Cities around the world are racing to become “smart”. It’s just like a classroom full of hard-working students. Take Toronto, Canada, for example. Tech company Google has made public a 1,500-page plan. It is going to remake two neighborhoods with things like snow-melting roads.
To build smart cities, we need lots of new technologies, such as robots and artificial intelligence (AI). These technologies will lead to safer and more efficient (效率高的) cities. However, they will also raise questions about privacy.
But there is a more serious problem: Smart cities will be difficult to manage.
As we know, tech products are sometimes unreliable (不可靠的). The Internet and our computers break down regularly. Tech products also age quickly. Only a few years into their lives, problems may become commoner and commoner.
In smart cities, many basic systems and services, such as water services, are based on such tech products. What if they break down regularly? Can you imagine the result?
New technologies in 2020 will be outdated before 2025. If we use smart technologies widely in cities, we will need to be prepared to replace them every few years. But who would want to pay this bill?
The most important problem is whether having a smart city will make us better at solving urban problems, Smart technologies can’t solve problems on their own. Suppose AI programs discover a road that needs to be repaired. It still requires people to show up with asphalt (沥青) and a steamroller (蒸汽压路机), doesn’t it?
As an engineer, I think smart technologies should have a place in cities. However, that place is not everywhere. For many of our urban problems, we don’t really need the latest technologies. The best of the old ideas works better.
19. The underlined word “
students” refers to _________.
A.cities in Canada | B.advanced technologies |
C.cities around the world | D.people living in the cities |
20. According to the article, what is Google going to do?
A.Remake two neighborhoods in Toronto. | B.Make the company more efficient. |
C.Invent snow-melting roads. | D.Make public a plan for rebuilding Toronto. |
21. According to the article, what do we need to build smart cities?
A.The best of old ideas. | B.Lots of new technologies. |
C.Asphalt and steamrollers. | D.The internet and computers. |
22. The example of a road that needs to be repaired is used to show _________.
A.tech products break down regularly in smart cities |
B.it is difficult and expensive to manage a smart city |
C.smart technologies can’t solve problems on their own |
D.many new technologies become outdated within five years |