A couple of years ago Brian Arthur, an academic of the Palo Alto Research Centre, made a surprising prediction. In the next two to three decades, Western digital networks would end up performing functions equal to the size of the “real” US economy. Or, to put it another way, if you looked at all the work being done by electronic supply chains, robots, communications systems—and the bar code—then the digital economy would “exceed the physical economy in size”, Arthur wrote, on the basis of productivity and output calculations.
It sounds impressive. But it also raises a crucial question: as those digital networks increase in size, what are flesh-and-blood workers going to do in this future world? Simon Head, an academic who teaches at the University of Oxford and New York University, joined in this debate with a book entitled Mindless: Why Smarter Machines Are Making Dumber Humans.
As the subtitle suggests, Head is extremely pessimistic. He thinks the digital networks keep replacing jobs that used to be performed by the middle classes, throwing them out of work or into thankless, dull ones, as a few groups of skilled managers (or business owners) get wealthier. As a result, income inequality keeps growing and digital systems increasingly influence what we all do, overriding human common sense. This can be seen in the financial sector, Head argues, pointing out that digitization has overtaken many manufacturing companies.
But the real foretaste of the future—and digital hell—is with companies such as Walmart and Amazon, he claims. While the word “Amazon” tends to bring delight to consumers, given its wonderfully efficient shopping experience, people working inside the company’s warehouses live in a world of electronic observation, low wages and physically demanding work. And, of course, the rise of Amazon has also been deeply painful for many independent retailers, suppliers and writers.
On one level, Head’s anger is nothing new. Academics have been writing about the digitization revolution for some time. But what is perhaps most interesting of all about Head’s view is that while he writes from an annoyed viewpoint, even he cannot find any answers.
Unlike those early Luddites who simply destroyed 19th-century weaving machines, Head does not want to ban bar codes. Instead, he wants “higher-paying, higher-skilled jobs, with the digital networks used to supplement (增补) rather than replace employees’ expert knowledge or skill” in a new corporate culture where workers are treated with respect (or at least more attention than those robots). But while he mentions a few “case histories where alternative, employee-friendly cultures have taken root”, he also admits “these are not easily copied elsewhere”.
Thus, he admires “Germany’s culture of codetermination and labour-management partnership”, for example, or “the John Lewis Partnership in the United Kingdom, the employee-owned and the best high-quality retail chain in the country” or “exceptional US companies like Lincoln Electric”. But he also warns that “it would be delusional (妄想的) to think that, in the United States, the area of these alternative work cultures will expand naturally”. The Amazon example is just too strong.
The real problem of invisible digitization is exactly that: the revolution is unseen. Thus, while “the progressive response to the cruelty of 19th-century capitalism was fueled by a growing awareness of what was going on behind factory walls, digital networks are invisible”.
If you want to be cheerful, it is possible to hope that this howl of anger is simply a passing phrase. When millions of people lost their agricultural jobs in earlier centuries, nobody foresaw these labourers would find factory work. But it is also possible to imagine a darker future: as the French economist Thomas Piketty writes in another thought-provoking book, Capital in the Twenty-first Century, it is not clear what could stop this digitization trend—and the growing inequality it causes.
Either way, the key point is this: we have barely begun to understand the full implications of this second, digitized economy. That is a point we all need to consider more deeply. Start, perhaps, on the next occasion when you scan a bar code or place an order on Amazon with ease.
1. Amazon is mentioned to indicate that digital networks __________.| A．make the middle-class workers worse off |
| B．improve the efficiency of physical workers |
| C．exercise little influence on traditional retailing |
| D．bring customers excellent shopping experiences |
| A．free people from physical work | B．create an employee-friendly culture |
| C．assist workers with real skills | D．improve employers’ income and skills |
| A．By making a comparison. | B．By giving an example. |
| C．By confirming a prediction. | D．By challenging an assumption. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Favourable. |
| C．Negative. | D．Cautious. |
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【推荐1】While we might like to think we would rush to someone’s assistance, we know from studies that often people hang back and this can have tragic consequences.
One of the most famous examples of this is the tragic case of Kitty Genovese who was fatally stabbed (刺伤) in Kew Gardens, New York, in 1964. Subsequent investigations concluded that several people saw or heard what was happening, but did nothing to intervene. This has been termed the “bystander effect” — a well-known psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to someone when other people are present. The more people there are, the less likely they are to help.
There are various factors contributing to this effect — people think that others will get involved or intervene. Afterwards people often say they did not feel qualified or senior or important enough to be the one to intervene. It is also partly down to “pluralistic (多元化的) ignorance” — since everyone is not reacting to the emergency, they don’t need to either; it’s not serious because no one else is doing anything. After a serious incident where people have been affected by the bystander effect, they are often horrified that they didn’t do anything—they can’t believe they had not realized it was more serious or that they didn’t think to get involved.
The important thing to understand though is that other studies have shown that once people are aware of the bystander effect, they are less likely to be affected by it. Self-awareness is the best approach to it. When confronted with an emergency, think to yourself how you would behave if you were on your own. Ignore everyone else and how they are behaving and go with your courage — if you’d call an ambulance, do it. If you’d run for help, do it. If that’s how you would have behaved when you were on your own, then that’s probably the right course of action.
1. Why does the author mention “the tragic case of Kitty Genovese” in paragraph 2?| A．To present a fact. | B．To confirm a finding. |
| C．To predict a conclusion. | D．To illustrate an approach. |
| A．feel confident to intervene. | B．tend to help people in need. |
| C．be well aware of bad consequences. | D．feel shocked after a serious incident. |
| A．Think twice. | B．Follow others. |
| C．Step in at once. | D．Take action cautiously. |
| A．Behave Yourself | B．Don’t Be A Bystander |
| C．Action in An Emergency | D．Severity of Bystander Effect |
【推荐2】Before the age of the smartphone, not everyone had cameras and it took skills and a good eye to capture and create a great photograph. Today, with the huge range of camera apps on our smartphones, we’re all amateur photographers, and pretty good ones at that, since the quality of smartphone images now nearly equals that of digital cameras.
The new ease of photography has given us a strong desire for capturing the magical and the ordinary. We are obsessed (痴迷的) with documenting everyday moments, whether it’s a shot of our breakfast, our cat — or the cat’s breakfast.
Cameras are everywhere — a situation that is transforming the way we experience dramatic events. With cameras observing most urban centers, have we gotten to the point where cameras don’t need photographers and photographers don’t even need cameras? When there are political events or natural disasters, it is ordinary citizens with cell phones not photojournalists who often provide the first news images. Quality still matters, but it’s less important than what’s relevant and instantly shared.
Before digital images, most people trusted photographs to accurately reflect reality. Yet photography has always more stories than we assume. Each picture is a result of a series of decisions where to stand, what lens to use, what to leave in and out of the frame. Images can also be colored, brightened, faded, and scratched to make photographs more artistic, or to give them an antique look. Such images may be more useful in communicating how the people behind the camera felt than in documenting what was actually in front of the camera.
It’s not clear whether this flowering of image making will lead to a public that better appreciates and understands images or simply numb us to the deep effects a well-made image can have. But the change is unavoidable. Perhaps we are witnessing the development of a universal visual language, one that could change the way we relate to each other and the world. Of course, as with any language, there will be those who produce poetry and those who make shopping lists.
1. What makes us all amateur photographers?| A．That it takes no skills to take photographs |
| B．That cell phones provide great convenience. |
| C．That we are more attracted to creating images. |
| D．That professional standards appear to be falling. |
| A．We may get the latest images more easily. |
| B．Natural disasters can be detected in advance. |
| C．Photographers no longer need to carry a camera. |
| D．People pay more attention to the quality of photos. |
| A．The creative functions of camera apps. |
| B．The attractive features of digital images. |
| C．The negative reviews about artistic images. |
| D．The subjective factors behind photographs. |
| A．It can be both used in writing poetry and shopping. |
| B．It will contribute to our ability to appreciate images. |
| C．It has a great influence on the development of the universe. |
| D．It offers us a new tool of communication to express ourselves. |
【推荐3】Climate breakdown threatens to cause a global food production crisis. The UN forecasts that by 2050, feeding the world will require a 20% expansion in global water use for agriculture. It is hard to see how agriculture can feed the population of the planet, let alone toward the end of the century and beyond. Agriculture is a major cause of climate breakdown, and both river and air pollution. Industrial fishing is similarly driving ecological collapse in seas around the world.
However, at this critical time, farming (a new kind of food technology) is creating astonishing possibilities to save both people and the planet. Farming will enable the return of vast areas of land and sea to nature, greatly reducing carbon emissions (排放物). It means an end to the employment of animals, a stop to overfishing, and a dramatic reduction in cutting down forests and the use of pesticides (杀虫剂). It is the best hope for stopping the destruction of the planet and, if it is done right, it means cheap and abundant food for everyone.
We are about to welcome one of the biggest economic transformations, of any kind, for 200 years. Arguments continue about plants against meat-based diets; however, new technologies will soon make these arguments irrelevant. Before long, most food will come neither from animals nor plants, but from micro-organisms (微生物).
Not only will food be cheaper, it will also be healthier. Due to the fact that farming creates food products built up from simple components rather than broken down from complex ones, hard fats and other unhealthy components can be screened out. Meat will still be meat, but it will be grown in factories rather than in the bodies of animals. Fats will still be fats, but food is likely to be better, cheaper and much less damaging to the living planet.
1. What is the major cause of sea ecological breakdown?| A．Food production. | B．Global farming. |
| C．Industrial fishing. | D．Climate breakdown. |
| A．Its benefits. | B．Its security. | C．Its research. | D．Its limits. |
| A．Sea animals. | B．Wild plants. | C．Micro-organisms. | D．Farm products. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. | C．Disapproving. | D．Unclear. |
【推荐1】Here’s what Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: “It is only ideas gained from walking that have any worth.” Researchers have discovered numerous connections between walking and producing ideas. A Stanford University study found that participants were 81 percent more creative when walking in contrast with sitting.
The movement aspect of walking is obviously key. You’ve probably heard the phrase “exercise your creativity”, which refers to the brain as muscle. Our creative mindset is triggered (触发) by physical movement, which is exactly why walking-with your dog, a friend, or alone-feeds creative thinking.
But the scenery is almost as important as the sweat. The National Human Activity Pattern Survey indicates that Americans spend 87 percent of their time indoors. Being inside, you’re more prone (倾向于) to stagnation, the opposite of energy. Without energy, you can’t wonder or create. Just by going outside, you are stepping out of your habitual surroundings and your comfort zone, which is necessary if you want to open your mind to new possibilities.
Our brains work harder to process in different environments, so walking outside develops our ability to learn new ideas, to take in new sights, sounds, smells, and flavors. Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing,” is a common form of relaxation and medicine in Japan. It was developed in 1982, and recent studies show that being in the forest and walking among the trees lowers your stress levels. But you don’t have to live near a forest to receive the psychological benefits. Research has shown that being in nature, and the disconnection from multimedia and technology, increased performance on a creative problem-solving task by a full 50 percent in a group of hikers.
So instead of setting a fitness goal, why not set a creativity goal that starts with walking? Engage more closely with your surroundings for the next four weeks. Turn off your phone and give yourself the chance to be present in the world, to hear conversations and natural sounds, to notice the way people move, the way the sun reflects in a puddle. Walk not just for exercise. Walk for wonder.
1. What does the author stress in Paragraph 2?| A．Physical activity contributes to mental production. |
| B．People release their creativity in company. |
| C．Walking dogs promotes creative thinking. |
| D．Brain will develop with regular use. |
| A．The chance encounter. | B．The comfort zone. |
| C．A change of scene. | D．A workout. |
| A．Taking a walk in a forest. | B．Improving the physical fitness. |
| C．Connecting with the outside world. | D．Getting rid of electronic devices. |
| A．Relaxation is inseparable from creative inspiration |
| B．Your brain was made for walking |
| C．Walk out of your comfort zone |
| D．Mind and body are closely related |
【推荐2】Queen Elizabeth II is not only the queen of the United Kingdom, but she is also the queen of other 16 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Jamaica. Her face is seen on stamps and coins all around the world.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in London on April 21st, 1926. Her parents were George, the Duke of York, and Elizabeth, the daughter of the Earl and Count-ness of Strathmore. As a child, Princess Elizabeth lived with her parents and younger sister in London and Windsor. Every summer, she traveled to Scotland to visit her mother’s parents. She was interested in all sorts of sports, but her favorites were horse riding and swimming. She was also fond of acting, art and music.
As princess Elizabeth grew older, she started to play a part in British public life. When she was 14,she broadcast a radio message to all the children of Britain and the Common-wealth. Two years later, she carried out her first public engagement, and started to go on official tours shortly after that. After a tour to South Africa in 1946, she married Philip Mountbatten. The couple had four children: Prince Charles, born in 1948, Princess Anne, born in 1950, Prince Andrew, born in 1960 and Prince Edward, born in 1964.
After her father died, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony held in London in 1953. As a queen, she has many duties, and leads a very busy life. She travels throughout the world, meeting the leaders of other countries, and attends a large number of official functions. She also holds a meeting every week with the British Prime Minister. Every year, on Christmas Day, she broadcast a message to the people of British and the Commonwealth, talking about her hopes for the future.
Queen Elizabeth has been on the throne for more than 60 years and has become one of the most famous women in the world. Lots of people in British believe that she tries hard to understand her people and be a good queen. More than her title, this quality has earned her much love and respect.
1. How old is Queen Elizabeth II now?| A．80. | B．92. | C．96. | D．98. |
| A．Queen Elizabeth II is only the queen of the United Kingdom. |
| B．Elizabeth lived with her family in London and Scotland when she was a child. |
| C．Elizabeth started to take part in British public life when she was 14. |
| D．As a queen, Elizabeth is highly thought of in Britain. |
| A．She has many duties and lives a very busy life. |
| B．She has been a queen for more than half a century. |
| C．Lots of people in Britain love and respect her. |
| D．She always tries to respect her people and be a good queen. |
| A．The introduction of Elizabeth. | B．The childhood of Elizabeth. |
| C．Why people respect Elizabeth. | D．How Elizabeth came to power. |
One theory is that wolves howl to bend better together. It’s almost as if howling together helps the pack stay together. Perhaps something similar to people feeling a sense of involvement with each other when singing a song together. But this theory may be wrong, explains Fred H. Harington, a professor who studies wolf behavior.
Indeed, there have been times when wolves have been seen one moment howling in a exhorts, and the next, quarreling anions each other. It appears that usually the lowest-tanking menthes of the pack may actually be “punished” for Joining in the chorus at times. So is howling a way to strengthen a social bond or just a way to reconfirm status among its members? ——Why do wolves howl for sure?
What is clear, however, is that howling is often used among packmates to locate each other. Hunting grounds are distant and it happens that wolves may separate from one another at times. When this happens, howling appears to be an excellent means of gathering.
Howling, interestingly, is a contagious behavior. When one wolf starts to howl, very likely others will follow. This is often seen to occur in the morning, as if wolves were doing w some sort of “roll call” where wolves all howl together to report their presence.
1. What the possible similarity between wolves’ howling together and human’s singing in chorus?| A．The act of calling each other. | B．the sense of accomplishment. |
| C．The act of hunting for something. | D．The sense of belonging to a group. |
| A．Wolves separate from each other after howling. |
| B．Wolves tend to protect their hunting grounds. |
| C．Wolves sometimes have quarrels after howling together. |
| D．Wolves of low rank are encouraged to join in the chorus. |
| A．show their ranks | B．find their companion |
| C．report the missing ones | D．express their loneliness |
| A．howling is a signal for hunting | B．howling is a way of communication |
| C．howling often occurs in the morning | D．howling spreads from one to another |
【推荐1】South Korea has the biggest rate of Internet addiction in the world and it is increasingly the country’s children who are spending every waking moment immersing themselves in fantasy role plays or gaming In the remote mountains of South Korea, teenage Internet addicts are turning up for a 12-day boot camp.
Kyle Won’s addiction is out of control. He spends 10 hours a day on the Internet. Now Kyle’s smartphone is taken away. The teachers here do what they can to get them socializing again; for many, the only friends they have had are online. “I have relationships on the Internet and a real distance has gown with my real-life friends and I know it’s not good,” Kyle said. The teachers show them other possibilities and bring back dreams and hopes that have been buried by their addictions. “We teach them methods of managing their desire to use the Internet so that they can continue to use it when they go back home,” Shim Yong-school, a teacher here, said. After just two days Kyle said It was helpful. He’s set a good example to others though he hasn’t reached the goal completely.
Sout Korean psychiatrists (精神病专家) are urging more/action as they are finding evidence that too much screen time is a barrier to the developing minds. Professor Kang Seak Young from Dankook, University said the addiction was damaging critical thinking. “It affects the frontal lobes (额叶) which are important to critical analysis” Professor Kang said. “Reading a book and guessing what happens in the story next show activity in frontal lobes but playing popular computer games for a long time shows no activity.”
South Korea is one of the most wired nations on Earth, but it does have a cost. One in every ten kids is an addict so the country is now learning how to manage its high-tech future to avoid more serious consequences.
1. What do the teachers in the camp teach teenagers to do?| A．Self-manage their smartphones. | B．Attain something beyond the Internet. |
| C．Make online friends more wisely. | D．Keep away from electronic products. |
| A．He faced the most serious addiction. | B．He has succeeded in kicking the addiction. |
| C．He’s the representative of the addicts. | D．He participated in the camp actively. |
| A．The importance of offline reading. | B．The effects of frontal lobes on thinking. |
| C．The popularity of kids’ Internet games. | D．The harm of Internet addiction to brains. |
| A．There are two sides to every coin. | B．No pain, no gain. |
| C．It’s good to learn at another man’s cost. | D．Prevention is better than cure. |
【推荐2】My husband and I made an agreement to help each other stay off social media platforms as much as possible. We left our accounts active instead of deleting them, but intentionally stopped using them.
Tired of being the last to hear of things, we downloaded a few news-specific apps that provide timely information.
Staying updated on our social circle has also been a more purposeful effort. Previously I stayed up-to-date on birthdays, new jogs and engagements through updates and pictures. Without social media, I now learn of these important events only when actually meeting the people involved.
I still log in occasionally.
| A．In brief, I’m glad to have taken the measures. |
| B．I bought myself a diary again after many years. |
| C．We have made a few changes in our daily life. |
| D．This has also widened the range of news I keep up with. |
| E．I do miss the convenience of using social media to record and reflect. |
| F．However, social media now play a much less important role in my life. |
| G．It wasn’t until I stopped using the app that I realized how much it had controlled my behavior. |
【推荐3】Being connected to the Internet has become a necessary part of modern life. Some people actually need it as they cannot do their jobs without it, and others simply feel they need it as they cannot imagine life without it.
To think that something that did not even exist 50 years ago has come to play a crucial role in our lives like this in just about 15 years makes one wonder–just what will the future bring?
In 2004, a survey was conducted in the US asking a group of technology experts their opinions on the Internet in the next ten years. 57% of them agreed that virtual classes will be more widely adopted in schools, allowing students to learn with those at the same level and with interests in the same subjects. It’s quite possible that, by the year 2030, every child in every school will do all their schoolwork on their own laptop with all their textbooks available (现成可使用的) on the Internet. No more heavy books to carry around and no more pens and paper!
At work, we already use email to deal with people both inside and outside our offices and video conferencing (电话会议) is occurring more frequently. This means that meetings can be held between offices in different countries without the trouble caused by business travel. Business travel will stop to exist in the future, and so will offices as people all start to work from home.
It has also become a trend for people to use pocket computers such as Blackberries. With this helpful equipment, people can send and receive emails, surf the Web, and read multimedia files from absolutely anywhere even if we are on a beach holiday.
The Internet will have a revolutionary (突破性的) effect on entertainment in the future. Already we can buy and download music and movies from the Internet but it is still possible for us to buy a CD or go to the DVD stores to rent the latest movies. However, it’s quite possible that in the future, CD shops and DVD rental stores will close and cinemas will no longer exist. Entertainment will become completely virtual although hopefully people will still want to get outside to play sports and entertain themselves in more healthy ways.
With the Internet we need only relax in the rocking chair. The Internet, however, has problems to be solved.
1. The expression “play a crucial role in” can be understood as “______”.| A．change a dull role into | B．play an interesting part in |
| C．have an important effect on | D．act a cruel character in |
| A．people won’t have to make business travel any more thanks to the video conference |
| B．virtual classes can make students’ dream of getting rid of their schoolbags come true |
| C．people can be kept informed anytime and anywhere with the help of convenient equipment |
| D．CD shops and cinemas will shut down as a result of the adoption of virtual entertainment |
| A．Bad effects the Internet can have on us. |
| B．The possible school life in the future. |
| C．More excitements the Internet will bring us. |
| D．The likely ways to solve the problems. |
| A．Virtual reality, our best friend! |
| B．What will future life be like with the Internet? |
| C．Goodbye, textbooks and offices! |
| D．How can human beings deal with the Internet? |
