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$\quad$$\quad$Up until a few decades ago, our visions of the future were largely—though by no means uniformly—glowingly positive. Science and technology would cure all the ills of humanity, leading to lives of fulfillment and opportunity for all.
$\quad$$\quad$直到数十年前，我们对未来的想法是非常多的–尽管绝不是一致地–是乐观的。科学和技术将治愈人类的所有疾病，为所有人带来充实的生活和机会。
$\quad$$\quad$Now utopia has grown unfashionable, as we have gained a deeper appreciation of the range of threats facing us, from asteroid strike to epidemic flu and to climate change. You might even be tempted to assume that humanity has little future to look forward to.
$\quad$$\quad$现在，乌托邦已经不再流行，因为我们已经对我们面临的各种威胁有了更深的认识，从小行星撞击到流行病流感和气候变化。你甚至可能会认为人类没有什么未来可期待。
$\quad$$\quad$But such gloominess is misplaced. The fossil record shows that many species have endured for millions of years—so why shouldn’t we? Take a broader look at our species’ place in the universe, and it becomes clear that we have an excellent chance of surviving for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of years. Look up Homo sapiens in the “Red List” of threatened species of the international Union for the Concentration of Nature (IUCN), andyou will read: “Listed as Least Concern as the species is very widely distributed, adaptable, currently increasing, and there are no major threats resulting in an overall population decline.”
$\quad$$\quad$但如今这样的繁荣却消失了。化石记录显示，许多物种已经存活了数百万年，那么我们为什么不能呢?从更广的角度审视人类在宇宙中的地位，我们就会清楚地看到，我们有极好的机会生存数万年，而不是数百年，甚至数千年。在国际自然集中联盟(IUCN)的濒危物种“红色名单”中查找智人，你会看到:“被列为最不受关注的物种，因为该物种分布非常广泛，适应性强，目前正在增加，而且没有导致总体数量下降的主要威胁。”
$\quad$$\quad$So what does our deep future hold? A growing number of researchers and organisations are now thinking seriously about that question. For example, the Long Now Foundation has as its flagship project a mechanical clock that is designed to still be marking time thousands of years hence.
$\quad$$\quad$那么，我们的未来会是怎样的呢？那么，我们的未来会是怎样的呢?越来越多的研究人员和组织正在认真思考这个问题。例如，Long Now基金会的旗舰项目是一个机械钟，它的设计初衷是在几千年后仍然在计时。
$\quad$$\quad$Perhaps willfully, it may be easier to think about such lengthy timescales than about the more immediate future. The potential evolution of today’s technology, and its social consequences, is dazzlingly complicated, and it’s perhaps best left to science-fiction writers and futurologists to explore the many possibilities we can envisage. That’s one reason why we have launched Arc, a new publication dedicated to the near future.
$\quad$$\quad$也许是有意为之，考虑如此漫长的时间跨度可能比考虑更紧迫的未来更容易。当今技术的潜在进化及其社会后果是令人眼花缭乱的复杂，或许最好留给科幻小说作家和未来学家去探索我们可以想象的许多可能性。这也是我们推出Arc的原因之一，这是一份致力于不久的将来的新出版物。
$\quad$$\quad$But take a longer view and there is a surprising amount that we can say with considerable assurance. As so often, the past holds the key to the future: we have now identified enough of the long-term patterns shaping the history of the planet, and our species, to make evidence-based forecasts about the situations in which our descendants will find themselves.
$\quad$$\quad$但从长远来看，我们可以相当肯定地说，有相当多的惊人数量。和往常一样，过去掌握着未来的钥匙:我们现在已经充分认识到塑造这个星球和我们物种历史的长期模式，从而对我们的后代将面临的处境做出有证据的预测。
$\quad$$\quad$This long perspective makes the pessimistic view of our prospects seem more likely to be a passing fad. To be sure, the future is not all rosy. But we are now knowledgeable enough to reduce many of the risks that threatened the existence of earlier humans, and to improve the lot of those to come.
$\quad$$\quad$这种长远的观点使我们对前景的悲观看法似乎更有可能是一种转瞬即逝的时尚。可以肯定的是，未来并不都是美好的。但我们现在有足够的知识来减少许多威胁早期人类生存的风险，并改善未来人类的命运。
31 Our vision of the future used to be inspired by .
[A] our desire for lives of fulfillment.
我们对充实生活的渴望
[B] our faith in science and technology.
我们在科学和技术方面的信念 正确
[C] our awareness of potential risks.
我们对潜在风险的意识。
[D] our belief in equal opportunity.
我们对均等机会的信念
答案定位：{ Science and technology would cure all the ills of humanity, leading to lives of fulfillment and opportunity for all.}
32 The IUCN’s “Red List” suggests that human beings are .
[A] a misplaced race.
一场错误的比赛
[B] a sustained species.
一个可持续发展的物种 正确
[C] the world’s dominant power.
世界的主宰力
[D] a threat to the environment.
环境的威胁
其他三项都是原文未提及的
33 Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 5?
[A] The interest in science fiction is on the rise.
对科幻小说方面的兴趣正在增多
[B] Arc helps limit the scope of futurological studies.
Arc帮忙限制了未来学研究的范围
[C] Technology offers solutions to social problems.
技术给社会问题提供了解决方案
[D] Our immediate future is hard to conceive.
我们不久的将来是难以想象的 正确，其他三项第五段未提及
34 To ensure the future of mankind, it is crucial to .
[A] draw on our experience from the past.
吸取过去的经验。 正确
[B] adopt an optimistic view of the world.
用乐观的态度看待世界。
[C] explore our planet’s abundant resources.
探索地球上丰富的资源。
[D] curb our ambition to reshape history.
遏制我们重塑历史的雄心。
答案定位：{we have now identified enough of the long-term patterns shaping the history of the planet, and our species, to make evidence-based forecasts about the situations in which our descendants will find themselves. }
35 Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
[A] Uncertainty about Our Future
对我们未来的不确定性
[B] Evolution of the Human Species
人类物种的进化
[C] The Ever-bright Prospects of Mankind.
人类的光明前景 正确
[D] Science, Technology and Humanity
科学、技术和人类
