Luggage-free travel, boarding queues and self-flying planes will be common for travelers in 20 years' time. You'll even be able to go on a holiday without leaving your sofa. The bold predictions have been made by futurologist and author Ray Hammond, who is based in the UK.
According to Hammond’s predictions published in the Future Travel Report by Allianz Insurance, it's likely that tourists will be flying to and from the moon regularly by 2040. What's more, passports could disappear, as airports move more and more into the land of facial pattern recognition systems at check-in gates. Computer systems that can scan your face and check you into your flight will be standard in 20 years, the report notes.
When you board your flight, after checking in with your smiling dial, don’t expect to be greeted by the pilot. Hammond bets that planes will be flying themselves in 2040. No pilots and no supervision. It'll play well for the special routes of plane travel-extra-long flights, which have raised concerns about the aircraft staffs tiredness. Are you nervous at the thought of a plane under its own control? You'll be calmer by the time you step aboard Hammond says. Well already be used to self-driving cars.
When you do arrive at your destination and check into your hotel, there won’t be a porter carrying your heavy suitcase to your room. By 2040, we'll have the ability to send our clothing measurements to our hotel ahead of our arrival, where they'll have a 3D printer ready to print out our clothing. And when we check out, our clothes will be shipping off for recycling.
Virtual reality will be so advanced within 20 years that it'll allow us to experience other countries and destinations without stepping foot outside our door. The report says, “Multi-sensory virtual reality technology will allow armchair travel planners to ‘step into’ virtual hotel rooms, explore museums or walk into restaurants.” However, it won’t kill the real-life tourism industry-instead, it's expected to give it an even bigger improvement.
44. What did Ray Hammond say about traveling by self-flying plane?
A.It is boring. | B.It is challenging. | C.It is relaxing. | D.It is frightening. |
45. How will the advanced 3D technology affect tourism?
A.Make it easier for tourists to book tickets. | B.Make clothes easily available to tourists. |
C.Make recycling more common in tourism. | D.Make it possible to travel without passports. |
46. What is possible by 2040 according to Ray Hammond?
A.Flying to the moon and back regularly. | B.Having no need to book trips. |
C.Enjoying virtual reality only in museums. | D.Traveling with anyone as you please. |
47. What is the best title for the text?
A.Predictions on Travel by 2040 | B.Possible Changes About Life in 2040 |
C.Changes of the Means of traveling | D.The Bright Future of the Tour Industry |