If you woke up 20 years from now in 2042, what would be different? Here are some ideas     1    (base) on numbers that don’t require crystal ball. About 70% of the world population is expected to live in urban areas by 2050. That means most cities are going to need more infrastructure. Roads, public transportation and waste management     2    (upgrade). And we’ll be older. We are likely to live until 82.4 years old, compared with the current life expectancy of 79.1 years. That’s a good thing     3     health care companies. But living three extra years is going to be more expensive,     4     will have implications for both working and saving.

What will your future life look like? Let’s have     1     look.

In 3000, medical technology will be     2    (good) than ever. When you get up in the morning and look into the mirror, your face will be beautiful and young-looking. Many people at your age could live to be 120, and your parents will just have an anti-aging (抗衰老的)     3    (treat). All of you will look the same age!

Besides, “smart clothes” will contain special particles (粒子),     4     will be much smaller than the cells in your body. They can     5    (design) to change your clothes’ color or pattern. When you say to your shirt, “Turn red”, it will change from blue     6     red.

There will also be a great change in your house. If you get into the kitchen, you     7    (find) a special food machine that will tell you what your body needs and help you eat     8    (healthy).

In 3000, cars will drive     9    (they). You can just tell your “smart car” where to go. On the way, it will be possible     10    (change) the color of cars at the flick of a switch.

Such “smart technology” will be all around you, and let’s look forward to it.

Imagine having everything you need: health-centers, stores, parks — just a few     1    (step) from home. It could make you healthier and build stronger connections between you and your neighbors.

This is the idea behind the 15-minute city. Here, people can get all the services they need within 15 minutes of home, either on foot     2    by bike. This model is being developed in cities around the world, from Paris to Portland. Carlos Moreno is a scientific     3    (direct) at France’s IAE Paris Sorbonne Business School. He is also a key theorist(理论家)behind the 15-minute-city plan for Paris. “My idea is to create a livable city     4     can increase the quality of life,” Moreno says.

15 minutes’ cities were inspire by the need to     5    (fight) climate(气候) change. In a 15-minute city, the focus is on     6    (build) more sidewalks and bike lanes. Moreno says walking or biking across the city     7    (be) a good way to greatly reduce CO₂ emissions (排放物).

Joe Zehnder, chief planner for the city of Portland, Oregon, is developing “20-minute neighborhoods.” “Having stores close     8     home gives people more chances to choose healthy foods,” Zehnder says.

As a neighborhood becomes more convenient,housing costs can increase. This     9     (certain) leaves a lot of people out. Zehnder says his approach is “to try to create more housing and more types of housing, so that families in     10     (difference) economic situations have an opportunity to live there.”

The home of the future won't be     1    (complete) different and we will be living in houses and flats just as we do today.     2    (build) in different shapes, no two homes will look the same. People will be able to buy “house kits” containing a basic house structure, with adjustable walls, doors and windows. They will put together the different parts     3     (create) the home they want.

Space holidays will develop in the future, but these holidays won't be for everyone because they are     4     (expensive) than holidays on the earth. Short space trips will develop first, then the space hotels will go around the earth     5    it will be possible to have a longer vacation. By     6    end of the next century, there will be holiday centres on the moon with leisure facilities for families.

According to the laws of physics, the earth is going to    7    ( appear) some time in the future. This isn't going to happen tomorrow but scientists predict that it will happen in five billion years when our sun    8    (explode).     9     a result,we will have to explore the universe and find another home. At some point in the distant future, either we stay on the earth and die with it,or we leave and move to another planet. There won't be any other    10    (choose).

What will our cities be like in 2050? How much will artificial intelligence advance? Some scientists    1     (make) different predictions recently.

Joel E.Cohen from the The Rockfeller University says    2    is likely that by 2050 the majority of the people in the world will live in urban areas, and will have a    3    (significant) higher average age than people today. Cities will be    4    only realistic solution to housing a population that is expected to expand    5    9.7 billion by 2050.

And the technology will keep    6    (advance) rapidly. According to Bill Michell, the late director of MIT Media Lab’s Smart Cities research group, cities of the future won’t look like “some sort of science-fiction fantasy” or “Star Trek” ,but virtual reality will change    7    we live. Self-driving cars will make the roads    8    (secure), driving more efficient, and provide faster transport.

Charles Ebinger at the Brookings Institution thinks that by 2050 we will also have a so-called “smart grid” where all of our    9     (appliance) are linked directly to energy distribution(分布) systems,    10    (allow) for real-time pricing based on supply and demand. Such a technology would greatly benefit most people and reduced the consumption(消耗) of fossil fuel energy.

Once regarded as a geographical disadvantage, Shantang village in Zhejiang province has now become an     1     (attract) tourism destination. It     2     (locate)in the northeastern tip of Guangchen town. It was off the beaten track when the road was not in good condition. However, with transportation improved, the village is connected to Shanghai by a stone bridge     3     a river.

Tourists can enjoy     4     (they) by walking among trees and grasslands, taking in the view of the lake and getting a look at the past through old items such as     5     (sew) machines, radios and photos which are preserved in a museum converted (改造) from an old house. Buses connecting the village to neighboring provinces are up and running in     6     endless stream. Over the past few years, dragon boat competitions and local festivals have been     7     (regular) held to enrich visitor experience. Local authorities have also restored a street     8     dates back to the Qing Dynasty to promote rural tourism in the village.

Shantang now offers sightseeing, leisure and shopping     9     (activity). Favorable policies have been introduced to encourage locals     10     (set) up shops on the streets. Last year, the historical street had 400,000 tourist visits, earning more than 20 million yuan in tourism income.

People have lived in cities for thousands of years. Yet even just 100 years ago, more people     1     (live) in the country than in cities. Today, with the population in the world     2     (increase) sharply, more people move to cities for various     3     (reason). For many it is for work or education. Some are     4     (simple) attracted to city life. By the year 2030, it is thought     5     more than sixty percent of the world's population will be living in cities. More and more cities will become megacities (特大城市), and they will     6     (find) in different parts of the world.

Maybe one megacity is not the same as another     7     they do have common problems, such as air     8     (pollute), housing problems, traffic jams and so on. Making these cities work well for every person living in them will be     9     great challenge in the future. However, we do believe when people work together, they can find solutions which will help make these megacities happy, healthy and     10     (excite) places to live in.