What was life like of years ago? Let me tell you. There were no machines then. People did things by hand. Of course, there were no , either. It was for people to go into space. But the was a lot better. People could enjoy the blue , white clouds and clean water.

    Life today is much because of the invention (发明) of machines. But it has some new problems. One of the biggest problems is. . For example, rivers, lakes and the are polluted by factory sewage (污水). It's for people to drink the water.

     Luckily, people have realized (意识到) these problems and they're' doing something to solve them. They more trees. They go out by bike or on foot.

— Don't worry. Let's wait for the next one.

    What will our life be like in 50 years? No one knows the answer, but we are sure that it will be very different from the life today. My brother Jill White makes some predictions. Here are some of his ideas.

    Firstly, people will have less work to do, and robots will do most work. People will use robots to make cars, do the housework, look after sick people and teach students. People will spend most of their time playing sports and traveling, so they will become stronger and healthier, and they will live to be about 200 years old.

    Secondly, cars will become very small and computers will control (控制) their speed (速度). So there will be fewer accidents on the road. Planes will be very popular and most people would like to take them to travel.

    Thirdly, people will be able to live in the sea, on the moon or on Mars. The earth won't be crowded or noisy. So there will be much space for people to plant trees. There will be less pollution, and the air will become much fresher.

    Finally, water shortage will become one of the most serious problems. If people don't save water now, we will have no water to drink in years.

    Now cities are full of cars. Some families even have two or more cars Parking (停车) is serious problem, and so is the traffic around the cities. Something will have to be done to change them. What will the cars of tomorrow be like?

    Little cars may some day take the place of today's big cars. If everyone drives little cars in the future, there will be less air pollution. There will be more space for parking cars in cities, and the streets will be less crowded. Three little cars can fit in the space now needed for a car of the usual size. The little cars will cost less to own and to drive. Driving will be safer, too. What's more, these little cars can go about 65 kilometers an hour.

    Little cars in the future will be fine for getting around a city, but they will not be suitable for long trips. If big cars are still used along with the small ones, two sets of roads will be needed in the future. Some roads will be used for the big and fast cars, and other roads will be needed for the small ones.

— ________. It's a beautiful country.

— I'm ________ my purse. I put it on the table just now.