What's going to happen in the future? Will robots control our planet? Will computers become smarter than us? Not likely. But here are some things that scientists say are most likely to happen in 10 to 30 years from now, according to the BBC.

Digital money

    We used to pay with cash for everything we bought. Now when we use a credit card(信用卡) to shop online, money is spent without us seeing it. That means we are already using digital money. Using a card is much easier than searching our pockets for change. It is also safer than carrying a lot of cash.

    When ATM cards were first introduced, they were not accepted everywhere. But now it's hard to live without them. It's reported that Sweden will first completely stopped using cash, and the US might be next.

Bionic(仿生的) eyes

    It's no longer something only in a science fiction movie. People who are blind may have a chance to get their sight back—by wearing bionic eyes.

    A blind eye can no longer sense light, but a bionic eye can use a camera to "see" the environment and send data (数据) to the mind. Now the bionic eyes only allow patients to see lights and unclear shapes.

Self-driving cars

    Unlike a human driver, a self-driving car won't get distracted(分神) by phone call, the radio or something outside the window. Sensors(传感器) and cameras on the car would allow it to reduce me number of road accidents. You could even take a nap while the car drives itself. In the future, driverless cars would be widely accepted.

    A primary school bus driver stopped the bus in a gas station in Ohio because he had to use the bathroom. Instead of turning off the engine(引擎）and taking the key with him, the driver left the bus running. And he forgot to set the parking brake(刹车)because he was in a hurry. "It was cold outside, and I didn't want the kids to get cold while I was using the bathroom, "he told the police officer.

The bus slowly started moving away from the gas station. As the bus picked up speed, the kids began shouting and crying. Ten-year-old Jake ran forward to the driver's seat and held the steering wheel(方向盘). He pressed hard on the brake pedal(踏板)and managed to stop the bus as it came nearer to a river bed. Jake turned off the engine at last. After the police arrived at the scene, they praised Jake for his great effort.

    "That is a cool kid, "said the police officer." I told him he would become a great police officer when he grew up."

    Jake wasn't impressed with what he did. "Stopping the bus, "he said, "was easy compared to playing Grand Theft Auto Ⅲ, my favourite action video game. "The police took the bus driver to the police station. He was at first charged(指控)with" leaving a child alone while the motor is running". The lawyer said he hoped to upgrade the charge because of the number of children (twenty）on the bus.

    "Whatever he is charged with, "the police officer said, "I believe that he never drives a bus again."

①We usually think that garbage is dirty and useless. However, an art exhibition(展览) in 2022 proves that "useless" things can actually be helpful. 

②Dear Pretty Rubbish, an art event organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWFN) and digital media art company Blackbow, was held in Beijing. It asked questions about the relationship between our lifestyles and our garbage. 

③"We hope that everyone who visited the show can think about how 'useless things' are produced, why they are tossed out and whether 'useless things' are really useless. " said Cao Yujia, the design director at Blackbow. 

④The organizers said that all the raw materials for the exhibition were collected from community garbage cans. 

⑤Artists Zhou Yuxuan and Liu Yifan collected nylon cable ties (尼龙扎带), LED lights and drink bottles from designers' workshops to create a work where plastics, in the shape of cells, "grow" in a corner. There, the lights blink (闪烁) to imitate (模仿) "breathing". When people walk near it, the work forms light patterns, as if communicating with the visitors. Speaking about the work, Zhou said, "It's like some kind of communication between humans and plastics. "

⑥Plastic has a life longer than almost any creature, taking centuries to break down. Though people blame plastics for damage (伤害) to the environment, they are a big part of our daily lives. 

⑦"So we want to ask the question: Although the damage continues, is there a way for humans to reconcile (和解) with plastics?" said Zhou. 

A horse fair was an interesting place. There were young horses and many beautiful horses from the country. But there were also a lot of poor and thin horses.

At the horse fair there was a man with a gentle voice and kind grey eyes. He offered 23 pounds for me, but the salesman refused. Then a man with a very loud voice came. I was afraid he was going to buy me, but he walked away. Then the grey-eyed man came back again and said, "I'll give you 24 pounds to buy him."

"Done," said the salesman. "He's an excellent horse and if you want him for cab (出租马车) work, he can help you earn more than you pay for him. The horse is well worth the price."

Half an hour later we set off for London, along country roads, until we came to that great city. There were streets to the right, and streets to the left. We went into one of the small streets, and then into a very narrow street, with small and old houses.

My owner stopped at a house. The door opened, and a woman, a little girl and a boy came out.

"Is he gentle, Dad?"

"Yes, Dolly, as gentle as a little cat. And you can pat him."

Dolly, the little girl, patted my shoulder without fear. It felt so good! They led me into a comfortable, clean room, and after a delicious meal I lay down to sleep, thinking "I'm going to be very happy here".

My new owner's name was Jerry. His wife was called Polly and they had two children, Harry and Dolly. The next morning they came to see me. I loved it when they patted me and spoke in gentle voices.

"Let's call him ‘Jack', after the old horse, shall we, Harry?" said Dolly.

"Yes, sounds great!" said Harry.

The first week of my life as Jack, the London cab horse, was very hard. The noise, the people and the traffic on the streets scared me. But Jerry was a very good driver, and that helped me a lot. Jerry soon found that I was ready to work hard and do my best, and he didn't whip (鞭打) me.

He kept me very clean, and gave me as much food as I wanted. But the best thing was that I had Sundays off.

Look(看)! What's this in English? Ah, it's a photo. Who's that in the photo? It's Li Yan.

Li Yan is my good friend. She is a beautifu（l  漂亮的）girl. Who's that? The boy in black? It's

Jim. He is an English boy. He is very cool( 酷 ). He is my friend, too. We are all in the same school. I like Jim and Li Yan.

One day, Carol received a package. There was a letter and a 1 seed(种子) from her uncle. The letter said,

Dear Carol,

This is a magic sunflower seed for you.2 it, and it will grant(满足) your three wishes. Remember to be patient-一 the world has its own rhythm(节奏).

Carol thought, "A magic seed? It is probably my uncle' s3 , but why don' t I have a try? She then planted the seed in her garden and made her first wish, "4 I wish that the sunflower could grow as big as a mountain!"

The next morning, she was very 5 to see a huge sunflower in the garden. She couldn't believe it. "I must 6 my uncle for help!" But her uncle didn't pick up the phone. She became angry. "This is a silly sunflower. I don't want it!"

Immediately the sunflower became a seed again. Carol 7 her second wish had been granted. "No! This is not fun!" she cried.

A few days later, she received another her uncle's 8 and read it again. She stopped when she saw the words "be patient". Then she rushed out and 9 ran to the garden to find the seed. This time, she promised she would make the best use of the third wish.

She thought, "I hope my 10 could spend more time together." But her parents needed to work. How could the seed help? Though it seemed impossible, she still decided to11 with patience.

Carol got some information about how to plant a sunflower, and then12 the steps carefully. When the seed turned into a beautiful flower, she shared it with her neighbors and friends. Everyone liked it!

Carol's family got the seeds 13 the sunflower and planted more sunflowers. They were so beautiful that every neighbor bought some. The sunflowers brought extra money14 Carol's parents didn't have to be away for work as much as the before. They had more family time.

Carol finally knew what her uncle meant - - - be patient, and life will be as15 as a sunflower!