The way we get about has a deep influence on the way we live－affecting where we set up home, work and holiday. So what changes might come in the way we get around? What big ideas are out there, and do they have any chance of coming true?
Personal Air Travel
The idea: flying cars
Developments in light small plane technology will make it possible for everyone to own what are, in fact, flying cars. They will have closed cabins, heating, stereos and room for two people.
You will take off from a field near your home and fly to towns and cities. After landing, you will take off the fixed wing and continue your journey by road just as if you were traveling by car.
Fuel efficient engines and the advantage of being able to travel in the sky will keep costs and the environmental influence down.
Flying for Fun
The idea: Jet Packs
The idea was a hit when a stuntman (特技演员) flew around on one during the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which was very successful.
You’ll be able to use the equipment－roughly the size of two scuba tanks fastened to your back－for short journeys.
They will be handy for cleaning hard-to-reach windows, arriving in style at a party and shopping.
Taxis
The idea: driverless taxis
These computer-controlled taxis will take you wherever you want along a fixed route, whenever you want to go.
For the price of one person’s bus fare, several people can ride at speeds of up to 25 mph, and there will be fences to guard against accidents.
There will be little, if any, wait for the use of the taxis, which will leave from stations and will be used by prepaid cards.
The taxis, which will travel on a 1.5 m-wide track, will use 75% less energy per passenger than a car and 50% less than a bus.
1.The passage is mainly about ________.
A. future travel B. big ideas and dreams
C. advanced technology D. the influence of travel
2.We learn from the passage that flying cars ________.
A. will operate only in the sky
B. will be more expensive than common cars
C. will have few bad effects on the environment
D. won’t be equipped with things similar to what cars have
3. With Jet Packs, we can do all the following EXCEPT ________.
A. attend a party B. clean high windows
C. go shopping D. have a long journey
4.As for driverless taxis, we can infer that ________.
A. we can go wherever we want in them
B. they will be both convenient and safe
C. it costs more to take them than to take ordinary cars
D. they will be operated by computers as well as by people
Even when you’re extremely busy, you aren’t using your time with 100% efficiency. There are gaps in everyone’s schedule where they aren’t doing anything important. Even if your schedule has no gaps, there is probably lots of time when you aren’t working as fast or as effectively as you possibly could.
Why aren’t you completely efficient? It’s because time isn’t the limiting factor. If it were the limiting factor, people could work non-stop without breaks or any unproductive distractions (消遣). Instead, people, even those who are highly productive, need to take breaks, occasionally procrastinate (拖延) and slow down on tasks throughout the day.
The real and most important limiting factor for productivity is your energy levels to pay attention. Energy levels limit your productivity because when you’re tired, you can have enough time and still not get everything done. Your attention ability is also limited, because even if there are a million things that need to be done, you can only focus on one or two at a time.
You might not be able to insert another 4-5 hours into your schedule without making some sacrifices. But even extremely busy people can add an hour or two into their schedule without cancelling anything. The reason why it’s hard to “find time” isn’t a lack of time. It’s because you don’t have enough energy left to focus on something else that needs to fit into your day.
I first suspected time wasn’t the real problem during an extremely busy period in my life over a year ago. I was extremely busy, but at that time I still exercised regularly. I had daily to-do lists with over twenty items, and I still found time to exercise. However, after a few weeks off, due to illness, I stopped exercising. I was not busy by any standards, in fact, my schedule was incredibly light. Despite this free time, I found it hard to find time to exercise. It seemed to get pushed later and later into my schedule until it was gone. How can I explain this odd experience? I believe you have known it.
1.If someone can’t work with 100% efficiency, the most important limiting factor is ________.
A. a schedule without gaps B. breaks and distractions
C. the limited time D. the limited energy
2.According to Paragraph 4, everyone, including the extremely busy people, can ________.
A. work without any rest
B. focus on many things at a time
C. find some more time in a day
D. do some exercise regularly
3.The writer gives the example of himself in the last paragraph in order to ________.
A. prove what the real limiting factor is
B. show us how busily he needs to work
C. explain how important a healthy body is
D. tell us what an odd experience he has
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Do You Really Lack Time?
B. How Can You Work Efficiently?
C. What Makes Your Energy Limited?
D. When Should You Do Exercise?
A girl became a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, which meant visiting and taking care of a patient suffering from an incurable disease with days numbered.
The girl was assigned to look after an old man suffering from cancer whose children lived abroad. Their living conditions were not satisfactory while the old man had a lot of savings. She was expected to comfort him and keep up his spirits.
Every Saturday the girl came on time to keep him company, telling him stories. When he was having an intravenous drip (静脉滴注), she would help massage his arms. The doctor found the patient much improved mentally. The old man began to involve himself actively in the medical treatment and he seldom shouted at others.
But something that happened made the doctor uneasy and puzzled. Each time the girl left, the old man would give her some money. The doctor did nothing to interfere (干涉), unwilling to offend the old man. A month later the old man showed evident signs of decline after suffering coma (昏迷) a few times.
When rescued from the latest coma, the old man told the doctor his last wish, “I have deep sympathy for the girl. Will you be kind enough to help her finish her studies？”
But the doctor knew that her family was welloff and she had no difficulty pursuing her studies. Sometimes she even came to the hospital in her father’s car.
When the girl came at the weekend after the death of the old man, the doctor told her the bad news. She was very sad and burst into tears. Then she handed $ 500 to the doctor, saying, “The old man had all along thought I came to do the job because of poverty. He gave me money so that I could continue my schooling.” Now he got the answer to the puzzle. In the last period of his life, the old man found it a real pleasure to be able to help a girl badly in need.
1.If you’re a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, what kind of people do you have to attend to?
A. Patients with a lot of money.
B. Patients suffering from cancer.
C. Patients without many days left.
D. Patients living alone.
2.What can we learn from the passage?
A. The doctor told the old man the truth.
B. The old man’s children were wealthy.
C. The girl’s father encouraged her to accept the money.
D. The girl didn’t accompany the old man when he died.
3.What is the real reason resulting in the old man’s mental improvement?
A. The girl’s love and great care.
B. The pleasure of helping people in need.
C. The doctor’s medical treatment.
D. His children’s progress in life.
阅读下面的短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（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。
I was watching a TV series one night when I took in one scene. A young man was seeking his community votes, and people 36 wanted to know why they should give him their 37 . He took them to his house and on every 38 in his house was the word “Faith” pasted. People raised lots of 39 to find out why the word was pasted on his mirrors. He said, “My dad often 40 me to believe that as long as you have 41 , you should have faith. Every time you look into the mirror, you’re looking at yourself and see ‘Faith’.”
The 42 I learned from this is simple—faith is a living thing and in the same way we’re all 43 given 24 hours a day and we’re all given the same measure of faith. Faith keeps us going when things get 44 ! Why is some people’s faith stronger than that of others? Exercise! If we choose to exercise our faith, it will 45 ; but if we choose not to, it remains weak. Some people might 46 that they don’t have faith, but we all practice faith every day even if we don’t 47 it as a faith. Daily 48 , such as studying, investing or reaching for a dream, take faith.
Faith 49 hearing and doing. I made a decision yesterday—to 50 reading the newspapers full of too much sad and 51 news. Why? Because I 52 there was a drop of my mental state after reading the newspapers.
Faith, when it’s put to 53 , becomes a beautiful thing. It lifts your mental state to a higher place that 54 you to raise yourself up and declare, “Yes, I can.” So make the decision today to strengthen your faith by 55 it.
1.A.bravely B.briefly C. mostly D. finally
2.A.support B.instruction C. pity D. information
3.A.wall B.mirror C. picture D. book
4.A.voices B.questions C. rules D. standards
5.A.teaches B.permits C. forces D. promises
6.A.friendship B.breath C. wealth D. success
7.A.lesson B.view C. choice D. example
8.A.extremely B.freely C. equally D. frequently
9.A.strange B.different C. funny D. tough
10.A.stay B.return C. slow D. grow
11.A.argue B.realize C. understand D. predict
12.A.agree B.appreciate C. admire D. acknowledge
13.A.services B.steps C. tasks D. experiments
14.A.dreams of B.comes from C. feels like D. keeps on
15.A.consider B.delay C. stop D. risk
16.A.various B.genuine C. latest D. negative
17.A.heard B.noticed C. declared D. explained
18.A.check B.list C. work D. sleep
19.A.warns B.causes C. orders D. forbids
20.A.exercising B.forming C. obtaining D. thinking
It suddenly to me that this was something that I should never do, so I turned down her request.
A. happened B. hit C. struck D. occurred
We are at your service. Don’t ________ to turn to us if you have any further problems.
A. beg B. hesitate C. desire D. seek
