Unit 8
Text A
Listening
First Listening
Before listening to the tape, have a quick look at the following words.
description
描述
communicate
交流
potential
潜力
creative
创造性的
Second Lister
Listen to the tape again. Then, choose the best answer to each of the following questions.
1. What is the main topic of the listening passage?
A) The history of the computer.
B) The future of the information highway.
C) Practical uses of the Internet.
D) How the Internet was invented.
2. How did Bill Gates learn about the first personal computer?
A) He invented it.
B) He read about it in a magazine.
C) One of his professors at Harvard University told him about it.
D) One of his friends told him about it.
3. Who does Gates feel should make decisions about the information highway?
A) Elected officials.
B) International political organizations.
C) Computer programmers.
D) Everyday people as well as experts.
4. What does Gates say his purpose in writing this book is?
A) To make more money.
B) To publicize the Internet.
C) To encourage people to discuss the new technologies.
D) To warn people about the dangers of new technologies.
Pre-reading Questions
1. What do you know about Bill Gates and his company Microsoft? What is Gates most famous for?
2. What do you consider to be the most important technological achievements of the last 20 years? Why is each important?
3. What kind of technological innovations might we see in the next 20 years?
4. Skim the text to get the answers to the following questions:
a) What sort of "revolution" does Gates believe is currently occurring?
b) What stage of the revolution are we in now?
c) How long does Gates expect it to go on?
Foreword
Bill Gates
The past twenty years have been an incredible adventure for me. It started on a day when, as a college sophomore, l stood in Harvard Square with my friend Paul Allen and pored over the description of a kit computer in Popular Electronics magazine. As we read excitedly about the first truly personal computer, Paul and I didn't know exactly how it would be used, but we were sure it would change us and the world of computing. We were right. The personal computer revolution happened and it has affected millions of lives. It has led us to places we had barely imagined.
We are all beginning another great journey. We aren't sure where this one will lead us either, but again I am certain this revolution will touch even more lives and take us all farther. The major changes coming will be in the way people communicate with each other. The benefits and problems arising from this upcoming communications revolution will be much greater than those brought about by the PC revolution.
There is never a reliable map for unexplored territory, but we can learn important lessons from the creation and evolution of the $120-billion personal-computer industry. The PC — its evolving hardware, business applications, on-line systems. Internet connections, electronic mail, multimedia titles, authoring tools, and games — is the foundation for the next revolution.
During the PC industry's infancy, the mass media paid little attention to what was going on in the brand-new business. Those of us who were attracted by computers and the possibilities they promised were unnoticed outside our own circles.
But this next journey, to the so-called information highway, is the topic of endless newspaper and magazine articles, television and radio broadcasts, conferences, and widespread speculation. There has been an unbelievable amount of interest in this subject during the last few years, both inside and outside the computer industry. The interest is not confined only to developed countries, and it goes well beyond the large numbers of personal-computer users.
Thousands of informed and uninformed people are now speculating publicly about the information highway. The amount of misunderstanding about the technology and its possible dangers surprises me. Some people think the highway is simply today's Internet or the delivery of 500 simultaneous channels of television. Others hope or fear it will create computers as smart as human beings. Those developments will come, but they are not the highway.
The revolution in communications is just beginning. It will take place over several decades, and will be driven by new "applications" — new tools, often meeting currently unforeseen needs. During the next few years, major decisions will have to be made. It is crucial that a broad set of people — not just technologists or those who happen to be in the computer industry — participate in the debate about how this technology should be shaped. If that can be done, the highway will serve the purposes users want. Then it will gain broad acceptance and become a reality.
I'm writing this book The Road Ahead as part of my contribution to the debate and, although it's a tall order, I hope it can serve as a travel guide for the forthcoming journey. I do this with some misgivings. We've all smiled at predictions from the past that look silly today. History is full of now ironic examples — the Oxford professor who in 1878 dismissed the electric light as a gimmick; the commissioner of U.S. patents who in 1899 asked that his office be abolished because "everything that can be invented has been invented." This is meant to be a serious book, although ten years from now it may not appear that way. What I've said that turned out to be right will be considered obvious and what was wrong will be humorous.
Anyone expecting an autobiography or a treatise on what it's like to have been as lucky as I have been will be disappointed. Perhaps when I've retired I will get around to writing that book. This book looks primarily to the future.
Anyone hoping for a technological treatise will be disappointed, too. Everyone will be touched by the information highway, and everyone ought to be able to understand its implications. That's why my goal from the very beginning was to write a book that as many people as possible could understand.
The process of thinking about and writing the present book took longer than I expected. Indeed, estimating the time it would take proved to be as difficult as projecting the development schedule of a major software project. The only part that was easy was the cover photo which we finished well ahead of schedule. I enjoy writing speeches and had thought writing a book would be like writing them. I imagined writing a chapter would be the equivalent of writing a speech. The error in my thinking was similar to the one software developers often run into — a program ten times as long is about one hundred times more complicated to write. I should have known better.
And here it is. I hope it stimulates understanding, debate, and creative ideas about how we can take advantage of all that's sure to be happening in the decade ahead.
(866 words)
New Words
foreword
n. a short introduction at the beginning of a book 序言，前言
incredible
a. unbelievable; extraordinary 难以置信的；了不起的
sophomore
n. a student in the second year of college or high school（中学、大学）二年级学生
pore
vi. (over) study with close attention 专心阅读；钻研
description
n. saying in words what sb. or sth. is like 描写，描述
kit
n. a set of all the parts needed to assemble sth. 配套元件
*compute
v. calculate ( a result, answer, sum, etc.) esp. with a computer（尤指用计算机）计算
barely
ad. only just; hardly 仅仅；几乎不
upcoming
a. about to happen 即将来临的
PC (abbr.)
personal computer 个人计算机
reliable
a. that can be relied on; dependable 可靠的; 确实的
territory
n. (an area of) land, esp. ruled by one government 领土
*creation
n. the act or process of creating sth. 创造; 创作
evolution
n. 1. the gradual change and development 演变，发展
2. (the theory of) the development of the various types of plants, animals, etc., from earlier and simpler forms 进化（论）
evolve
vt. 演化，发展，逐步形成；进化
application
n. 1. (an instance of) putting to practical use 应用，运用
2. a computer software program 应用软件程序
on-line
a. 联机的，联线的
Internet
n. 因特网，国际互联网
connection
n. 连接，连结；联系，关系
electronic
a. 电子的
multimedia
n.& a. 多媒体（的）
title
n. （多媒体）题标；标题；题目
author
vt. 写作；创造
n. 作者
foundation
n. 基础
infancy
n. 婴儿期；幼儿期；初期
attract
vt. cause to like, admire, notice, or turn towards; arouse (interest, etc.); prompt 引起…的注意（或兴趣等），吸引；引起（兴趣等）；激起
possibility
n. 1. (often pi.) power of developing, growing, or being used or useful in the future [常用复数] 发展前途，潜在价值
2. the state of being possible; likelihood 可能；可能性
so-called
a. called or named thus but perhaps wrongly or doubtfully 所谓的，号称的
endless
a. without end, or seeming to be without end（似乎）无穷尽的；没完没了的
conference
n. a meeting for discussion 会议，讨论会
confine
vt. (to) restrict or keep within certain limits 限制，使局限
speculate
vi. 猜测；投机
amount
n. 量，数量；总数，总额
misunderstanding
n. 误解，曲解
misunderstand
v. 误解，误会
delivery
n. 传送；投递；运载
*simultaneous
a. happening or being done at the same time 同时发生的，同时进行的
channel
n. 频道；水道；海峡
create
vt. cause (sth. new) to exist; produce (sth. new) 创造；创作
unforeseen
a. not known in advance; unexpected 未预见到的；意料之外的
crucial
a. (to, for) of deciding importance 决定性的；至关重要的
technologist
n. an expert in technology 技术专家
contribution
n. 捐款；捐献；贡献
debate
n. a formal argument or discussion（就…）进行辩论
v. have a debate about; take part in a debate 辩论；讨论
purpose
n. that which one means to do, get, be, etc.; intention 目的；意图
acceptance
n. 接受
*forthcoming
a. happening or appearing in the near future 即将到来的，即将出现的
misgiving
n. [复数] 疑虑，担忧
prediction
n. sth. that is said or described in advance 预言
gimmick
n. （骗人的）玩意儿
*commissioner
n. （政府厅、局、处等部门的）长官；委员；专员
*patent
n. 专利；专利权
*abolish
vt. put an end to, do away with 取消，废除
humorous
a. funny and amusing; having or showing a sense of humour 幽默的；滑稽的；富有幽默感的
autobiography
n. a book written by oneself about one's own life 自传
treatise
n. 专著；（专题）论文
retire
vi. stop working at one's job, profession, etc., usu. because of age 退休，退职
primarily
ad. mainly; chiefly 主要地；首要地
technological
a. of or related to technology 技术的；工艺（学）的
implication
n. 含意，暗示
process
n. 过程；进程
estimate
vt. 估计，估量
n. 估计
project
vt. make plans for 设计，规划
n. 规划，计划；（工程）项目
chapter
n. （书的）章，回
equivalent
n. sth. that is equal in meaning, amount, value 相等物；等值物；等量物
a. 相等的；等值的；等量的
complicated
a. very difficult to understand 复杂的；难解的；难懂的
stimulate
vt. excite (the body or mind), encourage 刺激；激发；促使
advantage
n. 有利条件，优势；好处；利益
Phrases and Expressions
communicate with
share or exchange opinions, news, information, etc. with 与…交流
arise from
result from 由 … 产生，由 … 引起
bring about
cause to happen 带来，造成
go on
take place or happen 发生
go beyond
exceed 超过；越过
tall order
a task difficult to perform 难以完成的任务，过高要求
get around to /get round to
find time for (sth. or doing sth.) 抽出时间去做
look to
give one's attention to 展望
ahead of schedule
before the planned or expected time 提前
run into
1. meet (difficulties, etc.) 遭遇（困难等）
2. meet by chance 偶然碰见，撞见
take advantage of
make use of 利用
Proper Names
Bill Gates
比尔·盖茨（人名）
Harvard Square
哈佛（大学）广场
Paul Allen
保罗·艾伦（人名）
Popular Electronics
《大众电子学》（杂志名）
The Road Ahead
《未来之路》（书名）
Oxford
牛津（英格兰中南部城市，牛津大学所在地）；牛津大学 |