People have always wanted to know what the future will look like. Then, how can we? The world has changed a lot in the last 150 years, but we humans are driven by the same basic needs as we were 150 years ago, such as food, sleep, the feeling of being appreciated and loved. No. In addition, generally speaking, the inventions for the last 150 years have been a human effort for freedom and communication, to be able to get in control of the time and world. Since there is still much to do in this area, this will be the focus at least for the next 150 years.

But why do we need to predict the future? Predicting the future is important for two reasons: First, we need to start to think about what kind of future we would like for ourselves and to pass on to the next generation.

How about the virtual worlds? It might be in the future to experience the sand between your toes, and hear the waves, just lying in your bed at home.  So, even if a great invention is there for an affordable price, it'll never take the place of the common experience if it is not real.  What we'll see in the next 50 years is the transition (过渡) from an oil­dependent society to a new society. Here there'll be new medicine, continued exploration of space, challenges in the climate change, and new inventions that make life a little easier.

A. So what will the future look like then?

B. Will this change in the next 150 years?

C. Predicting the future can help us in many ways.

D. However, you'll never get the feeling of being there.

E. Well, to understand the future, you must know the past.

F. However, no matter how real the experience will feel, it doesn't happen for real.

G. Then we need to know what decisions we need to make today that will give the best result in the future.

Growing up in the 1960s, I was taught from an early age to send a handwritten thank­you note expressing 1for kindness. My mother used to buy me a box of paper and 2 me in the art and value of saying "thank you". She 3to be right.

A study showed that it took less than 5 minutes to write the thank­you notes. Just 5 minutes to make 4 person feel overjoyed! 5 ， in our "instant" world, the idea of getting an actual pen and writing an actual note seems to never come to mind. We tend to do what is 6 for us — a quick text or an email.

It's easy to use the7of being busy, but even very busy and 8businessmen find time to 9thank­you notes. For example, when Douglas Conant became CEO of Campbell's, the company had 10 half of its market value and morale (士气) was at an all­time low. He 11 fixing that by doing some simple things that are probably not 12 in any MBA class. For one thing, Conant wrote to every 13. He gained their confidence and14 ， turned the company 15.

In his ten years as CEO, Conant wrote over 30,000 notes to employees. It's 16 not to ask how he did it.17, he had many other things to do 18 writing a thank­you note. Conant made time for 19 because he knew the impact (影响) each one would have. An expression of 20 in this crazy world still makes a difference.

Beijing's Forbidden City is a place full of wonders. From its thousands of rooms to its many beautiful artifacts, it's no wonder that it is one of China's most popular scenic (spot). But even more than 600 years after it(build), it's still managing to serve up surprises.

The Forbidden City draws visitors because of its rich history and (culture) significance, but perhaps it should add one more thing to its list of attractions: earthquake shelter. While most structures aren't made  (survive) natural disasters, the Forbidden City seems to withstand anything.

To show how strong the ancient Chinese architecture really is,model of one of the Forbidden City's palaces was put to the test. It survived a simulated (模拟的) earthquake measuring 9. 5 on the Richter Scale — equal to the(large) ever recorded quake. Instead of falling apart, the model was just moved gently during the test.

According to experts, the key  the Forbidden City's strength, as well as other ancient Chinese structures, (lie) in dougong (斗拱) — a centuries­old building method invented in China. Ancient Chinese craftsmen created structures were both enduring (耐久的) and elegant,  (show) their advanced understanding of mathematics, architecture, materials, and structural science.