阅读理解
Unit 6 Life in the Future Reading LIFE IN THE FUTURE
What life will be like in the future is difficult to predict.
It is,however,possible to use models to make forecasts about future developments.
One way to catch a glimpse of the future
is to examine some of the major trends in contemporary society.
TRANSPORTATION
Current trends indicate that transportation is becoming cleaner,faster and safer.
Public transportation is already well developed in most urban areas of China.
New technology is being used to make sure that the cars,
taxis,buses and trains we use do not pollute the air.
A good example of how transportation is changing is the new maglev train,
which is environ mentally friendly,
energy-saving and travels at an amazing 430 km/h.
To ensure safety,the train is controlled by an advanced computer system.
Scientists are also developing new fuels
and engines that will let us travel
without worrying about whether we are polluting the environment.
BUS INESS It will not be business as usual in the future.
Many companies and consumers have already begun reforming the way they do business
E-commerce,or business done on the Internet,is becoming more and more popular
as people discover the advantages of online shopping.
The Internet also makes it easier for companies to keep in touch with customers
and companies in other countries.
For people who do go out to shops,shopping is no longer just a necessity.
It has become a form of entertainment.
Instead of searching a crowded store for basic goods,such as food and clothes,
people want to go to a pleasant mall and combine shopping with fun.
The malls of the future will be like small cities where you can shop,eat,
see a film and even dance.
To pay for their purchases,people will use smart cards,
which contain a tiny chip,instead of cash.
People in the future will be able to enjoy a longer and healthier life and remain active even in old age.
People now are paying more attention to the importance of a healthy diet and an active life.
They are careful about what they eat and exercise regularly.
Advances in medical science also allow us to deal with new diseases,such as SARS.
Some diseases,for example smallpox,have already been successfully defeated.
With a better understanding of the human body,
scientists and physicians will be able to cure more diseases.
Perhaps more importantly,new discoveries in genetics and biochemistry
may lead to changes in the way diseases are cured and medicines are made.
Education and Knowledge
Homework will always be homework,but the schools of the future
will probably be quite different from what they are today
We can study at home by watching educators on TV or on a computer screen.
In the future,there may be more "schools on the air" and "e-schools".
Real classrooms will always be popular,
but distance education will help people study
whenever they have time and wherever they may be.
The way we view learning and knowledge is also changing.
Instead of being students only when we are young,we will become lifelong learners.
It is certain that things will change.
We cannot be sure whether our dreams will come true,
but we can at least be hopeful that our efforts to improve the world will be successful.
If we learn to accept change and appreciate what is new and different,
we will be well-prepared for whatever the future may have in store.
综合技能
Integrating skills reading Greeting From the Future
Dear...Life in the year 3044 is very different from life in the 21st century
We still do many of the thins you did,but we do them differently.
For example,we now have e-friends to help us and keep us company.
An e-friend is a machine that looks just like a human being.
It can walk and talk and can do almost everything we human beings do.
My e-friend is a lot like me and we have lots of fun together.
She helps me with my homework and we often go swimming.
She is programmed to take care of me if anything happens,
so I always feel safe when we are together.
She can also send me messages,just like old-fashioned e-mail,
and I can download information from her memory.
It's great to have an e-friend.
I am never lonely and I always have someone to talk to.
We don't think about the world and reality in the same way you did either.
You used computer programmes to imitate the real world
and called it "virtual reality".
In the year 3044,we use computer programmes that can imitate the world
and people so well that we can see them,hear them,touch them,talk to them,
and feel them they are just like the real world and real people.
This may sound absurd to you,but if you think about it a little,
it may not seem so strange after all.
For example,
if you use a telephone that changes a person's voice into ones and zeroes,
as a digital phone does,
you still think that the voice you hear is "real",don't you?
you can recognise a person's voice on the phone
and you can hear if the person is happy,sad,interested,etc.
If you use a cellphone that shows a picture of the person you are speaking to,
that image is "real" too.
In the year 3044,we can see more than just a picture;
we see a lifelike model of the person.
Sometimes it is difficult to tell what is "real" and what is an image.
I would like to tell you about life in the year 3044,
but I have to send my e-friend to clean up my room.
Maybe some day I will be able to travel back in time and visit you.
Sincerely,Mekanika
课后练习
Work book Unit 6 Integrating skills
Reading WHERE IS THE FUTURE GOING?
Our work habits have changed a lot over the past thirty years.
While our parents may have expected to stay in one job,
with one company,for their whole life,
we are faced with the possibility of changing jobs and even careers several times.
Our understanding of education,
work and society is different from that of earlier generations.
It is not only the way we work and view the job market that has changed;
many of today's jobs will either disappear or change in the next ten years or so.
People in the future will still need food,of course,
but the way we produce food will not be the same.
Small farms that use old methods
will be replaced by large farms with high efficiency.
The good news for small farmers
is that there will also be opportunities for new kinds of farming,
for example farms that grow organic food and environ men tally friendly food.
As people become more educated and care more about what they eat,
the need for specialised products will grow
and a new market will open up for farmers.
Marketing people for large companies will find that the need for their services
is not as strong as it once was.
Companies can now take care of most of their business through the Internet
and other communication channels.
Fortunately,buyers and sellers have skills that will be useful in the future.
Because they know how to predict what consumers want to buy,
they can find new jobs in areas such as marketing and product design.
There are others who may be able to use the skills they have today
in new jobs tomorrow.
People who used to decide who should get money for government programmes
can find new opportunities to work as interviewers
in areas like marketing and research.
What about people who work with computers?
Well,things will change for them,too.
More advanced computer programmes and new technologies
will remove the need for computer operators who perform simple actions.
The Internet makes it possible for consumers to enter information online.
Modern search engines
can do many of the things that yesterday's computer operators did.
Word processing and simple information handling can be done automatically.
For people with these skills,there will be new jobs as database managers.
A rapidly changing job market al so creates new challenges for students,
teachers and parents.
The so-called "generation gap" the difference in values,skills,
education and desires between two generations is growing
and it is becoming more difficult for parents
to under stand the kind of world their children are entering.
Schools and teachers are also facing difficulties
as they try to adapt to the new needs of their students,
and the students themselves have to try to deal with all the changes and many questions.
Where is the future going and what can we do to find a place for ourselves in it?
There are no easy answers,but we can try to turn challenges into opportunities.
As the job market changes, new areas of growth appear.
If we become good learners,
and if we work together with our parents,friends and teachers,
we can find ways to create a future
where there is room for all of us to do what we are good at and enjoy.
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