重温小时候的经典课文，那时看起来犹如科幻般的远程医疗、远程可视电话购物、电子图书馆，是不是二十一世纪的今天都已经实现和普及了么？看看吧:

AT HOME IN THE FUTURE

A medical examination without a doctor or nurse in the room? Doing shopping at home? Borrowing books from the library without leaving your home?

These ideas may seem strange to you. But scientists are working hard to turn them into realities.

Let us suppose we can visit a home at the end of this century. We will visit a boy named Charlie Green. He is not feeling well this morning. His mother, Mrs Green, wants the doctor to see him. That is, she wants the doctor to listen to him. She brings a set of wires to Charlie's room. These wires are called sensors. She places one sensor in his mouth and one on his chest. She puts another one around his wrist and one on his forehead. Then she plugs the sensors into a wall outlet. She says the code "TCP". This means "telephone call placed." A little light flashes on the wall. The Green's wireless telephone is ready for a call.

Mrs Green says "2478", the doctor's telephone number. From a speaker on the wall comes the doctor's voice: "Good morning."

"Good morning, Dr Scott," answers Mrs Green. "Charlie isn't feeling too well this morning. I've put the sensors on him. I wonder if you can examine him now."

"Sure," the doctor's voice says. "Well, he doesn't have a fever. And his pulse is fine. Now, breathe deeply, Charlie."

Charlie does so.

"Just a little cold," says the doctor. "Better stay inside today, Charlie. And take it easy."
"Thank you, Doctor," says Mrs Green. "TCC (telephone call completed)." The light on the wall turns off. The phone call and the examination are finished.

"Charlie," says Mrs Green," since you have to stay at home, why don't you do some shopping? You can pick out your new bicycle. After all, your birthday is only two weeks away."

"Great," Charlie answers.

Charlie and his mother sit in front of one of the vision phones. There are several in their house.

"TCP," says Charlie. The word ready appears on the screen of the vision phone.

"New Forest Bicycle Shop," a voice says. "May I help you?"

Charlie answers, "I'd like to see your ten-speed bicycles."

In the next few minutes, pictures of many models of the bicycles are flashed on the screen. The price of each model is also shown.

Then the voice asks, "Are you interested in any of these models?"

"Yes, I'm interested in model 6."

"Do you wish to place an order at this time?"

"Not just yet," answers Mrs Green. "My son's birthday is in two weeks' time. Thank you. TCC."

The vision phone shuts off.

Such would be our home in the future.

A VISIT TO THE LIBRARY IN THE FUTURE

The shopping is finished. Charlie's parents tell him they have to go out for a little while. "Why don't you visit the library while we're out?" says Charlie's dad. "I know they have some new books on basket-ball, your favourite game."

Charlie goes to one of the visionphones. He places a call to the library. He asks to see one of the new books on basket-ball. Basket-ball Giant, the name of the book, is flashed on the screen. "Turn," says Charlie. The first page of the book is shown on the screen. Then the second, and the third. Charlie has read about fifty pages of it. Then he hears his mother's voice coming through a speaker on the wall. Charlie turns off the visionphone. He says hello to his mother.

"Where are you?" he adds.

"We're driving on the freeway," Mrs Green says. "This is taking a little more time than we thought. We won't be back until two o'clock. Better get some lunch for yourself."

"What are you doing?" Charlie asks.

"We'll explain later," she says.

"O.K." says Charlie.

节选自八六版高中英语课本。