来自未来的一封邮件

S pacemail：

15/3/3014（Earthtime）

Dear Mum and Dad，

I still cannot believe that I am taking up this prize that I won last year. I have to remind myself constantly that I am really in AD3014. Worried about the journey， I was unsettled for the first few days. As a result， I suffered from “time lag”. This is similar to the “jet lag” you get from flying， but it seems you keep getting flashbacks from your previous time period. My friend Wang Ping’s parents’ company， called “Future Tours”， transported me safely into the future in a time capsule.

I can still remember the moment when the space stewardess called us all to the capsule and we climbed in through a small opening. The seats were comfortable and after a calming drink， we felt sleepy and closed our eyes. The capsule began swinging gently sideways. A few minutes later， the journey was completed and we had arrived. I was still on the earth but one thousand years in the future.

At first， the new surroundings were difficult to tolerate. The air seemed thin as though its combination of gases had little oxygen left. Wang Ping handed a mask to me and hurried me through to a small room nearby for a rest. I felt better in no time. Soon I was back on my feet again and followed him to collect a hovering carriage driven by computer. There carriages floated above the ground. Wang Ping fastened my safety belt and showed me how to use it. Soon I could fly as fast as him.

Arriving at a strange-looking house， Wang Ping showed me into a large， bright room. It had a green wall， a brown floor and soft lighting. Suddenly the wall moved―it was made of trees！ I found later that their leaves provided the room with much-needed oxygen.

The next day， my first visit was to a space station considered the most modern in space. Described as an enormous round plate， it spins slowly in space to imitate the pull of the earth’s gravity. Inside was an exhibition of the most up-to-date inventions of the 31st century. A guide showed us around along a moveable path.

“Good morning to all our visitors. First we’re going to examine one of the latest forms of communication among our space citizens. No more typists working on a typewriter or computer！ No more postage or postcodes！ Messages can now be sent using a ‘thought pad’. You place the metal band over your head， clear your mind， press the sending button， think your message and the next instant it’s sent. It’s stored on the ‘thought pad’ of the receiver. It’s quick， efficient and environmentally friendly. The only limitation is if the user does not think his or her message clearly， an unclear message may be sent. ”

During the explanation， I looked at the pair of small objects called “thought pad” on a table. They just looked like metal ribbons. So ordinary but so powerful！ While I was observing them， the path moved on.

“And now we are in the ‘environment area’. People used to collect waste in dustbins. Then the rubbish was sent to be buried or burned， am I right？ Well， now there’s a system where the waste is disposed of using the principles of ecology. A giant machine， always greedy for more， swallows all the waste available. The rubbish is turned into several grades of useful material， such as ‘fertilizer’ for the fields and ‘soil’ for deserts. Nothing is wasted， and everything， even plastic bags， is recycled. ”

I stared at the moving model of the waste machine， absorbed by its efficiency. But again we moved on.

“Our third stop shows the changes that have happened to work practices. Manufacturing no longer takes place on the earth but on space stations like this one. A group of engineers program robots to perform tasks in space. The robots produce goods such as drugs， clothes， furniture， hovering carriages， etc. There is no waste， no pollution and no environmental damage！ However， the companies have to train their representatives to live and work in space settlements. They have to monitor the robots and the production. When the goods are ready， they’re transported by industrial spaceship back to earth.”

My mind began to wander. What job would I do？ My motivation increased as I thought of the wonderful world of the future.

Your loving son，

Li Qiang

太空邮件：

3014年3月15日（地球时间）

亲爱的爸爸妈妈：

我现在仍然不能相信我是在接受去年赢得的大奖。我得不断提醒自己，我真的已经进入到3014年了。因为担心这次旅行，头几天我心里总是不踏实，结果得了时间滞后症。这就和坐飞机会产生时差反应相似，所不同的是，你脑子里似乎会不断闪现以前的时光。我朋友王平父母的公司叫做“未来之旅”，他们把我装在一个时间舱里，平安送入未来。

我仍旧记得我们被太空服务员叫到时间舱，从一个小门爬进去的情景。座位很舒适，喝了镇静剂之后，我们就感觉昏昏欲睡，闭上了眼睛。时间舱开始轻轻地左右摇晃。几分钟以后，旅行结束，我们就到了。我仍然在地球上，但是到了一千年以后的未来。

一开始，新环境让我很难受。空气似乎很稀薄，好像在混合的气体中，剩下的氧气很少。王平递给我一个面罩，要我走进附近的一个小房间休息。我立刻舒服些了。很快，我再次站起来，跟他去领了一辆由电脑驱动的气垫车。这些气垫车是在地面上方漂浮着的。王平系紧了我的安全带，教我怎样使用。很快，我就飞得跟王平一样快了。

不一会儿，我们到了一幢看上去很奇怪的房子里，王平把我带进一个明亮的大房间。房间里的墙是绿色的，地板是棕色的，灯光很柔和。突然墙壁移动了――原来房间是树围成的！后来我才发现，就是这些树的叶子为这栋房屋提供了需要的氧气。

第二天，我首先参观的是一个太空站，这个站被认为是太空中最现代化的地方。它像一个巨大的圆盘，在太空中缓缓地旋转，以模拟出地球上的地心引力。太空站里展出了31世纪一些最前沿的发明。有个导游带领我们站在一条移动的运送带上，到各处参观。

“朋友们，早上好！首先，让我们了解一种太空居民使用的最新的通讯方式。再也不需要打字员在打字机或电脑上工作了！再也不需要邮费和邮政编码了！现在用一种‘思想仪’就可以传递信息。你把这种金属带子放在头上，排除杂念，按下发送键，想着你要传送的信息。只消片刻工夫，信息就发送出去了。这个信息会储存在接收者的‘思想仪’里。它快捷有效，而且环保。唯一的缺点是，如果使用者没想清楚要传递的信息，发送出去的信息就可能模糊不清。”

在导游解说的时候，我观看着桌上这对被称为“思想仪”的小东西。它们看上去像金属带。那么普通却又那么神通广大！正当我还在观察时，运送带向前移动了。

“现在我们到了‘环保地带’。以前人们习惯用垃圾箱收集废弃物，然后把这些垃圾送走埋掉或烧掉，我说得对吧？可现在我们有一种装置，能利用生态学原理来处理废弃物。一架巨大的机器，能把所有能获得的废弃物都吞进去，而且总是“贪得无厌”。然后，垃圾被分解成几种有用的物质，如庄稼地用的‘肥料’和沙漠中用的‘土壤’。什么都不浪费，所有的东西，哪怕是塑料袋也被回收利用了。”

我注视着缓缓移动的垃圾分解机器模型，被它的成效所吸引，可我们得继续参观。

“第三站要展示的是工作实践方面的一些变化。批量生产不再在地球上进行，而是转移到了像这样的太空站里。在太空站，一组工程师给机器人设计了程序，让它们完成工作。机器人生产像药品、衣服、家具和气垫车等东西。没有废弃物，没有污染，也没有对环境的破坏。但是，这些公司必须培训他们的代表在太空中生活和工作。这些代表必须在此监控机器人和生产过程。一旦货物齐备，他们就会用工业用太空船将货物运送到地球。”

我开始浮想联翩。我能从事什么工作呢？当我想到这个奇妙的未来世界时，我就兴趣倍增，干劲十足！

你们的儿子

李强