精选双语阅读：英国人预测2025年人类将登上火星

学以致用

     Life on Mars? Four per cent think we will be roaming the Red Planet in 2025. Researchers are hoping this prediction is correct - they tested spacesuits on a simulated Mars surface mission earlier this year in Moscow.

    Imagine waking up to a world where China is the world's leading superpower, astronauts are busy walking on Mars and a brand new political party is ruling the UK.

    Well this could be the reality in 15 years if some of the predictions of 100,000 Britons are correct.

    The massive survey asked the men and women of the UK how they pictured the world in 2025.

    Nearly half believe Prince William will bypass Prince Charles to be crowned King of England although one in six think the monarchy will have been abolished.

    On the world stage 60 per cent think China is set to become the world's leading superpower, while a third of us think Great Britain will be made up of four self-governed countries.

    A quarter of those polled believe a new party will form the Government in 2025 although the same proportion think that Labour will be back in power.

    Further afield four per cent are optimistic there will be a permanent human base on Mars while one in ten expect a colony of humans to be living in space. Meanwhile technology will have come on in leaps and bounds.

    More than half questioned in the MSN study predict people will watch all their favourite shows via TV sets hooked up to the internet.

    Two-thirds believe cosmetic surgery will have become common place and one in six think we will look after our own health using apps and gadgets rather than relying on the doctor.

    But at least we can distractourselves with the daily comings and goings of pop singers and reality stars, as more than half think that 'celebrity' will be a registered profession.

    The Pulse of the Nation survey was carried out to mark MSN's 15 year anniversary.

    Matt Ball, editor-in-chief at MSN UK, said: 'When MSN launched Toy Story came out and was the first completely computer generated film, John Major was Prime Minister and Barings bank collapsed.

     'British life has changed remarkably since then. The depth and breadth of insight from our research demonstrates how passionate and opinionated people are about life in the UK.'

     想象一下，有一天当你醒来时，发现中国成了世界领先的超级大国，宇航员们在火星上行走，而统治英国的是一个崭新的政党。

     15年后这些情景可能都会成真——如果接受调查的那些英国人预测得准的话。该调查涵盖了10万名英国人。

     这项大型调查问他们想象中的2025年的世界是什么样的。

     有近一半的被调查者认为威廉王子会越过其父查尔斯王子提前登基，成为英国国王。但也有六分之一的人认为到那时君主制已经被废除了。

     对于将来的世界格局，60%的人认为中国定会成为世界超级大国，而三分之一的人认为英国会分解成四个自治的国家。

     四分之一的被调查者相信2025年将会有一个新政党来成立政府，但也有同样比例的人认为工党会重新掌权。

     有4%的人想得有点远，他们乐观地相信到时候火星上会有一个永久性人类基地，而十分之一的人认为2025年会有人移民太空。同时，人们预计科技将会飞速发展。

     这项MSN发起的调查显示，过半的被调查者预测说到2025年人们可以在连着网络的电视机上收看他们喜爱的节目。

     三分之二的人认为到时候整形手术会很普遍。六分之一的人认为在2025年我们可以通过应用软件和一些小设备来检测健康状况，而不用事事麻烦医生。

     但至少来来往往的流行歌手和真人秀明星能让我们解闷，因为过半的人认为“明星”将会成为一个注册职业。这项“国家动向调查”是为了纪念MSN的15周年生日而进行的。

     MSN英国的主编麦特 保尔说：“15年前MSN刚推出的时候，第一部完全由电脑制作的电影《玩具总动员》刚刚上映，巴林银行刚刚倒闭，当时任首相的还是约翰 梅杰。

   “自那时起，英国人民的生活发生了翻天覆地的变化。调查所得见解的深度和广度表现了人们对英国生活充满热情，并且对生活有自己的看法。”

Vocabulary:

in/by leaps and bounds: 飞跃地；突飞猛进

distract: to amuse or entertain 提供消遣；（使）娱乐