A. People have always been interested in how things will change in the future. But we should remember that people have often got things wrong.
B. Undoubtedly, these predictions weren’t right. But we can be sure that developments in IT today will become the changes in our lifestyles tomorrow. It’s possible that by 2025, anything small enough to contain a microchip (微型芯片) will have one.
C. So, for example, household technology might be very different. We could have fridges which can read the use-by date on your milk. Or our washing machines could be so smart that when something goes wrong, they send a message to a service engineer about the problem.
D. In 1943, Thomas Watson, the founder of IBM, was asked what he thought about the future of technology. And he predicted that one day there might be a worldwide market “for maybe five computers”. And H. G. Wells, the writer, said that one day public transport would be moving walkways, and you’d just step on and off to go anywhere you wanted.
E. And even the things you wear could be connected to this technology. For example, a device could change your mobile to various settings, depending on whether you’re in your work or casual clothes. But if you don’t like the sound of all this, don’t worry. Even H. G. Wells got the future wrong!
Do You Think You Will Have Your Own Robot?
When we watch movies about the future, we sometimes see robots. They are usually like human servants. They help with the housework and do jobs like working in dirty or dangerous places.
Today there are already robots working in factories. Some can help to build cars, and they do simple jobs over and over again.
Scientists are now trying to make robots look like humans and do the same things as we do. Some robots in Japan can walk and dance. They are fun to watch. However, some scientists believe that although we can make robots move like people,
Some scientists believe that there will be more robots in the future.
SMART HOMES TO MAKE LIFE EASIER
Have you ever forgotten to lock the door of your house? Or, have you ever forgotten to switch off the TV or computer? These kinds of things happen to us all the time, waste resources, and can sometimes lead to problems. However, in the nottoodistant future, we will be living in smart homes that will lock the door for us when we are away and remember to switch off the TV when we forget. These smart homes will keep us secure, save us energy, and provide a more comfortable environment to live in.
Intelligent Controls
Today, we have to use switches for our lights, knobs for our appliances, and remote controls for our TVs and air conditioners. In the future, we will be using advanced technology every day for automatic control of just about everything in our home. The future home will use integrated sensors to tell when you leave home each morning, and then go into an energyefficient mode all by itself. You will no longer have to think about turning switches on and off yourself. Your home will also learn your daily routine and preferences, so everything will be ready for you when you get home each evening. Your lights will come on the instant you enter the door along with your favourite music or TV programmes, and you will find your dinner already prepared for you. All controls will respond to voice commands, so if you want to change your routine, you just say aloud what you want and the home system will obey.
Regular Health Checks
In addition, your smart home will be monitoring your health for you every day. Your bed, for example, will record how well you sleep every night. It will also be checking your body weight. If you start to have sleep or weight problems, it will send a warning to your phone. It will also give you suggestions on a healthier diet and how to sleep better. Smart toilets will be keeping constant track of your health as well. They can warn you early on if there is something abnormal or if you have a critical illness, such as cancer, and potentially save your life.
No More Disasters
Smart homes will be able to prevent serious damage from accidents. For example, if a water pipe starts leaking, or if there is a short in the electrical wiring, your smart home will detect
it and provide you with the relevant information. This way, you will be able to fix the problem before your home becomes flooded or catches fire.
This smart technology is not a fantasy. Many of these new innovations are already available and being used in some homes. In this sense, the home of tomorrow is already the home of today. Nevertheless, it will take some years before most new homes begin to use this new technology.
1. Match the main idea with each paragraph.| A．Smart homes will check people’s health regularly. B．Smart homes will prevent serious damage from accidents. C．Intelligent controls in the home system. D．Smart technology will be used widely in the future. E．Smart homes will bring us safe, energysaving and comfortable life in the future. |
2. What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Smart homes will focus on people’s health issues. |
| B．Smart homes are a new but controversial technology. |
| C．Smart homes will make our life easier in many ways. |
| D．Smart homes will make human beings lazy. |
| A．Sleeping too fast. |
| B．Waking all the night. |
| C．Worrying about nothing. |
| D．Stopping being stolen. |
| A．Some of the new technology has been used. |
| B．Smart homes have been spread widely now. |
| C．No one likes to have a smart home today. |
| D．Smart homes will be built in China soon. |
| A．To sell integrated sensors. |
| B．To change the old houses. |
| C．To decorate home with smart technology. |
| D．To give us an insight into smart homes. |
| A．Adults. | B．Scientists. |
| C．Predictors. | D．Home owners. |
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4 . Our own experience working together on health, development, and energy the last twenty years has been one of the most rewarding parts of our lives.It has changed who we are and continues to fuel our optimism about how much the lives of the poorest people will improve in the years ahead.
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．The author believes the lives of the poorest will get better. |
| B．Much more progress will be made in the near future. |
| C．The work on health is the most valuable experience. |
| D．People’s efforts have been materially rewarded. |
A. It won’t be enough to have only a general understanding of our area of work but we should keep learning until we become specialists.
B. There will be new essential 21st century skills that we will have to have.
C. And given that people will not stay in the same career for long, we can expect that we will have to go back to education and training at some stage to be qualified to work in another field.
D. For example, a university degree is still useful, but technology developments mean that many skills we have now are unlikely to remain relevant in the future.
E. Earning a decent salary is one thing, but if we really want to succeed in our careers we have to be innovators, thinking of new and exciting ways to do things.
