篇章閱讀24：科技

　　To live in the United States today is to gain an appreciation for Dahrendorf s assertion that social change exists everywhere. Technology, the application of knowledge for practical ends, is a major source of social change.

　　Yet we would do well to remind ourselves that technology is a human creation; it does not exist naturally. A spear or a robot is as much a cultural as a physical object. Until humans use a spear to hunt game or a robot to produce machine parts, neither is much more than a solid mass of matter. For a bird looking for an object on which to rest, a spear or robot serves the purpose equally well. The explosion of the Challenger space shuttle and the Russian nuclear accident at Chernobyl drive home the human quality of technology; they provide cases in which well-planned systems suddenly went haywire and there was no ready hand to set them right. Since technology is a human creation, we are responsible for what is done with it. Pessimists worry that we will use our technology eventually to blow our world and ourselves to pieces. But they have been saying this for decades. and so far we have managed to survive and even flourish. Whether we will continue to do so in the years ahead remains uncertain. Clearly, the impact of technology on our lives deserves a closer examination.

　　Few technological developments have had a greater impact on our lives than the computer revolution. Scientists and engineers have designed specialized machines that can do the tasks that once only people could do. There are those who assert that the switch to an information-based economy is in the same camp as other great historical milestones, particularly the Industrial Revolution. Yet when we ask why the Industrial Revolution was a revolution, we find that it was not the machines. The primary reason why it was a revolutionary is that it led to great social change. It gave rise to mass production and, through mass production, to a society in which wealth was not confined to the few.

　　In somewhat similar fashion, computers promise to revolutionize the struccure of American fife, particularly as they free the human mind and open new possibilities in knowledge and communication. The Industrial Revolution supplemented and replaced the muscles of humans and animals by mechanical methods. The computer extends this development to supplement and replace some aspects of the mind of human beings by electronic methods. n is the capacity of the computer for solving problems and making decisions that represents its greatest potential and that poses the greatest difficulties in predicting the impact on society.

　　參考譯文

　　如今，生活在美國就會理解達倫道夫關于社會變化無所不在的斷言。作為知識的實際性應用。技術是社會變化的主要根源。

　　但是，我們應當提醒自己：技術也是人類的產物，它不是自然存在的。一根矛或一個機器人都既是客觀物體又是文化產物。除非人們用矛去捕獲獵物或用機器人去生產機器零件，否則二者都只不過是硬梆梆的物體而已。對于一只尋找棲息物的小鳥來說，一根矛或一個機器人所起的作用完全一樣。美國挑戰者號航天飛機的爆炸以及俄羅斯切爾諾貝利核泄露事件徹底暴露了技術的人為性特征。在這些案例中，規劃良好的體系一下子變得混亂，而且沒人能讓它們立即恢復正常運轉。既然技術是人類的創造，我們就要對它所造成的后果負責。悲觀者擔心我們利用技術到頭來會把這個世界和我們自己炸成齏粉。但是這話他們說了幾十年，到目前為止，我們還是安然無恙，甚至欣欣向榮。我們能否在未來的歲月里繼續如此還是未知之數。顯然，技術給我們生活所帶來的影響值得進一步調查研究。

　　很少有其他技術發展比計算機革命給我們生活帶來的影響更大了。科學家和工程師設計出專門的機器來完成曾經是只有人類才能完成的任務。有人斷言這種以信息為基礎的經濟轉型可以同其他重大的歷史里程碑 尤其是工業革命相提并論。但是，當我們探詢工業革命何以是場革命的時候，我們發現原因不在于機器的革新，首要原因在于工業革命引發了巨大的社會變化。它促進了大規模生產。并通過大規模生產，產生了一個財富不只為少數人擁有的社會。

　　遵循多少有些相同的模式，計算機注定會使美國人的生活結構發生革命性變化，尤其是計算機解放了人腦，在獲取知識和交流溝通方面開辟了新的途徑。工業革命利用機械手段補充和替代了人和動物的部分體力勞動。計算機深化了這種發展趨勢，利用電子手段補充和替代了人類思維的某些方面。正是計算機這種解決問題和做出判斷的能力代表了它巨大的潛力，也為人們預測其對社會所帶來的影響增加了極大的難度。

　　測試題

　　1. A spear or a robot has the quality of technology only when it_____________.

　　A) is used both as a cultural and a physical object

　　B) serves different purposes equally well

　　C) is utilized by man

　　D) can be of use co both man and animal

　　2. The examples of the Challenger and Chernobyl cited by the author serve to show that_________________.

　　A) if not given close examination, technology could be used to destroy our world

　　B) technology is a human creation, so we are responsible for it

　　C) technology usually goes wrong, if not controlled by man

　　D) being a human creation. technology is liable to error

　　3. According to the author. the introduction of the computer is a revolution mainly because__________________.

　　A) the computer has revolutionized the workings of the human mind

　　B) the computer can do the tasks that could only be done by people before

　　C) it has helped to switch to an information technology

　　D) it has a great potential impact on society

　　4. By using the phrase the human quality of technology , the author refers to the fact that technology_______________.

　　A) has a great impact on human life

　　B) has some characteristics of human nature

　　C) can replace some aspects of the human mind

　　D) does not exist in the natural world

　　5. The passage is based on the authors_______________.

　　A) keen insight into the nature of technology

　　B) prejudiced criticism of the role of the Industrial Revolution

　　C) cautious analysis of the replacement of the human mind by computers

　　D) exaggerated description of the negative consequences of technology

　　選項翻譯與答案詳解

　　1.長矛和機器人只有在什么時候才有技術含量?

　　A)它們被用作文化和物理實體的時候。

　　B)它們能同樣滿足不同的需要的時候。

　　C)它們被人類所利用的時候。

　　D)它們可以被人類和動物所利用的時候。

　　第2段第3句提到，除非人們用矛去捕獲獵物或用機器人去生產機器零件，否則二者都只不過是硬梆梆的物體而已。也就是說只有這些東西為人類所用的時候，它們才具有科技含量，C正確。其他選項利用原文個別信息，胡亂拼湊而成，不符題意。

　　2.作者引述了挑戰者和切諾比的例子是為了論證_________________。

　　A)如果技術沒有經過嚴密的檢查，就告被用來摧毀我們的世界

　　B)技術是人類創造出來的，所以我們應該對它們負責

　　C)技術如果不受人類控制的話通常會出問題

　　D)技術是人類創造出來的，容易出錯

　　根據題干關鍵詞the Challenger and Chernobyl查找到第2段第5句。該句提到，美國挑戰者號航天飛機的爆炸以及俄羅斯切爾諾貝利核泄露事件徹底暴露了技術的人為性特征。也就是說技術是人為創造出來的，容易出問題,D正確。B雖然文中有所提及，卻不是作者舉例要說明的問題，A.C在原文中找不到依據。

　　3.作者認為，電腦的引入是一種革命，主要的原因是____。

　　A)電腦大大改變了人類的工作

　　B)電腦現在可以做以前只能由人來做的工作

　　C)電腦幫助促成了信息技術

　　D)電腦對社會有很大的潛在影響力

　　第3段倒數第2句提到，工業革命之所以是一場革命，原因不在于機器的革新，主要原因是工業革命引發了巨大的社會變化，因此D正確。其他三個選項為這一變化的某一具體表現，不夠全面，因此排除。

　　4.作者使用了 技術的人為性 (第2段第7行)，指的是技術____。

　　A)能對人類生活產生很大的影響 B)有著一些人性的特點

　　C)可以取代人類思維的某些方面 D)在自然世界中不存在

　　根據題干查找到第2段，本詞組所在句以兩個技術事件說明技術的人為性特征，即技術同人性一樣，存在弱點，B正確。

　　5.文章是建立在作者____的基礎之上的。

　　A)對于技術本質的精辟洞察力

　　B)對于工業革命作用帶有偏見的批判

　　C)對干人類思維被電腦取代的謹慎分析

　　D)對技術的負面影響的夸張描述

　　本題可用排除法。B中的 批判 ，C中的 人類思維被電腦取代 在原文找不到作者的相關觀點;雖然文中提及科技帶來負面的東西，卻沒有對技術的負面影響進行夸大的描述，此三項均可排除，A正確。

　　篇章閱讀24：科技

　　To live in the United States today is to gain an appreciation for Dahrendorf s assertion that social change exists everywhere. Technology, the application of knowledge for practical ends, is a major source of social change.

　　Yet we would do well to remind ourselves that technology is a human creation; it does not exist naturally. A spear or a robot is as much a cultural as a physical object. Until humans use a spear to hunt game or a robot to produce machine parts, neither is much more than a solid mass of matter. For a bird looking for an object on which to rest, a spear or robot serves the purpose equally well. The explosion of the Challenger space shuttle and the Russian nuclear accident at Chernobyl drive home the human quality of technology; they provide cases in which well-planned systems suddenly went haywire and there was no ready hand to set them right. Since technology is a human creation, we are responsible for what is done with it. Pessimists worry that we will use our technology eventually to blow our world and ourselves to pieces. But they have been saying this for decades. and so far we have managed to survive and even flourish. Whether we will continue to do so in the years ahead remains uncertain. Clearly, the impact of technology on our lives deserves a closer examination.

　　Few technological developments have had a greater impact on our lives than the computer revolution. Scientists and engineers have designed specialized machines that can do the tasks that once only people could do. There are those who assert that the switch to an information-based economy is in the same camp as other great historical milestones, particularly the Industrial Revolution. Yet when we ask why the Industrial Revolution was a revolution, we find that it was not the machines. The primary reason why it was a revolutionary is that it led to great social change. It gave rise to mass production and, through mass production, to a society in which wealth was not confined to the few.

　　In somewhat similar fashion, computers promise to revolutionize the struccure of American fife, particularly as they free the human mind and open new possibilities in knowledge and communication. The Industrial Revolution supplemented and replaced the muscles of humans and animals by mechanical methods. The computer extends this development to supplement and replace some aspects of the mind of human beings by electronic methods. n is the capacity of the computer for solving problems and making decisions that represents its greatest potential and that poses the greatest difficulties in predicting the impact on society.

　　參考譯文

　　如今，生活在美國就會理解達倫道夫關于社會變化無所不在的斷言。作為知識的實際性應用。技術是社會變化的主要根源。

　　但是，我們應當提醒自己：技術也是人類的產物，它不是自然存在的。一根矛或一個機器人都既是客觀物體又是文化產物。除非人們用矛去捕獲獵物或用機器人去生產機器零件，否則二者都只不過是硬梆梆的物體而已。對于一只尋找棲息物的小鳥來說，一根矛或一個機器人所起的作用完全一樣。美國挑戰者號航天飛機的爆炸以及俄羅斯切爾諾貝利核泄露事件徹底暴露了技術的人為性特征。在這些案例中，規劃良好的體系一下子變得混亂，而且沒人能讓它們立即恢復正常運轉。既然技術是人類的創造，我們就要對它所造成的后果負責。悲觀者擔心我們利用技術到頭來會把這個世界和我們自己炸成齏粉。但是這話他們說了幾十年，到目前為止，我們還是安然無恙，甚至欣欣向榮。我們能否在未來的歲月里繼續如此還是未知之數。顯然，技術給我們生活所帶來的影響值得進一步調查研究。

　　很少有其他技術發展比計算機革命給我們生活帶來的影響更大了。科學家和工程師設計出專門的機器來完成曾經是只有人類才能完成的任務。有人斷言這種以信息為基礎的經濟轉型可以同其他重大的歷史里程碑 尤其是工業革命相提并論。但是，當我們探詢工業革命何以是場革命的時候，我們發現原因不在于機器的革新，首要原因在于工業革命引發了巨大的社會變化。它促進了大規模生產。并通過大規模生產，產生了一個財富不只為少數人擁有的社會。

　　遵循多少有些相同的模式，計算機注定會使美國人的生活結構發生革命性變化，尤其是計算機解放了人腦，在獲取知識和交流溝通方面開辟了新的途徑。工業革命利用機械手段補充和替代了人和動物的部分體力勞動。計算機深化了這種發展趨勢，利用電子手段補充和替代了人類思維的某些方面。正是計算機這種解決問題和做出判斷的能力代表了它巨大的潛力，也為人們預測其對社會所帶來的影響增加了極大的難度。

　　測試題

　　1. A spear or a robot has the quality of technology only when it_____________.

　　A) is used both as a cultural and a physical object

　　B) serves different purposes equally well

　　C) is utilized by man

　　D) can be of use co both man and animal

　　2. The examples of the Challenger and Chernobyl cited by the author serve to show that_________________.

　　A) if not given close examination, technology could be used to destroy our world

　　B) technology is a human creation, so we are responsible for it

　　C) technology usually goes wrong, if not controlled by man

　　D) being a human creation. technology is liable to error

　　3. According to the author. the introduction of the computer is a revolution mainly because__________________.

　　A) the computer has revolutionized the workings of the human mind

　　B) the computer can do the tasks that could only be done by people before

　　C) it has helped to switch to an information technology

　　D) it has a great potential impact on society

　　4. By using the phrase the human quality of technology , the author refers to the fact that technology_______________.

　　A) has a great impact on human life

　　B) has some characteristics of human nature

　　C) can replace some aspects of the human mind

　　D) does not exist in the natural world

　　5. The passage is based on the authors_______________.

　　A) keen insight into the nature of technology

　　B) prejudiced criticism of the role of the Industrial Revolution

　　C) cautious analysis of the replacement of the human mind by computers

　　D) exaggerated description of the negative consequences of technology

　　選項翻譯與答案詳解

　　1.長矛和機器人只有在什么時候才有技術含量?

　　A)它們被用作文化和物理實體的時候。

　　B)它們能同樣滿足不同的需要的時候。

　　C)它們被人類所利用的時候。

　　D)它們可以被人類和動物所利用的時候。

　　第2段第3句提到，除非人們用矛去捕獲獵物或用機器人去生產機器零件，否則二者都只不過是硬梆梆的物體而已。也就是說只有這些東西為人類所用的時候，它們才具有科技含量，C正確。其他選項利用原文個別信息，胡亂拼湊而成，不符題意。

　　2.作者引述了挑戰者和切諾比的例子是為了論證_________________。

　　A)如果技術沒有經過嚴密的檢查，就告被用來摧毀我們的世界

　　B)技術是人類創造出來的，所以我們應該對它們負責

　　C)技術如果不受人類控制的話通常會出問題

　　D)技術是人類創造出來的，容易出錯

　　根據題干關鍵詞the Challenger and Chernobyl查找到第2段第5句。該句提到，美國挑戰者號航天飛機的爆炸以及俄羅斯切爾諾貝利核泄露事件徹底暴露了技術的人為性特征。也就是說技術是人為創造出來的，容易出問題,D正確。B雖然文中有所提及，卻不是作者舉例要說明的問題，A.C在原文中找不到依據。

　　3.作者認為，電腦的引入是一種革命，主要的原因是____。

　　A)電腦大大改變了人類的工作

　　B)電腦現在可以做以前只能由人來做的工作

　　C)電腦幫助促成了信息技術

　　D)電腦對社會有很大的潛在影響力

　　第3段倒數第2句提到，工業革命之所以是一場革命，原因不在于機器的革新，主要原因是工業革命引發了巨大的社會變化，因此D正確。其他三個選項為這一變化的某一具體表現，不夠全面，因此排除。

　　4.作者使用了 技術的人為性 (第2段第7行)，指的是技術____。

　　A)能對人類生活產生很大的影響 B)有著一些人性的特點

　　C)可以取代人類思維的某些方面 D)在自然世界中不存在

　　根據題干查找到第2段，本詞組所在句以兩個技術事件說明技術的人為性特征，即技術同人性一樣，存在弱點，B正確。

　　5.文章是建立在作者____的基礎之上的。

　　A)對于技術本質的精辟洞察力

　　B)對于工業革命作用帶有偏見的批判

　　C)對干人類思維被電腦取代的謹慎分析

　　D)對技術的負面影響的夸張描述

　　本題可用排除法。B中的 批判 ，C中的 人類思維被電腦取代 在原文找不到作者的相關觀點;雖然文中提及科技帶來負面的東西，卻沒有對技術的負面影響進行夸大的描述，此三項均可排除，A正確。