Today just as technology changed the face of industry, farmers have undergone an
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Today just as technology changed the face of industry, farmers have undergone an "agricultural revolution". On the farm of today, machines provide all the power.
One of the most important benefits will be the farm computer. A few forward-looking farmers are already using computers to help them run their farms more efficiently. The computers help them keep more accurate records so they can make better decisions on what crops to plant, how much livestock to buy, when to sell their products, and how much profit they can expect. Many computer companies have been developing special computer programs just for farmers. Programs are being written for hog(猪) producers, grain farmers, potato farmers, and dairy farmers. In the future, farmers will be able to purchase computer programs made to their needs. Because of the growing importance of computers on the farm, students at agricultural colleges are required to take computer classes in addition to their normal agricultural courses. There can be no doubt that farmers will rely on computers even more in the future. While the old-time farm depended on horse power, and modern farms depend on machine power, farms of the future will depend on computer power.
Another technological advance which is still in the experimental stage is the robot, a real "mechanized hired hand" that will be able to move and, in some ways, think like a human being. Unlike farmers of the present, farmers of the future will find that many day-to-day tasks will be done for them. Scientists are now developing robots that will be able to shear(修剪) sheep, drive tractors, and harvest fruit. Even complex jobs will be done by robots. For example, in order to milk their cows, farmers must first drive them into the special barn(畜棚), then connect them to the milking machines, watch the machines, and disconnect them when they are finished. In the future, this will all be done by robots. In addition, when the milking is completed, the robots will automatically check to make sure that the milk is pure. The complete mobilization of the farm is far in the future, but engineers expect that some robots will be used before long.
小题1:Which sentence carries the main idea of the whole passage? | A．The first sentence of the first paragraph. | | B．The first sentence of the second paragraph. | | C．The first sentence of the third paragraph. | | D．The last sentence of the second paragraph. |
小题2:Which of the following statements is true? | A．Farmers in the future will depend totally on computers. | | B．Both computers and robots have been in use on today"s farms. | | C．Farmers mainly use machines on their farms at present. | | D．Farmers can do nothing without the help of computers on today"s farms. |
小题3: According to the engineers,_____________ will be done by robots in the near future.| A．all farm work | B．milking cows | | C．most of the farm work | D．some house work |
小题4:What is the best title for the passage?| A．Computer—Farmers" Best Friend | B．Farmers in the Future | | C．Robots in the future | D．Revolution on the farm |
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答案
小题1:A
小题2:C
小题3:B
小题4:D |
解析
文章讲述了农业革命，未来的农业将依靠计算机和机器人。
小题1:大意题。文章的主题段就是第一段，主题句也就是第一句Today just as technology changed the face of industry, farmers have undergone an "agricultural revolution".农业面临着革命。
小题2:推理题。根据第一段倒数第2句modern farms depend on machine power可知现在的农民主要依靠的机器。
小题3:细节题。根据第2段5,6行Even complex jobs will be done by robots. For example, in order to milk their cows。
小题4:主旨大意题。文章的第一句就提及了本文的中心思想农业的革命。 |
举一反三
Light for the City
Edison and his assistants came to New York to set up an electric power system. They hoped it would provide enough electricity to light up a part of the great city.
They bought several machines with them. These were called generators(发电机), which produced electricity power for lamps in Edison’s building.
Soon there were lights for the building. Edison lived in a room facing the street and he often worked over night. The light burned brightly and steadily and he often worked over night. People often came and stopped their horse-drawn carriage to look. Everyone knew that Thomas Edison was in town.
First, the inventor and his assistants produced several large generators. A great deal of power would be needed to light up even a small part of the city. Then the workers were busy digging deep trenches in the hard earth below the city streets, and Edison had fourteen miles of wire laid into the trenches. The wire connected each building to a generator.
Setting up an electric power system was not an easy job. It took a year and a half. In September, 1882, the job was finished.
A small group of men stood around Edison inside the power house. The big moment came at last. The inventor, taking a deep breath, pulled a switch. The electric lights flashed up.
“Very good! Very good!” a man nearby shouted to praise Edison for what he had done.
“Sir,” said Edison, “this is only the beginning!” And Edison was right. Soon Edison’s lamp were lighting up cities all over the world.
小题1:The generators they brought with them could produce as much as electricity as ______ needed.| A．Edison’s building | B．a small part of the city | | C．the whole city | D．the world |
小题2:Trenches were dug to ______.| A．set up generators | B．lay wires | C．built city streets | D．build a power house |
小题3:It took a year and a half to ______.| A．set up the electric system | | B．produce several large generators | | C．dig the deep trenches | | D．lay fourteen miles of wire into the trench |
小题4:Edison took a deep breath before pulling a switch, which showed that he was ______.| A．excited | B．frightened | C．uneasy | D．light-hearted |
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By 2050
Futurologists（未来学家）predict that life will probably be very different in 2050.
TV channels（频道）will have disappeared. Instead, people will choose a program from a “menu” and a computer will send the program directly to the television. Today, we can use the World Wide Web to read newspaper stories and see pictures on a computer thousands of kilometers away. By 2050, music, films, programs, newspapers, and books will come to us by computer.
Cars will run on new, clean fuels and they will go very fast. Cars will have computers to control the speed and there won’t be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination. Space planes will take people halfway around the world in 2 hours. Today, the United States Space Shuttle can go into space and land on Earth again. By 2050, space planes will fly all over the world and people will fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just 2 hours.
Robots will have replaced people in factories. Many factories already use robots. Big computers prefer robots—they don’t ask for pay rises or go on strike, and they work 24 hours a day. By 2050, we will see robots everywhere—in factories, schools, offices, hospitals, shops and homes.
Medical technology will have conquered many diseases. Today, there are devices（设备）that connect directly to the brain to help people hear. By 2050, we will be able to help blind and deaf people to see and hear again.
Scientist will have discovered how to control genes（基因）. Scientists have already produced clones（克隆）of animals. By 2050, scientists will be able to produce clones of people, and decide how they look, how they behave and how clever they are. Scientists will be able to do these things, but should they?
小题1:According to the passage, the following can be realized today EXCEPT __________. | A．reading newspapers on a computer | | B．making a space shuttle go into space and land on Earth again | | C．creating cloned animals | | D．choosing TV programs freely from a “menu” |
小题2:We can learn from the passage that some big companies prefer robots to human workers, because human workers __________.| A．can work 24 hours a day | | B．often ask for more pay | | C．are not clever enough | | D．are often late for work |
小题3:From Paragraph 5 we can infer that __________.| A．there will be no blind and deaf people by 2050 | | B．few diseases will attack people by 2050 | | C．devices are connected directly to the brain to help people hear | | D．medical technology will be more effective by 2050 |
小题4:What is the author’s attitude towards the cloning technology?| A．The author does not support the use of cloning technology. | | B．The author thinks human cloning is impossible. | | C．The author does not really support the idea of human cloning. | | D．The author is quite excited about human cloning. |
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A farm planted levels or floors is called a vertical（垂直的）farm. A skyscraper type building can house a vertical farm. Since the garden is built upwards，rather than outwards，it requires much less space than a conventional farm.
The world is quickly running out of room for conventional farming. Vertical farms could be a key to this situation. An 18story vertical farm could feed as many as 50,000 people，all in an area which is the size of the average city block. Vertical farms in the city could cut down on transportation costs as well. Think about the amount of fuel it takes to transport food from farmland to city. The resources saved would be surprising. Besides saving travel time，food would be delivered in fresher condition and with less damage.
There is a growing concern about the use of pesticides(***虫剂) in agriculture today. But the vertical farm would be a greenhouse type environment, avoiding the need for a large number of pesticides. Vertical farms can be built in a contained space，therefore they are an excellent solution for living well in an environment far different from our own. Hydroponics(水耕法) could be a big part of vertical gardening. This would reduce the amount of soil needed to grow food. Of course，not all food does well with this type of planting，but there are many crops that actually seem to do better.
In some climates，a lack of sunlight creates a short growing season. The solar power option may not work as well here. The addition of grow lights would make it possible to grow crops in vertical gardens in these areas .In other words，we could grow crops in areas where we never could before.
Vertical farms may just be a concept for now，but they are a concept that will solve many of our problems in the future.
小题1:According to the passage, a vertical farm________.| A．is mainly built outwards | | B．is dependent on solar power | | C．is planted on levels upwards | | D．is only an environmental friendly farm |
小题2:Compared to the conventional farm, the vertical farm can________.| A．depend far less on sunlight | | B．greatly increase the use of soil | | C．help to protect the limited gardens | | D．reduce the use of harmful pesticides |
小题3:It can be learned from the passage that vertical farms________.| A．have been put into use | | B．only use hydroponics to grow food | | C．need less room than conventional farms | | D．may increase the transportation costs |
小题4:What would be the best title for the passage?| A．Vertical farms for our future | | B．Ways to deal with future problems | | C．Vertical farms and green skyscrapers | | D．Making Full Use of Our Limited Land |
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More than a hundred adults and kids gather for the Star Party on a cold evening, chattering excitedly as they stand in the dark on a Virginia hillside. The odd thing is, no one has turned on a flashlight, and no streetlights or house lights wink(闪烁) on around them.
These people have traveled to the countryside more than an hour from Washington, D. C., to get away from the glow of city lights. That"s because they are attending a star party. Star parties are gatherings where professional and amateur astronomers set up their telescopes and invite people to come learn about the night sky. Getting away from light pollution, or artificial skylight from buildings for example, helps stargazers (看星星的人) see objects in the sky much better.
At this star party, Sean O"Brien of the National Air and Space Museum’s Einstein Planetarium starts off by asking the crowd to simply look up and take in all they can see. He points out plenty of things that can be seen without special equipment. Stars, satellites, and even the Andromeda galaxy(仙女座) can be found if you know where to look.
After that, several dozen astronomers offer close-up views. Each has focused their telescope on a different part of the sky. As kids take a look, the owner gives a mini-lesson.
O’Brien says you can have your own star party at home and learn a lot just by paying attention to what"s happening up above. "Watch the sky as the seasons pass, and you will see that it changes," he says. "Or start with the moon. Notice when and where you are seeing it—maybe even in the early morning while you wait for the school bus. "
小题1:What was it special about the Star Party ?| A．It was organized by the local authority. | | B．It was carried out without any lights. | | C．It was so cold that people chatted to cheer up. | | D．It was held in the town center of Virginia |
小题2:According to the passage, who were involved in the activity ?
a. some invited guests
b. some government officials
c. some experts in astronomy
d. those who were interested in astronomy
e. students who were major in agriculture| A．a, c, d | B．a, d, e | C．b, d, e | D．c, d, e |
小题3:From the passage, we can infer that if you want to see the objects in the sky .| A．you"d better escape from pollution and sunlight | | B．you"d better follow Sean O"Brien"s guidance | | C．you"d better buy some advanced equipment | | D．you"d better make use of your imagination |
小题4:Which of the following can be best describe what O"Brien says about discovering the stars"?| A．Roman is not built in a day. | | B．No pains, no gains. | | C．All roads lead to Roman. | | D．Time and tide wait for no man. |
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Education is not an end, but a means to an end. In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them. Our purpose is to fit them for life.
In some modern countries it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all — one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see that free education for all is not enough; we find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degree; they refuse to do what they think “low” work; and, in fact, work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries. But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor; we can live without education, but we die if we have no food. If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases in our towns…
In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we must be educated in such a way that, firstly, each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains and ability and, secondly, that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society, and that is very bad to be ashamed of one’s work. Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society.
小题1:The writer of the passage thinks that _______.| A．education can settle most of the world’s problems | | B．free education for all probably leads to a perfect world | | C．free education won’t help to solve problems | | D．all the social problems can’t be solved by education |
小题2:The writer wants to prove that _______.| A．our society needs all kinds of jobs | | B．our society needs free education for all | | C．a farmer is more important than a professor | | D．work with hands is the most important |
小题3:The purpose of education is _______.| A．to choose officials for the country | | B．to prepare children mainly for their future work | | C．to let everyone receive education fit for him | | D．to build a perfect world |
小题4:The passage tells us about _______ of the education.| A．the means | B．the system | C．the value | D．the type |
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