Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? In twenty years, people will have more leisure time. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
你是否同意以下观点？20年后，人们将拥有更多休闲时问。请用具体的理由和事例来说明。
Every generation sees advances in new technology that make life better-and easier-for those who are lucky enough to be able to take advantage of them. Although the situation of the poor in disadvantaged countries will remain pretty much unchanged （hard- scrabble work, limited education, isolation from the electronically-connected world），those members of the middle and upper classes with access to technological innovations will definitely see their leisure time increasing in the next twenty years.
Perhaps the most important innovation for the average person in developed countries will be the use of robots, both in businesses and in homes. No longer will a homeowner have to vacuum the house, spending upwards of about an hour of time to do so.Instead, a pre-programmed robot will take care of this task, while the homeowner is free to read a book, watch a movie, or visit a museum. We can also imagine that many of our other common chores will also be accomplished twenty years from now by automated processes-the washing machine of the future, for example, might not just wash the clothes but dry and fold them as well.
And just imagine how much the computer will be affecting our everyday lives twenty years from now! Through voice recognition technology （available now, but not widely used yet） we may be able to speak directly to our computer and say （for example）， “I want to spend my vacation in the Bahamas this year,” and then go play a round of golf while the computer （which has been programmed with all our personal preferences），contacts the airlines and a resort in the Bahamas and books our flight and room. Allthat will be left for us to do is to go there. （A “personal assistant” robot might even be available to pack our bags.）
In the 18th century, before the widespread availability of electricity, just being able to stay warm and well-fed required copious amounts of time and energy. A typical rural “housewife” in 1850, for example, would have to grow vegetables and raise animals to feed her family. It might take her all day long just to prepare a simple dinner: She would have to pick the vegetables from the garden, then select and slaughter a hen or a pig, then process it, then chop wood for the wood stove, then prepare the meal. Nowadays,the same woman can simply go to the pantry, select a microwaveable meal, zap it for a few moments and then serve it up. Twenty years from now, the process may be ever quicker, allowing her to spend more time playing with her family and less time working for them.
