Life in the future will be different from life today. Between then and now many changes will happen. But what will the changes be?

    The population is growing fast. There will be many people in the world and most of them will live longer than people live now.

    Computers will be much smaller and more useful, and there will be at least one in every room. And computer studies will be one of the most important subjects in schools then. People will work fewer hours than they do now and they will have more free time for sports, watching TV and travels. Travelling will be much cheaper and easier. And many more people will go to other countries for holidays.

    There will be changes in our food too. More land will be used for building new towns and houses for all the people. Then there will be less room for cows and sheep, so meat will be more expensive. Maybe no one will eat it every day. Instead they will eat more fruit and vegetables. Maybe people will be healthier. Work in the future will be different too. Robots will do dangerous and hard work. Because of this, many people will not have enough work to do. This will be a problem.

    Man has a big brain(脑). He can think, learn and speak. Scientists always say that men are different from animals because they can think and learn. They know now that dogs, rats, birds can learn too. They are beginning to understand that men are different from animals because they can speak. Animals cannot speak. They make noises when they are afraid, or angry or unhappy. Apes(类人猿) can understand some things more quickly than humans. One or two of them can learn a few words. But they cannot join words to make sentences. They cannot think like us because they have no language(语言). They can never think about the future. Language is a wonderful thing. Man can build a modern world because he has language. Every child can speak his own language very well when he is four or five, but no animals learn to speak. How do children learn it? Scientists do not really know. What happens inside our body when we speak? They do not know. They only know that man can speak because he has a brain.

"Travelling by subway (地铁) is much faster. It not only takes me a few minutes to get to my office, but also I don't worry about traffic jam." a passenger says. A lot of people like taking the subway. It is a kind of popular way and more convenient in our daily life. It has three advantages (优点).

First, it's fast. The subway can run about 80 kilometers in an hour. It's much faster than riding a bike or taking a bus.

Second, it's accurate. It can help you get somewhere on time. Don't worry about the weather. It can arrive on time even if it is raining or snowing. During rush hour (交通高峰期), there is a subway every five minutes. You can't wait too long.

Finally, it is comfortable. It is very comfortable for passengers to take the subway. They can find a place to sit or stand here and there. They don't feel cold in winter or hot in summer because of the air-conditioners (空调). It can carry many people. I think most of people like it. You will have a good time to take the subway.

Governments around the world are pushing for an end to plastic bags. More and more businesses are changing to paper products. Using paper is thought to be better than plastic. However, it is harmful to the environment, too.

Firstly, paper bags are made from trees. Trees, as you know, are good for the environment. They can slow down climate change. An increase in the use of paper bags can cause more deforestation(毁林).

Secondly, the production of paper things requires more energy and water. About 10 percent more energy and four times as much water are used to produce a paper bag than a plastic one. You might say that we can use recycled paper to save that energy and water. This seems to be a good idea. However, it takes even more energy and water to go through the recycling process than to make a new paper bag. Products made from recycled paper are also often short- lived.

Furthermore, paper products are heavier than plastic ones. That means they require more fuel to transport. Seven trucks are needed to transport two million paper bags, while only one truck is needed to transport the same number of plastic bags. The increased weight also leads to a larger amount of waste once the bags are thrown away.

So, paper products are actually a lose- lose result for both the environment and businesses. They are more expensive than plastic products. A paper straw costs about 5 to 12 cents, while a plastic one usually costs only about 2 cents.

In my opinion, the most environment- friendly way is to avoid single- use things altogether. Products like glass water bottles and steel straws can be used over and over again. They are much better than either paper products or plastic products. By increasing the use of these items, you can greatly reduce your throwaway waste and truly make our earth a greener place!