What will our world be like in the future? Can we look ahead twenty five years and dream about the transformations that will take place? The scholars who make it their business to try to predict the future are not all in agreement about what the future holds. If you visit displays at places like Disney world, you can get a glimpse of what some of the predictions are for our lives. As we fantasize(幻想) about what our life might be like a few decades from now, we can speculate about different aspects of our lives.
我們的世界未來會是什么樣?我們能預(yù)測未來的25年并設(shè)想將會發(fā)生什么變化嗎?未來到底有些什么特征，以預(yù)測未來為職業(yè)的學(xué)者們意見也并非一致。如果你到像迪斯尼世界這樣的地方去觀賞一下，就會得到一些關(guān)于對我們生活的一種大體的預(yù)測。當(dāng)我們幻想從現(xiàn)在開始幾十年后我們的生活會是什么樣子時，我們會推斷出我們生活的各個方面。
Personal [個人生活]
Clothing styles change from year to year and also from culture to culture. Do you think that we will have sleeves in our shirts and blouses? Will we wear socks to protect our feet? Will plastic gloves be used routinely as part of everyday life to avoid transmission of germs(細菌)? Will we still use buttons to fasten our clothing? Will we all wear the same kind of jeans or pants (like a uniform) or will each culture be different? What textiles will be used in manufacturing our clothing? Will a type of nylon fabric be used in an effort to make our clothing more durable? Synthetic fibers which will not fade can be produced in bright colors such as pink and purple in addition to all the other colors of the rainbow.
服裝式樣年年在變，一種文化習(xí)俗與另一種文化習(xí)俗之間也各不相同。你認為我們的襯衣和上衣還會有袖子嗎?我們還會穿襪子保護我們的腳嗎?在日常生活中我們會使用塑膠手套來避免細菌的傳播嗎?我們還會用扣子來固定我們的衣服嗎?我們都穿同樣的牛仔褲或短褲(像制服一樣)，還是有各種不同的文化品位?什么樣的紡織品會用來做我們的服裝?是否會有一種更耐用的尼龍布?不褪色的合成纖維會以粉紅色和紫色等各種鮮艷的色彩制造出來，而且是和彩虹的各種顏色一起吧。
When it comes to matters of personal cleanliness, will we soak in a bath? Will we spray ourselves with water or some other substance in a shower? Will we have a choice of which to use? Will we go to visit a barber for a haircut or will we be able to control the growth of our hair? If growth of a beard could be slowed, the daily ritual(老規(guī)矩) of shaving would be unnecessary for men.
在涉及到個人衛(wèi)生方面，我們還會泡在浴缸里嗎?我們會在淋浴時噴水還是一些其他物質(zhì)?我們有使用的選擇嗎?我們還會去理發(fā)店理發(fā)或者我們能控制頭發(fā)的生長?如果胡須的生長速度可以減慢，那男人就無須按老規(guī)矩天天刮胡子了。
Health [保健]
In the western world the number of people who smoke cigars or cigarettes has diminished(減少,遞減) substantially in the last several years. Maybe the use of tobacco will be eliminated completely. Will we be able to heal illnesses and diseases as soon as the symptoms are identified?
在西方近幾年抽雪茄和香煙的人數(shù)已明顯下降。也許，煙草的消費會完全消亡。我們能夠一發(fā)現(xiàn)癥狀就治愈這一疾病、解除疾病嗎?
A cure for cancer would be considered a miracle. Could the disease be conquered with adequate commitment of federal funds to furnish financial resources? Accomplishment of this project would be a triumph of enormous proportions. It would be equivalent to sending several rockets to Mars simultaneously(同時). It would improve the welfare of all humanity(人類). Instead of using a thermometer to take our temperature, maybe we will have sensors(傳感器) implanted in our bodies that will be read by a personal health care monitor. The machine could tell us if we are in need of more oxygen in our blood or if the food we just ate in difficult to digest because of too much acid in our stomachs. Will an appointment with a doctor be automatic if we are in need of treatment or will that profession become obsolete(消亡的)?
治愈癌癥被認為是一個奇跡。在有專項聯(lián)邦基金保證財力的情況下，能夠戰(zhàn)勝這種疾病嗎?這項工程的完成將是一個巨大的成功，這相當(dāng)于同時向火星發(fā)射幾枚火箭。這將造福于全人類。我們也許會帶有植入體內(nèi)的傳感器，可以由個人健康檢測器據(jù)此讀出數(shù)據(jù)，無需用體溫計來測量我們的體溫。儀器會告訴我們是否需要在血液里增加氧氣，是否由于胃酸過多而使我們剛吃的食物難于消化。如果我們需要治療就會自動找醫(yī)生，還是醫(yī)生這個職業(yè)會消失?
The monitor might also have the ability to prescribe a lifestyle program for us. A woman might be able to determine if she is pregnant from the use of this machine. A remedy for a sore limb might be verified if the person is uncertain how to treat it. A sore throat, a cough or a stiff neck might also be diagnosed and treatment prescribed. Tension in parts of our body can be caused by stress and precautions and preventative(預(yù)防性的) steps could be recommended.
檢測器可能有能力為我們設(shè)計生命程序。女人或許能夠使用這種儀器確定是否懷孕。如果一個人不知道如何治療肢體疼痛，通過儀器可找到對它的治療方法。喉嚨痛、咳嗽或斜頸也可能診斷出來并指出治療方法。由于壓力導(dǎo)致身體某部分緊張，其預(yù)防步驟也可以推薦給你。
A machine might be used for the administration of medicine as well. Could you adjust to the idea of having an injection given to you by a robot using a needle? In fact, the precise dosage might be easier to attain using this method. It seems logical to make use of equipment that evaluate symptoms and interpret data if the performance proves reliable.
機器可能會用于藥品管理上。你能夠接受一個機器人用針管對你進行注射嗎?事實上使用這種方法更容易獲得精確的劑量。如果證明性能可靠，使用儀器來評價癥狀、解讀數(shù)據(jù)，看來是可行的。
Critical illnesses could be diagnosed earlier and we could be confident that even the diagnosis of a complex disease could be clarified and the disease could be treated before it becomes fatal. Supposing a life-threatening virus could be controlled, by inference viruses would no longer constitute a threat to our well-being.
危險病癥能夠較早地診斷出來。我們相信即使對一個復(fù)雜病癥的診斷也能夠做到清楚明了，準確無誤，并在它變得致使以前對其進行治療。
The concept or idea of people living to an extremely old age has been suggested. Will the consequence of that possibility be that people could also maintain their intellect as they age?
Will people be able to make arrangements to have their body or its parts used after they die? The donation would help others to have some of their body parts replaced. Will people still have funerals and be buried in a grave as is the current custom or will cremation(火葬) be the common practice?
假如一種致使的病毒能夠得到控制，可以推測，病毒將不再對我們的健康產(chǎn)生威脅。人們會活得很長的概念或觀點已經(jīng)被提出來了。這種可能性能夠表明人上了年紀后，智力依然保持嗎?人們能夠達成協(xié)議，在他們死后使用他們的身體或身體的某一部分嗎?這些捐獻將幫助他人移植身體的某些器官。人們還會像現(xiàn)在的傳統(tǒng)那樣舉行葬禮，埋進墳?zāi)估?，或者火葬會更普遍?
If we wear corrective lenses now, perhaps our vision could be improved or restored through laser surgery. We would no longer need to wear glasses. The tragedy of a stroke and the resulting mental disability(傷殘,殘疾) could be prevented if a monitor could analyze the person’s condition and recommend changes in lifestyle or treatment that could avert(預(yù)防) a stroke or a heart attack.
如果我們現(xiàn)在帶上矯正鏡，或通過激光手術(shù)我們的視力就會改善或恢復(fù)。我們將不再需要帶眼鏡了。如果監(jiān)控器能夠分析出人的健康狀況，并且建議改變可能導(dǎo)致中風(fēng)或心臟病發(fā)作的生活方式，提出避免中風(fēng)和心臟病發(fā)作的治療方法，中風(fēng)這樣的不幸及其引發(fā)的智力障礙就可以預(yù)防。
An ambulance equipped with sophisticated portable medical diagnostic equipment could have the ability to assess multiple injuries of the victim of an accident. Recovery would be assisted by the provision of prompt treatment.
一輛配備有精密便攜式醫(yī)療診斷設(shè)備的救護車能診斷出事故受害者的多種傷勢。而及時進行的處理有助于傷者的康復(fù)。
The prospect of a joint that swells, being treated by a restraint that causes lack of motion, is not a new idea, but will a synthetic joint be used to replace the joint instead of being treated in the current familiar way? Will replacement of a hip joint become more commonplace? Could a doctor operate on one of our organs without having to invade our bodies? Could surgery be performed with the aid of a small that it would be measured in millimeters? The opening required to insert the camera into our body would be tiny.
治療關(guān)節(jié)腫痛的前景不是一個什么新的觀念，用抑制病痛的辦法治療會導(dǎo)致暫時無法活動，那么會使用合成關(guān)節(jié)取代我們現(xiàn)在流行的處理方法嗎?更換髖關(guān)節(jié)會變得很平常嗎?醫(yī)生能夠不觸及人體就能對某個器官動手術(shù)嗎?手術(shù)能夠借助小型照相機進行嗎?照相機鏡頭的直徑可能小到毫米以下嗎?那樣，需要將照相機送入人體體內(nèi)的武器將會非常小。
Could a microscope be used in the study of biology to watch the development of a specimen of synthetic bacteria and then the specimen is used to create a treatment for the disease being studied?
顯微鏡會用于生物學(xué)研究來觀察合成細菌標本的培育，然后將標本用于制造出一種與所研究的疾病有關(guān)的治療方法嗎?
Food [食物]
Our diet might contain come of the same foods that we eat now. Will we still use flour to make a loaf of bread? Maybe there will be ways to preserve our food so that bread never goes stale. Will we still eat common food combinations such as liver and onions? Will our favorite meal be roast beef or sausage and be cooked with cabbage? Will a typical breakfast menu include toast and jam? Maybe we will have a substitute for butter which tastes good.
我們的食譜可能包括我們今天正在吃的某些食物。我們還會用面粉做面包嗎?也許，會有防止我們的食物變質(zhì)的辦法來使面包保持原味。我們還會吃像肝和洋蔥這樣的普通混合食物嗎?我們最喜歡的飯會是烤牛肉或香腸和卷心菜一起煮嗎?典型的早餐會包括土司和果醬嗎?也許我們會有替代黃油的美味食品。
Food might not be purchased from a grocer or from a supermarket. Instead, as customers, we might order our food, using the internet and have it delivered to our residences. Maybe an automatic recorder would be placed when food is removed from a refrigerator. Preparation of food might be eliminated but because people enjoy eating, maybe there will be the option of nourishing our bodies through food or using some other means. Perhaps a series of pills will provide adequate nourishment. Fruits such as grapes, peaches or pears might still be available in several forms such as frozen or dried for our consumption. Candy would be difficult to give up for anyone who enjoys eating sweets. Pie for dessert is a favorite with some people and maybe a way will be found to produce a pie that tastes good and yet will be a healthy food for us to eat. A hot bowl of soup not only nourishes but also comforts people and we would not want to relinquish(放棄) that. Protein sources that have not been used before will become evident.
食品不需要從雜貨店或超級商場購買。取而代之的是，作為顧客，我們可以使用互聯(lián)網(wǎng)定購食物并把它送到我們的住處。也許，當(dāng)食品從冰箱里取出時可以自動記錄下來。備制食品可能會沒有必要了，但因為人們喜歡吃，也許可以通過選擇食品或者其他方式為我們的身體提供營養(yǎng)。也許，一系列藥丸就可以提供足夠的營養(yǎng)。我們?nèi)匀豢赡艹韵衿咸选⑻易踊蚶孢@樣的水果，以冰凍或干縮等幾種形式進行消費。要放棄糖果對喜歡吃甜食的人來說是很難的。作為飯后甜點的餡餅是一些人喜歡的東西，可能會找到一種方法來生產(chǎn)一種餡餅，味道很好同時還是一種我們食用的保健食品。一碗熱湯不僅有營養(yǎng)而且使人舒心，我們是不會舍棄的。從前沒見過的蛋白質(zhì)資源將隨處可見。
Provision of a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch might be available through a special appliance that takes our food order and prepares the food and delivers it to us. Ice-cream could be made, with the option of using either artificial sweetener or sugar. Will we fry foods like bacon and steak or will we be able to cook them by other means? We could combine foods such as peas and carrots with garlic to gain an abundant supply of vitamins from one dish.
一種特殊的設(shè)備，能接受我們的食品定單、制作食物并把它送到我們面前，我們就可以在午餐時吃到火腿和乳酪三明治。冰淇淋可以選用人造甜料或糖來制造。我們會油炸像咸肉和牛排這樣的食物，還是用其他方法來烹調(diào)它們?我們可以把像豌豆、胡蘿卜和大蒜這樣的食品結(jié)合在一起，一道菜就可以提供足夠的維生素。
Household [家庭]
What kind of accommodations will we enjoy? We are used to having more than adequate housing so we would not enjoy having to convert to a smaller residence. The access to our homes might be controlled for security reasons. Our entry might be gained by having a computer read our fingerprint(指紋) to see if it will correspond to detect if the right person is trying to enter the residence. Some suggestions are that it would be better to use the print of a thumb so the thumbprint would be used instead of a fingerprint. Both are a possibility.
我們會喜歡什么樣的住宅?我們習(xí)慣于擁有較大的住宅，不喜歡換到較小的地方住。為了安全，進入我們的家時應(yīng)該受到監(jiān)控。要進去，需要由電腦讀出我們的指紋，看你是否與記錄相符合，以察明想要進入住宅的人是否適當(dāng)。有人建議，最好使用指紋，因此拇指指紋將會代替指紋。兩者都是可能的選擇。
Our garbage will be put in a garbage disposal unit that will eliminate the need for trash collection. Light bulbs will seldom need to be replaced, as they will be made to last a minimum of five and a maximum of ten years. To decorate our homes, we might just give a description of what we want and have it completed by an interior decorator(裝修工) with little interaction required from us. We could have our choice of background music played throughout the house, or varied from room to room. We might hear a symphony(交響樂) orchestra in one room and jazz in another. Will we have the luxury of having a maid do our cleaning or will that be unnecessary, as our home will become self-cleaning? Will we use soap and water to do our laundry or will another method that is friendly to the environment be developed? Will we use a furnace to heat our home or will we control the micro climate indoors by the use of solar power?
我們的垃圾將放進垃圾處理器，不再需要收集垃圾。幾乎不需要更換燈泡，因為制造出的燈泡至少可以使用5-10年。想裝修我們的家，只需要提供我們所想要的樣子，就可以全部讓室內(nèi)設(shè)計師完成，不用我們操心。我們可以在一個房間聽交響樂，在另一個房間聽爵士樂。我們還有必要雇一個女仆為我們清理房間呢，或者根本就不需要，因為我們的家已變成自我清潔式的?我們會使用肥皂或水洗衣服，還是會開發(fā)出一種對環(huán)境有利的新方法?我們會使用爐子為房間供暖，還是使用太陽能來控制室內(nèi)的小氣候?
For people who live in a home in the suburbs will the tedious chore(家庭雜務(wù)) of mowing(割草) the lawn be accomplished in an efficient way by a robotic mower? Will weeds in our grass merely vanish as the mower emits a time release chemical to destroy them?
對于家住在市郊的人，除草這種單調(diào)乏味的雜務(wù)會由機器人除草器這種有效的方法完成嗎?在除草機定時釋放一種化學(xué)藥品時，我們草地上的雜草是否會被殺死?
Transportation [交通]
Will we float over highways or drive on the road surface as we do now? Will the cost of a gallon of fuel still be our concern? What will our vehicles look like? Will the profile of our automobiles look like the shape of space age aircraft? Will the notion of using paint to protect the car’s exterior be obsolete? Perhaps the coating on the car will give a durable shine and we will never to wax or polish it. What kind of battery will we use to power our car? Will we still have a mechanic repair our car at a service garage or will robots that are computerized(用計算機處理) do it? Will the motor be powered by a new kind of petroleum product or by hydrogen? Will the cars still be equipped with horns as a warning signal or will a new device be available? Will there be a gauge(測量儀表) to warn us if our speed is too fast or will radar be used to guide the car so that driver error is no longer a concern?
我們會漂浮在公路上，還是像現(xiàn)在一樣在路面上駕駛?燃油的價格還是我們所要關(guān)心的嗎?我們的交通工具會是什么樣?我們汽車的外形看起來像太空時代的飛行器嗎?使用油漆保護車子外表的觀點會過時嗎?也許，車的涂層會保持持久的光澤，永遠不需要為車上蠟或進行擦拭。我們會使用什么樣的電池作為汽車的動力?我們會在維修車庫請機械師修理汽車，還是讓電腦控制的機器人來做?發(fā)動機是用一種新的石油產(chǎn)品還是用氫氣來驅(qū)動?汽車仍然配備喇叭作為警告信號還是使用一種新的裝置?如果車速太快，會有一種裝置警示我們，還是使用雷達引導(dǎo)汽車使得駕駛失誤不再是一個問題?
Electronics [電子器件]
Will we be able to play any musical instrument such as a guitar easily with a process the machine teaches us? Will other media, such as movies, be interactive? Will we have access to optical discs that can be played by laser? Digital images will more closely imitate reality. They will be so realistic that it will be virtually impossible to tell them from the real thing. Our enjoyment of watching a video will be enhanced by the quality of the images. Will we have equipment capable of manipulating ideas, eliminating the need for journalists to write and edit the news? Will computer software be available to modify what we type so that our errors are corrected automatically? Will computer hardware include massive amounts of memory that will allow us to file an enormous amount of material?
我們可能借用機器教學(xué)程序使學(xué)習(xí)吉他等樂器更為容易嗎?其他媒體，比如電影，可以是互動的嗎?我們可以擁有由激光播放的光盤嗎?數(shù)字影像會更真實地模擬現(xiàn)實。事實上，他們是如此逼真，你不可能將他們從真實的東西中區(qū)分出來。圖像質(zhì)量高會增加我們觀看視頻的樂趣。我們會有能夠處理思想而不再需要記者去編寫新聞的設(shè)備嗎?電腦軟件能夠?qū)ξ覀兊妮斎脒M行優(yōu)化從而自動改正我們的錯誤嗎?電腦硬件是否會有更大的存儲量，使我們能處理非常多的資料?
Will we be in the habit of carrying a small device with us that can be used as a cell phone, a fax, a microphone and an internet connection?
我們會習(xí)慣于隨身攜帶一件小裝置，能夠用作移動電話、傳真、麥克風(fēng)和上網(wǎng)嗎?
Summary [總結(jié)]
Look at the world around you and consider some of the concepts discussed in this document. Careful observation will lead you to the conclusion that many of these things have already happened. I urge you to reread each paragraph of this article to see if perhaps they are all things that are available somewhere in the world currently. If that is the case, then you will agree that the future is now!
看看你周圍的世界，考慮一下本文中討論的某些概念。仔細觀察，你就會得出結(jié)論，上述的很多理想已經(jīng)實現(xiàn)了。我勸你把本文中的每一段再讀一遍，看看是否都能在世界上的某個地方遇到。如果事實的確如此，那么你就會同意未來就是現(xiàn)在!
