|
Jenny:
|
Is that my phone?
|
|
Lee:
|
No I think it's mine. Excuse
me a moment.
|
|
Layla:
|
Well, it's certainly
not mine. I don't have a mobile phone.
|
|
Jenny:
|
I can't believe
you don't have one, Layla. Everyone has one these days, even
my grandmother!
|
|
Layla:
|
Your grandmother! But isn't
she about 80?
|
|
Jenny:
|
Yeah, she is, but she loves
all the latest gadgets. Mind you, she doesn't know how to use
it properly. I had to help her put in all her numbers and she
still gets confused with all the functions.
|
|
Layla:
|
I can understand that. I
guess that's why I haven't got one yet. They are handy, though.
|
|
Lee:
|
Sorry about that. I'll turn
it off now. These things are so annoying. You can't escape them.
|
|
Layla:
|
That's another reason I don't
want one. I feel with all this technology we are never alone.
|
|
Jenny:
|
How do you mean?
|
|
Layla:
|
Well, we are constantly in
contact. Before the Internet, when we went on holiday, we could
relax and maybe send a postcard every now and then.
|
|
Jenny:
|
Oh, yeah, I see. Now we spend
our time looking for an Internet café to send emails
home, or have our mobiles ringing on the beach.
|
|
Layla:
|
That's right. The Internet
is great, but I'd rather go to the library. I can take my time
and not feel rushed and overwhelmed by all that information.
|
|
Lee:
|
Hm, but the Internet brings
us closer together. It makes the world a smaller place.
|
|
Layla:
|
But is that so good? Countries
are beginning to lose their culture and their identities. Think
about the days before jet planes were common. Going abroad was
a dream for most people.
|
|
Lee:
|
That's right. And nowadays
we are already thinking about trips to the moon. I wonder when
the first commercial flight will be?
|
|
Jenny:
|
Mm, probably not before this
baby is born, but I expect it won't be much longer.
|
|
Lee:
|
Imagine how much that will
cost. I guess it will only be for the rich.
|
|
Layla:
|
Yes but that's always the
way to begin with. Once things become more common, they become
cheaper.
|
|
Lee:
|
That's true. Remember how
expensive CDs were at first. I kept buying records and cassette
tapes for years.
|
|
Layla:
|
Me, too. But I love CDs now;
they are much better quality. What kind of musical equipment
do you think we will have in the future?
|
|
Jenny:
|
I'm sure it will be small
and wireless. We'll probably download music over the airways
into our watches. When we want to listen, we'll maybe transmit
to a small microchip behind our ears!
|
|
Lee:
|
Wow, what a great idea! I
wonder what other things will change in the future?
|
|
Layla:
|
Well, money is already changing
with technology. First there was plastic money, you know, credit
cards and so on, and now there is Internet banking.
|
|
Jenny:
|
I've never tried that. Is
it safe?
|
|
Lee:
|
Yes, it is. I transfer all
my money between accounts and pay my bills online. It's so much
easier, and much more convenient. Think about all the time we
waste queuing at the bank.
|
|
Jenny:
|
I'm not so convinced. You
may be right, but, on the other hand, you never SEE your money.
I don't think I'd trust it.
|
|
Layla:
|
OK, then, how about robots?
Do you think we'll all have robots in our homes doing the housework?
|
|
Jenny:
|
Oh, I do hope so! That's something
that has changed a lot over the years. My grandmother used to
spend hours dusting and polishing and washing. Compared to her,
I spend hardly any time doing housework. But I still hate it.
|
|
Lee:
|
Me, too. So if
I could have a robot to do it all for me, life would be just
great.
|
