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这一年是2005年。想像一下这种情景：B．J．罗杰斯早上像往常一样被他那预编好程序的计算机唤醒。在他面前出现的是一份计算机提供的一日所有要做的重要事务清单。
The Time of Smart Homes Is Coming
The year is 2005．Imagine this scenario：B．J．Rogers is woken up in the morning as usual by his computer which has been preprogrammed1)．In front of him is a to－do list supplied by the computer emphasizing the important events for the day．In response to Rogers’ request，the nearest video display is filled with a list of possible dishes．Rogers notices that all dishes are meatless．At this time，Rex，the computer，might respond to his inquiry about ingredients2) by checking the home inventory3) and ordering as needed．Rex is then required to order the dishes electronically and ask the retailer4) to hold them for pickup．
By 2005，high－speed data communications links will connect you，your computer，the supermarket，and the rest of the country．
As Rogers eats breakfast，Rex prompts him again to respond to Lucy’s request．Before Rogers finishes his next bite，Lucy’s computer receives the message．Then Rogers goes to the supermarket．The store’s system identifies his car as he drives to the pickup area and greets him by name．“Good morning，Mr．Rogers，your order is in Bin ４．Thank you for shopping．”When Rogers removes his order from Bin４，all monetary5) transactions6) are completed automatically over the information superhighway．That is，funds are electronically transferred from his account to a bank account．Soon after arriving at the office，Rogers reads another message from Lucy telling him that she will go to dinner with him．
Much of this futuristic story is within the grasp of today’s technology．Even today，millions of people carry computers with them much of the day．Many of these people routinely use speech recognition technology to communicate．Electronic smart homes are now deemed an economically sound investment．Few will argue that we are rapidly approaching the age of automation，an era when computers participate in or help us with all we do．
