Module 3 My First Ride on a Train

高考詞匯

shoot vt. （shot，shot）射殺

train vt. 訓(xùn)練

frighten vt. 使吃驚；驚嚇

motorbike n. 摩托車

tram n. 電車

distance n. 距離

midnight n. 半夜

product n. 產(chǎn)品

scenery n. 風(fēng)景；景色

interview n. 面試；面談

interviewer n. （面試時的）主考官；面談?wù)?/p>

event n. 事件

camel n. 駱駝

cassette n. 錄音帶

journey n. 旅程

track n. 軌道

souvenir n. 紀(jì)念品

desert n. 沙漠

diamond n. 鉆石

expert n. 專家

soil n. 土壤

circus n. 馬戲團(tuán)

seaside n. 海濱

stadium n. 運(yùn)動場；體育場

eagle n. 鷹

kindergarten n. 幼兒園

apartment n. （美）公寓；單元住宅

cartoon n. 卡通；漫畫

rail n. 鐵軌

ceremony n. 儀式

abandoned adj. 被遺棄的

downtown adj. 商業(yè)區(qū)的；市中心的

常用短語

get on/off 上、下（車、船等）

get into/out of 上/下（車）

take off （飛機(jī)）起飛

be short for 是……的縮寫/簡稱

not...any more 不再

out of date 過時

refer to 指的是

in the air 在空中

on the coast 海岸；沿海岸

in the central part of 在……中心部分

in the middle of 在……中間

look out of 向……往外看

at midnight 在午夜

at a/the speed of 以……的速度

be short of 缺乏；短缺

表外詞匯

helicopter n. 直升機(jī)

vacuum n. 真空；空白

exhausted adj. 疲憊不堪的

過渡詞匯

pardon vt. n. 原諒；饒??；請再說一遍

supply vt. vi. 提供；供給

contain vt. 包含；含有

詞匯短語園地

1. train vt. vi. 訓(xùn)練；培訓(xùn)；接受訓(xùn)練

常用搭配：

（1） train （sb） as/in/for

They trained him as an engineer.

他們把他培養(yǎng)成一名工程師。

We are not trained in the matter of agricultural business.

我們在農(nóng)業(yè)生意方面沒有受到訓(xùn)練。

They spend two hours training for the race every day.

他們每天花兩個小時的時間練習(xí)賽跑。

（2） train sb to do sth

They trained the soldiers to fight.

他們訓(xùn)練士兵打仗。

2. frighten vt. 使吃驚；驚嚇

The stranger who hangs around the building frightens me.

在樓前徘徊的陌生人驚嚇了我。

（1） be frightened of sb/sth 害怕某人（事）

I am frightened of cats.

我害怕貓。

（2） be frightened to do sth 害怕做某事

I was frightened to look down from the top of the tall building.

我害怕從高樓頂上往下看。

（3） be frightened that 害怕……

The little girl was frightened that her mother wouldn’t come back.

那個小女孩害怕母親不再回來。

3. shoot vt. vi. 射殺，射擊；拍攝

The criminal shot down at the ground to frighten everyone.

罪犯向地面射擊以恐嚇人們。

They have shot several scenes this week.

本周他們已拍攝了好幾個（電影）場景。

4. journey n. 旅程

They’ve set off on a journey round the world.

他們已出發(fā)環(huán)球旅行去了。

Did you have a good journey？

你一路上順利嗎？

go on a journey 去旅行

be on a journey 在旅行中

take/make a journey 旅行

比較：travel，journey和trip的區(qū)別

travel一般指到國外或遠(yuǎn)方旅行，它同journey不同之處在于不著重某一目的地，有到各地“游歷”的意思，作名詞時常用復(fù)數(shù)形式；trip常指短距離的旅行。在日常用語中，trip可與journey通用。如：

He has just returned from his travels.

他剛剛旅行回來。

My uncle is travelling in South America.

我叔叔在南美洲旅行。

I am going on a trip to the seaside during the summer holidays.

暑假期間我將去海邊旅行。

5. distance n. 距離；間距

It is a long distance from New York to Hong Kong.

紐約離香港很遠(yuǎn)。

They saw a few houses in the distance.

他們看到遠(yuǎn)處有幾所房子。

at/from a distance （of） 從遠(yuǎn)處；距離……

in the distance 在遠(yuǎn)處；在遠(yuǎn)方

at a distance 從稍遠(yuǎn)處；在一定距離

6. desert n. 沙漠

The team was stranded in the desert.

這個團(tuán)隊在沙漠中陷入了困境。

She created this garden in the desert.

她在沙漠中創(chuàng)造了這花園。

desert vt. 離棄；舍棄；丟棄

The guard deserted his post.

衛(wèi)兵擅自離開了他的崗位。

The baby’s mother deserted him soon after giving birth.

那個母親生下他后不久就把他遺棄了。

7. product n. 產(chǎn)品

At present we have no interest in this type of product.

目前我們對這一類的產(chǎn)品沒有興趣。

Demand for products like coal is reducing.

對煤炭產(chǎn)品的需求在下降。

production n. 生產(chǎn)；制造；產(chǎn)量

produce vt. vi. 產(chǎn)出；生產(chǎn)

n. 產(chǎn)品；（尤指）農(nóng)產(chǎn)品

producer n. 生產(chǎn)商；產(chǎn)地；制片人

8. event n. 事情；大事；事件

The event has harmed relationship between the two countries.

這個事件危及了兩國的關(guān)系。

We are closely following the development of world events.

我們在嚴(yán)密注視國際局勢的發(fā)展。

比較：event，accident，matter和affair的區(qū)別

event尤指重要事情，大事；accident事故（突發(fā)事件或偶發(fā)事件）；matter事情；問題；麻煩；affair事件、事務(wù)、私事，常用復(fù)數(shù)。如：

She was injured badly in the accident.

她在事故中受重傷。

Happily， the accident was avoided.

很幸運(yùn)，事故得以避免了。

We have more important matters to think about.

我們還有更重要的事情需要考慮。

I have been very interested in foreign affairs.

我對外交事務(wù)感興趣。

9. interview n. vt. 面試；面談；采訪

I have a good opinion of the man I interviewed yesterday.

我對昨天面試的那人很有好感。

A reporter from the“Washington Post”interviewed the President.

一位《華盛頓郵報》的記者采訪了總統(tǒng)。

I’ve just had an interview for a post and I think I’ve got it.

我剛進(jìn)行了一份工作的面試，我認(rèn)為我得到這份工作了。

interview sb （for sth） 對某人進(jìn)行面試或面談

10. scenery n. 風(fēng)景；景色

The scenery in my hometown Chengdu is beautiful beyond expression.

我家鄉(xiāng)成都的景色美得無法形容。

The scenery there is strongly impressed on my memory.

那里的景色深深地印在我的記憶中。

11. exhausted adj. 疲憊不堪的

Their spirits were in general exhausted.

他們都興致已盡。

Li Dong was exhausted with a number of things he had to do.

李東因有許多他必須做的事而筋疲力竭。

exhaust vt. 耗盡；使非常疲倦

The heavy work exhausted me. I must have a rest.

繁重的工作使我筋疲力竭。我必須休息一下了。

12. abandoned adj. 被遺棄的；被放棄的

There was an abandoned house by the riverside.

河邊有一所無人居住的房子。

She is an abandoned girl.

她是一個被遺棄的女孩。

abandon vt. 廢棄；遺棄；丟棄；放棄

He finally abandoned his ideas.

他終于放棄了自己的想法。

The crew abandoned the burning ship.

水手們離棄了燃燒中的船。

13. refer to 指的是；查閱；參考；談到；提到

This paragraph refers to the events of last year.

這一段說的是去年發(fā)生的事。

The term “Arts” usually refers to humanities and social science.

“Arts”一詞通常指人文和社會科學(xué)。

Please refer to the forms for details.

詳情請參閱申請表格。

Apparently people with higher friend counts refer to “you” and swear more.

很明顯，朋友數(shù)目多的用戶更多地提到“你”，并更喜歡發(fā)誓。

14. out of date 過時的；陳舊的

Her dress is out of date.

她的衣服樣式已過時。

This kind of machine is out of date.

這種機(jī)器陳舊了。

up to date 最新式的；現(xiàn)代的

15. not...any more 不再

I won’t try to do the stupid things any more.

我不會再做愚蠢的事情了。

You can’t drink any more.

你不能再喝了。

Now she wasn’t afraid any more.

現(xiàn)在她再也不害怕了。

比較：not...any more與not...any longer的區(qū)別

not...any longer = no longer，表示時間和距離不再延長，多指現(xiàn)在與過去相比。not...any more = no more，表示數(shù)量和程度不再增加，一般指今后不再，多用于將來時。

My shoes have been repaired three times. They can’t be repaired any more.

我的鞋已修了三次了，不能再修了。

I have waited here two hours. I can’t wait any longer.

我已經(jīng)在這兒等了兩小時了。我不能再等了。

跟蹤導(dǎo)練（一）

閱讀理解

It is a great， big， wide-open sky over our heads， but when you are flying in a jet airliner at 600 miles an hour， the sky is not so big. That’s part of the reason why， in the first four months of this year， the government said only 72 percent of all flights arrived on time， the lowest number since the recent system of reporting began in 1995.

The runways are full， the planes are jammed， and air traffic controllers complain they’re stressed out. And the radar systems that keep things going are， in large part， technology of the 1960s. “It’s like driving down the road with a paper bag over your head， and you’re trying to stay out of the way of other cars，” says Captain Karen Lee， a 747 pilot who heads operations for UPS， the delivery service.

At its center in Louisville， UPS is experimenting with the next generation in air traffic control： planes guided by the satellites of the Global Positioning System， instead of radar.

Though it has advanced greatly over the years， radar is a technology that dates back to World War II. It scans the sky， looking for signals from planes in the air. Typically， air traffic radar only updates a plane’s position once every 12 seconds or so — and in 12 seconds， a jet can move two miles or make a turn. What’s more， radar signals can be blocked by storms or mountains. But with GPS signals， pilots can see in real time exactly where they are， and where other planes are， too. A readout screen in the cockpit （駕駛艙） tells the pilots what’s around them.

“What we end up with is a very exact location for each aircraft in the system，” said Basil Barimo of the Air Transport Association， which represents airlines.

1. What’s the main cause of the jamming of planes？

A. Planes fly very fast.

B. The control system has fallen behind.

C. The number of planes is increasing too fast.

D. The weather has become worse these years.

2. What will be used to solve the jamming of planes？

A. A new satellite.

B. A more advanced radar system.

C. A Global Positioning System.

D. A readout screen in the cockpit.

3. What is the disadvantage of the present radar system according to the text？

A. It sometimes loses objects.

B. It often provides unclear pictures.

C. It cannot help pilots know where they are.

D. Its signals may be limited for certain reasons.

4. It can be inferred that what matters in the air is for the pilots ___ .

A. to see the planes around

B. to communicate with the ground

C. to control the speed of the planes

D. to know exactly the position of each other

選詞填空

從下列方框里10個單詞中選擇8個適當(dāng)單詞的正確形式填入下列各句中，使其句意完整。每個單詞只使用一次。

1. You can see the mountain in the ____ .

2. The broken bike was found ____ by the roadside.

3. Large areas of land have become ____ .

4. It ____ us with a variety of news every day.

5. She ____ a wolf and two bears.

6. ____ ， all the lights in my house went off.

7. An Arab was travelling in the desert on his ____ .

8. This opinion was held by all the ____ .

單句改錯（下列各句每句有1個錯誤。）

1. He looks as his father does at his age.___

2. The head office is on the central part of the city.___

3. The time that the plane takes up is not yet known.___

4. The villagers have to walk long distance to get water.___

句子翻譯

1. 我父母不再允許我與你一起旅行。

2. 我向窗外看去，但什么也沒看見。

3. 這幅畫不像她?？雌饋硐袼呐畠?。

4. 我父親常常白天坐在他的椅子上睡覺。

單項選擇

1. I ___ a cartoon on Saturday.

A. watchB. was watching

C. watchedD. have watched

2. I tried to find a table for seven， but they were all ___ .

A. taken upB. given out

C. given awayD. taken off

3. Standing on the top of the hill， you can get a good ___ of the city.

A. sightB. scene

C. viewD. scenery

4. He ___ in Mianyang for two years when he was a child.

A. was livingB. has lived

C. livesD. lived

5. If we can ___ our present difficulties， then everything should be all right.

A. get offB. get over

C. come acrossD. come over

6. I can’t imagine him ___ that！

A. to sayB. say

C. sayingD. to saying

7. The government ___ free books to schools.

A. sellsB. makes

C. movesD. supplies

8. The hospital is getting short ___ money.

A. withB. of

C. atD. for

跟蹤導(dǎo)練（二）

選詞填空

從下列方框里10個單詞中選擇8個適當(dāng)單詞的正確形式填入下列各句中，使其句意完整。每個單詞只使用一次。

1. A（n） ____ dog can act as a guide to a blind person.

2. There used to be an area of rich ____ .

3. It is one day’s ____ to get to the seaside.

4. Our ____ will sell abroad.

5. I ____ it when people talk with mouths full.

6. He is an animal trainer for the ____ .

7. Everybody in the ____ building went to their mailbox each morning.

8. The children learn singing， dancing， drawing in the ____ .

單句改錯（下列各句每句有1個錯誤。）

1. It cost us 60 days to complete the journey in China.___

2. He was suddenly frightened of the sound of a tiger.___

3. I have some records gave to him as his birthday gift.___

4. The tall man is a returning student. His parents are retired teachers.

___

句子翻譯

1. 被邀請參加宴會的大多數(shù)人是著名科學(xué)家。

2. 我們沒趕上火車，因為我們的時刻表過期了。

3. 她是一個受學(xué)生尊敬和喜愛的老師。

4. 在這個城市說什么語言？

單項選擇

1. — ___

— He is kind， and tall in height， with big eyes.

A. What does he do？B. What is he？

C. How is he？D. What is he like？

2. The music of the film ___ by him sounds so ___ .

A. played； excitingB. playing； exciting

C. played； excitedD. playing； excited

3. One of the lions ___ the zoo last Saturday. It’s so terrible！

A. got onB. got into

C. got offD. got out of

4. I like reading the books ___ by that young writer.

A. writingB. are written

C. to writeD. written

5. Jason is ___ a lecturer； he is a writer， too.

A. less thanB. more than

C. no moreD. much more

6. It is said in the book that Thomas Edison （1847—1931） ___ the world’s leading inventor for sixty years.

A. would beB. has been

C. wasD. had been

7. He has been very ill， but he is now ___ .

A. out of questionB. out of date

C. out of mindD. out of danger

8. The ___ news made all of them ___ to death.

A. frightened； frighteningB. frightening； frightening

C. frightening； frightenedD. frightened； frightened

完形填空

A young British woman had shortly arrived in Hong Kong and had not yet 1 anything about the Chinese culture. One day she went to the home of a Chinese friend and was 2 given a cup of Chinese tea. She was not 3 and she also found this type of tea rather bitter. However， since she had been given the tea， she felt she should drink it. Hoping to finish it quickly 4 she would not feel about having to drink this tea which she did not like.She started to drink as much of it as she could. But as soon as her cup became half-full， the host insisted on giving her more. Several times she told the host that she had had enough， 5 it seemed to have no 6 . Her cup kept being 7 ， and she kept on drinking.

During the time of her visit， she drank about twelve cups of tea. Later she found out that she should have just 8 the tea， and that this would have meant that she had had enough. 9 by her Western culture， she felt it too 10 to leave the tea and could not understand why the host took no notice of her protests （抗議） that she had had enough！

1. A. gotB. learnedC. taughtD. remembered

2. A. hardlyB. certainlyC. carefullyD. immediately

3. A. tiredB. happyC. thirstyD. interested

4. A. so thatB. as a resultC. in factD. above all

5. A. ifB. butC. unlessD. though

6. A. valueB. endC. effectD. importance

7. A. filledB. movedC. changedD. emptied

8. A. leftB. drunkC. absorbedD. taken

9. A. ImpressedB. TrainedC. InfluencedD. Respected

10. A. impoliteB. disappointingC. respectfulD. uneasy

跟蹤導(dǎo)練（三）

選詞填空

從下列方框里10個單詞中選擇8個適當(dāng)單詞的正確形式填入下列各句中，使其句意完整。每個單詞只使用一次。

1. The beautiful ____ carried me back to my hometown.

2. However， such problems can not be ____ .

3. The next day the newspapers reported this international ____ .

4. When I saw a snake， I was ____ .

5. She had her first ____ for a job in a shoe shop.

6. When the ____ is dead， the crow pick out his eyes.

7. The first step is ____ that you have a problem.

8. Her husband’s death left a（n） ____ in her life.

單句改錯（下列各句每句有1個錯誤。）

1. On Tuesday I will have to decide how I want to do at the weekend.

___

2. It was years since I’d done the journey to Scotland.___

3. There are no need to spend money buying it.___

4. The room shone almost as bright as the sun.___

句子翻譯

1. 我還記得我第一次參觀動物園。

2. 最近，我第一次騎了很長距離的車。

3. 很早以前，有一位著名的電腦專家叫托馬斯。

4. 他父親給他在加拿大找到工作前，他一直在成都工作。

單項選擇

1. She ___ her aunt last weekend.

A. doesn’t visit B. didn’t visit

C. hasn’t visitedD. hadn’t visited

2. It ___ a long time to make films many years ago.

A. tookB. cost

C. madeD. spent

3. — You speak very good French！

— Thanks. I ___ French in Sichuan University for four years.

A. was studyingB. study

C. had studiedD. studied

4. Don’t leave matches or cigarettes on the table within ___ of little children.

A. handB. space

C. reachD. distance

5. The National Day and the International Labour Day are great ___ in China.

A. eventsB. affairs

C. mattersD. accidents

6. — Did you go to the show last night？

— Yeah. Every boy and girl in the area ___ invited.

A. wasB. were

C. has beenD. have been

7. Mom， one of my friends ___ me over for a birthday party. May I join them？

A. asksB. asked

C. has askedD. had asked

8. — I saw Jane and her boyfriend in the park at eight yesterday

evening.

— Impossible. She ___ TV with me in my home then.

A. was watchingB. had watched

C. watchedD. would watch

閱讀表達(dá)（閱讀下面短文，并按照題目要求用英語回答問題。）

A Haircut

It was time for a haircut. Lenny didn’t even have to look in the mirror. Even though he was going bald （禿頂）， he knew that he needed to cut his hair every two weeks.

He had a “tongue” of hair on the top of his head. His hair was thinning at the crown. He still had plenty of hair on the sides and back. It was what they call “salt and pepper，” a mixture of gray hair and dark brown hair. It was only a few years， he figured， until the salt and pepper became just salt.

He never let his hair grow for more than two weeks. The longer it got， the worse it looked， he thought.

He spread a newspaper over the bathroom sink so that no hair went down the drain （下水道）. He plugged in the clippers and started cutting his hair. He started at the back of his head， went to the sides， and finished on the top. Every minute or so， he had to clean the hair out of the blades （刀片） with an old toothbrush.

At the end， he picked up a hand mirror to check out the back of his head. Everything looked okay. He carried the newspaper back out to the kitchen and shook the hair clippings into the trash can. Then he took a shower.

1. What does the “salt and pepper” refer to？ （Within 9 words）

2. Why did Lenny never let his hair grow for more than two weeks？ （Within 9 words）

3. How often did Lenny cut his hair？ （Within 3 words）

4. How did Lenny prevent hair from going down the drain？ （Within 8 words）

5. What did he do after cutting？ （Within 4 words）

跟蹤導(dǎo)練（四）

閱讀理解

In 1901， H. G. Wells， an English writer， wrote a book describing a trip to the moon. When the explorers landed on the moon.They discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. They expressed their surprise to the “moon people” they met. In turn， the “moon people” expressed their surprise. “Why，” they asked， “are you traveling to outer space when you don’t even use your inner space？”

H. G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon. In 1969， human beings really did land on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However， the question that the “moon people” asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.

Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities， such as Tokyo， Seoul and Montreal， there are large underground shopping areas. The “Chunnel”， a tunnel （隧道） connecting England and France， was completed.

But what about underground cities？ Japan’s Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems called “Alice Cities”. The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats， offices， shopping， and so on. A solar dome （太陽能穹頂） would cover the whole city.

Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space. The surface， they say， can be used for farms， parks， gardens， and wilderness， H. G. Wells’ “moon people” would agree. Would you？

1. The explorers were surprised to find that the “moon people” ___ .

A. knew so much about the earth

B. understood their language

C. lived in so many underground cities

D. were ahead of them in space technology

2. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to？

A. Traveling to outer space.

B. Using the earth’s inner space.

C. Meeting the “moon people” again.

D. Discovering the moon’s inner space.

3. What sort of underground systems have been used by us？

A. Tunnels， gardens， offices.

B. Tunnels， car parks， shopping areas.

C. Gardens， car parks， power stations.

D. Offices， shopping areas， power stations.

4. What would be the best title for the passage？

A. Alice Cities—cities of the future

B. Space travel with H. G. Wells

C. Enjoy living underground

D. Building down， not up

選詞填空

從下列方框里10個單詞中選擇8個適當(dāng)單詞的正確形式填入下列各句中，使其句意完整。每個單詞只使用一次。

1. He usually sleeps and ____ 20 hours every day.

2. The wedding ____ was held on April 15th.

3. We found all the rivers ____ polluted.

4. The teacher is ____ the paper with a new pen.

5. I’m ____ . The baby woke up three times during the night.

6. Our pilotless rocket enters the ____ of the earth.

7. He brought back a cowboy hat as a（n） ____ of America.

8. Never for a moment did he dream of ____ her. He is kind-hearted.

單句改錯（下列各句每句有1個錯誤。）

1. Last year she came to visit us and bring me a dog

for my birthday.___

2. I wanted to go to Chongqing， but I took wrong train.___

3. We travel very fast and we use fewer energy.___

4. The police have spent an exhausted day searching the woods.___

句子翻譯

1. 他們正以每小時60公里的速度行駛。

2. 冬天樹上沒有樹葉。

3. 打擾一下。這段話中的這些單詞是指什么？

4. 約翰聽到那條壞消息嚇壞了，竟好幾晚沒睡好。

單項選擇

1. — Would you mind me closing the door？

— ___ . I feel a little bit cold， too.

A. AbsolutelyB. Yes， please

C. Certainly notD. Oh， I see

2. The Koala sleeps ___ ， but gets up ___ .

A. during the day； during nightB. at day； during night

C. at day； at nightD. during the day； at night

3. You have made ___ mistakes in your homework.

A. such manyB. such much

C. so manyD. too much

4. The US is short ___ the United States.

A. forB. with

C. atD. of

5. A ___ cup was on the floor.

A. breakB. breaking

C. brokenD. broke

6. ___ air and water are bad for people’s health.

A. PollutingB. Pollute

C. PollutedD. To pollute

7. — Ann is in hospital.

— Oh， really？ I ___ know. I ___ go and visit her.

A. don’t； am going toB. didn’t； am going to

C. don’t； willD. didn’t； will

8. — Who’s the man over there？

— It’s Jack.

— Oh？ ___ in Italy.

A. I’ve thought he’s beenB. I think he’s

C. I’d thought he’d beenD. I thought he was

Smart City

誰能擋住智能化城市的腳步

The smart city’s computers will calculate where offices and shops can be laid out most efficiently， where people should sleep， and how all the parts of urban life should be fitted together. Science fiction？ Smart cities are being built in the Middle East and in Korea； they have become a model for developers in China， and for redevelopment in Europe.

Imagine that you are a master planner facing a blank computer screen and that you can design a city from scratch， free to incorporate every bit of high technology into your design. You might come up with Masdar， in the United Arab Emirates， or Songdo， in South Korea. These are two versions of the stupefying smart city.

Masdar is a half-built city rising out of the desert， whose planning—overseen by the master architect Norman Foster—comprehensively lays out the activities of the city， the technology monitoring and regulating the function from a central command centre. The city is conceived in “Fordist” terms—that is， each activity has an appropriate place and time. Urbanites become consumers of choices laid out for them by prior calculations of where to shop， or to get a doctor， most efficiently.

Songdo represents the stupefying smart city in its architectural aspect—massive， clean， efficient housing blocks rising up in the shadow of South Korea’s western mountains， like an inflated 1960s British housing estate—but now heat， security， parking and deliveries are all controlled by a central Songdo “brain”. The massive units of housing are not conceived as structures with any individuality in themselves， nor is the ensemble of these faceless buildings meant to create a sense of place.

在智能城市里，計算機(jī)不僅管理交通，而且能夠規(guī)劃辦公室和商店如何分布最有效率，人們在什么地方睡覺最合適，以及城市生活的各個方面如何有機(jī)地結(jié)合在一起。聽上去像科幻小說嗎？實際上在中東和韓國，人們已經(jīng)開始建造智能城市了。在中國，智能城市也成為開發(fā)者的模板，對歐洲的重新開發(fā)也是這樣。

想象你自己是一個總規(guī)劃師，面對一個空白計算機(jī)屏幕，從零開始設(shè)計一座城市，可以在規(guī)劃中包含各種高新技術(shù)。你可能會設(shè)計出阿聯(lián)酋的馬斯達(dá)爾，或者韓國的松島。它們是兩個令人瞠目的智能城市版本。

馬斯達(dá)爾是在沙漠上建起的半完工城市，由總設(shè)計師諾曼·福斯特主持規(guī)劃，包羅萬象地涵蓋了城市的功能。有一個中央控制中心來監(jiān)控和規(guī)范整個城市。整個城市是按“福特主義者”來構(gòu)思的——每一種活動都有個適當(dāng)?shù)牡胤胶蜁r段。市民按照先前計算的最佳結(jié)果來選擇去什么地方購物，去什么地方看醫(yī)生。

松島代表智能城市建筑驚人的一面——巨大、干凈，高效能的房屋在韓國西部山區(qū)中拔地而起，就像20世紀(jì)60年代英國住宅區(qū)的膨脹版，但是現(xiàn)在供暖、安防、停車和送貨都受到松島“神經(jīng)中樞”控制。巨大的房屋單元不是以任何個人喜好來設(shè)計，也不是那些毫無個性的只是為了建個房子而已的建筑群。