Life on Mars? Four per cent think we will be roaming the Red Planet in 2025. Researchers are hoping this prediction is correct - they tested spacesuits on a simulated Mars surface mission earlier this year in Moscow. |
Imagine waking up to a world where China is the world's leading superpower, astronauts are busy walking on Mars and a brand new political party is ruling the UK. Well this could be the reality in 15 years if some of the predictions of 100,000 Britons are correct. The massive survey asked the men and women of the UK how they pictured the world in 2025. Nearly half believe Prince William will bypass Prince Charles to be crowned King of England although one in six think the monarchy will have been abolished. On the world stage 60 per cent think China is set to become the world's leading superpower, while a third of us think Great Britain will be made up of four self-governed countries. A quarter of those polled believe a new party will form the Government in 2025 although the same proportion think that Labour will be back in power. Further afield four per cent are optimistic there will be a permanent human base on Mars while one in ten expect a colony of humans to be living in space. Meanwhile technology will have come on in leaps and bounds. More than half questioned in the MSN study predict people will watch all their favourite shows via TV sets hooked up to the internet. Two-thirds believe cosmetic surgery will have become common place and one in six think we will look after our own health using apps and gadgets rather than relying on the doctor. But at least we can distract ourselves with the daily comings and goings of pop singers and reality stars, as more than half think that 'celebrity' will be a registered profession. The Pulse of the Nation survey was carried out to mark MSN's 15 year anniversary. Matt Ball, editor-in-chief at MSN UK, said: 'When MSN launched Toy Story came out and was the first completely computer generated film, John Major was Prime Minister and Barings bank collapsed. 'British life has changed remarkably since then. The depth and breadth of insight from our research demonstrates how passionate and opinionated people are about life in the UK.' (Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
想象一下,有一天當(dāng)你醒來(lái)時(shí),發(fā)現(xiàn)中國(guó)成了世界領(lǐng)先的超級(jí)大國(guó),宇航員們?cè)诨鹦巧闲凶?,而統(tǒng)治英國(guó)的是一個(gè)嶄新的政黨。 15年后這些情景可能都會(huì)成真——如果接受調(diào)查的那些英國(guó)人預(yù)測(cè)得準(zhǔn)的話。該調(diào)查涵蓋了10萬(wàn)名英國(guó)人。 這項(xiàng)大型調(diào)查問(wèn)他們想象中的2025年的世界是什么樣的。 有近一半的被調(diào)查者認(rèn)為威廉王子會(huì)越過(guò)其父查爾斯王子提前登基,成為英國(guó)國(guó)王。但也有六分之一的人認(rèn)為到那時(shí)君主制已經(jīng)被廢除了。 對(duì)于將來(lái)的世界格局,60%的人認(rèn)為中國(guó)定會(huì)成為世界超級(jí)大國(guó),而三分之一的人認(rèn)為英國(guó)會(huì)分解成四個(gè)自治的國(guó)家。 四分之一的被調(diào)查者相信2025年將會(huì)有一個(gè)新政黨來(lái)成立政府,但也有同樣比例的人認(rèn)為工黨會(huì)重新掌權(quán)。 有4%的人想得有點(diǎn)遠(yuǎn),他們樂(lè)觀地相信到時(shí)候火星上會(huì)有一個(gè)永久性人類(lèi)基地,而十分之一的人認(rèn)為2025年會(huì)有人移民太空。同時(shí),人們預(yù)計(jì)科技將會(huì)飛速發(fā)展。 這項(xiàng)MSN發(fā)起的調(diào)查顯示,過(guò)半的被調(diào)查者預(yù)測(cè)說(shuō)到2025年人們可以在連著網(wǎng)絡(luò)的電視機(jī)上收看他們喜愛(ài)的節(jié)目。 三分之二的人認(rèn)為到時(shí)候整形手術(shù)會(huì)很普遍。六分之一的人認(rèn)為在2025年我們可以通過(guò)應(yīng)用軟件和一些小設(shè)備來(lái)檢測(cè)健康狀況,而不用事事麻煩醫(yī)生。 但至少來(lái)來(lái)往往的流行歌手和真人秀明星能讓我們解悶,因?yàn)檫^(guò)半的人認(rèn)為“明星”將會(huì)成為一個(gè)注冊(cè)職業(yè)。這項(xiàng)“國(guó)家動(dòng)向調(diào)查”是為了紀(jì)念MSN的15周年生日而進(jìn)行的。 MSN英國(guó)的主編麥特?保爾說(shuō):“15年前MSN剛推出的時(shí)候,第一部完全由電腦制作的電影《玩具總動(dòng)員》剛剛上映,巴林銀行剛剛倒閉,當(dāng)時(shí)任首相的還是約翰?梅杰。 “自那時(shí)起,英國(guó)人民的生活發(fā)生了翻天覆地的變化。調(diào)查所得見(jiàn)解的深度和廣度表現(xiàn)了人們對(duì)英國(guó)生活充滿熱情,并且對(duì)生活有自己的看法?!?/p> 相關(guān)閱讀 美宇航局發(fā)現(xiàn)火星細(xì)菌 成生命新證據(jù) 預(yù)測(cè):2050年英國(guó)將成歐洲人口最多國(guó)家 科學(xué)家稱未來(lái)將能記錄人類(lèi)夢(mèng)境 (中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 崔旭燕 編輯:陳丹妮) |
Vocabulary: in/by leaps and bounds: 飛躍地;突飛猛進(jìn) distract: to amuse or entertain 提供消遣;(使)娛樂(lè) |