2 . The networked computer is an amazing device. It is the first media machine that serves as the mode of production (you can make stuff), means of distribution (you can upload stuff to the network), site of _____ (you can download stuff and interact with it), and place of praise and criticism (you can comment on the stuff you have downloaded or uploaded). _____, the computer is the 21st century’s culture machine.
But for all the reasons there are to _____ the computer, we must also act with caution. This is because the networked computer has started a secret war between downloading and uploading—between passive consumption and active _____—whose outcome will shape our collective future in ways we can only begin to imagine.
All animals download, but only a few upload anything besides faces and their own bodies. Humans are _____ in their capacity to not only make tools but then turn around and use them to create superfluous( 过 剩 的 ) material goods (paintings, sculpture and architecture) and superfluous experiences (music, literature, religion and philosophy). _____, it is precisely these superfluous things that define human culture and ultimately what it is to be human. Downloading and consuming culture requires great skills, but _____ to move beyond downloading is to rob oneself of a defining ingredient of humanity.
Despite the possibilities of our new culture machines, most people are still _____ download mode, brought about by television watching. Even after the _____ of widespread social media, a pyramid of production remains, with a small number of people uploading material, a slightly larger group commenting on or modifying that content, and a huge percentage remaining satisfied to just _____.
The networked computer offers the first chance in 50 years to _____ the flow caused by TV viewing, to encourage thoughtful downloading and, even more importantly, meaningful uploading. The computer offers the opportunity to bring about a complete _____ from the culture of television and a shift from a consumption model to a production model. This is a historic opportunity. Fifty years of television dominance has given birth to an unhealthy culture. The _____ is now in our collective grasp. It involves controlling our intake, or downloading, and _____ our levels of activity—uploading.
Of course people will still download. Nobody uploads more than a tiny percentage of the culture they consume. But using the networked computer as a download-only device, or even a download-mainly device, is a _____ opportunity that history affords us. Therefore, the goal must be to establish a balance between consumption and production.
1. A.celebration | B.conversations | C.reception | D.ceremonies |
2. A.Without doubt | B.In return | C.In particular | D.By contrast |
3. A.liberate | B.celebrate | C.concern | D.reject |
4. A.request | B.support | C.defense | D.creation |
5. A.unique | B.familiar | C.efficient | D.loyal |
6. A.In addition | B.In fact | C.For instance | D.By the way |
7. A.striving | B.comparing | C.failing | D.attempting |
8. A.optimistic about | B.unfamiliar with | C.stuck in | D.ashamed of |
9. A.transformation | B.emergence | C.encounter | D.maintenance |
10. A.consume | B.neglect | C.combine | D.innovate |
11. A.enhance | B.quicken | C.reverse | D.extend |
12. A.outcome | B.exposure | C.break | D.evolution |
13. A.puzzle | B.cure | C.regret | D.favor |
14. A.analyzing | B.maintaining | C.featuring | D.increasing |
15. A.wasted | B.treasured | C.multiplied | D.revised |