Smart cities aren’t just a dream of the future anymoreWith intelligent systems and new-age transit n

Smart cities aren’t just a dream of the future anymore
5G物联网发力，“智慧”让城市更美好
 
With intelligent systems and new-age transit networks, life in the big cities will likely be happier and more efficient.After all, more than 60 percent of the world’s population is expected to live in cities by 2050, according to a UN report. The answer to making these cities more livable for so many people lies in creating “smart” cities.
These cities will use 5G networks and the “internet of things” (IoT) to make everyday life safer and more convenient. Cities like Boston, Baltimore, Amsterdam and Copenhagen are already using smart technology to improve the lives of residents.
But what exactly does a smart city do? Let’s look at a few examples.
In the United States cities of Boston and Baltimore, smart trash cans can sense how full they are and inform cleaning workers when they need to be emptied. In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, traffic flow and energy usage are monitored and adjusted according to real-time data gathered from sensors (传感器) around the city. And in Copenhagen, Denmark, a smart bike system allows riders to check on air quality and traffic congestion (拥堵) as they ride.
Smart cities will be interactive, allowing their residents to feel like they’re truly shaping their environment, instead of merely existing in it. “One of the most important reasons to have a smart city is that we can actually communicate with our environment in a way that we never have in the past,” Mrinalini Ingram, head of the “Smart City” initiative at telecom company Verizon, told Tech Republic.
Smart cities will also allow us to save resources. By using sensors and 5G networks to monitor the use of water, gas and electricity, city managers can figure out how to distribute (分配) and save these resources more efficiently. Emissions of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants can be more closely monitored in smart cities as well.
Of course, it will take time and money to turn our current cities into the smart cities of the future. But as we’ve already seen, more cities around the world are already adopting smart technology in small ways. China, for instance, is making investments in big cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou to make them “smarter”. It won’t be long until even more cities start to develop their own smart infrastructure (基础设施).
（选自UNESCO）
 
1. What do we know about smart cities?
A. There are more people living in smart cities than in villages.
B. People all over the world will live in smart cities in 2050.
C. Technology plays a great role in making smart cities a reality.
D. Smart cities, like Boston in the US, make full use of 5G networks.
2. What do Paragraphs 6-7 mainly talk about?
A. How to build smart cities.
B. How smart cities harm animals.
C. How smart cities make life easier.
D. How smart cities help the environment.
3. What is the author’s attitude toward smart cities?
A. Doubtful.
B. Critical.
C. Positive.
D. Indifferent.
 
译文：
有了智能系统和新时代的公交网络，大城市的生活将变得更加幸福和高效。
毕竟，根据联合国的一份报告，到2050年，预计将有超过60％的世界人口居住在城市中。使这些城市更适合许多人居住的答案在于创建“智能”城市。
这些城市将使用5G网络和“物联网”（IoT），使日常生活更安全，更便捷。波士顿，巴尔的摩，阿姆斯特丹和哥本哈根等城市已经在使用智能技术来改善居民的生活。
但是，智慧城市到底能做什么？让我们看几个例子。 
在美国的波士顿市和巴尔的摩市，智能垃圾桶可以感应到它们已经满了，并在需要清空时通知清洁工人。在荷兰的阿姆斯特丹，根据从城市周围的传感器（传感器）收集的实时数据，监视和调整交通流量和能源使用情况。在丹麦的哥本哈根，智能自行车系统使骑手在骑车时可以检查空气质量和交通拥堵情况。
智慧城市将具有互动性，使居民能够感觉到自己正在真正塑造自己的环境，而不仅仅是生活在其中。电信公司Verizon的“智慧城市”倡议负责人Mrinalini Ingram表示：“拥有智慧城市的最重要原因之一是，我们实际上可以以前所未有的方式与环境进行沟通。”
智慧城市还将使我们节省资源。通过使用传感器和5G网络监控水，煤气和电的使用，城市管理者可以弄清楚如何分配和更有效地节省这些资源。智慧城市也可以更紧密地监测二氧化碳和其他空气污染物的排放。