Unit 2 Reading and Thinking2023-2024学年高中英语人教版2019选择性必修第一册

选择性必修一 Unit 2 The best way to predict the future is to create it. -- Peter Drucker 预测未来最好的方法是创造未来。 ——彼得·德鲁克 Exchange views on smart homes 1 Before you read, discuss these questions in groups. 1 What does it mean when we say that something such as a phone is “smart”? 2 What do you think a “smart” house can do that other houses cannot? P. 14 To say that something is smart means that it can make decisions on its own without a human telling it what to do and that it can also learn how to do things itself. I would expect that a smart house could control room temperature and lights, for example. 2 Skim the text and answer these questions. 1 What is the purpose of the text? 2 Who is the intended audience of this text? SMART HOMES TO MAKE LIFE EASIER Have you ever forgotten to lock the door of your house? Or, have you ever forgotten to switch off the TV or computer? These kinds of things happen to us all the time, waste resources, and can sometimes lead to problems. However, in the not too-distant future, we will be living in smart homes that will lock the door for us when we are away and remember to switch off the TV when we forget. These smart homes will keep us secure, save us energy, and provide a more comfortable environment to live in. Intelligent Controls Today, we have to use switches for our lights, knobs for our appliances, and remote controls for our TVs and air conditioners. In the future, we will be using advanced technology every day for automatic control of just about everything in our home. The future home will use integrated sensors to tell when you leave home each morning, and then go into an energy-efficient mode all by itself. You will no longer have to think about turning switches on and off yourself. Your home will also learn your daily routine and preferences, so everything will be ready for you when you get home each evening. Your light