Bill Gates’ body might live in the present, but his brain lives in the future. He has made a career out of predicting what will happen in matters of computing, public health and the environment. He correctly predicted the rise of smartphones and social media, and his latest predictions could come true, too. Here’s what Gates predicts for the future of our world.
In his Annual Letter 2015, Gates made the prediction that Africa’s agriculture industry would increase productivity by 50% by 2030. Now the continent buys about $50 billion worth of food from other countries each year, although 70% of people in Africa are farmers. “In the next 15 years，however，creations in farming will solve the food problem in Africa,” Gates wrote. “The world has already developed crops that are more productive; with all the technologies, African farmers could possibly double their harvests.”
By 2035, there could be almost no poor countries. In his Annual Letter 2014, Gates bravely predicted that continued levels of foreign help could mean there would be almost no more poor countries by 2035. “Almost all countries will be what we now call lower-middle income or richer,” Gates explained. “Countries will learn from their most productive neighbors and benefit from things like better seeds and the digital revolution. ”
By 2030, the world will discover a clean-energy breakthrough to power our world. One of Gate’s more hopeful predictions which came in 2016 said that wind, solar, or some other renewable resources would power most of the world within 15 years. “The difficulty we face is big, perhaps bigger than many people imagine,” he wrote in his letter. “But so is the chance to make things better.” Many of the poor countries he visited had no running water or electricity. At night this meant they couldn’t light or power their homes, and keep businesses open.” If the world can find a type of cheap, clean energy, it will do more than prevent climate change,” he wrote. “It will change the lives of millions of the poorest families.”
1.What does the author think of Gates’ predictions?
A.They sound quite unreal. B.They are mainly about computers.
C.They will probably come true. D.They haven’t produced any end result.
2.How is the agriculture in Africa?
A.It is losing its workforce. B.It is in need of productivity.
C.It can satisfy the local needs. D.It is as backward as Africa’s industry.
3.What should poor countries do according to Gates?
A.Use expensive seeds. B.Expect less foreign help.
C.Rely on the digital revolution. D.Learn from the experience of other countries.
4.What’s Gates’ attitude to clean-energy development?
A.It’s no easy task. B.It’s hard to imagine.
C.It can put climate change to an end. D.It has little to do with poor families.
The other day on a cold night, I left my wife and drove from Harrisburg to Lewisburg, a distance of about 100 miles. It was rather late. Several times I got stuck behind a slow-moving truck on a narrow road with a solid white line on my left, and I became increasingly impatient.
At one point along an open road, I came to a crossing with a traffic light. I was alone on the road by now, but as I drove near the light, it turned red and I made a stop. I looked left, right and behind me. Nothing. Not a car, no suggestion of car lamps, but there I sat, waiting for the light to change, the only human being for at least a mile in any direction.
I started wondering why I refused to run the light. I was not afraid of being caught, because there was clearly no policeman around, and there certainly would have been no danger in going through it.
Much later that night, the question of why I’d stopped for that light came back to me. I think I stopped because it’s part of a contract we all have with each other. It’s not only the law, but it’s an agreement we have, and we trust each other to honor it: we don’t go through red lights.
Trust is our first inclination. Doubting others does not seem to be natural to us. The whole construction of our society depends on mutual trust, not distrust. We do what we say we’ll do; we show up when we say we’ll show up; and we pay when we say we’ll pay. We trust each other in these matters, and we’re angry or disappointed with the person or organization that breaks the trust we have in them.
I am so proud of myself for stopping for the red light that night.
1.How does the author feel about the truck driver?
A.Pleased. B.Satisfied. C.Sorry. D.Annoyed.
2.What can we infer about the author?
A.He hates driving at night. B.He desired to cross the red light that night.
C.He approves of obeying traffic rules by himself. D.He is easy when suffering the traffic jam.
3.What is the meaning of the underlined word “inclination” in paragraph 5?
A.Tendency. B.Faith.
C.Adjustment. D.Guidance.
4.What’s the message the author tries to convey?
A.Politeness matters. B.Hold belief in human nature.
C.People should be patient and helpful. D.There’s a need to improve traffic rules.
NASA Student Competitions
NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge
Teams of high school and college students are challenged to design and build a human-powered vehicle to travel across the simulated(模拟的) surface of another world. The course includes 14 roadblocks and 5 tasks, and teams must successfully follow NASA instructions. Each U.S. school may enter up to two teams. For international entries, no more than four teams from each country will be accepted.
International Team Registration Deadline: July 12
U.S. Team Registration Deadline: August 16
NASA Lunabotics Competition
Lunabotics challenges teams to design, build and run their autonomously operated robot, travel through simulated off-world areas and dig the simulated lunar soil. This challenge includes presentations and demonstrations, and a systems engineering paper explaining the methodology the team uses to design and build their robot.
Registration Deadline: July 18
NASA SUITS Design Challenge
NASA Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students (SUITS) gives students an authentic engineering design experience supporting NASA’s Artemis mission—landing American astronauts safely on the Moon by 2024! This activity challenges students to design and create spacesuit information displays within AR environments.
Proposal Deadline: July 25
2020 BIG Idea Challenge
NASA’s 2020 Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-changing (BIG) Idea Challenge is open to teams of 5 to 20 students. Teams are challenged to submit proposals for sample lunar payloads(有效载荷) that demonstrate technology systems needed for exploration and science in the permanently shadowed regions in and near the Moon’s polar regions. Selected teams will receive awards from $50,000 to $180,000 to bring their ideas to life!
Entry Deadline: August 16
1.John, a student who is good at designing vehicles, can enter______________.
A.2020 BIG Idea Challenge B.NASA Lunabotics Competition
C.NASA SUITS Design Challenge D.NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge
2.What does NASA Lunabotics Competition require of participants?
A.They need to finish building their robot on July 18.
B.They have to complete a course of 5 tasks.
C.They need to create their own simulated environments.
D.They should write a paper showing how they build their robot.
3.Which of the following statements about the last two competitions is true?
A.They both require submitting proposals before August.
B.They both ask participants to bring their ideas to life.
C.They are both preparations for Moon exploration.
D.Both of them will present winners with big awards.
假定你是李华。由于周末与家人郊游，错过查收交换生Linda发给你的电子邮件，而失去了参加她的生日派对的机会。请你给她写一封致歉信。
内容包括：1.写信的目的；
2.解释错过邀约的原因；
3.提出弥补的办法。
注意：词数100左右；可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Linda,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（︿）, 并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2. 只允许修改10处, 多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Last week, I have an accident in the parking lot beside my house. I was just going around the corner when a man crashed into him with his shopping basket. It was impossible see each other after the accident because the corner was very darkness and the lights didn’t even work. So I fell, got knocked out and was serious hurt. Although the parking lot paid for the accident, but I still want to give some advices to the parking lot. Always get the lights checking at least once a week and make sure the floor is dry all the time, that would help make the parking lot a safer place.
Thick fog was covering the grassland, where Sarah had to walk to go to school alone. “I can’t see anything in this fog.” Sarah _______.
Suddenly, a huge gray shape appeared. She stopped, staring wide-eyed at the _______. “Please be the only one, please, ...” Sarah whispered. _______ it wasn’t. Sarah felt _______ as more cows came into view.
Sarah moved to Grandpa’s home in the _______ when her parents divorced. She _______ the previous home in a big city, where she walked to school with her friend beside her. The most dangerous animal she had to _______ was Mrs. Carson’s little dog. She had been here two months and hadn’t made any new _______. Girls here played double-dutch jump rope(双绳跳). Sarah knew how to jump only one rope at a time.
Sarah saw a wall of cows that was _______ her from getting to the road. “I’ll be ________”, she said with a ________ look, and then searched for a path she could pass. “Excuse me,” she said, as if cows appreciated her ________ manners. Not one cow moved.
Tired of being ________ by cows, she pulled a long branch from a tree. She waved the long branch in front of her.“Hoo…ha,” she ________ and shaking the branch. The cows ________ chewing, and then the nearest cow looked directly at Sarah. Feeling ________, Sarah tried to stop her legs from shaking and stared at the cow. After a long moment, the cow turned away and rushed into others. A narrow ________ appeared in front of Sarah. Sarah made her way to the road.
________ Sarah reached school in time. She ________ it. Sarah thought maybe she should ________double-dutch jump rope and make more friends.
1.A.explained B.complained C.argued D.agreed
2.A.dog B.man C.girl D.cow
3.A.And B.Or C.But D.So
4.A.excited B.disappointed C.confident D.bored
5.A.city B.countryside C.town D.downtown
6.A.discovered B.repaired C.preferred D.visited
7.A.see B.keep C.train D.face
8.A.friends B.plans C.choices D.decisions
9.A.protecting B.preventing C.saving D.separating
10.A.late B.poor C.busy D.angry
11.A.surprised B.worried C.lovely D.red
12.A.good B.perfect C.formal D.traditional
13.A.refused B.doubted C.hurt D.ignored
14.A.whispered B.spoke C.talked D.shouted
15.A.started B.enjoyed C.stopped D.continued
16.A.interested B.curious C.sad D.scared
17.A.bridge B.path C.door D.entrance
18.A.Finally B.Surely C.Hopefully D.Actually
19.A.made B.changed C.believed D.understood
20.A.win B.improve C.try D.teach
