高三任务型阅读专练（二）.doc

任务型阅读专练(二)An Event of ImaginationThe year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.On 17 July, a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earths atmosphere with a massive explosion. About half of the piece is destroyed, but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the seabed. Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole. The wall of water, a kilometer high, rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned.Before the waves reach South America, the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina. Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains. The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes. Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead, but the north wont escape for long. Because of the explosions, the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, and temperature around the world falls to almost zero. Crops are ruined. The sun wont be seen again for many years. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later, no more than 10 million remain alive.Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs (恐龙) were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldnt live through the cold climate that followed and they died out. Will we meet the same end?ReasonsResultsOne piece hits the South Atlantic at 200 times 71 72 the speed of sound.The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the seabed. A tsunami(海啸) hits southern Africa, 73 cities on the African coast, and 74 millions of people.A 75 76 happens when the four-kilometer-wide piece of comet enters the Earths 77 .The sun is hidden by clouds of dust and the temperature falls to almost zero, 78 crops. Wars break out for food and only 10 million people remain. The human beings are 79 the danger of 80 out. Since the beginning of human evolution, men have migrated（迁移）across continents in search of food, shelter, safety, and comfortable weather. People still move for these reasons, but new reasons for human migration are arising, such as job relocation(重新安置) and overpopulation. Three million migrants are moving from poor countries to wealthier ones each year, and increasingly, their destination is a neighboring country in developing parts of the world. People are moving within the developing world for the same reasons as they migrate to wealthier nations. People from poor countries are going to less poor countries, fleeing wars and conflicts. They are also responding to population pressures because some countries are densely populated, and they often have high population growth. Those people need to go somewhere else. There are three main reasons why people move. The basic categories and percentages are as follows, according to the Current Population Surveys (CPS): Family-related reasons account for 26.3%, including changes in marital（婚姻的） status, establishing a household and other family reasons; work-related reasons 16.2%, including job transfer, retirement, and other job-related reasons; housing-related reasons 51.6%, including new and better houses, better neighborhood, cheaper housing and other housing reasons; the remaining 5.9% of other reasons are attending college, the change of climate and health reasons. Americans have been migrating south and west for decades in search of better job opportunities and warmer climates. They have also been moving to places a little far from cities, in search of bigger yards and houses, lower crime rates and better schools. In 1950, nearly a fifth of the population lived in the nations 20 largest cities. In 2006, it was about one in ten. Thats why many American people say, “Big Cities Shrink as People Move South, West.” Between March 2005 and March 2007, 73.4 million Americans moved. Fifty-six percent of these moves were within the same country. Twenty percent were between counties but in the same state. Nineteen percent were moves to a different state. Some families even went abroad. Title: People on the 71 Lead-inThroughout human 72 , people have migrated across continents.An 73 number of people from poor countries are moving to 74 countries, especially neighboring ones._75 for peoples migrationAccording to the CPS, the 76 of people move to other places for reasons 77 to housing.Americans have long been moving south and west, looking 78 a better job chance, a warmer 79 and a bigger yard, etc.ConclusionNow every year more and more people move to other places, which seems to have become a global 80 .Third-generation mobile phones, known as 3G, are the next big step for the telecom industry. Data speed in 3G networks is much quicker than that in present technology. This means users can have high-speed Internet access and enjoy video and CD-quality music on their phones. “Mobile data is not a dream; its not an option but a requirement,” said Len Lauer, head of a US communications company, Sprint PCS, at a 3G conference in Bangkok earlier this month.With 3G, you can forget about text messages telling you yesterdays news; a 3G phone can receive video news programs, updated four times a day. Internet access will also be much quicker, making it easier to surf the Web on your phone than on your computer at home.Face-to-face video callsDont worry about getting lost. 3G phones offer map services so you can find a new restaurant just by pressing a few keys on your handset.However, the most impressive part of 3G technology is video calling. With live two-way video communication, you can have face-to-face talks with friends and family on your mobile phone.Many European countries have already launched the service. In May 2000 the US Government issued five license to run 3G wireless services, while the first 3G phones arrived in Italy in March this year.International telecom companies cant wait to sell 3G in China, the worlds largest mobile telecommunications market. But they will have to be patient. At the moment, China is busy testing its 3G-based technologies, networks and services. This will be followed by a trial period before the phones can finally hit the shops.“We need to create a pool of 3G customers before the large-scale commercial launch of the service,” said Fan Yunjun, marketing manager for Beijing Mobile. “We expect that the 3G licenses will be issued late next year.”Third-generation mobile phones (3G mobile phones)(1) _a. Data speed: (2) _ than present technologyb. Video and (3) _ musicc. Video news programs: (4) _ four times a dayd. Internet access: quicker and (5) _Impressive functionsa. Offer (6) _ services, helping you find your wayb. Provide two-way video (7) _3G phones in Chinaa. China is busy (8) _ its 3G-based technologies, networks and services.b. 3G phones should go through a (9) _ period before being put into market.c. 3G phones are expected to be seen (10) _ next year.The day that a robot wakes you up, cleans your room and walks your dog might still be a few decades off. But increasingly, engineers are saying that robots are going to make the leap from the factory floor to your family room.Companies like Sony and General Electric are working on designs for small robots. Products like the Roomba, a robot that can clean floors, are flying off the shelves. On the cover of a recent issue of Scientific American magazine, Bill Gates predicted the “Dawn of the Age of Robots”.Whats behind this new era (时代)? Its partly a matter of technology. Devices that can recognize and respond to a human voice have been developed. There are now a few different ways for robots to move around. They can walk, crawl or ride on wheels. They are being made smaller and smaller. They are also becoming more and more energy efficient.A bigger part of the story is on the demand side. From the day Robert Adler invented the television remote control in the 1950s, people around the world have tirelessly searched for ways to get lazier.Also take into consideration the increasing wealth of rich people, the time appears ripe to introduce robots to ease our daily lives.To be sure, robots that walk on two legs and talk like people are still too complex for our present engineering abilities. Todays robot revolution is to make them for everyday use. Robots will do basic housework such as cleaning or gardening, or just help you have more fun on the basketball court.What makes a robot different from an ordinary cleaning machine is not the presence of computer chips (芯片). Nowadays even your microwave has a computer chip. It is the ability to sense and make changes to the environment in real time.For example, a floor-cleaning robot should be able to sense