新高考英语时文阅读高三专版特训(含答案解析及原文翻译)

新高考英语时文阅读高三专版特训（含答案解析及原文翻译）

A

The life of FM-2030, a transhumanist (超人文主义者) who believed humans will be able to end natural death in the future using technology, is explored in a new documentary. The film, titled

‘2030’, was released late last month and is available across multiple streaming platforms. It was made by British filmmaker Johnny Boston who interviewed a range of FM-2030’s acquaintances and scientific experts.

Transhumanists believe humans can and should use emerging future technology to greatly enhance their natural abilities. These technologies could include robotics, AI, gene therapy preventing the ageing process. This could radically change what it means to be a member of our species.

FM-2030 was born in Brussels in 1930 named Fereidoun M. Esfandiary. The son of an Iranian diplomat, he later changed his legal name to mark his belief that by 2030 we will be ageless and everyone will have an excellent chance to live forever.

FM-2030 wrote a number of books around life extension and transhumanist topics, and is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of the modern transhumanist movement. After his death in 2000, FM-2030’s body was placed in cryonic suspension in Arizona.

Mr Boston commented: “I met FM-2030 and that was his legal name when I was about 11 or

12 years old. He’d come to London with his partner at the time and they stayed with us. This was in the early 80s when he had these really off the wall ideas that we were going to live on indefinitely and that there was going to be a much more progressive politics. He talked about we were going to communicate brain to brain. There was going to be a machine that you could put in various characteristics and it was going to print stuff.”

Mr Boston went on to produce a number of videos outlining FM-2030’s ideas. He did a series

of films called the future of democracy that came out of talks that FM had done. He said,“FM really talks about what the future holds in terms of how we govern ourselves. He thinks we’ve got to useAI.”

1. What will happen in the future according to transhumanists?

A. Humans will die in a natural state.

B. Humans’life span will remain limited.

C. Humans will not need language any longer.

D. Humans’abilities will be largely improved by technologies.

2. Why did Fereidoun M. Esfandiary change his name to FM-2030?

A. Because his father forced him to do so.

B. Because he didn’t like his former name at all.

C. Because he wanted to flag his transhumanist faith.

D. Because he thought human would end natural death in 2030.

3. What does the underlined phrase “off the wall”in Paragraph 5 mean?

A. Dull.

B.Ambiguous.

C. Ridiculous.

D. Upset.

4. Which can be the best title for the passage?

A. The Uncertain Future.

B. The Film Called 2030.

C. The Ideas of Transhumanists.

D. FM-2030—ATranshumanist

B

Prepare for Water Day Zero

Earlier this year ominous①headlines blared that Cape Town, South Africa, was headed for Day Zero—the date when the city's taps would go dry because its reservoirs②would become dangerously low on water. That day—originally expected in mid-April-has been postponed until at least 2019 as of this writing, thanks to water rationing③and a welcome rainy season. But the conditions that led to this desperate situation will inevitably occur again, hitting cities all over the planet.

As the climate warms, extreme droughts and vanishing④water supplies will likely become more common. But even without the added impact of climate change, normal rainfall variation plays an enormous role in year-to-year water availability. These ordinary patterns now have extraordinary effects because urban populations have had a tremendous growth spurt

⑤: by 2050 the United Nations projects that two thirds of the world's people will live in cities. Urban planners and engineers need to learn from past rainfall variability to improve their predictions and take future demand into account to build more resilient infrastructure.

How did Cape Town get into a Day Zero situation? The city gets its water from six reservoirs in Western Cape Province, which usually fill up during the rainy season, from May through August. But since 2015 the region has been suffering from the worst drought in a century, and the water in those reservoirs dwindled⑥dangerously. Compounding the problem, Cape Town's population has grown substantially, increasing demand. The city actually did a pretty good job of keeping demand low by reducing leaks in the system, a major cause of water waste, and has even won awards for its conservation policies. But the government of South Africa was slow to declare a national disaster in the areas hit hardest by the drought, paving the way for the recent crisis. Cape Town is not alone. Since 2014 southeastern Brazil has been suffering its worst water shortage in 80 years, resulting from decreased rainfall, climate change, poor water management, deforestation and other factors. And many cities in India do not have access to municipal water for more than a few hours a day, if at all. For example, the city of Shimla ran out of drinking water in May, prompting⑦locals to beg tourists to stay away from the popular Himalayan summer retreat.

The water infrastructure in many Indian cities is old and leaky, but city governments have not repaired it. Municipalities have, however, given free electricity to farmers for irrigation, depleting local groundwater stocks.

In the U.S, the situation is somewhat better, but many urban centers still face water problems. California's recent multiyear drought led to some of the state's driest years on record. Fortunately, about half of the state's urban water usage is for landscaping, so it was able to cut back on that fairly easily. But cities that use most of their water for more essential uses, such as drinking water, may not be so adaptable. In addition to the problems that drought, climate change and population growth bring, some cities face threats of contamination ⑧; crises such as the one in Flint, Mich., arose because the city changed the source of its water, causing lead to leach into it from pipes. If other cities are forced to change their water suppliers, they could face similar woes. Fortunately, steps can be taken to avoid urban water crises. In general, a "portfolio approach"

that relies on multiple water sources is probably most effective. Cape Town has already begun implementing a number of water-augmentation projects, including tapping groundwater and