Science fiction author and scientist, David Brin has received awards. In 1998, he won the Freedom of Speech Award for The Transparence Society. The book concerns threats to personal affairs and openness in the information age. In a world where the police monitor public places 24 hours a day with cameras and some credit companies can sell people's financial details to anyone willing to pay, Brin warns that surveillance(监控) technology will be used by too few people in the future. He argues that the tables should be turned and the public should have access to information like who is buying financial details from credit companies.

Dr Ray Kurzweil

　　Dr Ray Kurzweil is the main inventor of the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind. He is the director of artificial intelligence development at Google.

　　Over the past 25 years, a number of his predictions have come true. In 1990, he predicted a computer would defeat a human at chess by 1998.He predicts that by the 2020s, most diseases will go away and self-driving cars begin to take over the roads.

21. Whose book is discussing about machines and systems in the future?

A. Kevin Kelly's. B. Dr Michio Kaku's.

C. David Brin's. D. Dr Ray Kurzweil's.

22. Which of the following book won the Freedom of Speech Award?

A. Out of Control. B. The Future of the Mind.

C. Physics of the Future. D. The Transparence Society.

23. What's Dr Kurzweil's attitude towards his prediction of the 2020s?

A. Cautious. B. Optimistic. C. Doubtful. D. Disapproving.

Dear Graham,

　　My partner and I have recently lost a pet quite suddenly. Normal life is continuing with so much sadness for my pet meant so much to me. Lots of people won't understand my feeling this way about the death of an animal. This obviously isn't the first time someone in my life has passed away: when I was younger we lost elderly relatives who I loved very much, and naturally much-loved family pets died occasionally too. But this has hit me so much harder. I put so much love into the relationship and I'm just finding it hard to get my head around the fact that it's gone.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.