1 . Modern inventions have speeded up people’s lives amazingly. Motor cars ________ a hundred miles in more than an hour, aircraft cross the world within a day, while computers operate at lightning speed. Indeed, this love of ________ seems never-ending. Every year motor cars are produced which go even faster and each new computer boasts(吹嘘) of ________ precious seconds in handling tasks.

All these save time, but at a cost. When we lose or ________ half a day in speeding across the world in an airplane, our bodies tell us so. We get the uncomfortable feeling known as jet-lag(时差). Our bodies feel that they have been ________ behind in another time zone. Again, spending too long at ________ results in painful wrists(手腕) and fingers. Mobile phones also have their dangers: too much use may transmit harmful ________ into our brains.

However, how do we ________ the time we have saved? Certainly not relax, or so it seems. We are so used to constant activity that we find it ________ to sit down and do nothing or even just one thing at a   ________ . Perhaps the days are long gone when we might listen ________ to a story on the radio, letting imagination take us into another world.

There was a time when some people’s lives were devoted simply to the cultivation(耕作) of the ________ or the care of cattle. No multi-tasking there; their lives went on at a much gentler pace. There is much that we might envy about a ________ of life like this. Yet before we do so, we must think of the hard tasks our ancestors ________ . Modern machines have ________ people from that primitive(原始的) existence.

2 . I arrive at the doctor’s office and then wait until a computer voice calls me into the examination room. A robotic nurse _________ me and some time later, in _______ the doctor, who is also a robot. He notes down my _________and gives me a prescription (处方). I then_______for my visit using a credit card and return home without having met another human being. This is my nightmarish (噩梦般的) vision of the_______, which hasn’t happened yet.

I should say I really do like many aspects of _________. I am a big _______ of air conditioning in summer and heaters in winter. But I am writing this because I don’t want machines to _________.

When I call my dentist’s office and actually get a human being on the line, I am _________. And when I see the introduction of yet more self-service checkout stations at the grocery store, I feel like ______________, “When it comes to cashiers, make mine a(n) ______________, please!”

After all, human cashiers sometimes give you money-off coupons to ______________ you money. Moreover, ____________ cashiers often take an interest in cute children, which can ______________ young mothers’ day. A cashier may also show pity for an elderly person ______________ to get that last penny out of his purse.

Machines can be ______________ and cost-effective and they often get the job done just fine. ____________, they lack an element so important to everyday life.

Call it the____________, the soul or the heart. It is ______________ no machine will ever have. It is human being that encourages us to ____________ at others, which may be what they need at that moment.

3 . I log onto a computer at the doctor’s office to say I have arrived and then wait until a voice calls me into the examination room. There, a robotic nurse ______ me onto the scales and then takes my blood pressure. Some time later, in steps the ______, who is also a robot. He notes down my ______ and gives me a prescription (处方). I pay for my visit using a credit card and return home without having met another human being. This is my terrible vision of the future, which hasn’t happened ______ yet.

I should say I really do like many aspects of ______. I am a big fan of air conditioning in summer and heaters in winter. But I am writing this because I don’t want machines to ______.

When I call my dentist’s office and actually get a human being on the line, I am ______. But when I see the introduction of yet more self-service checkout stations at the grocery store, I feel like ______ “When it comes to cashiers (收银员), make mine a(n) ______, please!”

After all, human cashiers sometimes ______ you a store coupon (优惠券) for items you are buying.

Even more than that, real-life cashiers often take an interest in particularly cute children, which can ______ young mothers’ day. A cashier may also show pity on an elderly person ______ to get that last penny out of his purse.

Machines can be ______ and cost-effective and they often got the job done just fine. ______ they lack an element so important to everyday life.

Call it the spirit, the soul or the heart. It is ______ no machine will ever have. It is human being that encourages us to smile at others, which nay be what they need at that moment.