Question

What might the future be like? Here are some predictions: things to come, things to go.

The last few days of every year in big cities in China, when everyone returns home, have been the worst headaches for millions of Chinese. More than 2 billion people travel at the same time, making getting travel tickets and the journey difficult. But in 28 years, Spring Festival travel may not be a problem at all. China plans to build more than 120,000 kilometers of railway and a fast transportation network that will serve 90% of the population by 2020. And because most of China will be cities, people will not have to go to other places to find a job, so it will no longer be a problem.

Newspaper will come to an end in 2043. There will be less and less people reading news on paper and the cost of making and buying newspaper will be reduced. In the future, digital (数字的) newspapers will be sent to personal web tools through Internet. Readers can discuss topics with journalists and editors. Information will move faster.

Oil is running out faster than expected. But scientists have found something else for oil as fuel (燃料). Coal,natural gas, solar power, nuclear power and even water can take the place of oil as sources of energy (能源). And the alternative ways of energy will help reduce the cost and pollution, too.

Schools will go electronic (电子化). Computers will be important and popular among the students. Everything will be in the computer and students will not need to bring books to school. They will find information on the Internet. A computer will be the students’ library, schoolbag and connection to the outside world. There will be robot teachers, they will check homework on computers and communicate with the students’ parents through e-mail.Students will find their personal teachers to ask for special help for those the robot teachers cannot do.  And school buses will be like spaceships, comfortable and safe.

1. The newspapers will disappear __________.

A. in 28 years   B. by 2020

C. by 2053       D. in 38 years

2.The underlined the alternative ways in the 4^th paragraph means _________.

A. modern ideas B. other choices

C. wise methods D. natural means

3.From the passage we can know  _______  in the future.

A. the Spring Festival travel may still be a problem

B. 90percent of the population will live in the city

C. robot teachers will check homework on computers

D. readers can discuss with each other through Internet

4.The passage mainly tells us ______________.

A. future changes in many ways

B. computers will be important

C. new things will be

D. old things will be gone

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：这篇短文是关于未来的几个预言，这其中提到了到大约2020年的时候，春运将不再像现在这样紧张，国家会修建更多的铁路满足人们回家的需求；会有其他的能源，如煤、天然气、太阳能等来代替石油，未来在学校里电脑会有更大的用处，甚至会有机器人老师来上课。

1. will come to an end in 2043. 在2043年报纸会消失。根据题意，现在是2015年，2043-2015=28.故选A。

2. gas, solar power, nuclear power and even water can take the place of oil as sources of energy (能源). 可知，为可供替代的方式。故选B。

3.根据最后一段There will be robot teachers, they will check homework on computers 描述，可知选C。

4. might the future be like? Here are some predictions: things to come, things to go. 以及全文理解，可知文章主要讲述的是未来会有很多变化。故选A。

考点：科普类短文阅读。