Will life in the future be better, worse or the same as now? Futurologists(未来学家)predict that life will probably be very different in 2050.
First of all, it seems that TV channels will have disappeared by 2050. A computer will send the program directly to the television. On TV screen appear holograms(全息图), which are pictures with certain height, width and depth. We will be able to see, smell and touch the things that we see on television.
Water has become one of our most serious problems. Agriculture is changing and people are growing more fruit and vegetables to export. Demand for water will increase ten times in 2050. Some futurologists predict that water will be the cause of war if we don’t act now.
In transport, cars will run on new fuels and go very fast. A car will have computers to control its speed and there won’t be any accidents. On the other hand, space planes will take people around the earth in about three hours. People will fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo by space plane in just half an hour.
In the field of technology, robots will have replaced people in factories. By 2050, we will see robots everywhere. They do not ask for pay rises or go on strike, and they work 24 hours a day.
Medicine technology will have conquered many diseases by 2050; we will be able to help blind and deaf people see again and hear again. Scientists have discovered how to control genes. They have already produced clones of animals and will be able to produce clones of people and decide how they look, how they behave and how much intelligence they have. If you want all this to come true, you should study science and technology hard.
小题1:What is the main difference between today’s and 2050’s TV?
A.We can use a computer to turn off the TV set.
B.We can talk with the characters appearing on TV.
C.We can choose whatever we like to see on TV.
D.We can touch the things we see on TV.
小题2:What isn’t mentioned about the future in 2050 in the passage?A.Technology.
B.Medicine.
C.Movies.
D.Agriculture.
小题3:What will be more likely to cause the war in the future?
A.The lack of water.
B.The less farmland.
C.The shortage of robots.
D.The more space planes.
小题4:From the passage we can infer that by 2050 ____.
A.people will spend less time in studying
B.more and more people needn’t go to school
C.people will have more time to relax or rest
D.no patients will be found in the world
答案：
小题1:D
小题2:C
小题3:A
小题4:C
试题分析：本文介绍了在未来的2050年，人类社会可能发生的种种变化。
小题1:D 细节题。根据第二段最后一句We will be able to see, smell and touch the things that we see on television.说明D正确。
小题2:C 细节题。在本文的3,5,6段分别讲述了农业，技术和药物。文章没有涉及到电影，故C项符合要求。故C正确。
小题3:A 细节题。根据第三段最后一句Some futurologists predict that water will be the cause of war if we don’t act now.说明水可能是为了战争的起源。故A正确。
小题4:C 推断题。根据文章倒数第二段In the field of technology, robots will have replaced people in factories. By 2050, we will see robots everywhere. They do not ask for pay rises or go on strike, and they work 24 hours a day.说明到2050年，机器人将会帮助我们做很多的事情，我们人类就有很多时间娱乐休闲，故C项正确。
点评：本文属于科学幻想类短文，内容较为简单易懂，做题时要注意文章的首段和每一段的首句或尾句，因为它们往往就是文章的主题句。阅读中要注意要点之间的关系。然后带着问题，再读全文，找出答题所需要的依据，完成阅读任务。