PBS高端访谈:发展科技解决世界难题

 　　JEFFREY BROWN: Now, mining technology to solve the world's problems.

　　NewsHour economics correspondent Paul Solman recently traveled to California and filed this report on someinnovative thinkers. It's part of his ongoing¹ reporting Making Sense of financial news.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: On the back lot at 20th Century Fox, the world of make-believe, and a typical make-believe vision of the future, courtesy of FOX CEO Jim Gianopulos.

　　JIM GIANOPULOS, CEO, 20th Century Fox: Here's a little peek² at what's in store for us.

　　UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: At Weyland Industries, it has long been our goal to create artificial intelligence almost indistinguishable from mankind itself.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: The sci-fi pipe dream of moving pictures for as long as they have existed, but no dream to those assembled here.

　　This wasn't a film industry gathering³, but a conference put together by Singularity University, a futuristic Silicon⁴ Valley think tank which fosters and showcases high-tech⁵ inventions. The goal is to make the world a better place as fast as possible.Co-founder⁶ Peter Diamandis.

　　PETER DIAMANDIS, chairman, Singularity University: These tools that are now in your hands allow us to really take on any challenge. It's about the most efficient use of capital and tools that have ever existed.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: Singularity's mission is to solve humanity's most pressing problems by spurring new technologies in food, water, energy, supposedly scarce, but, with the tinkerings of technology, says Diamandis, potentially abundant.

　　PETER DIAMANDIS: We have the potential during our lifetime, in the next 10 to 30 years, to slay⁷ water, energy shortage, hunger, health care, educational issues, where we can create a world of abundance, where we can meet the basic needs of every man, woman and child on this planet.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: The key, says Diamandis, is that tech growth is not linear, one, two, three, four, five, butexponential, one, two, four, eight, 16, or even faster than that.

　　PETER DIAMANDIS: The rate of innovation is a function of the total number of people connected and exchanging ideas. It has gone up as population has gone up. It's gone up as people have concentrated in cities.

　　You know, the coffee shop is the location where people exchange and share ideas. Now the global coffee shop is the Internet, and the more people are connected, the more innovation we have.

　　Think about the fact that a Masai warrior⁸ in the middle of Africa today on one of these cell phones has better mobile com than President Reagan did 25 years ago. And if they're on Google on a smartphone, they've got better access to knowledge than President Clinton did 15 years ago. It's extraordinary.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: But, says high-tech entrepreneur Carl Bass⁹, we haven't seen anything yet.

　　CARL BASS, CEO, Autodesk: Within five to 10 years, we will be printing biological structures with actual function.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: 3-D printing is already a reality, copying machines that literally¹⁰ copy in three dimensions toys, product prototypes, and now living things as well.

　　CARL BASS: There's some fantastic work going on at Wake Forest, where they're using that same technology of 3-D printing, and they have already printed a human kidney. It's not ready for transplant, but I suspect, within five to 10 years, it will be.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: This conference was filled with sci-fi-like eye-openers. The self-driving car has now been OKed in Nevada.

　　DOCTOR: So we can put your hands right here.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: Dr. Dan Kraft gave me an EKG -- and with a stent installed, I've had a lot of them -- with his cell phone.

　　DOCTOR: It's just a two-lead EKG, pretty basic. But I can see the basic things, that your heart is beating regularly, that your Q.R. complex looks normal, that you're not having an S.T. elevation¹¹, which would beassociated with chest pain or acute attack.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: Former astronaut Dan Barry said the day was soon coming when robots would provide all sorts of services, from the workaday to the intimate.

　　DAN BARRY, Singularity University: Robot sex is going to be big. It really is.

　　(LAUGHTER)

　　DAN BARRY: This is funny, right? But it's not funny if you're 75 years old and you just lost your partnerand you are lonely and you're by yourself, you still have sexual drive, and you have no outlet¹² for that.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: Among the best-known inventors at the conference was Dean Kamen, whose innovations include this prosthetic arm. It freed double amputee Chuck Hildreth from total dependence¹³, freed his wife from feeding him.

　　DEAN KAMEN, Founder, DEKA Research & Development Corporation: His wife is standing¹⁴ behind me at the time and starts to cry because she says he hasn't fed himself. And now here he is. And she says to me, "Dean, you have got a choice. We keep the arm or you keep Chuck."

　　(LAUGHTER)

　　PAUL SOLMAN: Now, Kamen and his cutting-edge contraptions may be familiar, in that we have introduced many here on the NewsHour over the years, from his medical marvels¹⁵ to transportation aids for overworked NewsHour correspondents. Kamen invented the Segway.

　　But for the past decade, Kamen's most ambitious project may be the Slingshot, a device to make drinkable the world's dirty water.

　　DEAN KAMEN: It is poison. It is toxic¹⁶ waste. Take water that's got fecal matter, cryptosporidium, giardia, every other kind of organic toxin¹⁷ or inorganic¹⁸. We said, let's make a box that's small and portable thatyou can plop down anywhere.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: A box the size of a dorm room fridge that almost instantaneously boils and then condenses water, 250 gallons a day.

　　DEAN KAMEN: Water that's so pure, it's equivalent to rainwater. It's distilled¹⁹ water. And we believe that, if we can build these machines to scale at a cost that is, we think, highly realistic, we will be able to put these things all over the world where people that today have to make a choice between drinking something that will make them sick or possibly kill them and their children, or not drinking at all, which willsurely kill them, that's not a choice people should have to make, not in the 21st century.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: Kamen has cajoled Coca-Cola into distributing these devices, first venue²⁰, rural Ghana, wherethey're now being installed. Eventually, Slingshots could be everywhere.

　　To Peter Diamandis, Kamen's project exemplifies the mission of Singularity University.

　　PETER DIAMANDIS: Converting that which was scarce to that which is abundant.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: Abundance is the title of Diamandis' new book, and describes his vision of the future: transformations²¹ in water, food, energy.

　　PETER DIAMANDIS: What people don't realize is that we're living on a planet that's bathed with energy; 5,000 times more energy hits the Earth's surface than we consume as a species in a year. It's just not accessible yet. But there's good news in this area. There are breakthroughs constantly in solar energy production.

　　Last year, in 2011, the cost of solar in the world dropped by almost 50 percent.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: Admittedly, solar now provides less than 1 percent of U.S. energy needs. But Singularity University's other co-founder, Ray Kurzweil, whom we interviewed by something called Teleportec, says the public is pointlessly pessimistic.

　　RAY KURZWEIL, Chancellor²², Singularity University: And I think the major reason that people are pessimistic is they don't realize that these technologies are growing exponentially.

　　For example, solar energy is doubling every two years. It's now only seven doublings from meeting 100 percent of the world's energy needs, and we have 10,000 times more sunlight than we need to do that.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: One last high-tech frontier: meat. At the moment, livestock²³ production takes up a third of the world's ice-free land, generates nearly a fifth of the world's greenhouse gases, via organic exhaust, front and rear.

　　And eating just one serving of red meat a day, says a new Harvard study, correlates with a 12 percent increased risk of death.

　　Enter in vitro meat, not to be confused with pink slime.

　　PETER DIAMANDIS: We have the technology now, it's being done in a number of labs, to actually grow meat products in the laboratory, in the test tube, so to speak. And people say, that's disgusting. Have you ever seen how Chicken McNuggets are made?

　　PAUL SOLMAN: But an in vitro hamburger doesn't sound like it would be good for you.

　　PETER DIAMANDIS: Well, actually, these kinds of new food products will be far better for you, because they will have the best proteins, the best fats, the nutrients²⁴ built in.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: It will taste like a hamburger?

　　PETER DIAMANDIS: It will taste better than a hamburger.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: By this time, we were sufficiently²⁵ wowed, if not downright overwhelmed.

　　But, keeping our journalistic wits about us, we posed the skeptic's question to Vint Cerf, known as the father of the Internet. Did he think this conference might just be over-hyping the future?

　　VINT CERF, chief Internet evangelist, Google: I have been surprised repeatedly by the things that we've been able to do that would have been thought to be science fiction in the past. What Craig Venter talked about this morning about creating synthetic²⁶ life would have been science fiction -- in fact, it was science fiction -- and he's pushed the boundaries of what's real.

　　PAUL SOLMAN: But what about Craig Venter himself? The man who cracked the human genome in record time a decade ago is now hard at work creating new life forms for fuels, food and vaccines²⁷. He surprised us by issuing a warning of sorts. Singularity's brand-new world, he said, is not just around the corner.

　　CRAIG VENTER, CEO, Synthetic Genomics: Most of what you've heard here so far today is fantasy or bull(EXPLETIVE DELETED).

　　PAUL SOLMAN: Venter was venting²⁸ for effect, perhaps, since he too is creating the future. But think of the world's growing problems, he says.

　　CRAIG VENTER: If all these dreams come true -- and I hope these people are right -- then we will solve everything. Nobody has the solutions in hand right now.

　　We have potential solutions. We don't have ways to provide the fuel, we don't have ways to provide the food, clean water, medicine for seven billion people now. How are we going to do it for eight, nine, 10 billion people in the coming decades?

　　PAUL SOLMAN: How, indeed? But here in the make-believe world of the future, you can be sure someone has started working on the question.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 peek   

vi.偷看，窥视；n.偷偷的一看，一瞥

参考例句：

• Larry takes a peek out of the window.赖瑞往窗外偷看了一下。
• Cover your eyes and don't peek.捂上眼睛，别偷看。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

5 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

6 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

7 slay   

v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮

参考例句：

• He intended to slay his father's murderer.他意图杀死杀父仇人。
• She has ordered me to slay you.她命令我把你杀了。

8 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

9 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

10 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

11 elevation   

n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高

参考例句：

• The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。
• His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

12 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

13 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

14 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

15 marvels   

n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The doctor's treatment has worked marvels : the patient has recovered completely. 该医生妙手回春，病人已完全康复。 来自辞典例句
• Nevertheless he revels in a catalogue of marvels. 可他还是兴致勃勃地罗列了一堆怪诞不经的事物。 来自辞典例句

16 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

17 toxin   

n.毒素，毒质

参考例句：

• Experts have linked this condition to a build-up of toxins in the body.专家已把这一病症与体内毒素的积累联系起来。
• Tests showed increased levels of toxin in shellfish.检验表明水生有壳动物的毒素水平提高了。

18 inorganic   

adj.无生物的；无机的

参考例句：

• The fundamentals of inorganic chemistry are very important.无机化学的基础很重要。
• This chemical plant recently bought a large quantity of inorganic salt.这家化工厂又买进了大量的无机盐。

19 distilled   

adj.由蒸馏得来的v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )；从…提取精华

参考例句：

• The televised interview was distilled from 16 hours of film. 那次电视采访是从16个小时的影片中选出的精华。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Gasoline is distilled from crude oil. 汽油是从原油中提炼出来的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

21 transformations   

n.变化( transformation的名词复数 )；转换；转换；变换

参考例句：

• Energy transformations go on constantly, all about us. 在我们周围，能量始终在不停地转换着。 来自辞典例句
• On the average, such transformations balance out. 平均起来，这种转化可以互相抵消。 来自辞典例句

22 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

23 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

24 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

26 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

27 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

28 venting   

消除； 泄去； 排去； 通风

参考例句：

• But, unexpectedly, he started venting his spleen on her. 哪知道，老头子说着说着绕到她身上来。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• So now he's venting his anger on me. 哦，我这才知道原来还是怄我的气。