阅读理解。
Today, the world is rapidly urbanizing. With half of the world population expected to live in cities by
the early part of the 21st century, the Shanghai 2010 World Expo's focus on a better city bears
profound meaning.
What might future cities look like 28 years from now? Here are some scenarios: things to come, things
to go.
Zero waste
Waste disposal is one of the biggest headaches for cities.Apart from recyclable waste, everything is
buried or incinerated, only to pollute the environment.Plastic waste remains underground for several
decades.The world produces much more garbage that it can dispose of.
Now at the Expo, all waste is delivered to a compression station where the waste is sorted, filtered,
decontaminated, deodorized and compressed before finally being disposed of at designated spots.In
Beijing, people living in the Asuwei area turn their household waste into organic fertilizers which are
used to grow plants at residence communities.
No more transportation problems during Spring Festival
The Spring Festival, the most important Chinese holiday when everyone returns home, has caused
headaches for millions of Chinese.More than 2 billion people travel at the same time, making obtaining
travel tickets and the journey difficult.
But in 28 years.Spring Festival travel may not be a problem at all.China plans to have more than
120,000 kilometers of railway and a rapid transportation network that will serve 90 percent of the
population by 2020.And because most of China will be cities, people will not have to go to other
places to find a job, so migration will no longer be so large-scale.
Newspapers to disappear
American scholar Philip Meyer predicts that newspaper will come to an end in 2043.Utagawa
Reizou, former editor-in-chief of The Mainichi Daily News.believes that the newspaper will be gone
in 2030. This kind of prediction may worry those in print news business. In the U.K., the circulations
of national newspapers are declining. Major Japanese newspapers have gone into debt. In the US,
declining circulations and ad revenues have forced several newspapers to stop printing paper
Editions
Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch thinks the future of media relies on interaction through the Internet.
In the future, digital newspapers will be sent to portal web terminals through wirelessly.Readers can
discuss issues with journalists and editors.Information will move faster.
Oil to run out
In August 2009, Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency, said that oil is
running out faster than expected and that the world will likely feel the tightness in supply in the next five
years. Scientists have found substitutes for oil as fuel,coal,natural gas,solar power, nuclear power and
even water can replace oil as sources of energy.Flammable ice reserves alone can support humans for
the next 1,000 years.
1.By now, the world population in cities has grown to about _____.
A. 6.9 billion
B. 0.75 billion
C. 3.5 billion
D. 1.3 billion
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Everything buried or incinerated, besides recyclable waste, pollutes the environment.
B. People deal with their household waste in an environmental-friendly way in the Asuwei area, Beijing.
C. More than 2 billion people suffer from headaches during the Spring Festival in China.
D. By 2020, 90 percent of the population will have to go to other places to find a job.
3.According to the American predictor Philip Meyer, what will happen in 2043?
A. Newspaper will disappear.
B. Japan has to stop printing newspaper.
C. Digital newspaper will be sent to portal web terminals.
D. Information will move faster.
4._____ can replace oil as sources of energy in the future.
A. Coal and natural gas
B. Solar power and nuclear power
C. Water and flammable ice reserves
D. All the above
5.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. The Shanghai 2010 World Expo
B. What will city life be like in 28 years
C. A rapidly urbanizing world
D. Things to come, things to go
