In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!
For each prediction that has come true today, several others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology. Or if people really needed it in their lives or not. Let’s look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.
Robot Helpers
Where’s the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he’s probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other Manufacturing environments.
Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people’s home.
So why hasn’t happened? Probably because robots are still too expensive and Clumsy. And maybe the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too weirD.At home we seem to be doing fine without them.
Telephones of tomorrow?
In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn’t caught on yet.
Why? The technology worked fine, but it overlooked something obvious: peoples desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just stepped out of the shower? Probably not — it could be embarrassing! Just because a technology available doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.
And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the flying car? It’s not so crazy anymore! But a flying car remains one of the most fascinating technology ideas to capture our imagination. Keep watching the news — or perhaps the sky outside your window — to see what the future will bring.
1.The whole passage is mainly about ________.
A.predictions that have come true
B.predictions that haven’t come true
C.why predictions don’t come true easily
D.what technology will bring about
2.Which of the following is probably not the author’s belief?
A.Predictions needn’t consider people’s practical use of technology.
B.The future isn’t always easy to guess.
C.Not all past predictions have come true.
D.Many of the high-tech things our parents thought we’d be using by now simply never appeared.
3.The underlined word “weird” probably means ________.
A.wonderful B.stupid C.practical D.strange
4.What does the author think of the flying car?
A.It is too difficult to imagine. B.It is too crazy an idea.
C.It is likely to be made. D.It is often reported in the news.
BADC
A. Profits enlarging B. Technology developing C. Education investing D. Benefits transferring E. Dominance disappearing F. A nation rising |
The following is an imaginary diary entry written by US president. This diary is part of Global Trends 2025, which was written by the US National Intelligence Council
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The
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Global wealth and economic power will shift from West to East.
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The transition from old fuels to new will be slow, as will the development of new technologies that present feasible alternatives to fossil fuels or help eliminate food and water problems. All current technologies are inadequate, and new ones will probably not be commercially possible by 2025