturbed

2.Jeffrey Miller's attitude towards self?driving cars is ________.

A．optimistic B．pessimistic

C．doubtful D．cautious

3.Which section is the article most likely to be found in the newspaper?

A．Learning Kit B．Campus Trends

C．Entertainment D．Technology

 

Answer 1

1.D

2.A

3.D

【解析】本文是一篇说明文，文章就10到30年之后科学家预测可能会出现的高科技产品进行了介绍。

1.答案：D　词义猜测题。根据画线词所在句可知，自动驾驶汽车不会像人一样受到电话、无线电广播和窗外事物的干扰，因此可以得出distracted在这里是“注意力分散的，思想不集中的”的意思，故选D项。

2.2】答案：A　推理判断题。根据文章最后一段Jeffrey Miller的话可以得出他对self?driving cars的前景非常看好，故选A项。

3.3】答案：D　推理判断题。本篇文章介绍了未来可能会出现的三项高科技产品，属于科技方面的文章，故选D项。

疑难词汇解读

1．automatic adj.自动的，无意识的

Maybe there will even be automatic kitchens to cook instant meals for us.甚至还会有自动厨房来给我们烹煮快餐。

2．dominant adj.最主要的，最突出的

the dominant flavour in a dish.

一份菜肴的主要香味