1 . What life will be in 2050?

It’s hard to say definitively what life will be like in 2050. However, we can make some educated guesses based on the trends that are happening now. For instance, it’s likely that technology will play an even greater role in our lives than it does now. We might have flying cars, or robots to do our household chores.

The world population is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, so resources may be strained. People may live in smaller homes or even underground to conserve space and energy. We may also see drastic changes in the way we get our food. With advances in technology, it’s possible that we’ll be able to create artificial meat or grow food in laboratories.

In 2050, many aspects of our life will be very different from what they are now. People’s lives, the environment, transportation, and education all change at a new level.     1     People will have more transportation options as a result of scientific progress. Solar-powered, wind- powered automobiles that are less harmful to the environment will become available and utilized. Anyone will be able to visit other planets using modern technology. As flying cars become more common, cities will need to adapt by building more vertical infrastructure like skyports. These multi-level buildings would be used for takeoffs and landings, and could also include shopping, dining and entertainment options.

    2     And with the help of upcoming technology, we may not need formal schooling anymore. You would be able to learn anything you want from the comfort of your home with online teachers. The schedule will be more optional for you to choose as long as it meets your needs and timeframes.

There will be a lot of new jobs born to serve the development of society. And if you are good at using social media, you can be an online celebrity and make a lot of money. You can also choose to be a full-time housewife and take care of your family if you want.     3    

Rockefeller University mathematical biologist Joel Cohen predicts that by 2050, the world will be majority urban dwellers with a high average age. In contrast, U.S. cities theorist Richard Florida believes that urbanization trends will result in a work-from-home economy and do away with divisions between home and work life. Other experts interviewed by Popular Mechanics envision a future in which solar energy is ubiquitous, 3-D printing has replaced traditional manufacturing and everyone has a personal assistant in the form of an AI.

However, there are also some reasons to be pessimistic about the future. The world will be a more dangerous place in 2050. Global warming will cause rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions that will make life difficult for people around the world.     4    

Cars of tomorrow

Since 2008, when General Motors’ then boss delivered a keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas     1     (offer) a glimpse of car making’s digital future. This year nearly 200 automotive firms signed up     2     the online event, which got cracking on January 5th. GM’s current chief, Mary Barra, addressed a speech that day.     3     other big carmakers, GM did not show up in person. But GM’s virtual show signaled how rapidly cars are evolving from oil—filled lumps of metal into devices stuffed with silicon.

Ms. Barra talked about GM’s transformation from automaker to platform innovator, celebrated its advances in commercial electric vehicles and autonomous driving, and     4     (release) a battery-powered version of the Chevrolet Silverado pickup. Rival firms raced to appear even more innovative. BMW demonstrated a system that changes a car’s paint colour at the press of a button. Mercedes-Benz went so far as     5     (claim) that its Vision eqxx concept, with interior materials fashioned from bamboo, cactus and mushroom, and a battery—powered range of 1,000km, was “reinventing the car”. Not     6     (overtake), consumer-electronics giants showed off their automotive stuff. Sony, a Japanese one, surprised many attendees     7     it announced a possible raid into car-making.

Other announcements were     8     (fancy) but more telling when it comes to the digitization of car-making. Mobil eye, the self-driving arm of Intel, which supplies chips to many big car firms, announced expanded deals with Ford, Geely and Volkswagen. Qualcomm, another chip-maker, inked new     9     with Volvo, Honda and Renault.

The courtship between carmakers and chip firms will only intensify. The worldwide chip shortage that knocked nearly 8m units off global car output is thankfully easing and annualized global car production could return to pre-pandemic levels by the second half of 2022, according to an investment bank. Still, car bosses are desperate to avoid a repeat. Many look enviously at Tesla,     10     own intimate rapport with semiconductor suppliers celebrated its full-year output for 2021 to a total of 930,000 vehicles.

10 . When people talk about the future, we like to think that we will be able to drive out of our garages and take to the ________ in our own personal flying car. The advantages are obvious. Some people ________ this technology will allow complete three-dimensional freedom of movement. We could fly at 489 kilometres per hour, ________ traffic lights, busy roads and speeding tickets. However, some people point to the disadvantages of flying cars. They claim that there are certain to be problems with traffic ________. Another big problem is mechanical ________. What will happen if they break down? ________, if they become popular, there is likely to be another big problem: air traffic congestion. So it looks like flying cars face more than a few problems if they are to get off the ground!

Most of us have printed out an electronic document on paper, but think about the ________ of printing out a three-dimensional object in plastic. 3D printers build an object using layers line-by-line like a(n) ________ printer until the object is complete. Vehicle companies like BMW and Volkswagen already use 3D printers to make life-size models of car parts. At the moment the process is slow and quality is ________, but before long it might be possible to see a product on a website and then ________ it to your printer at home. In the future we could make our own furniture, jewellery, cups, plates, shoes and toys from designs on our computers, and reduce the amount of ________ we have to do.

Imagine having your own Ironman suit. There are several companies trying to build a practical robot ‘exoskeleton’. This is a suit of robot arms and legs which follows your ________. It will allow the wearer to lift heavy objects, walk long distances and even punch through walls! There are ________ military advantages for this technology and might help people to walk again after disease or injury. However, besides cost and battery life, another problem is that a badly ________ robot suit could injure the wearer because you wouldn’t want your robot leg or arm bending the ________ way.