From self-driving cars to carebots for elderly people, rapid advances in technology have long represented a potential threat to many jobs normally performed by people.

But experts now believe that almost 50 per cent of occupations existing today will be completely unnecessary by 2025 as artificial intelligence continues to transform businesses. This could put some people’s livelihoods at risk.

“Experts predict that 50 per cent of occupations today will no longer exist by 2025 as people will take up more creative professions,” said Martin Chen, Chief Operating Officer of Genesis. “This means that jobs will develop and so will real estate development.”

Workspaces with rows of desks will become completely extra, not because they are not fit for purpose, but simply because that purpose no longer exists, according to the report. “The next fifteen years will see a revolution in how we work, and a corresponding revolution will necessarily take place on how we plan and think about workplaces,” said Peter Andrew, Director of Workplace Strategy for CBRE Asia Pacific.

A growing proportion of jobs in the future will require creativity intelligence, social skills and the ability to apply artificial intelligence. “And for most people that will be a route to happiness and fulfillment,” the report states.

Data in the USsuggests that technology already destroys more jobs than it creates, as GDP has been able to grow faster than employment since 2000. A 2014 report by Pew Research found 52 per cent of experts in artificial and robotics were optimistic about the future and believed there would still be enough jobs in the next few decades. 

The optimists imagined “a future in which robots and digital agents do not replace more jobs than they create,” Microsoft’s Jonathan Grudin told researchers that: “Technology will continue to break up jobs, but more jobs seem likely to be created. Although there have always been unemployed people, when we reached a few billion people there were billions of jobs. There is no shortage of things that need to be done and that will not change.”

1.What will put some people’s livelihood at risk in fifteen years of time?

A Self-driving cars and carebots.

B Artificial intelligence.

C Business.

D Real estate.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据文章第二段…as artificial intelligence continues to transform businesses可知，由于人工智能继续代替人们做工作，到2015年时，将有一半的工作不需要人们去做。这种局面会使一些人失业，从而影响他们的生计。

2.Why will desks in offices be unnecessary by 2025?

A There will be no purpose of using the desks.

B The desks will no longer be fit for the purpose.

C The office revolution will make people rethink about their work.

D The development of technology removes the need for desks.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据文章第四段…but simply because that purpose no longer exists可知，由于写字桌的用途荡然无存，办公室也就不会摆放写字桌了。

3.What will the characteristics of the jobs be in the next fifteen years?

A Most jobs in the future use high technology.

B More and more jobs focus of happiness and fulfillment.

C More and more jobs are focusing on artificial intelligence.

D Most jobs will require social ability to communicate with others.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据文章第五段A growing proportion of jobs… will require creativity intelligence, … and the ability to apply artificial intelligence可知，到2050年的时候，工作主要是与人工智能创新和应用有关。故选C。

4.What can be implied in what Jonathan Grudin said in the last paragraph ?

A There will be billions of people in fifteen years of time.

B Enough jobs will be created for everyone to choose from.

C People needn’t worry about their jobs in the future.

D Robots and digital agents create more jobs than they destroy.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据文章最后一段Technology will continue to break up jobs, but more jobs seem likely to be created. 可知，高度发展的科技去除了一些工作，但同时又衍生了一些工作，由此判断，人们是没有必要担心找不到工作的。

5.What can be the best title of the passage?

A 2025, A Jobless World.

B 2025, Robots Leave Humans Unemployed.

C There Will Be No Desks in Future.

D Half of Our Jobs Will Be Unnecessary by 2025.

解析：选D。D 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文的主要内容是：随着科学技术的发展，到2015年的时候，我们常做的工作中将有一半是多余的。