What picture do you have of the future? Will life in the future be better, worse of the same as now? What do you hope about the future?
Futurologists predict that life will probably be very different in 2050 in all the fields of activity, from entertainment to technology. First of all, it seems that TV channels will have disappeared by 2050. Instead, people will choose a programme from a menu and a computer will send the programme 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, programmes, newspapers and books will come to us by computer.
In what concerns the environment, water will have become one of our most serious problems. In many places, agriculture is changing and they are growing fruit and vegetables to export. This uses a lot of water. Demand for water will increase ten times between now and 2050 and there could be serious shortages. Some futurologists predict that water could be the cause of war if we don’t act now.
In transport, cars will run on new, clean fuels and they will go very fast. Cars will have computers to control the speed of the car and there won’t be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell the drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination. On the other hand, space planes will take people half way around the world in two hours. Nowadays, the United States 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 Angels to Tokyo in just two hours.
In the field of technology, robots will have replaced people in factories. Many factories already use robots. Big companies prefer robots — they do not 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.
In particular, medicine technology will have conquered many diseases. Today, there are electronic devices that connect directly to the brain to help people hear. By 2050, we will be able to help blind and deaf people see again and hear again and scientists will be able to produce clones of people and decide how they look, how they behave and how much intelligence they have. Scientists will be able to do these things — but should they?
【小题1】. What may happen in the field of entertainment in the future?

A．The programme made by yourself may be sent to TV.

B．A computer may choose TV programmes for you.

C．You may choose the channels from the menu in a computer.

D．What to broadcast on TV is decided by yourself.

【小题2】. After reading Paragraph 3, we can know _______.

A．we should take measures to save water from now on

B．fruits will be more and more expensive

C．people will be short of supplies of vegetables

D．planting will need much less water in the future

【小题3】. ________ is the main factor that makes driving much safe in the future

A．Good traffic condition	B．A good knowledge of driving skill
C．The role played by computer	D．The use of new fuel in cars

【小题4】. The following statements are wrong EXCEPT ________ according to the text.

A．The future world will be controlled by robots.

B．People won’t be blind or deaf in the future.

C．Fewer and fewer workers are needed in the future in factories.

D．Scientists have the right to clone people of different kinds.

Supermarkets are trying out new computers that make shopping carts more intelligent. They will help shoppers find cups or toilet soap and keep a recorder of the bill.

The touch-screen devices are on show at the Food Marketing Institute’s exhibition here this week, “These devices are able to create value and get you around the store quicker,” said Michael Alexander, manager of Springboard Retail Networks, which makes a smart cart computer called the Concierge.

Canadian stores will test the Concierge in July. A similar device, IBM’s “Shopping Buddy”, has recently been tested at Stop & Shop stores in Massachusetts.

Neither device tells you how many fat grams or calories are in your cart, but they will flash you with items on sale. The idea is to make it easier for people to buy, not to have second thoughts that maybe you should put something back on the shelf.

People can use a home computer to make their shopping lists. Once at the store, a shopper can use a preferred customer card to start a system that will organize the trip around the store. If you’re looking for toothpicks, you type in the word or pick it from a list, and a map will appear on the screen showing where you are and where you can find them.

The devices also keep a record of what you buy. When you finished, the devices figure out your bill. Then you go to the checker or place your card into a self-checkout stand and pay.

The new computerized shopping assistants don’t come cheap. The buddy devices will cost the average store about $160,000, and the Concierge will cost stores about $500 for each device.

1．The underlined word “they” (in paragraph 1) refers to ___  ___.

A．supermarkets            B．shop assistants  C．shopping carts      D．shopping managers

2．Which of the following is the correct order of customers shopping with computerized shopping carts?

a．start the system.                                    b．make a shopping list.

c．find the things they want.                         d．go to a self-checkout stand.

e．the screen tells their location

A．a,b,e,d,c                  B．b,a,e,c,d           C．b,a,e,d,c           D．a,e,b,c,d

3．What might be the most suitable title of the passage?

       A．New Age for Supermarkets

       B．Concierge and Shopping Buddy

       C．Computers Make Shopping Carts Smarter

       D．Touch-Screen Devices Make Shopping Enjoyable

4．All of the following about the devices are right except that             .

       A．they can tell you how much you will pay for your bill before you check

       B．they can tell you where you can find the things you want

       C．they will cost a large sum of money

       D．they are widely used in American and Canadian stores

Teach Your Child to Wonder

　Children start out as natural scientists，instinctively(本能地)eager to investigate the world around them．Helping them enjoy science call be easy, there’s no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment．You only have：to share your children’s curiosity．Firstly, listen to their questions．I once visited a classroom of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a career．The children asked me "textbook questions" about schooling，salary and whether I like my job．When I finished answering，we sat facing one another in silence．Finally I said， “Now that we’ve finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”

　 After a long pause．a boy raised his hand，“Have your ever seen a grasshopper(蚱蜢)eat? When I try eating leaves like that，I get stomachache．Why?”

　 This began a series of questions that lasted nearly two hours．

　 Secondly, give them time to think．Studies over the past three decades have shown that，after asking a question，adults typically wait only one second or less for a response, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more，children respond with more logical，complete and creative answers．

　 Thirdly, watch your language．Once you have a child engaged in a science discussion，don’t，jump in with “That’s right” or “Very good”．These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior．But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead，keep things going by saying， “That's interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before,” or coming up with more questions or ideas.

　 Never urge a child to “Think”．It doesn’t make sense，children are always thinking, without your telling them to．What’s more，this can turn a conversation into a performance．The child will try to find the answer you want，in as few words as possible，so he will be a smaller target for your disapproval．

　 Lastly, show, don’t tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can gain from a book or a television program．Let children look at their fingertips (指尖)through a magnifying glass，and they’ll understand why your want them to wash before dinner．Rather than saying that water evaporates(蒸发掉)，set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop．

41．According to the passage，children are natural scientists，to simulate(激发)their interest, the important things for adults to do is 　　　　　 .

A．to let them see the world around

B．to share their children’ curiosity

C．to explain difficult phrases about science

D．to supply their children with lab devices

42．In the last sentence of the first paragraph，the word lists could best be replaced by

A．any questions　 　　　B．exercise items

C．questions from textbooks D．any number of questions

43．According to the passage，the children call answer questions in more logical，complete and creative way if adults 　　　

A．1et them respond quickly

B．wait for one or two seconds after a question

C．tell them what to think

D．are patient enough when their children answer questions

44．In which of the following paragraph(s) does the author tell us what to say to encourage children in a science discussion?

A．Second and third．　 B．Fourth and fifth．

C．Fifth and sixth．　　 D．Seventh．

45．The author mentions all of the following techniques for adults to share with their children’s curiosity except that adults should 　　　　

A．tell their children stories instead of reciting facts

B．offer their children the chance to see things for themselves

C．Wait at least for three seconds after a question

D．encourage their children to ask questions of their own