In the near future, we will be living in smart homes, which will ensure our    1    (safe), save us energy and provide a more comfortable environment to live in.

In the smart homes,    2    (use) advanced technology daily for automatic control of everything will be common. Our future home will use integrated sensors to tell when we leave home and then go into an energy-efficient mode all by     3    (it).

We will find our dinner already    4    ( prepare) without turning switchs on and off ourselves. It is also amazing    5    all controls will respond to voice commands.

Smart homes can help to keep serious damage from    6    (accident). For instance, if a water pipe    7    (start) leaking, our smart home will detect it. In addition, they can help monitor our health. They can also warn us early on if we have a critical sickness and    8    (potential) save our lives.

This smart technology isn’t    9    daydream or fantasy any longer. Many new innovations have become a reality. Nevertheless, it will take a few years    10    most new homes start to use this new technology.

Life on Mars

Some people believe humans could live on the planet Mars by the year 2100. Our own planet, the Earth, is becoming more and more crowded and polluted because of the rapid increase in population.     1    (hopeful), people could start all over again and build     2     better world on Mars. Here is what life there could be like. At present, our spacecraft are very slow—it would take     3    (month). With the development of technology, the journey might only take about 20 minutes by 2100 in spacecraft     4     travel at the speed of light!     5    , the spacecraft would travel so fast that the journey might be quite     6     (comfort). Many people would feel ill. Humans cannot survive     7     water, oxygen or food. Nobody knows     8     there would be enough water or oxygen on Mars for people there. Gravity could be another problem. The gravity on Mars     9    (be) only about three-eighths of that on the Earth. People would have to wear boots that are specially designed to prevent     10     from floating off into space. Life on Mars would be interesting as well as challenging.

Have you ever forgotten to lock the door of your house or switch off the TV? These kinds of things often happen to us,     1     can lead to problems. However, in the near future, we will be living in smart homes that will lock the door and switch off the TV     2     (automatic). These smart homes will provide us with a     3     (comfortable) environment than now.

Your home will learn your daily routine and     4     (prefer), so everything will be ready for you when you get home each evening. For example, lights will come on instantly you enter the door along with     5     (you) favourite music. All controls will respond     6     voice commands, so you just say     7     you want and the home system will obey. Besides, it will give you suggestions on a healthier diet and how     8     (sleep) better.

This smart technology is not a fantasy. Many of these new     9     (innovate) are already available and being used in some homes. Nevertheless, it will take some years     10     most new homes begin to use this new technology.

3D printing and virtual reality are cool, but when are we going to be able to clone ourselves? It'd be fantastic for    1    （we）to send our clone off to school or work and sit back and do    2    we really want to do. There have been important advances in cloning in the last several decades, leading to the    3    （success）cloning of various animals. So far, however, there    4    （be）no human clones.

In large part, cloning has been    5    victim of pop culture to the degree that the general public has grand notions of what it will be like. There is no    6    （possible）of cloning a grown version of ourselves in a matter of hours or days（like you see in the movies）.

    7    （general）, we already have the tools to make cloning happen today; we just have some moral problems     8    （overcome）before the world won't raise major alarms at scientists cloning someone. That leaves the question     9    us then, the general public, do you think cloning is okay? Would you clone a lost loved one to bring them back, or if you found yourself unable to have kids, would you clone yourself? These are the questions we must answer first before we succeed in    10    （create） human clones.

Cards and digital(数字的) technologies     1    (kill) off cash slowly, but is it a cause for concern? Not     2    (necessary). Here are some ways of making the most of digital finance.

Cash is no longer king. Over recent years fewer and fewer transactions have been made with cash. The most recent figures show coins and notes are used just 34% of     3     time, down from 63% a decade ago. And usage     4    (predict) to fall to just 10% in 15 years.

Instead we’re paying with cards and digital technologies. Some of this is down to user choice, with contactless cards and smartphones making spending     5    (fast) and more convenient.

But it’s also being forced upon us. Some retailers are refusing physical money as they can avoid the high bank charges levied(征收) at them for     6    (handle) cash. Meanwhile it’s harder to get your hands on notes as cash machines and     7    (bank) disappear from the high street. And these are trends which are likely     8    (increase) in the coming years.

This could be bad news if you still primarily use cash,     9     that’s how you pay your bills or how you budget. For some, cash is just what you know. For     10    , cash is a necessity—especially when going digital is the alternative.

As a result this move towards cashless society makes many uneasy.

Can you imagine what the future will be like? Some     1     (company) are looking to produce flying vehicles. That is amazing. If we have our own     2     (person) flying cars, we would fly at 480 kilometers per hour, avoiding busy roads. However,     3     seems that there is a long way to go before they get off the ground! One of the problems     4     (point) out by some people is what     5     (happen) if the flying cars break down.

Others are trying to build a practical suit "exoskeleton", a suit of robot arms and legs      6     follows your movement. It will allow the wearer     7     (lift) heavy objects and walk a long way! It is useful in many ways,     8     (especial) for people with disabilities. This suit might help people to walk again after disease and injury. But the disadvantage at the moment is battery life. A suit like this     9     (need) a lot of power but batteries only last about 15 minutes at the moment.

So in the future, whether we may fly to work     10     lift heavy objects, there are plenty of problems to solve before this is possible.

In the near future, we     1     (live) in smart homes with intelligent controls and regular health checks. We will no longer worry about lights on or not when we leave home.     2     instant we enter the door, the lights will come on. If there is something     3     (normal), we can be warned on the phone to prevent more disasters. There’s no doubt that smart homes make life     4     (easy). Nevertheless, it will take some years     5     most new homes begin to use this new technology.