Part One: Cloze test.
Complete the blanks with the words or phrases in our textbook.
The City of the Future
What will the city of the future look like? No one knows     1    , and making predictions is a risky business. But one thing is certain --- they are going to get bigger before they get smaller. In the future, care for the environment will become very important     2     earth’s natural resources   3   . We will use lots of recycled materials, such as plastic, aluminium, steel, glass, wood and paper, and we will waste fewer natural resources. We will also have to   4   more
  5   alternative energy, such as solar and wind power. All this seems certain, but there are plenty of things about city life in the future which are not certain.
To find out what young people think about the future of urban life, a teacher at a university in Texas in the United States asked his students to think how they would run a city of 50,000 people in the year 2025. Here are some of the ideas they had:
Garbage ships  To   6   garbage problems, the city will   7   huge spaceships with waste materials and send them towards the sun, preventing landfill and environmental problems.
Batman Nets  Police will arrest criminals by firing nets instead of guns.
Forget smoking  No smoking will be allowed within a future city’s limits. Smoking will be possible only outside cities, and outdoors.
Forget the malls  In the future all shopping will be done online, and catalogues will have voice commands to place orders.
Telephones for life  Everyone will be given a telephone number at birth    8   will never change   9   where they live.
Recreation  All forms of recreation, such as cinemas, bowling, softball, concerts and others will be provided   10  by the city.
Cars  All cars will   11  by electricity, solar energy or wind, and it will be possible to change the colour of cars at the flick of a switch.
Telesurgery  Distance surgery will become common as doctors carry out operations from thousands of miles away, with each city having its own telesurgery outpatient clinic.
Holidays at home  Senior citizens and people with disabilities will be able to go anywhere in the world using high-tech cameras    12   their head.
Space travel  Travelling in space by ordinary citizens will be common. Each city will have its own spaceport.

Free energy is everywhere around us. There are many ways to make and collect energy from various sources like sun, wind and water. People also realize that everyday stuff can be a source of energy too. For example, riding a bike, running or just walking, etc. We simply have to change our way of thinking if we want to change the world.
So comes the idea of solar roadways. Are they the road of future? Why use roads just for driving and collecting tolls (过路费)? Why don’t we use them for collecting energy?
The US Department of Transportation recently awarded $100,000 to Solar Roadways to build the first ever Solar Road Panel. So how do these future roads work?
The Solar Road Panels will contain embedded (嵌入的) LEDs which “paint” the road lines from beneath to provide safer nighttime driving as well as to give drivers instant instructions such as detour (绕行) ahead. The road will be able to sense wildlife on the road and can warn drivers to “slow down”. There will also be embedded heating elements in the surface to prevent snow and ice buildup, providing safer winter driving.
Replacing asphalt (沥青) roads and parking lots with Solar Roadway Panels will be a major step toward stopping climate change. Fully electric vehicles will be able to recharge along the roadway and in parking lots, finally making electric cars practical for long trips.
We just can’t wait to see more of these roads all over the world in the near future.
【小题1】The first paragraph serves as a(n)______.

Free energy is everywhere around us. There are many ways to make and collect energy from various sources like sun, wind and water. People also realize that everyday stuff can be a source of energy too. For example, riding a bike, running or just walking, etc. We simply have to change our way of thinking if we want to change the world.
So comes the idea of solar roadways. Are they the road of future? Why use roads just for driving and collecting tolls (过路费)? Why don’t we use them for collecting energy?
The US Department of Transportation recently awarded $100,000 to Solar Roadways to build the first ever Solar Road Panel. So how do these future roads work?
The Solar Road Panels will contain embedded (嵌入的) LEDs which “paint” the road lines from beneath to provide safer nighttime driving as well as to give drivers instant instructions such as detour (绕行) ahead. The road will be able to sense wildlife on the road and can warn drivers to “slow down”. There will also be embedded heating elements in the surface to prevent snow and ice buildup, providing safer winter driving.
Replacing asphalt (沥青) roads and parking lots with Solar Roadway Panels will be a major step toward stopping climate change. Fully electric vehicles will be able to recharge along the roadway and in parking lots, finally making electric cars practical for long trips.
We just can’t wait to see more of these roads all over the world in the near future

1. 1.

   The first paragraph serves as a(n)______

   1. A.
      argument
   2. B.
      comment
   3. C.
      explanation
   4. D.
      background
2. 2.

   Which of the following is NOT true of LEDs?

   1. A.
      They color the road lines
   2. B.
      They are embedded in the Solar Road Panels
   3. C.
      They are beneficial for nighttime driving
   4. D.
      They can provide instant instructions
3. 3.

   When some animals are on the solar road, what will the road do?

   1. A.
      Guide them to a safer place
   2. B.
      Remind drivers to drive slowly
   3. C.
      Frighten them away from the road
   4. D.
      Advise drivers to choose another way
4. 4.

   From the text, we can know that the Solar Road Panels can______

   1. A.
      provide heat for drivers in winter
   2. B.
      guide drivers who get lost on the highway
   3. C.
      melt snow and ice soon in winter
   4. D.
      help drivers see the road clearly in the sun

Energy is very important in modern life. People use energy to run machines, heat and cool their homes, cook, give light, and transport people and products from place to place. Most energy comes from fossil fuels—petroleum, coal, and natural gas. However, burning fuels causes pollution. Also, if we don’t find new kinds of energy, we will use up all the fossil fuels in the twenty-first century. Scientists are working hard to find other kinds of energy for the future. What might these sources of energy be?
Energy from the wind
All over the world, people use the power of the wind. It turns windmills and moves sailboats. It is a clean source of energy, and there is lots of it. Unfortunately, if the wind does not blow, there is no wind energy.
Energy from water
When water moves from a high place to a lower place, it makes energy. This energy is used to create electricity. In Brittany, France, for example, waterpower produces enough energy to light a town of 40,000people. Waterpower gives energy without pollution. However, people have to build dams to use this energy. Dams cost a lot of money, so water energy is expensive.
Energy from the earth
There is heat in rocks under the earth. Scientists use this heat to make geothermal energy. San Francisco gets half of the energy it needs from geothermal power. This kind of energy is cheap, but it is possible only in a few places in the world.
Energy from the sun
Solar panels on the roofs of houses can turn energy from the sun into electricity. These panels can create enough energy to heat an entire house. Solar power is clean and there is a lot of it in sunny places. But when the weather is bad, there is no sunlight for energy.
【小题1】What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．In order to protect our environment, we should try other kinds of energy.

B．All scientists in the world will unite to find energy.

C．People in modern life use energy every day.

D．Energy changes people’s lives.

Energy is very important in modern life. People use energy to run machines, heat and cool their homes, cook, give light, and transport people and products from place to place. Most energy comes from fossil fuels—petroleum, coal, and natural gas. However, burning fuels causes pollution. Also, if we don’t find new kinds of energy, we will use up all the fossil fuels in the twenty-first century. Scientists are working hard to find other kinds of energy for the future. What might these sources of energy be?
Energy from the wind
All over the world, people use the power of the wind. It turns windmills and moves sailboats. It is a clean source of energy, and there is lots of it. Unfortunately, if the wind does not blow, there is no wind energy.
Energy from water
When water moves from a high place to a lower place, it makes energy. This energy is used to create electricity. In Brittany, France, for example, waterpower produces enough energy to light a town of 40,000people. Waterpower gives energy without pollution. However, people have to build dams to use this energy. Dams cost a lot of money, so water energy is expensive.
Energy from the earth
There is heat in rocks under the earth. Scientists use this heat to make geothermal energy. San Francisco gets half of the energy it needs from geothermal power. This kind of energy is cheap, but it is possible only in a few places in the world.
Energy from the sun
Solar panels on the roofs of houses can turn energy from the sun into electricity. These panels can create enough energy to heat an entire house. Solar power is clean and there is a lot of it in sunny places. But when the weather is bad, there is no sunlight for energy.
【小题1】What does this passage mainly talk about?