Michael， a typical （典型的） American， stays home on workdays. He plugs into his personal computer terminal （接线端） in order to connect with the office. After work， he puts on his headphones， watches a movie on his home video recorder， or plays baseball on the computer. On many days， Michael doesnt talk to any other human beings， and he doesnt see any people except the ones on television①. Michael is imaginary， but his lifestyle is very possible. The inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from contact with our fellow human beings.
The world of business is one area in which technology is isolating （使隔离） us. Experts say， for example， that many people will soon be able to work at home. With access to a large central computer， employees such as office clerks， insurance agents， and accountants could do their jobs at display terminals in their own homes②. They would never have to actually see the people theyre dealing with. In addition， the way employees are paid will change. Workers salaries will be automatically paid into their bank accounts （账户）， making paper checks （支票） unnecessary. No workers will stand in line to receive their pay or cash their checks. Personal banking will change， too. Customers will deal with machines to put in or take out money from their accounts.
Another area that technology is changing is entertainment. Music， for instance， was once a group experience. People listened to music at concert halls or in small social gatherings. For many people now， however， music is an individual experience. Walking along the street or sitting in their living rooms， they wear headphones to build a wall of music around them. Movie entertainment is changing， too. Movies used to be social events. Now， fewer people are going out to see a movie. Many more are choosing to wait for a film to appear on television or are borrowing videotapes to watch at home. Instead of laughing with others， viewers watch movies in their own living rooms.
译注
① On many days， Michael doesnt talk to any other human beings， and he doesnt see any people except the ones on television.
许多日子，迈克尔都没有和任何人说过话；除了电视上的人，他没有见过任何人。
② With access to a large central computer， employees such as office clerks， insurance agents， and accountants could do their jobs at display terminals in their own homes.
与大的中央电脑连接，办公室职员、保险代理和会计等职员就可在家里的显示器终端工作了。
根据文章内容，选择正确答案：
1. After work， Michael likes to .
A. listen to music at the concert hall
B. watch a movie in his living room
C. run a program on his computer in his office
D. play baseball with his workmates
2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage？
A. Clerks will be able to work at home.
B. One can play baseball on the computer.
C. One can listen to music without disturbing others.
D. One can borrow books from libraries at home.
3. The sentence “Michael is imaginary， but his lifestyle is very possible” means .
A. Michael is a person full of imagination and he can make his dreams come true
B. Michael is not a real person but probably the lifestyle does exist
C. Michael has ambitions but he cant make his dreams come true
D. Michael is a person full of imagination and his lifestyle is common nowadays
4. What will the author most probably discuss after the last paragraph？
A. Games and sports.
B. Personal banking.
C. Music and films.
D. International business.
5. What is the main idea of the passage？
A. We may no longer need to communicate with other human beings.
B. Modern technology seems to be separating human beings.
C. We may no longer need to work in the office.
D. Modern technology makes it possible for us to work and entertain ourselves at home.
完形填空
Passage D
In 1990 a report was published about what the earth might be like 20 years from then on①. The report was a result of a threeyear1.
According to the report， the picture of the earth in the year 2010 is not a2 one. The world will be more3 because the population will continue to grow. The population could be 46，300 million， almost 2，500 million more than that in 1985. More people would move into cities， especially cities in5 countries. Cities like Cairo and Jakarta probably would6 have15 million by then.
Food production will7 ， but not enough to feed all the people. Farmers will grow 90% more food than they did in 1985，8 most of the increase would be in countries that9 produce enough food for their people. Little increase is10 in South Asia， Africa and the Middle East. Poor farming ways are11 large areas of crop land， changing farms into deserts. More farmland is12 as cities become larger and more houses are built.13 will get worse as industrial countries burn more coal and oil. Many of the worlds14 could disappear as more and more trees are cut down. Energy will continue to be a serious problem. The experts say their picture of the earth for the year 2010 15. They only carried out the situation that16 today. By changing the situation， by17 the problems， the picture can be changed. There is18 time for the nations of the world to work19 a plan of action. But they warned that20 too long to make decisions would greatly reduce the chances of success.
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