In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!
For each prediction that has come true today, several others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology, or if people really needed it in their lives or not. Let’s look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.
Robot Helpers
Where’s the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he’s probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other manufacturing environments.
Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people’s homes.
So why hasn’t it happened? Probably because robots are still too expensive and clumsy. And maybe the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too weird. At home we seem to be doing fine without them.
Telephones of Tomorrow
In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn’t caught on yet.
Why? The technology worked fine, but it over—looked something obvious: people’s desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just step out of the shower? Probably not---it could be embarrassing! Just because a technology available doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.
And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the flying car? It’s not so crazy anymore! But a flying car remains one of the most fascinating technology ideas to capture our imagination. Keep watching the news, or perhaps the sky outside your window, to see what the future will bring.
64. The whole passage is mainly about ________________.
A. predictions that have come true. B. predictions that haven’t come true.
C. why predictions don’t come true easily. D. what technology will bring about.
65. The author of this passage won’t believe that _________________.
A. predictions needn’t consider people’s practical use of technology.
B. the future isn’t always easy to guess.
C. not all past predictions have come true.
D. many of the high—tech things our parents thought we’d be using by now simply never appeared.
66. The underlined word “weird” probably means __________.
A. wonderful B. stupid C. practical D. strange
67. What does the author think of the flying car?
A. It is too difficult to imagine. B. It is too crazy an idea.
C. It is likely to be made. D. It is often reported in the news.
The sea has always interested man. From it he can get food, minerals, and treasure. For thousands of years, he could sail on it. But he could not go far beneath its surface.
Man wants to explore deep into the sea. However, he is not a fish. He must breathe air, so he can’t stay under the water’s surface for any length of time. To explore deep water, man faces even more dangers and problems.
A diver who wants to stay under water for more than a few minutes must breathe air or a special mixture of gases. He can wear a diving suit and have air pumped to him from above. He can carry a tank of air on his back and breathe through a hose(软管) and a mouthpiece. Water weighs 800 times as much as air. Tons of water pushes against a diver deep in the sea. His body is under great pressure.
When a diver is under great pressure, his blood takes in some of the gases he breathes. As he rises to surface, the water pressure becomes less. If the diver rises too quickly, the gases in his blood form bubbles(气泡). The diver is then suffering from the bends(潜函病). The bends can cause a diver to double up in pain. They can even kill him.
60. On the whole, this text is about _________.
A. special mixtures of gases in deep sea. B. the problems a diver faces in deep sea.
C. air pressure under the surface of sea water. D. a kind of illness that man suffers in the sea.
61. The text does not say so, but it makes you think that ____________.
A. deep-sea divers should be in good health.
B. divers explore the deep sea only for treasure.
C. there is a special mixture of gases under the sea.
D. diving under the water too quickly causes a kind of illness.
62. Why does a diver get the bends?
A. The air in his blood is used up. B. His diving suit weighs too much.
C. He comes to the surface too quickly. D. He tries to do exercise under the sea.
63. From the text we can learn that _____________.
A. man cannot stay under water for more than a few minutes.
B. the sea began to interest man in the last few years.
C. all divers will get the bends sooner or later.
D. the bends may kill a diver.
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑
Many people cannot forget the beautiful thousand hand dance performed by disabled people during the 2005 CCTV Spring Gala(晚会). Many of these dancers cannot hear or speak, but their performances are wonderful.
The leading dancer is a beautiful young woman, Tai Lihua, who was born healthy but lose her hearing when she was two years old because of a fever. Not long after that, she also became mute and, from then on, her world was silent. She did not realize this at first, but when she was five, she played a game about sounds with her school friends and discovered she was different. She felt very sad. Her father went to many places looking for treatments for her disabilities, but nothing worked.
When she was seven years old, Tai Lihua went to a school for deaf and mute children, where
she did very well in her studies. Her teacher said she used her brain more than other children and was very good at expressing her feelings through movements.
Then when she was fifteen, she started learning to dance. At first, she found it difficult but she didn’t give up. She spent a lot of time practicing and became a brilliant dancer. In the last few years, she has performed in many countries and is much admired by foreign audience. Dancing has changed her life and brought her world wide success and fame.
56. Which of the following is expressed in the passage?
A. Where there is life, there is hope.
B. No one is too old to learn.
C. Where there is a will, there is a way.
D. The early bird catches the worm.
57. Tai Lihua discovered that she was different from other children when she was _____.
A .two B. five C. seven D. fifteen
58. We can learn from the passage that ______.
A. Tai Lihua was born healthy.
B. Tai Lihua isn’t successful now.
C. Tai Lihua’s parents didn’t take good care of her.
D. Tai Lihua had a natural ability to dance very well.
59. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. A disabled girl.
B. A dancer in a silent world.
C. A beautiful dancer.
D .Dance performance in the CCTV Spring Festival Gala.
完形填空 （共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分 30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C、和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑
Once upon a time there lived an old man in a nice cottage with a large garden. The old man was seen 36 his flowers all the time. They were so well-tended that every passer-by could not but 37 for a glance.
One day a young man went by the garden. He gazed at the splendid garden, 38 in admiration at the beauty of these sceneries. Then, suddenly he 39 the old gardener was blind. 40 , the young man asked, “Why are you busy tending these flowers every day which you can’t 41 in fact?” The old man smiled and answered that “ I can tell you 42 reasons. First I was a 43 when I was young, and I really like this job. Second, although I can’t see these flowers, yet I can 44 them. Third，I can smell sweetness of them. As to the last one, that’s 45 .
“Me? But you don’t know me,” responded the young man 46 .
“Yeah, it’s 47 that I don’t know you. But I know everyone knows flowers and would never 48 them down. I know the beauty of my garden will get many people into a good 49 . In the meantime, it also 50 a chance to me to have a word with you here and to enjoy the happiness these flowers have brought us.”
The old man’s 51 astonished me. The blind man grows flowers and 52 them as a link of minds so as to make 53 enjoy the sunshine in spring. Isn’t it one kind of happiness？
I believe every flower has 54 with which they can see the kindness of the man’s heart. The blind man grows flowers in his heart. Though 55 to see the beauty of blossoming, he surely can hear the voice of it, I suppose.
36. A. loving B. watering C. tending D. planting
37. A. stop B. stay C. live D. run
38. A. kept B. dropped C. fallen D. lost
39. A. realized B. noticed C. felt D. thought
40. A. Excited B. Frightened C. Shocked D. Satisfied
41. A. feel B. see C.hear D.eat
42. A. one B. two C. three D. four
43. A. gardener B. teacher C. farmer D. painter
44. A. taste B. plant C. touch D. appreciate
45. A. it B. me C. them D. you
46. A. with pleasure B. in surprise C. with hope D. in anger
47. A. true B. possible C. a pity D. a shame
48. A. put B. turn C. get D. knock
49. A. mind B. life C. future D. mood
50. A. introduces B. offers C. stands D. leaves
51. A. words B. behavior C. story D. attitudes
52. A. treats B. acts C. works D. serves
53. A. anybody B. somebody C. everybody D. nobody
54. A. ears B. soul C. eyes D. heart
55. A. refusing B. trying C. pretending D. failing
When he heard the little girl’s cry, he immediately came to ___________.
A. her help B. her assistance C. his assistance D. Both A and B
Einstein liked Bose’s paper so much that he ___ his own work and translated it into German.
A. gave off B. turned down C. took over D. set aside
