Is Technology Moving Too Fast?
Differing fundamentally from the prior technologies such as telephone, television and automobile, which are better known as lock-in, the new technologies—computers,biotechnology and nanotech(纳米技术)—are self-accelerating. This means that the products of their own processes enable them to develop even more rapidly.Since they drive almost whole sectors of society, creating unstable,unpredictable and unreliable conditions, there is a growing public concern that perhaps what civilization needs is a NOT-SO-FAST button.
Supporters of technological determinism make a strong case for letting self-accelerating technologies follow their own life cycle. Rapid development in computer technology, they point out, has separated robotics and the Internet—to the great benefit of industry and human communications.Besides, it isn’t so easy for a free society to put the brakes on technology.Even if one country decided to abandon the next technological revolution, another country, would gladly take it up.
However, there are comforting situations in which technology may brake itself.
In the aging population of the developed world, many people are already tired of trying to keep up with the latest cool new tech. Youth-driven tech acceleration could be interpreted as simple youthful stupidity—short-sighted and short-lived. The market for change could dry up, and lock-in might again become the norm. Stress and great tiredness make powerful decelerators.
Change that is too rapid can be deeply divisive. If only elite (精英) can keep up, the rest of us will grow increasingly puzzled about how the world works. We can understand natural biology,complex as it is, because it holds still. But how will we ever be able to understand quantum computing (量子计算) or nanotechnology if its complexity keeps accelerating away from us?
Constant technological revolution makes planning difficult, and a society that stops planning for the future is likely to become a fragile society. It could experience violent economic unrest. It could slip into wars fought with cruel new weapons. Its widespread new technologies could fail in massive or horrible ways. All these constant, worrying small failures could weaken the whole social progress.
With so many powerful forces in play, technology could hyper-accelerate to the stars with astonishing rapidity, or it could stop completely. My expectation is that it will do both,with various technologies proceeding at various rates. The new technologies may be self-accelerating, but they are not self-determining. They are the result of ever renegotiated agreement with society. Because they are so powerful, their paths may undergo wild swings, but I think the trend will be toward the dynamic middle:much slower than the optimists expect, much faster than the pessimists think humanity can bear.
1.Which of the following views do supporters of technology self-acceleration hold?
A.The society is free to make the technology go more slowly.
B.The high rate of computer tech is of great benefit to human.
C.Robotics has developed less rapidly than computer technology.
D.Self-accelerating technologies promote international cooperation.
2.According to the passage, what may slow down the accelerating technology?
A.A carefully planned society. B.The simple youthful stupidity.
C.People’s stress and exhaustion. D.The rapid change of the market.
3.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A.To guide the new technologies for a safe acceleration.
B.To confirm the public concern about new technologies.
C.To explain the threats in technological self-acceleration.
D.To relieve the public fear for technology acceleration.
4.Which of the following shows the development of ideas in this passage?
CP:Central point P:Point Sp:Sub-point(次要点)
C:Conclusion
语篇解读:技术飞速进步到底是好事还是坏事?不同的人有不同的看法。技术决定论者认为应该顺其自然,但也有人认为技术会自我刹车。
答案及剖析:
1.B 细节理解题。从第二段中的Rapid development in computer technology...has separated robotics and the Internet—to the great benefit of industry and human communications.可知,计算机技术的快速发展将机器人技术和互联网分离,二者对工业和人类通信有巨大益处。
2.C 细节理解题。根据第四段可知,在发达世界的老年人口中,许多人厌倦了去追求新技术。不断追求新技术会给人带来压力。压力和疲惫会成为强大的减速器。
3.D 推理判断题。从第三段的转折起,作者开始陈述技术会自动刹车的理由。这正好可以缓解第一段中所说的公众普遍的担心,即技术过快发展会给社会带来不安、不可预测性、不可靠性等种种不利状况。
4.D 细节理解题。第一段大意为:公众普遍担心技术过快发展会给社会带来不安、不可预测性、不可靠性等种种不利状况。第二段大意为:技术决定论者提出有力证据,证明可以让技术按照自我生命周期发展。第三段是转折段——作者认为技术可以自我刹车。下面三段解释原因。第四段大意为:压力和疲惫形成强大的减速器,可以减缓技术的快速发展。第五段大意为:技术变化过快会使公众分化,精英们理解并拥抱新技术,余下的公众处于茫然之中。第六段大意为:持续不断的技术革命会让做计划变得困难,停止计划的社会是一个脆弱的社会,最终会减缓社会的进步。第七段是总结段——技术的发展速度最后会比乐观者认为的慢,会比悲观者认为的快。因此D项清晰展现了文章整体结构。
