It's March, 2050. Frank and Mary Smith wake up in their comfortable house in the morning and turn on the bedroom computer to get the latest news. They get used to reading the Times over the years. The only difference is that they changed to electronic newspapers many years ago.

    After breakfast, as they watch the screen, Mary orders the household robot to make coffee for them. Frank is a computer engineer, working for several companies. He goes into the study to take part in a video conference with his partners around the world.

    Mary takes a quick look at the shopping channels at home before beginning the video phone to talk to her assistant. She also has a job and she is doing medical researches.

    Frank and Mary have one daughter, Louise, who also has her own work station at home. She goes to school only one day a week, mainly to play with other students. Louise is studying Chinese at present. Chinese has become an important language in the world.

    According to the family doctor, Louise will live to at least 130 years old. Her wish is to work for a few decades (十年) and then spend her time on music and painting.

What Will Life Be Like in 2050

    Life will probably be very different in 2050 in all the fields, from entertainment to technology.

    TV channels will disappear in 2050. People will choose a program from a "menu" and a computer will send the program directly to the television.

    Water will become one of our most serious problems. Today in many places, agriculture is developing and people are growing fruits and vegetables to export(出口). This needs a lot of water. Need for water will increase ten times between now and 2050 and there will be serious shortages(短缺).

In transportation, computers will control the speed of the cars and there won't be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to where you want to go. Besides, space planes will take people halfway around the world in two hours. Nowadays, the United States Shuttle can go into space and land on Earth again. By 2050, space planes will fly all over the world and people will fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just two hours.

    In the field of technology, robots will replace people in many fields. Today many factories have already used robots. Big companies prefer robots because they do not ask for pay rises or go on strikes, and they work 24 hours a day. By 2050, we will see robots everywhere — in factories, schools, offices, hospitals, shops and homes.

A: Hi, Millie

B: I'm reading a report about our life in the near future.  

A:

B: It says we have to move to another planet in the future.

A: Why?

B:  It will not be a good place for people to live after a few years.

A:

B:  We should plant more trees.

A: I agree. What else?

A:

A: Yes. We can do it by taking a shorter shower.

B: You're right,

-- Yes. But now the people here are trying hard to make the air become better and _____.