Larry King: I'm having this conversation with you on a computer, and I'm wondering if e-mail is going to replace the post office in the future.

　　Bill Gates: E-mail won't replace the post office, but it will replace a lot of paper the post office carry around today.

　　King: Tell me how a computer will be used in the average home thirty years from now.

　　Gates: You'll have lots of thin flat screens covering the walls of your house and you'll carry a hand-held device（装置）around with you. The screens will feed whatever visual information you want--live video from a place in the world you like, an art reproduction（复制品）.

　　King: What happens when the power goes out?

　　Gates: We're very dependent today on electricity and we still will be in years. If there's a power failure, you won't get much work done, although battery technology will improve enough that short power failures won't necessarily shut down all of your computers.

　　King: Are we going to get television and news and entertainment from the Internet rather than from cable TV in the house?

　　Gates: News and entertainment will be delivered from the Internet to cable television and telephone connection in our homes. We'll access（存取）this information using a variety of devices, some of which will be like today's televisions.

　　King: Will a person be able to work in the future without having any computer skills?

　　Gates: There will still be jobs for people without computer skills, but a smaller percentage than exist today. The amount of the workforce that lacks computer skills will decrease as people not having those skills get retrained or retire. Most young people have computer skills or at least an enthusiasm（热心）to get them.

　　King: Describe an office in the future. Tele-phone? Fax machine? Conference room? Will there be an office building?

　　Gates: The key element of the office of the future is that it will have lots of flat screens, just like your house will. And these screens are going to be everywhere once they get thin enough, cheap enough, and high enough in quality. You'll carry around a lightweight screen the way you carry a wallet or cell phone or newspaper today.

(1) The main topic talked about is ________.

[　　]

A．changes in the office in the future

B．changes to be caused by computers in the future

C．life in the future

D．the importance of electricity in the future

(2) What's the main change in the post office in the future?

[　　]

A．The post office will disappear because of the use of E-mail.

B．All letters will disappear.

C．The post office will deliver much less paper.

D．The post office will use E-mail to send letters.

(3) The most important thing Gates thinks is“________”.

[　　]

(4) The same change at home and in the office in the future is that ________.

[　　]

A．many flat screens will be used

B．many computers will be used

C．people in them must master computer skills

D．News and entertainment will be delivered by cable TV

　　Larry King: I'm having this conversation with you on a computer, and I'm wondering if e-mail is going to replace the post office in the future.

　　Bill Gates: E-mail won't replace the post office, but it will replace a lot of paper the post office carry around today.

　　King: Tell me how a computer will be used in the average home thirty years from now.

　　Gates: You'll have lots of thin flat screens covering the walls of your house and you'll carry a hand-held device（装置）around with you. The screens will feed whatever visual information you want--live video from a place in the world you like, an art reproduction（复制品）.

　　King: What happens when the power goes out?

　　Gates: We're very dependent today on electricity and we still will be in years. If there's a power failure, you won't get much work done, although battery technology will improve enough that short power failures won't necessarily shut down all of your computers.

　　King: Are we going to get television and news and entertainment from the Internet rather than from cable TV in the house?

　　Gates: News and entertainment will be delivered from the Internet to cable television and telephone connection in our homes. We'll access（存取）this information using a variety of devices, some of which will be like today's televisions.

　　King: Will a person be able to work in the future without having any computer skills?

　　Gates: There will still be jobs for people without computer skills, but a smaller percentage than exist today. The amount of the workforce that lacks computer skills will decrease as people not having those skills get retrained or retire. Most young people have computer skills or at least an enthusiasm（热心）to get them.

　　King: Describe an office in the future. Tele-phone? Fax machine? Conference room? Will there be an office building?

　　Gates: The key element of the office of the future is that it will have lots of flat screens, just like your house will. And these screens are going to be everywhere once they get thin enough, cheap enough, and high enough in quality. You'll carry around a lightweight screen the way you carry a wallet or cell phone or newspaper today.

(1) The main topic talked about is ________.

[　　]

A．changes in the office in the future

B．changes to be caused by computers in the future

C．life in the future

D．the importance of electricity in the future

(2) What's the main change in the post office in the future?

[　　]

A．The post office will disappear because of the use of E-mail.

B．All letters will disappear.

C．The post office will deliver much less paper.

D．The post office will use E-mail to send letters.

(3) The most important thing Gates thinks is“________”.

[　　]

(4) The same change at home and in the office in the future is that ________.

[　　]

A．many flat screens will be used

B．many computers will be used

C．people in them must master computer skills

D．News and entertainment will be delivered by cable TV

The following conversation is between Susan Russell-Robinson from the US Geological （地质学的）Survey and Barbara Reynolds from USA Today .
Q: Why , after 600 years of no activity , did Mount Pinatubo in Philippines erupt（喷发）in 1991 ?
A: Volcanoes （火山）each have their own eruption styles . This volcano probably has a rule which makes it erupt in the order of every 500 to 1000 years , but a volcano in Hawaii seems to erupt every year , and some of the Alaskan volcanoes might erupt every 10 or 20 years .
Q: So nothing caused it ?
A: There’s nothing out of the ordinary . If you were to take an ordinary calendar year , 50 to 75 or 80 volcanoes erupt around the world every year . There are 20 to 30 volcanoes every month that show signs of unrest . That might be a full-blown eruption or a whole host of activities like that .
Q: What is “the ring of fire” ?
A: If you look at where active volcanoes are placed around the world , there are somewhere between 500 and 600 of them . There is what appears to be almost a necklace that goes around the Pacific Ocean . It makes a ring where 60% of the world’s volcanoes lie .
Q: Why such a concentration（集中）there ?
A: That’s based on a theory that the oceans and the continents are like separate pieces . When they move , one might ride up over the other one . In this case , the Pacific Ocean goes under the continents and when that happens it seems to produce magma （熔岩）at depth and then you have volcanoes in the same ring .
1．What kind of writing do you think this passage is ?
A．A text taken from a geography book .    B．An interview published in the press .
C．A conversation carried out in a film .     D．An oral test recorded as an example .
2．Which of the following statements can correctly explain why we have so many volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean ?
A．The movement of the surface of the earth makes it possible.
B．The Pacific Ocean produces magma and presses it everywhere.
C．The oceans and the continents are separated from each other.
D．The earth’s surface around the Pacific is thinner than any other part.
3．Barbara Reynolds’ main purpose here is______________ .
A．to show how dangerous volcanoes are to the world
B．to learn what signs a volcano gives us before its eruption
C．to warn the world of the existence of “the ring of fire”
D．to introduce some general idea of volcanoes to the public
4．Which of the following can be considered as the best conclusion of the conversation?
A．There are so many volcanoes in the world and we are always in danger.
B．Volcanoes have erupted more frequently than ever before.
C．Volcanoes are waiting to be better known.
D．Something must be done to protect the people near the ring of fire.

The following conversation is between Susan Russell-Robinson from the US Geological （地质学的）Survey and Barbara Reynolds from USA Today .

Q: Why , after 600 years of no activity , did Mount Pinatubo in Philippines erupt（喷发）in 1991 ?

A: Volcanoes （火山）each have their own eruption styles . This volcano probably has a rule which makes it erupt in the order of every 500 to 1000 years , but a volcano in Hawaii seems to erupt every year , and some of the Alaskan volcanoes might erupt every 10 or 20 years .

Q: So nothing caused it ?

A: There’s nothing out of the ordinary . If you were to take an ordinary calendar year , 50 to 75 or 80 volcanoes erupt around the world every year . There are 20 to 30 volcanoes every month that show signs of unrest . That might be a full-blown eruption or a whole host of activities like that .

Q: What is “the ring of fire” ?

A: If you look at where active volcanoes are placed around the world , there are somewhere between 500 and 600 of them . There is what appears to be almost a necklace that goes around the Pacific Ocean . It makes a ring where 60% of the world’s volcanoes lie .

Q: Why such a concentration（集中）there ?

A: That’s based on a theory that the oceans and the continents are like separate pieces . When continents and when that happens it seems to produce magma（熔岩）at depth and then you have volcanoes in the same ring .

1.What kind of writing do you think this passage is ?

A．A text taken from a geography book .           

B．An interview published in the press .

C．A conversation carried out in a film .             

D．An oral test recorded as an example .

2.Which of the following statements can correctly explain why we have so many volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean ?

A．The movement of the surface of the earth makes it possible.         

B．The Pacific Ocean produces magma and presses it everywhere.

     C．The oceans and the continents are separated from each other.

     D．The earth’s surface around the Pacific is thinner than any other part.

3.Barbara Reynolds’ main purpose here is          .

A．to show how dangerous volcanoes are to the world

     B．to learn what signs a volcano gives us before its eruption

     C．to warn the world of the existence of “the ring of fire”

     D．to introduce some general idea of volcanoes to the public

4.Which of the following can be considered as the best conclusion of the conversation?

A．There are so many volcanoes in the world and we are always in danger.

     B．Volcanoes have erupted more frequently than ever before.

     C．Volcanoes are waiting to be better known.

D．Something must be done to protect the people near the ring of fire. 

The following conversation is between Susan Russell-Robinson from the US Geological （地质学的）Survey and Barbara Reynolds from USA Today .

Q: Why , after 600 years of no activity , did Mount Pinatubo in Philippines erupt（喷发）in 1991 ?

A: Volcanoes （火山）each have their own eruption styles . This volcano probably has a rule which makes it erupt in the order of every 500 to 1000 years , but a volcano in Hawaii seems to erupt every year , and some of the Alaskan volcanoes might erupt every 10 or 20 years .

Q: So nothing caused it ?

A: There’s nothing out of the ordinary . If you were to take an ordinary calendar year , 50 to 75 or 80 volcanoes erupt around the world every year . There are 20 to 30 volcanoes every month that show signs of unrest . That might be a full-blown eruption or a whole host of activities like that .

Q: What is “the ring of fire” ?

A: If you look at where active volcanoes are placed around the world , there are somewhere between 500 and 600 of them . There is what appears to be almost a necklace that goes around the Pacific Ocean . It makes a ring where 60% of the world’s volcanoes lie .

Q: Why such a concentration（集中）there ?

A: That’s based on a theory that the oceans and the continents are like separate pieces . When they move , one might ride up over the other one . In this case , the Pacific Ocean goes under the continents and when that happens it seems to produce magma （熔岩）at depth and then you have volcanoes in the same ring .

1．What kind of writing do you think this passage is ?

         A．A text taken from a geography book .       B．An interview published in the press .

         C．A conversation carried out in a film .         D．An oral test recorded as an example .

2．Which of the following statements can correctly explain why we have so many volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean ?

         A．The movement of the surface of the earth makes it possible.

         B．The Pacific Ocean produces magma and presses it everywhere.

         C．The oceans and the continents are separated from each other.

         D．The earth’s surface around the Pacific is thinner than any other part.

3．Barbara Reynolds’ main purpose here is______________ .

         A．to show how dangerous volcanoes are to the world

         B．to learn what signs a volcano gives us before its eruption

         C．to warn the world of the existence of “the ring of fire”

         D．to introduce some general idea of volcanoes to the public

4．Which of the following can be considered as the best conclusion of the conversation?

         A．There are so many volcanoes in the world and we are always in danger.

         B．Volcanoes have erupted more frequently than ever before.

         C．Volcanoes are waiting to be better known.

         D．Something must be done to protect the people near the ring of fire.