So what does our deepfuture hold? A growing number of researchers and organisations are now thinkingseriously about that question. For example, the Long Now Foundation has itsflagship project a medical clock that is designed to still be marking timethousands of years hence 。

　　Perhaps willfully , itmay be easier to think about such lengthy timescales than about the more immediatefuture. The potential evolution of today's technology, and its socialconsequences, is dazzlingly complicated, and it's perhaps best left to sciencefiction writers and futurologists to explore the many possibilities we canenvisage. That's one reason why we have launched Arc, a new publicationdedicated to the near future。

　　But take a longer viewand 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 enoughof the long-term patterns shaping the history of the planet, and our species,to make evidence-based forecasts about the situations in which our descendantswill find themselves。

　　This long perspectivemakes the pessimistic view of our prospects seem more likely to be a passingfad. To be sure, the future is not all rosy. But we are now knowledgeableenough to reduce many of the risks that threatened the existence of earlierhumans, and to improve the lot of those to come。

　　31. Our vision of thefuture used to be inspired by

　　[A] our desire forlives of fulfillment

　　[B] our faith inscience and technology

　　[C] our awareness ofpotential risks

　　[D] our belief in equalopportunity

　　32. The IUCN’s “RedList” suggest that human being are

　　[A] a sustained species

　　[B] a threaten to theenvironment

　　[C] the world’sdominant power

　　[D] a misplaced race

　　33. Which of thefollowing is true according to Paragraph 5?

　　[A] Arc helps limit thescope of futurological studies。

　　[B] Technology offerssolutions to social problem。

　　[C] The interest inscience fiction is on the rise。

　　[D] Our Immediatefuture is hard to conceive。

　　34. To ensure thefuture of mankind, it is crucial to

　　[A] explore ourplanet’s abundant resources

　　[B] adopt an optimisticview of the world

　　[C] draw on ourexperience from the past

　　[D] curb our ambitionto reshape history

　　35. Which of thefollowing would be the best title for the text?

　　[A] Uncertainty aboutOur Future

　　[B] Evolution of theHuman Species

　　[C] The Ever-brightProspects of Mankind

　　[D] Science, Technologyand Humanity

　　Text 4

　　On a five to three vote,the Supreme Court knocked outmuch of Arizona's immigration law Monday-a modest policy victory for the ObamaAministration.But on the more important matter of the Constitution,the decisionwas an 8-0 defeat for the federal government and the states。

　　An arizona.United States,the majority overturned threeof the four contested provisions of Arizona's controversial plan to have stateand local police enfour federal immigrations law.The Constitutional principlesthat Washington alone has the power to "establish a uniform Rule ofAnturalization" and that federal laws precede state laws arenoncontroversial.Arizona had attempted to fashion state police that ran to theexisting federal ones。

　　Justice Anthony Kennedy,joined by Chief Justice JohnRoberts and the Court's liberals,ruled that the state flew too close to thefederal sun .On the overturned provisions the majority held the congress haddeliberately "occupied the field " and Arizona had thus intruded onthe federal's privileged powers

　　However,the Justices said that Arizona police would beallowed to verify the legal status of people who come in contact with lawenforcement.That’s because Congress has always envisioned joint federal-stateimmigration enforcement and explicitly encourages state officers to shareinformation and cooperate with federal colleagues。

　　Two of the three objecting Justice-Samuel Alito andClarence Thomas-agreed with this Constitutional logic but disagreed about whichArizona rules conflicted with the federal statute. The only major objectioncame from Justice Antonin Scalia,who offered an even more robust defense ofstate privileges going back to the alien and Sedition Acts。

　　The 8-0 objection to President Obama tures on whatJustice Samuel Alito describes in his objection as “a shocking assertionassertion of federal executive power”. The White House argued tha Arizona’slaws conflicted with its enforcement priorities, even if state laws compliedwith federal statutes to the letter. In effect, the White House claimed that itcould invalidate any otherwise legitimate state law that it disagrees with。

　　Some powers do belong exclusively to the federalgovernment,and control of citizenship and the borders is among them. But ifCongress wanted to prevent states from using their own resources to checkimmigration status,it could.It could.It never did so.The administration was inessence asserting that because it didn't want to carry out Congress's immigrationwishes,no state should be allowed to do so either.Every Justice rightlyrejected this remarkable claim。

　　36.Three provisions of Arizona’s plan were overturned because they

　　[A]deprived the federal police of Constitutional powers。

　　[B]disturbed the power balance between different states。

　　[C]overstepped the authority of federal immigration law。

　　[D]contradicted both the federal and state policies。

　　37.On which of the following did the Justices agree,according to Paragraph4?

　　[A]Federal officers’ duty to withhold immigrants’information。

　　[B]States’ independence from federal immigration law。

　　[C]States’ legitimate role in immigration enforcement。

　　[D]Congress’s intervention in immigration enforcement。

　　38.It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that the Alien and Sedition Acts

　　[A]violated the Constitution。

　　[B]undermined the states’ interests。

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