Technology: Taking the good without the bad? Very soon, unimaginably powerful technologies will remake our lives.This could have dangerous consequences, especially because we may not even understand the basic science underlyi ng them.There's a growing gap between our technological capability and our basic scientific understanding.We can do very clever things with the technology of the future without necessarily understanding some of the science underneath, and that is very dangerous. The technologies that are particularly dangerous over the next hundred years are nanotechnology , artificial intelligence and biotechnology.The benefits that they will bring are beyond doubt.But they are going to be very, very dangerous.I'm working in the field of artificial intelligence.I have a model design for something that might be 50,000 million times smarter than the human brain.Target date is 2010.The only thing that's not possible in the film Terminator is that the people win.If you're fighting against technology w hich is 50,000 million times smarter than you, you probably will not win. Nanotechnology.We've all heard of the grey glue problem, that self-replicating nanotech devices might keep on copying until the world has become sticky glue.And certainly in biotechnology, we've really got a big problem because it's converging with nanotechnology and IT.Once you start mixing nanotech with organisms and you start feeding nanotech-enabled bacteria, we can really go an awful lot further than the Borg in Star Trek .And those superhuman organisms might not like us very much. Eventually these technologies will become routine.That's a threat to humanity.I don't think it's possible to slow it down.So what we need to do is accelerate the scientific research and try to get some extra tools.The problems facing us in the future are getting bigger and bigger.I think if we don't get some proper science done, the future is hopeless indeed. Why does the author say it is not possible in the film Terminator that the humans win? A) Because the power of the technology is exaggerated . B) Because the strength of the machines is much greater. C) Because machines with that much intelligence can easily defeat humans. D) Because human beings are not courageous enough to win the battle.
C
Camaraderie over Competence The importance of liking people is the subject of an article in the Harvard Business Review,which has carried out an experiment to find out who we'd rather work with.Hardly surprisingly,the people we want most as our workmates are both:brilliant at their jobs and delightful human beings.And the people we want least are both unpleasant and useless.More interestingly,the authors found that,given the choice between working with lovable fools and competent jerks ,we irresistibly choose the former.Anyway,who likes those stupid men who annoy or hurt other people?We might insist that competence matters more,but our behavior shows we stay close to the people we like and sharing information with them. What companies should therefore do is get people to like each other more.The trick here is apparently to make sure staffs come across each other as often as possible during the day.They also should be sent on bonding courses and so on to encourage friendliness and break down displeasure.However,more outdoor-activity weekends and shared coffee machines inspire no confidence at all. The reality is that people either like each other or they don't.You can't force it.Possibly you can make offices friendlier by tolerating a lot of chat,but there is a productivity cost to that.In my experience,the question of lovable fool against competent jerk may not be the right one.The two are interrelated:we tend not to like our workmates when they are completely hopeless.I was once quite friendly with a woman whom I later worked with.I found her to be so outstandingly bad at her job that I lost respect for her and ended up not really liking her at all.Then is there anything that companies should be doing about it? By far the most effective strategy would be to hire people who are all pretty much the same,given that similarity is one of the main determinants of whether we like each other.I think this is a pretty good idea,but no one dares recommend this anymore without offending the diversity lobby group.There... The author talks about her experience to show that . A) people respect outstanding leaders B) people tend to like optimistic workmates C) a workmate's working ability is important D) talkative workmates makes offices friendlier
C
(Question)
Welcome to one of the largest collections of footwear in the world that will make you green with envy. Here at the Footwear Museum you can see exhibits from all over the world. You can find out about shoes worn by everyone from the Ancient Egyptians to pop stars. Room 1 The celebrity footwear section is probably the most popular in the entire museum. Started in the 1950s there is a wide variety of shoes and boots belonging to everyone from queens and presidents to pop stars and actors! Most visitors find the celebrities' choice of footwear extremely interesting. Room 2 Most of our visitors are amazed--and shocked--by the collection of "special purpose" shoes on exhibition here at the Museum of Footwear. For example, there are Chinese shoes made of silk that were worn by women to tie their feet firmly to prevent them from growing too much! Room 3 As well as shoes and boots, the museum also exhibits shoeshaped objects. The variety is unbelievable. For example, there is a metal lamp that resembles a pair of shoes, and Greek wine bottles that look like legs! The Footwear Library People come from all over the world to study in our excellent footwear library. Designers and researchers come here to look up information on anything and everything related to the subject of footwear. Which of the following is true according to the text? A) The oldest exhibits in Room 1 were made in the 1950s. B) Room 2 is the most visited place in the museum. C) Room 3 has a richer variety of exhibits than the other two. D) Researchers come to the Footwear Library for data.
(Answer)
D