Over the centuries, there have been a few people who plan the future of the world for a living and they 【小题1】 (call) futurologists.

Hundreds of futurologists will gather at Newcastle University to hold a seminar about the future. Many people will attend the seminar with dreams of starting new enterprises 【小题2】 (base) on the predictions they will hear. I clicked 【小题3】 the websites of a few futurologists and got several predictions.

【小题4】 (short), computers will become handier. Then all of us can use our voices to control computers such as downloading files 【小题5】 updating computers just by saying a few words. By 2015, garments will have been made of new materials that will remain stainless 【小题6】 you spill on them, and they will never get old and worn. By 2025, there will have been no 【小题7】 (starve), no people who have to live on welfare, no discrimination, no conflict and people 【小题8】 (live) in peace and equality. By 2030, tiny, insect-like robots may be sent around the cells of our bodies 【小题9】 (assess) our health , which will have made it possible for us to live for at least 150 years. By 2050, we will be linking our brains to the much 【小题10】 (smart) computers and a huge database₉ and a new type of electronic human might have developed!

   The future is time that is to come. The future is not the present or the past. It is later. We have seen many possible futures in science fiction. They range from the world’s polar ice caps melting to nuclear winters. But not all futures are morbid. We have seen the human race spread all over our universe, humans and aliens living in harmony together all over the universe.

It is very likely that we will make some kind of breakthrough in our ability to travel through space sometime in the next 150 years. This would give us the ability to rule other planets.

Finally, the Earth will die whether it be in 1,000 years or 100,000 years. We will be forced to move to another planet then. It’s really just a matter of time. When we do so, what will we discover?

Personally, I think everyone will be speaking the same language in 200 years. A world government definitely seems to be in our future. It is stable and has few wars. Indeed, the only type of wars that can happen is the civil war.

And what if we face aliens? If they are friendly, we would probably benefit a lot from putting our knowledge together. They must have advanced technology to travel for great distances. We could benefit from their technology. But if they aren’t friendly, then we will be in trouble. Hope that we will have become advanced enough, smart enough, and generally a better race by the time we meet thein. But this is all probably being discussed for nothing, because any race out there among the stars is probably as curious as we are about other creatures.

   What makes us human？Is it our thoughts？Our emotions？Our behavior？

All of these things make us who we are，but at the center of it all lies the genome — the genes inside our bodies that determine everything from our hair color to our intelligence. But if we could change our genome，would we still be human？

Recently，a group of scientists from the US and South Korea worked together to successfully“edit”a human embryo（胚胎）and remove a genetic mutation（变异）that would have led to heart disease. This was achieved with the help of CRISPR-a gene — editing tool that allows scientists to edit the genome by cutting，changing or adding to parts of it.

Scientists involved in DNA editing are certain about the good of their work，and hope that in the future，diseases could simply be“edited out”.

However，others aren't so sure. People are worried that the science could be used not only to remove life-threatening illness，but also to make a“perfect”baby whose DNA has been chosen to improve its intelligence or other qualities. They say that this is a shallow way of thinking about raising children.

“It makes you think about who we are as people，and it makes you ask if humans should use the kind of power…that is changing human evolution（进化），”Jennifer Doudna of the University of California said.

Still，others worry that DNA editing could be turned into an expensive service that would only be available to the people who could afford it. That might mean the rich would be given another advantage in a world where they already have plenty of them.

“You could find wealthy parents buying the technology for their children, leading to even greater inequality than we already live with,”Marcy Darnovsky, director of the San Francisco Center for Genetics and Society, said.

Your House Will Take Care of You in Old Age

Have you ever thought what your life would be like in old age?

Everyone talks about the “ageing” society with large numbers of elderly people needing home care. Now German researchers have set up a “smart” house, programmed to help the elderly live at home with dignity. Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Society say the house combines existing technology with future-riented technology.

For example, the “smart” bathroom has a touchscreen mirror that can remind people to take their medicine, wash their hands or brush their teeth. The hardware behind Fraunhofe’s electronic bathroom is not new, and the software runs on a regular personal computer.

When the medicine cabinet is opened, a display in the middle of the mirror tells the person how many pills to take. The mirror is linked to a care provider, who can remotely check whether a patient at home is actually taking medicine and brushing his or her teeth. As many elderly people have arthritic (关节炎的) conditions that make it difficult to operate water taps, the mirror also has displays that turn the water tap on or off or control the water temperature.

The bathroom is only the start. Kitchens, bedrooms and all other parts of the “intelligent” home will become “user-friendly” to meet all kinds of individual needs. Sensors in doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets detect every activity and record them electronically. Doctors or care staff can see from the computer records what personal hygiene (卫生) tasks have been completed, how often the elderly person visits the bathroom or uses the toilet. In case of an emergency, the computer automatically alerts the chosen contact person or calls the care centre.

The structure of houses has changed a lot after the first hut was built in ancient times. I often imagine what houses in the future would be like. I am sure they will be great different from what they are today.

First, houses in the future can adjust the room temperature with the changes of season. Second, they prevent waste by produce energy through their solar panels, that can be used to provide hot water in winter and cool air in summer. Beside, they can change their colors at any time satisfy their owners.

In a short, living in a future house will be amazed.