Have you noticed your life becoming a little easier? Now, when you go to a certain shopping mall, you can enjoy its free Wi-Fi there. When you want to take a taxi, you can book one with your phone. In fact, all these can be seen as the basic parts of a smart city.
The idea of a smart city was brought up by US company IBM in 2010. Generally, a smart city is a city that uses digital technologies such as the Internet to improve city planning, save money and resources, and make our lifeconvenient. How smart can a city be? Here are great examples that we can learn from.
In 2009, Dubuque became the first smart city in the US. The city used smart water meters to take the place of traditional water meters. They can detect（探测〉water waste and leakage（泄漏）and send data to let the house owner know. The same system is used for other city resources like electricity and natural gas. This way, people know how they use their resources and are glad to help reduce waste.
Santander in Spain also gives us a look at the future. If people point a phone toward a nearby bus stop, the phone immediately shows all bus lines that serve the stop as well as their arrival times. The government organized a research team and provided an App（应用程序〉that collects data on almost everything: light, temperature, and the movements of cars and people. Opening the App near a supermarket provides immediate information on special
1.According to the passage, which of the following is RIGHT?
A. Digital technologies are used in smart cities.
B. An English company first raised the idea of a smart city.
C. A smart city is mainly made up of free Wi-Fi and phones.
D. A smart city is still an idea and hasn’t come into being.
2.The underlined word “convenient” is the closest in meaning to _____.
A. useful B. normal C. suitable D. easy
3.Compared to traditional water meters, smart water meters do better in .
A. cleaning water B. supplying water
C. saving water D. producing water
4.The example of Santander shows the use of smart systems in aspects（方面）EXCEPT _____.
A. business B. health care
C. traffic controlling D. public transportation
5.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Digital technologies help improve city planning.
B. Smart cities will make our future life better and smarter.
C. Smart cities are very common in both Dubuque and Santander.
D. Spain and the US take the leading position in building smart cities.
My grandfather Jack is 96 years old, and he has had an interesting life. He has travelled a lot in his life in the Far East. He visited the Taj Mahal in India and the Pyramids in Egypt. He hunted (狩猎) lions in Africa, and rode a camel in the Sahara Desert. He says the most beautiful place he has travelled to is Kathmandu in Nepal.
Jack has married twice. His first wife died when she was 32. He met his second wife Maria while he was cycling round France They have been married for 50 years, and they have lived happily in a small village since they got married.
Jack says that he has never been ill in his life. The secret of good health, according to my grandfather, is exercise He goes swimming every morning. He has done this since he was a boy. He also has a glass of wine every night! Perhaps that is his secret!
1.What kind of life has Jack lived?
A. A short life. B. An interesting life.
C. A lonely life D. A poor life.
2.Which of the following does Jack think is the most beautiful place?
A. Kathmandu. B. The Pyramids
C. The Sahara Desert. D. Taj Mahal
3.How many times has Jack married?
A. Once. B. Twice. C. Three times. D. Four times.
4.Where did Jack meet Maria?
A. In India. B. In Nepal. C. In France D. in Egypt.
5.What does Jack do every night?
A. He has a glass of wine. B. He goes swimming
C. He hunts lions. D. He rides a camel.
"I've been writing a book，John. Do you think anyone would be interested in _____ it?" said the old lady.
John took over the papers from her shaking hand and let her sit in a chair. He remembered her rich _____ in the early days of the Old West. He looked through the papers. "It's good，Grandma，" he said gently. Then realizing that she ______ hear him，he shouted into her ears，"I think it's very good. I'll send it to a publisher(出版商). "
Ten days later，he reported that the publisher had read a few _____ . He agreed to publish it, and he had paid $ 100 for the copyright(版权). _____ money would be given as an advance(预付款).Every month, John brought her $100 with a letter from the publisher telling about the progress of the book.
One morning，three months after her 100th birthday, Grandma didn't get up. The doctor told her that she couldn't _____ more than a few days. She was ready to go，but she first wanted her book to be in print. John promised that she could get it very soon.
Grandma held on until the day the book came into her hands. She proudly touched her book with her fingers，tears in her eyes. Two hours later，she died peacefully, _____ holding her book.
Her granddaughter took the book and _____ it. "Why, it's just blank (空白的)pages!" She cried in surprise. John's face turned _____ . Then the girl understood. There never was a book. It was John ______ ，who couldn't take away his grandmother's only hope，had written the letters and sold his car to pay the advance.
1.A. borrowing B. publishing C. reading D. lending
2.A. advice B. experiences C. thoughts D. family
3.A. couldn't B. needn't C. mustn't D. wouldn't
4.A. words B. letters C. pages D. books
5.A. Some B. Much C. Enough D. More
6.A. die B. stop C. last D. stay
7.A. still B. yet C. always D. then
8.A. closed B. opened C. turned on D. turned off
9.A. white B. red C. grey D. yellow
10.A. herself B. himself C. him D. her
— That young man must have something to do with the crime, right?
— . Though he insisted he hadn’t done anything against the law.
A. I don’t agree B. I suppose so
C. I don’t think so D. He supposes so
一Do you have Jay's CDs?
一Sorry, they are . But we'll get some more next week because they .
A. sold well; are on sale B. sold out; sell well
C. selling well; sell well D. for sale; sell well
He went to Guan's house the morning of 28th December, but the evening he was at his sister's wedding.
A. in; in B. on; in C. in; on D. in; at
