People have speculated for centuries about a future without work.Today is no different ，wi

th academics，writers，and activists once again ___1___ that technology is replacing human workers. Some imagine that the coming work-freeworld will be defined by ___2___ . A few wealthy people will own all the capital ，and the masses will struggle in animpoverished wasteland.

A different and not mutually exclusive ___3___ holds that the future will be a wasteland of a different sort ，one ___4___by purposelessness：Without jobs to give their lives ___5___ ，people will simply become lazy and depressed. ___6___today’s unemployed don ’t seem to be having a great time. One Gallup poll found that 20 percent of Americanswho have been unemployed for at least a year report having depression，double the rate for ___7___ Americans. Also，some research suggests that the ___8___ for rising rates of mortality，mental-health problems，and addicting___9___poorly-educated middle-aged people is shortage of well-paid jobs. Perhaps this is why many ___10___ the agonizingdullness of a jobless future.

But it doesn ’t ___11___ follow from findings like these that a world without work would be filled with unease. Such visions are based on the ___12___ of being unemployed in a society built on the concept of employment. Inthe ___13___ of work，a society designed with other ends in mind could ___14___ strikingly different circumstances for thefuture of labor and leisure. Today，the ___15___ of work may be a bit overblown. “Many jobs are boring ，degrading，unhealthy，and a waste of human potential，” says John Danaher ，a lecturer at the National University of Irelandin Galway.

These days，because leisure time is relatively ___16___ for most workers，people use their free time tocounterbalance the intellectual and emotional ___17___ of their jobs. “When I come home from a hard day ’s work ，Ioften feel ___18___ ，” Danaher says，adding，“In a world in which I don’t have to work，I might feel ratherdifferent ”— perhaps different enough to throw himself ___19___ a hobby or a passion project with the intensity usuallyreserved for ___20___ matters.

1____

A.boasting

B.denying

C.warning

D.ensuring

2A.inequality

B.instability

C.unreliability

D.uncertainty

3A.policy

B.guideline

C.resolution

D.prediction

7A.rich

B.urban

C.educated

D.working

14A.disturb

B.restore

C.exclude

D.yield

16A.tricky

B.lengthy

C.mysterious

D.scarce

19A.off

B.against

C.behind

D.into

20A.technological

B.professional

C.educational

D.interpersonal

4A.characterized

B.divided

C.balanced

D.measured

17A.demands

B.standards

C.qualities

D.threats

5A.wisdom

B.meaning

C.glory

D.freedom

15A.model

B.practice

C.virtue

D.hardship

9A.under

B.beyond

C.alongside

D.among

18A.ignored

B.tired

C.confused

D.starved

6A.Instead

B.Indeed

C.Thus

D.Nevertheless

8A.explanation

B.requirement

C.compensation

D.substitute

13A.absence

B.height

C.face

D.course

10A.leave behind

B.make up

C.worry about

D.set aside

11A.statistically

B.occasionally

C.necessarily

D.economically

12A.chances

B.downsides

C.benefits

D.principles