Question

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 whether 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.

1.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

2. 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

3.The underlined word “weird” in Para. 5 probably means　　　.

A. wonderful　　　　　　　　B. stupid

C. practicalD. strange

4.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.

 

Answer 1

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

【文章大意】人們總是預(yù)測未來, 那么他們的預(yù)測一定會實(shí)現(xiàn)嗎? 作者列舉了很久以前人們對未來的預(yù)測的例子來證明并不是所有的預(yù)測都能完全實(shí)現(xiàn)。

1.選B。主旨大意題。作者列舉了很久以前人們對未來的預(yù)測的例子來證明并不是所有的預(yù)測都能完全實(shí)現(xiàn)。故選B項(xiàng)。

2.2】選A。推理判斷題。根據(jù)第二段中的Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology, or whether people really needed it in their lives or not. 可知作者認(rèn)為很多的預(yù)測之所以不能實(shí)現(xiàn)是因?yàn)樗鼈儾豢紤]人們在生活中是否真的需要這種科技, 故A項(xiàng)是作者不贊成的。

3.3】選D。詞義猜測題。根據(jù)上文知道機(jī)器人太昂貴、太笨拙, 所以機(jī)器人幫人們洗衣做飯的想法現(xiàn)在看來仍是不可思議的事情, 故選D項(xiàng)。

4.4】選C。細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)最后一段中的It’s not so crazy anymore! 可知會飛的汽車的想法有可能會實(shí)現(xiàn)。故選C項(xiàng)。