Looking to the Future
When a magazine for high-school students asked its readers what life would be like in twenty years, they said: Machines would be run by solar power. Buildings would rotate so they could follow the sun to take maximum advantage of its light and heat Walls would radiate light and change color with the push of a button. Food would be replaced by pills. School would be taught by electrical impulse while we sleep. Cars would have radar. Does this sound like the year 2000? Actually, the article was written in 1958 and the question was, what will life be like in 1978?
The future is much too important to simply guess about, the way the high school students did, so experts are regularly asked to predict accurately. By carefully studying the present, skilled businessmen, scientists, and politicians are supposedly able to figure out in advance what will happen. But can they? One expert on cities wrote: Cities of the future would not be crowded, but would have space for farms and fields. People would travel to work in airbuses, large all-weather helicopters carrying up to 200 passengers. When a person left the airbus station he could drive a coin-operated car equipped with radar. The radar equipment of cars would make traffic accidents almost unheard of. Does that sound familiar? If the expert had been accurate it would, because he was writing in 1957. His subject was The city of 1982.
If the professionals sometimes sound like high-school students, its probably because future study is still a new field. But economic forecasting, or predicting what the economy will do, has been around for a long time. It should be accurate, and generally it is. But there have been some big market in the field, too. In early 1929, most forecasters saw an excellent future for the stock market. In October of that year, the stock market had its worst losses ever, ruining thousands of investors who had put their faith in financial foreseers.
One forecaster knew that predictions about the future would always be subject to significant error. In 1957, H.J.Rand of the Rad corporation was asked about the year 2000, Only one thing is certain, he answered. Children born today will have reached the age of 43.
1. The high-school students answers to What would life be like in 1978? sound
A) accurate.
B) imaginative.
C) correct.
D) foolish.
2. According to the writer, forecasting is fairly accurate in
A) politics.
B) science.
C) sociology.
D) economy.
3. Which of the following statements is not compatible with the writers comment on future study?
A) Predictions should be accurate
B) Professional sometimes sound like high-school students
C) There have been some big mistakes in the field of economic forecasting.
D) Predictions about future would always be subject to significant errors.
4. The passage Looking to the Future was most probably written
A) in 1982
B) in 1958
C) after 1958
D) in 1957
5. H.J.Rands prediction about the year 2000 shows that
A) it is easy to figure out in advance what will happen
B) it is difficult to figure out in advance what will happen
C) only professionals can figure out in advance what will happen
D) very few professionals figure out in advance what will happen
答案: BDACB
最老牌的美国热狗是哪一家?
浪费生命、蹉跎人生的50件事II
On Go to Study Abroad at Young Age 论年幼留学
国际英语资讯:EU nominates Bulgarias Georgieva as its candidate for next IMF chief
哪种坐姿最正确?这取决于你做的是哪种工作
英国新任首相鲍里斯去见女王了
健康人都有什么好习惯?
双语小说阅读:《谁动了我的奶酪》(6)
嗓音低沉者更具“领导风范”
娱乐英语资讯:Cuban musicians release album featuring traditional Chinese songs
智商高的女性更易在三十多岁时吸毒
英国8岁富翁:网上卖弹球身价愈百万
国际英语资讯:Roundup: Optimism prevails in Sudan ahead of constitutional declaration meeting
国内英语资讯:RCEP negotiations make significant headway in Beijing
国内英语资讯:56 artists celebrate 70th anniversary of PRC with 70-meter-long scroll
国内英语资讯:Root cause of fentanyl issue does not lie with China: FM spokesperson
娱乐英语资讯:Around 57,000 people attend Jennifer Lopezs 1st concert in Israel
国内英语资讯:China attaches great importance to cooperation with UN: envoy
让动物长出人类器官?日本人兽杂交胚胎实验获批
国内英语资讯:China fast tracks approval of 65 items of medical equipment
体坛英语资讯:Lynx waive Chinese forward Shao Ting
双语小说阅读:《谁动了我的奶酪》(7)
国际英语资讯:Trump signs two-year budget deal to boost spending, lift debt ceiling
浪费生命、蹉跎人生的50件事Ⅰ
LV老板超越盖茨成为世界第二富
英众多父母为孩子储存脐带血
国内英语资讯:China urges Western nations not to intervene in Hong Kong affairs
国际英语资讯:Indonesia calls for solution to end violations against children in armed conflict
国内英语资讯:China competitions for Intl Army Games 2019 kicks off
国内英语资讯:Internet economy, a key contributor to Chinas new economic driver
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |