half since 1900s，but wrongly predicted that it would be cut in half again by 2000.

　　However，our gadget­filled homes do meet the various vision of the future: the microwave ovens，freezers，video monitors，dishwashers，washing machines，personal computers，and wireless connections.These may no longer be considered cutting­edge but they have matched visions of how we would live.The domestic robots never quite happened，but if you can phone ahead to set the heating，they may as well be redundant(多余的)．

　　The car，of course，has failed to live up to our expectations.It has been given turbo engines，DVD players and automatic windows，but its tyres stick stubbornly to the road.Why doesn't it take off？The past promised us a flying car in various forms，yet none of those ideas has been transformed into a commercially available vehicle.

　　At least communication technology in this digital age hasn't let us down.Even in the most distant areas people have access to some form of communication device.The introduction of the telephone last century changed our world，but today's mobile phones and the virtual world of the Internet have revolutionized it.

　　【语篇解读】　本文是一篇社会生活类的文章。作者通过举例子来阐明现在的生活与过去的预测有何不同。

　　1．What's the author's attitude towards robots and machines?

　　A．The author is afraid that robots and machines will take over our lives.

　　B．The author thinks robots are very useful but too expensive.

　　C．The author thinks robots are not necessary since smart phones can do the work.

　　D．The author notes that robots and machines have successfully cut time at work in half in the 21st century.

　　C　[观点态度题。根据第二段"The domestic robots never quite happened，but if you can phone ahead to set the heating，they may as well be redundant(多余的)．"可知，如果用手机提前打电话来设置暖气，机器人就是多余的，即智能手机可以做相同的工作，机器人是不必要的，故选C。]

2．What can we infer about the cars from the passage?