I have a dream that one day I could be the pianist. I dream of play a sweet piece of music for those who need music, bringing happiness for other. I love music and I love the feel of playing music in front of the audience. Of all the musical sounds, the beautiful but powerful sound a piano makes impresses me much. It’s clear I have a long way to go before I realize my dream. Therefore, I will practice for two hours every day if time permitted and learn as many songs as I can. I will put down my heart into my dream and never give up. I am confidence that one day my dream will come true.

I still cannot believe that I am     1     this prize that I won last year. I have to remind myself     2    that I am really in AD 3008.     3    the journey, I was unsettled for the first few days. As a result, I     4     “time lag”. This is similar to the “jet lag” you get from flying, but it seems you keep getting flashbacks from your    5    time period.

5 . Those who are concerned that robots are taking over the world can rest easy—for now. Though the androids have proved useful at performing ordinary tasks, they are not ready for the greatest time. At least that appears to be the case at Japan’s Henn-na Hotel chain where over half of the robot staff are being replaced by humans.

The first location of the unique hotel opened in July 2015 was at Nagasaki’s Huis Ten Bosch Theme Park. The hotel’s owner, Hideo Sawada, promised the hotel to be managed primarily by robots. Guests were greeted and checked-in by a dinosaur robot, while a cute android called Churi, placed inside each room, provided information about attractions. Not surprisingly, the lodging, recognized in 2016 as the world’s first robot-staffed hotel by Guinness World Records, drew in curious visitors from all around the world.

But as the years have passed, the hotel’s main draw is becoming less novel and more unsatisfactory. Also as the robots are “aging”, they are costing more to repair. Among the 283 androids being replaced are the chain’s two dinosaur receptionists. In addition to scaring young guests, they are also unable to photocopy guests’ passports, forcing human employees to step in each time. Also out are the cute Churi robots, which annoyed guests by interrupting their conversations. For example, one guest told The Wall Street Journal that Churi mistook his snoring for a command and kept asking him to repeat his request all night.

Sawada told The Wall Street Journal, “When you actually use robots you realize there are places where they aren’t needed—or just annoy people.” While Sawada may be cutting back on his use of androids, the recently-opened Smart LYZ Hotel and the Fly Zoo Hotel in China, are run entirely by robots, with not a human in sight. Whether the employees have more competence than those “hired” by the Henn-na Hotel chain remains to be seen.

I’m glad to receive your letter. I’d like to tell you my opinion about the life in the future.

Yours,

Li Hua

7 . Here is some news of the future.

March 20,2035

There was a lot of news around the life extension drugs that hit the market a decade ago.They didn’t promise that you would live forever,but they gave you a chance to extend your life an extra five to ten years.Even though the life expectancy rate at birth has increased greatly,the life expectancy for seniors hasn’t improved that much.Basically,you have a greater chance to become a senior,but you will not have a much longer lifespan,and this is where the anti-aging drugs intend to kick in.So,do the anti-aging drugs work?Well,it is too early to tell.But the sales so far are very good.

April 19,2035

Of the total US population of 378 million,people over 65 years old now make up 20% for the first time.The senior ratio was only 4.1% by the year 1900,and 12.4% 30 years ago.The number of people above 65 compared to those of what is considered working ages,between 15 and 64,is currently 33.7%.This is up from 18.5% in the year 2005,which means that for every retired person there are now two workers,compared to four workers 30 years ago.The number of people above the age of 80 has grown to 23.8 million,making them 6.3% of the total population compared to 3.6% in 2005.

April 12,2040

Although introduced in the market only five years ago,10% of all hydrogen fuel now sold in the US is of the environmentally friendly Re-Hydro label,produced through electrolysis(电解)based on a source of 100% renewable energy.Several producers have turned to producing Re-Hydro,mainly because of lower tax,which also keeps the price of Re-Hydro on the same level as regular hydrogen.Most analysts believe that Re-Hydro will be the dominating fuel in the future.

8 . Let us suppose it is now about A. D. 2063. Let’s make believe it is about fifty years from now. Of course, things have changed and life is very different.

Voyages to the moon are being made every day. It is as easy to take a holiday on the moon today as it was for the people in 1960 to take a holiday in Europe. At a number of scenic spots on the moon, many hotels have been built. The hotels are air-conditioned, naturally. In order that everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the moon, every room has at least one picture window. Everything imaginable is provided for entertainment of the young and the old.

What are people eating now? People are still eating food. But many foods now come in pill form, and the food that goes into the pill continues to come mainly from green plants.

Since there are several times as many people in the world today as there were a hundred years ago, most of our planet’s surface has to be filled. The deserts are irrigated with water and crops are no longer destroyed by pests. The harvest is always good.

Farming, of course, is very highly developed. Very few people have to work on the farm. It is possible to run the farm by just pushing a few buttons now and then.

People are now largely vegetarians. You see, as the number of people increases, the number of animals decreases. Therefore, the people have to be vegetarians and we are healthier both in our bodies and in our minds, and we know the causes and cure of disease and pain, and it is possible to get rid of diseases. No one has to be ill any more.

Such would be our life in 2063.

9 . What’s next after the smartphone?

Humans can play tricks today that magicians couldn’t have imagined 50 years ago. Armed with only a tiny device today, our smartphone allows us to access a lifetime’s worth of information, connect with anyone in real time even if they are miles away. But the most astonishing part of this technological “magic” is the speed at which new opportunities and experiences are coming out.

For generations, we have seen the inevitable connection between humans and technology as advancements are applied to serve us and improve our quality of life. And the rate of technological progress is doubling every year.

Twenty years ago, who would have thought that we would be walking with robots and cyborgs (半人半机器的生物)? With the development of technology, we humans are accepting digital technologies to improve and expand our senses and abilities. Take Moon Ribs and Neil Harbison for example. They are both cyborgs, with Ribs having a chip put into her arm so she can feel earthquakes all around the world in real time and Harbison, who is color blind, has an antenna (天线) put into his head to allow him to be aware of visible and invisible colors via sound waves.

This is only the beginning. As we continue to spend more time with machines, the more they will become embedded (嵌入) in our lives. Technology already feels like it has a mind of its own, and over the next two decades, this will become even more pronounced.

Machines will eventually become as intelligent as us, and, while today they may just live in our pockets, tomorrow they could be in our blood stream and our minds, linking us to the cloud. And as this gap separating humans and machines continues to close, we will reach a point where they can be hardly identified. Technology and humanity will fuse (融合) together some day in the near future.

10 . In the near future, IoT (Internet of Things) will drive huge innovation (革新) in the way our food is grown. Plants will have a “voice”, not a human voice, but a voice based on data that can tell people, computers, and machines when, for example, they are thirsty, or need more sun, medicine, etc.

Take vertical (垂直的) farms, for example. Farming is moving indoors where the growth of plants can be monitored and controlled. The facilities are built vertically, so growing areas can be put in piles. This greatly reduces the amount of land needed for farming.

From an IoT point of view, vertical farms are connected in two ways. First, small sensors (传感器) in the soil or connected to plants tell a control system exactly how much light, water, and nutrients are needed to grow the healthiest crops. Sensors will also tell vertical farmers when crops are nearing their peak for harvesting at just the right time to make sure it’s still fresh when it reaches its final destination.

Second, vertical farms will be connected to other networks and information systems, including databases that track local demand. For example, local restaurants may input when they need fresh food supplies. And vertical farmers could get that information so they know which crops to grow in what quantities. This type of IoT system would have been unimaginable a generation ago.

Today, vertical farms are being experimented. Yet, the numbers point to a bright future for the industry, especially as the world’s population continues to grow. For example, Green Sense Farms in Chicago is able to harvest crops 26 times a year using 85 percent less energy, one-tenth the water, and no pesticides. A side benefit of lower energy use is lower CO₂ output of two tons per month, with the added benefit of creating 46 pounds of oxygen every day.