Module 1 Life in the Future

　　閱讀理解提速練——練速度

　　(限時(shí)：20分鐘)

　　A

　　(2024·九江市高三二模)Robots performing tasks according to a predetermined set of instructions are nothing new.But robots able to learn how to cook by watching videos are a completely different approach, which is conducted by a group of researchers at the University of Maryland.

　　If you have posted a video of your favorite recipe on the popular website YouTube, chances are that it will be used by a robot.University of Maryland's professor Yiannis Aloimonos, leader of the group, said “There exists a large amount of video information on the Internet that our robots can capitalize_on.”

　　“At present, the videos are fed electronically，”said research scientist Cornelia Fermuller.“Originally, we took our own videos, our cameras looking at us doing the cooking，”she explained.“And, as the robot advances, it reacts to good quality videos.And it will react to even lower quality homemade videos.”

　　So far, the robot named Julia can make a simple salad by breaking each task into basic parts, such as grasping a spoon, bringing it to the bowl, stirring the salad and observing the results.

　　But why teach a robot how to understand a video when it can easily follow a fixed program？Aloimonos believes predetermined instructions lack flexibility.He thinks one of the problems is how to make the robot understand and use what it learns during a certain task, the so-called feedback (反饋意見); another is the introduction of language.

　　“I believe it will take quite some time before the robots are able to understand metaphorical (比喻性的) language，”he added.“But，” he said，“we don't need that to create a new world where the robots will be working for us.”

　　語(yǔ)篇解讀：本文是一篇科普說明文。機(jī)器人按既定指令完成任務(wù)并不讓人覺得新鮮，但能看著視頻學(xué)做飯的機(jī)器人，你可能前所未聞。1．The underlined phrase “capitalize on” in Paragraph 2 probably can be replaced by ________.

　　A．take hold ofB．make use of

　　C．keep track of

　　D．catch sight of

　　解析：選B　詞義猜測(cè)題。由第二段的第一句“If you have posted ...used by a robot.”可知，機(jī)器人能利用網(wǎng)上大量的視頻信息。結(jié)合第二段的最后一句可知，capitalize on應(yīng)與“make use of”意思相近，因此選擇B項(xiàng)。

　　2．Aloimonos probably agrees that at present the robot ________.

　　A．can not fully digest what it learns

　　B．can not make a simple salad

　　C．can follow home-made videos

　　D．can understand metaphorical language

　　解析：選A　推理判斷題。根據(jù)最后一段Aloimonos的話可知，該機(jī)器人目前還不能理解比喻性的語(yǔ)言。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段的最后一句可推知，Aloimonos可能認(rèn)為目前該機(jī)器人還不能完全消化它學(xué)的東西，應(yīng)選擇A項(xiàng)。

　　3．Robots are taught to understand a video mainly because ________.

　　A．they can easily follow fixed programs

　　B．they are smart enough to learn cooking

　　C．cooking videos are more interesting to watch

　　D．predetermined instructions are not flexible

　　解析：選D　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段的前兩句可知，教機(jī)器人理解視頻是因?yàn)轭A(yù)定指令不夠靈活，應(yīng)選擇D項(xiàng)。

　　4．Which of the following might best serve as the title of the passage?

　　A．Robots Creating a New World

　　B．Robots Making Cooking Videos

　　C．Robots Learning to Cook by Watching Videos

　　D．Robots Performing Tasks by Following Instructions

　　解析：選C　標(biāo)題歸納題。文章主要介紹了通過觀看視頻學(xué)做飯的機(jī)器人，因此C項(xiàng)是最佳標(biāo)題。

　　B

　　(2024·銀川一中高三年級(jí)第三次月考)

　　Life in 2060

　　Let us suppose it is now about A．D. 2060. Let's make believe (假裝；虛構(gòu)) it is about 45 years from now. Of course, things have changed and life is very different.

　　Voyages to the moon are being made every day. It is as easy to take a holiday on the moon today as it was for the people in 1960 to take a holiday in Europe. At a number of scenic spots on the moon, many hotels have been built. The hotels are air-conditioned, naturally. In order that everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the moon, every room has at least one picture window. Everything imaginable is provided for entertainment of young and old.

　　What are people eating now? People are still eating food. They haven't yet started to take on heir (繼承) supply of energy directly as electrical current or as nuclear power. They may some day. But many foods now come in pill form, and the food that goes into the pill continues to come mainly from green plants.

　　Since there are several times as many people in the world today as there were a hundred years ago, most of our planet's surface has to be filled. The deserts are irrigated with water and crops are no longer destroyed by pests. The harvest is always good.

　　Farming, of course, is very highly developed. Very few people have to work on the farm. It is possible to run the farm by just pushing a few buttons now and then.

　　People are now largely vegetarians (素食者). You see, as the number of people increases, the number of animal decreases. Therefore, people have to be vegetarians and we are healthier both in our bodies and in our minds, and we know the causes and cure of disease and pain, and it is possible to get rid of diseases. No one has to be ill any more.

　　Such would be our life in 2060.

　　語(yǔ)篇解讀：本文是一篇說明文。2060年我們的生活會(huì)是什么樣子，作者為我們描繪出了一番景象。

　　5．When was the passage written?

　　A．In about A．D. 2060.

　　B．In about 1960.

　　C．In about 2024.

　　D．In about 2024.

　　解析：選D　推理判斷題。根據(jù)第一段的前兩句可知，2060年在45年之后，因此寫文章的年份大約是2024年。故選D。

　　6．According to the passage, what will be on the moon in about A．D. 2060?

　　A．Many other animals.

　　B．Many tourists.

　　C．Many plants.

　　D．A sea.

　　解析：選B　推理判斷題。根據(jù)第二段內(nèi)容可知，去月球旅游成為了常態(tài)，每天都有游客去月球旅游。故選B。

　　7．What will people eat then according to the passage?

　　A．Biscuits in pill form. B．Foods in pill form.

　　C．Foods in water form.

　　D．Foods in gas form.

　　解析：選B　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第三段最后一句可知，到那時(shí)很多食物都是以藥片的形式出現(xiàn)的。故選B。

　　8．The passage tells us that in 2060, ________ on the earth than now.

　　A．the crops are getting better

　　B．there are more pests

　　C．there are fewer people

　　D．there is less water

　　解析：選A　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第四段的后兩句可知，莊稼不再遭受害蟲的侵襲，每年都是大豐收。故選A。

　　C

　　(2024·銀川質(zhì)量檢測(cè))Many of the world's countries have reached or are approaching zero population growth (ZPG). Nearly all such lands are economically well developed. They include much of Europe (including Russia), the United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia. As the rate of natural increase (RNI) declines, two things happen. First, the population begins to decline if the loss is not balanced by immigration. Second, a country's population ages because there are fewer births.

　　Is achieving ZPG good or bad? What happens when a country's population begins to drop? Many people, after all, believe that population decline is a good thing. But is it good for everyone? Does everyone agree?

　　An aging population can create many problems. Senior citizens require more health care and medical attention. Rather than paying into retirement programs, they begin to draw from their pensions. In the US, the Social Security program, according to many experts, will be used up by 2024. It will pay out more money than it takes in. Additionally, a great number of jobs go begging in search of people willing or able to do them. Many of these jobs are entry-level positions that pay low wages. With an aging population, who will fill them? At the other extreme, some positions require a large number of training and highly specialized skills. Who will fill these positions as retirees leave the workforce?

　　The answer to the problem of declining and aging population is simple: increased migration. Today many people, particularly those from less developed countries, are migrating in search of employment. Many are willing to take jobs that cannot (or will not) be filled by the_domestic_population. Others are well educated and highly skilled. Both groups contribute to a country's economy progress in many ways. Further, they add to the richness of a country's culture. Of greatest importance, perhaps, is the fact that they have become absolutely necessary to the economy of many lands. As you can see, for many countries and for most immigrants, migration is a win-win situation.

　　語(yǔ)篇解讀：本文是一篇議論文。許多發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家正在或即將經(jīng)歷人口零增長(zhǎng)，這是利還是弊？作者認(rèn)為，人口零增長(zhǎng)會(huì)導(dǎo)致人口老齡化，從而導(dǎo)致勞動(dòng)力不足，加大社會(huì)福利負(fù)擔(dān)，不利于國(guó)家的經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展。所以增加移民是解決這個(gè)問題的辦法，因?yàn)樵黾右泼窦饶芙鉀Q勞動(dòng)力不足的問題，又能引進(jìn)人才，豐富文化，帶動(dòng)經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展。

　　9．In the writer's view, which of the following statements is TRUE?

　　A．Not everyone agrees that achieving ZPG is absolutely good.

　　B．Achieving ZPG is every country's aim in spite of its side effects.

　　C．Achieving ZPG is bad for senior citizens.

　　D．Achieving ZPG is good for employment.

　　解析：選A　推理判斷題。第三段作者認(rèn)為：人口零增長(zhǎng)會(huì)導(dǎo)致人口老齡化，從而導(dǎo)致勞動(dòng)力不足，加大社會(huì)福利負(fù)擔(dān)，不利于國(guó)家的經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展。由此可知，作者認(rèn)為人口零增長(zhǎng)有一些不利之處。故A項(xiàng)正確。

　　10．According to the passage, the best way to solve the problem of declining and aging population is ________.

　　A．to improve the health care system

　　B．to increase RNI

　　C．to increase employment

　　D．to increase migration

　　解析：選D　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)最后一段第一句“The answer to ... increased migration.”可知，作者認(rèn)為解決人口減少和人口老齡化的方法是增加移民。故選D項(xiàng)。

　　11．The underlined words “the domestic population” can be replaced by ________.

　　A．people within the country

　　B．people from developing countries

　　C．people without a college education

　　D．people living abroad

　　解析：選A　詞義猜測(cè)題。根據(jù)第三段最后五句“Additionally, a great number of jobs ... as retirees leave the workforce？”可知，人口老齡化會(huì)導(dǎo)致社會(huì)勞動(dòng)力不足，這些職位將由誰來?yè)?dān)任？第四段作者指出增加移民可以解決這些問題。許多移民愿意承擔(dān)本國(guó)人不能或不愿做的事。由此可知，“the domestic population”是指相對(duì)移民而言的本國(guó)人。故選A項(xiàng)。

　　12．The main idea of the last paragraph is ________.

　　A．the advantages of increased migration

　　B．the problem of declining and aging population

　　C．how to increase migration

　　D．some ways to enrich a country's culture

　　解析：選A　段落大意題。最后一段的中心句是該段第一句。由該句和下文可知，本段主要說明了增加移民的好處。故選A項(xiàng)。

　　Module 1 Life in the Future

　　閱讀理解提速練——練速度

　　(限時(shí)：20分鐘)

　　A

　　(2024·九江市高三二模)Robots performing tasks according to a predetermined set of instructions are nothing new.But robots able to learn how to cook by watching videos are a completely different approach, which is conducted by a group of researchers at the University of Maryland.

　　If you have posted a video of your favorite recipe on the popular website YouTube, chances are that it will be used by a robot.University of Maryland's professor Yiannis Aloimonos, leader of the group, said “There exists a large amount of video information on the Internet that our robots can capitalize_on.”

　　“At present, the videos are fed electronically，”said research scientist Cornelia Fermuller.“Originally, we took our own videos, our cameras looking at us doing the cooking，”she explained.“And, as the robot advances, it reacts to good quality videos.And it will react to even lower quality homemade videos.”

　　So far, the robot named Julia can make a simple salad by breaking each task into basic parts, such as grasping a spoon, bringing it to the bowl, stirring the salad and observing the results.

　　But why teach a robot how to understand a video when it can easily follow a fixed program？Aloimonos believes predetermined instructions lack flexibility.He thinks one of the problems is how to make the robot understand and use what it learns during a certain task, the so-called feedback (反饋意見); another is the introduction of language.

　　“I believe it will take quite some time before the robots are able to understand metaphorical (比喻性的) language，”he added.“But，” he said，“we don't need that to create a new world where the robots will be working for us.”

　　語(yǔ)篇解讀：本文是一篇科普說明文。機(jī)器人按既定指令完成任務(wù)并不讓人覺得新鮮，但能看著視頻學(xué)做飯的機(jī)器人，你可能前所未聞。1．The underlined phrase “capitalize on” in Paragraph 2 probably can be replaced by ________.

　　A．take hold ofB．make use of

　　C．keep track of

　　D．catch sight of

　　解析：選B　詞義猜測(cè)題。由第二段的第一句“If you have posted ...used by a robot.”可知，機(jī)器人能利用網(wǎng)上大量的視頻信息。結(jié)合第二段的最后一句可知，capitalize on應(yīng)與“make use of”意思相近，因此選擇B項(xiàng)。

　　2．Aloimonos probably agrees that at present the robot ________.

　　A．can not fully digest what it learns

　　B．can not make a simple salad

　　C．can follow home-made videos

　　D．can understand metaphorical language

　　解析：選A　推理判斷題。根據(jù)最后一段Aloimonos的話可知，該機(jī)器人目前還不能理解比喻性的語(yǔ)言。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段的最后一句可推知，Aloimonos可能認(rèn)為目前該機(jī)器人還不能完全消化它學(xué)的東西，應(yīng)選擇A項(xiàng)。

　　3．Robots are taught to understand a video mainly because ________.

　　A．they can easily follow fixed programs

　　B．they are smart enough to learn cooking

　　C．cooking videos are more interesting to watch

　　D．predetermined instructions are not flexible

　　解析：選D　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段的前兩句可知，教機(jī)器人理解視頻是因?yàn)轭A(yù)定指令不夠靈活，應(yīng)選擇D項(xiàng)。

　　4．Which of the following might best serve as the title of the passage?

　　A．Robots Creating a New World

　　B．Robots Making Cooking Videos

　　C．Robots Learning to Cook by Watching Videos

　　D．Robots Performing Tasks by Following Instructions

　　解析：選C　標(biāo)題歸納題。文章主要介紹了通過觀看視頻學(xué)做飯的機(jī)器人，因此C項(xiàng)是最佳標(biāo)題。

　　B

　　(2024·銀川一中高三年級(jí)第三次月考)

　　Life in 2060

　　Let us suppose it is now about A．D. 2060. Let's make believe (假裝；虛構(gòu)) it is about 45 years from now. Of course, things have changed and life is very different.

　　Voyages to the moon are being made every day. It is as easy to take a holiday on the moon today as it was for the people in 1960 to take a holiday in Europe. At a number of scenic spots on the moon, many hotels have been built. The hotels are air-conditioned, naturally. In order that everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the moon, every room has at least one picture window. Everything imaginable is provided for entertainment of young and old.

　　What are people eating now? People are still eating food. They haven't yet started to take on heir (繼承) supply of energy directly as electrical current or as nuclear power. They may some day. But many foods now come in pill form, and the food that goes into the pill continues to come mainly from green plants.

　　Since there are several times as many people in the world today as there were a hundred years ago, most of our planet's surface has to be filled. The deserts are irrigated with water and crops are no longer destroyed by pests. The harvest is always good.

　　Farming, of course, is very highly developed. Very few people have to work on the farm. It is possible to run the farm by just pushing a few buttons now and then.

　　People are now largely vegetarians (素食者). You see, as the number of people increases, the number of animal decreases. Therefore, people have to be vegetarians and we are healthier both in our bodies and in our minds, and we know the causes and cure of disease and pain, and it is possible to get rid of diseases. No one has to be ill any more.

　　Such would be our life in 2060.

　　語(yǔ)篇解讀：本文是一篇說明文。2060年我們的生活會(huì)是什么樣子，作者為我們描繪出了一番景象。

　　5．When was the passage written?

　　A．In about A．D. 2060.

　　B．In about 1960.

　　C．In about 2024.

　　D．In about 2024.

　　解析：選D　推理判斷題。根據(jù)第一段的前兩句可知，2060年在45年之后，因此寫文章的年份大約是2024年。故選D。

　　6．According to the passage, what will be on the moon in about A．D. 2060?

　　A．Many other animals.

　　B．Many tourists.

　　C．Many plants.

　　D．A sea.

　　解析：選B　推理判斷題。根據(jù)第二段內(nèi)容可知，去月球旅游成為了常態(tài)，每天都有游客去月球旅游。故選B。

　　7．What will people eat then according to the passage?

　　A．Biscuits in pill form. B．Foods in pill form.

　　C．Foods in water form.

　　D．Foods in gas form.

　　解析：選B　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第三段最后一句可知，到那時(shí)很多食物都是以藥片的形式出現(xiàn)的。故選B。

　　8．The passage tells us that in 2060, ________ on the earth than now.

　　A．the crops are getting better

　　B．there are more pests

　　C．there are fewer people

　　D．there is less water

　　解析：選A　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第四段的后兩句可知，莊稼不再遭受害蟲的侵襲，每年都是大豐收。故選A。

　　C

　　(2024·銀川質(zhì)量檢測(cè))Many of the world's countries have reached or are approaching zero population growth (ZPG). Nearly all such lands are economically well developed. They include much of Europe (including Russia), the United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia. As the rate of natural increase (RNI) declines, two things happen. First, the population begins to decline if the loss is not balanced by immigration. Second, a country's population ages because there are fewer births.

　　Is achieving ZPG good or bad? What happens when a country's population begins to drop? Many people, after all, believe that population decline is a good thing. But is it good for everyone? Does everyone agree?

　　An aging population can create many problems. Senior citizens require more health care and medical attention. Rather than paying into retirement programs, they begin to draw from their pensions. In the US, the Social Security program, according to many experts, will be used up by 2024. It will pay out more money than it takes in. Additionally, a great number of jobs go begging in search of people willing or able to do them. Many of these jobs are entry-level positions that pay low wages. With an aging population, who will fill them? At the other extreme, some positions require a large number of training and highly specialized skills. Who will fill these positions as retirees leave the workforce?

　　The answer to the problem of declining and aging population is simple: increased migration. Today many people, particularly those from less developed countries, are migrating in search of employment. Many are willing to take jobs that cannot (or will not) be filled by the_domestic_population. Others are well educated and highly skilled. Both groups contribute to a country's economy progress in many ways. Further, they add to the richness of a country's culture. Of greatest importance, perhaps, is the fact that they have become absolutely necessary to the economy of many lands. As you can see, for many countries and for most immigrants, migration is a win-win situation.

　　語(yǔ)篇解讀：本文是一篇議論文。許多發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家正在或即將經(jīng)歷人口零增長(zhǎng)，這是利還是弊？作者認(rèn)為，人口零增長(zhǎng)會(huì)導(dǎo)致人口老齡化，從而導(dǎo)致勞動(dòng)力不足，加大社會(huì)福利負(fù)擔(dān)，不利于國(guó)家的經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展。所以增加移民是解決這個(gè)問題的辦法，因?yàn)樵黾右泼窦饶芙鉀Q勞動(dòng)力不足的問題，又能引進(jìn)人才，豐富文化，帶動(dòng)經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展。

　　9．In the writer's view, which of the following statements is TRUE?

　　A．Not everyone agrees that achieving ZPG is absolutely good.

　　B．Achieving ZPG is every country's aim in spite of its side effects.

　　C．Achieving ZPG is bad for senior citizens.

　　D．Achieving ZPG is good for employment.

　　解析：選A　推理判斷題。第三段作者認(rèn)為：人口零增長(zhǎng)會(huì)導(dǎo)致人口老齡化，從而導(dǎo)致勞動(dòng)力不足，加大社會(huì)福利負(fù)擔(dān)，不利于國(guó)家的經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展。由此可知，作者認(rèn)為人口零增長(zhǎng)有一些不利之處。故A項(xiàng)正確。

　　10．According to the passage, the best way to solve the problem of declining and aging population is ________.

　　A．to improve the health care system

　　B．to increase RNI

　　C．to increase employment

　　D．to increase migration

　　解析：選D　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)最后一段第一句“The answer to ... increased migration.”可知，作者認(rèn)為解決人口減少和人口老齡化的方法是增加移民。故選D項(xiàng)。

　　11．The underlined words “the domestic population” can be replaced by ________.

　　A．people within the country

　　B．people from developing countries

　　C．people without a college education

　　D．people living abroad

　　解析：選A　詞義猜測(cè)題。根據(jù)第三段最后五句“Additionally, a great number of jobs ... as retirees leave the workforce？”可知，人口老齡化會(huì)導(dǎo)致社會(huì)勞動(dòng)力不足，這些職位將由誰來?yè)?dān)任？第四段作者指出增加移民可以解決這些問題。許多移民愿意承擔(dān)本國(guó)人不能或不愿做的事。由此可知，“the domestic population”是指相對(duì)移民而言的本國(guó)人。故選A項(xiàng)。

　　12．The main idea of the last paragraph is ________.

　　A．the advantages of increased migration

　　B．the problem of declining and aging population

　　C．how to increase migration

　　D．some ways to enrich a country's culture

　　解析：選A　段落大意題。最后一段的中心句是該段第一句。由該句和下文可知，本段主要說明了增加移民的好處。故選A項(xiàng)。