时间：2025-08-11 10:38:13 点击:2
2013-text-3 1.Upuntil a few decades ago, our visionsof the future were largely—though by no means uniformly—glowingly positive.Science and technology would cure all the ills of humanity, leading to lives of fulfillment andopportunity for all. ①vision[ˈvɪʒn] n.愿景；想象 ②by nomeans 绝不 ③uniformly[ˈjuːnɪfɔːmlɪ] adv.一致地；④glowingly[ˈɡloʊɪŋlɪ] adv.发光地，灼热地 ⑤ill n.问题；困难 ⑥fulfillment[fʊlˈfɪlmənt] n.实现；完成 2.Now utopia has grownunfashionable, as we have gained a deeper appreciation of the range of threats facing us,from asteroidstrike to epidemicflu and to climate change. You might even be tempted to assume that humanity has little futureto look forward to. ⑦utopia[juːˈtoʊpiə]n.乌托邦 ⑧appreciation [əˌpriːʃiˈeɪʃn]n.感谢；欣赏 ⑨asteroid[ˈæstərɔɪd] n.小行星 ⑩epidemica.流行的；传染性的 n.流行病 pandemic 全球性的大流行病 11tempt [tempt] v.诱惑temptation n. 3.Butsuch gloominess is misplaced. The fossil record shows thatmany species have enduredfor millions of years—so why shouldn’t we? Take a broader look at our species’ place in theuniverse, and it becomes clear that we have an excellent chance of surviving for tens, ifnot hundreds, of thousands of years. Look up Homo sapiens in the “Red List” of threatened species of theinternational Union for the Concentration of Nature (IUCN), and you will read:“Listed as Least Concern as the species is very widely distributed, adaptable, currentlyincreasing, and there are no major threats resulting in an overall population decline.” 12gloominess [ˈɡluːmɪnɪs]n.悲观；沮丧 13misplace [ˌmɪsˈpleɪs]v.放错地方 14fossil [ˈfɒsl] n.化石 15endure [ɪnˈdʊr] v.持续；忍受 16broader [ˈbrɔdər]a.更广阔的 17have an excellentchance of 几率很大 18threatened [ˈθretnd]a. 受到威胁的； 19adaptable [əˈdæptəbl]a.适应力强的 20population [ˌpɑːpjuˈleɪʃn]n.人口 21decline [dɪˈklaɪn]n.减少；衰落 4.Sowhat does our deep future hold? A growing number of researchers andorganizations are now thinking seriously about that question. For example, theLong Now Foundation has as its flagship project a mechanical clock that is designed to still be marking timethousands of years hence. 22flagship[ˈflæɡʃɪp]n.旗舰 23mechanical[məˈkænɪkl]a.机械的 24hence [hens]因此；（未来一段时间）之后 5.Perhapswillfully, it maybe easier to think about such lengthy timescales than about the more immediate future.The potential evolution of today’s technology, and its social consequences, is dazzlingly complicated,and it’s perhaps best left to science-fiction writers and futurologists to explore the many possibilities wecan envisage.That’s one reason why we have launched Arc, a new publication dedicated to the nearfuture. 25willfully ['wɪlfəlɪ]adv.蓄意地；任性地 26timescale [ˈtaɪmskeɪl]n.时间跨度 27dazzlingly [ˈdæzlɪŋli]adv.耀眼地；令人目眩地 28fiction [ˈfɪkʃn]n.小说 29futurologist[ˌfjuːtʃəˈrɑːlədʒɪst] n.未来学家30envisage[ɪnˈvɪzɪdʒ]v.设想；想象 31dedicate to v.致力于 6.Buttake a longer view and there is a surprising amount that we can say with considerable assurance. As so often,the past holds the key to the future: we have nowidentified enough of the long-term patterns shaping the history of the planet, and ourspecies, to make evidence-based forecasts about the situations in which our descendants will findthemselves. 32considerable [kənˈsɪdərəbl]a.相当多的 33assurance [əˈʃʊrəns]n.确定；保证 34shape [ʃeɪp] v.塑造；n.形状 35forecast [ˈfɔːkɑːst]n.&v. 预测 36descendant [dɪˈsendənt]n. 后代；子孙 we havenow identified enough of the long-term patterns（shaping the history of 主语 谓语 宾语 后置定语 the planet, and our species）, to make evidence-based forecasts about the situations to do 表目的 inwhich our descendants will find themselves. where 定语从句 7. Thislong perspectivemakes the pessimisticview of our prospectsseem more likely to be a passingfad. To be sure, the future is not all rosy. But we are now knowledgeable enough to reduce many of the risksthat threatened the existence of earlier humans, and to improve the lot of those to come. 37perspective [pərˈspektɪv]n.视角；观点 38pessimistic [ˌpesɪˈmɪstɪk]a.消极的 39prospect [ˈprɑːspekt]n.前景； 40a passing fad 一时的流行 41rosy [ˈroʊzi] a.粉红色的；美好的 42knowledgeable [ˈnɒlɪdʒəbl]a.博学的 43lot 命运 31.Our vision of the future used to be inspired by _______. [A]our desire for lives of fulfillment. [B]our faith in science and technology. [C]our awareness of potential risks. [D]our belief in equal opportunity. 32.The IUCN’s “Red List” suggests that human beings are _______. [A]a misplaced race. [B]a sustained species. [C]the world’s dominantpower. [D]a threat to the environment. 44dominant [ˈdɑːmɪnənt]a.统治的；占主导的 33.Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 5? [A]The interest in science fiction is on the rise. [B]Arc helps limit the scope of futurological studies. [C]Technology offers solutions to social problems. [D]Our immediate future is hard to conceive. 45conceive[kənˈsiːv]v.设想； 34.To ensure the future of mankind, it is crucial to _______. [A]draw on our experience from the past. [B]adopt an optimistic view of the world. [C]explore our planet’s abundant resources. [D]curb our ambitionto reshape history. 46ambition [æmˈbɪʃn]野心；ambitious有野心的 35.Which of the following would be the best title for the text? [A]Uncertainty about Our Future [B]Evolution of the Human Species [C]The Ever-bright Prospects of Mankind. [D]Science, Technology and Humanity. |
