资源描述：
《大学英语精读 第三册 unit ten》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在行业资料-天天文库。
1、UnitTen:TheFantasticSpurtinTechnologyTextAlvinTofflerwritesaboutthefactthattechnologyisadvancingmuchfastertodaythaneverbeforeinhistory.Thesymbolsoftechnologyarenolongerfactorysmokestacksorassemblylines.Asweareheadedforthefuture,thepacewillquickenstillfu
2、rther.TheFantasticSpurtinTechnologyA.TofflerTomostpeoplethetermtechnologyconjuresupimagesofsmokysteelmillsornoisymachines.PerhapstheclassicrepresentationoftechnologyisstilltheassemblylinecreatedbyHenryFordhalfacenturyagoandmadeintoasocialsymbolbyCharlie
3、ChaplininModernTimes.Thissymbol,however,hasalwaysbeeninadequateandmisleading,fortechnologyhasalwaysbeenmorethanfactoriesandmachines.Theinventionofthehorsecollarinthemiddleagesledtomajorchangesinagriculturalmethodsandwasasmuchatechnologicaladvanceasthein
4、ventionoftheBessemerfurnacecenturieslater.Moreover,technologyincludestechniques,orwaystodothings,aswellasthemachinesthatmayormaynotbenecessarytoapplythem.Itincludeswaystomakechemicalreactionsoccur,waystobreedfish,plantforests,lighttheaters,countvotesort
5、eachhistory.Theoldsymbolsoftechnologyareevenmoremisleadingtoday,whenthemostadvancedtechnologicalprocessesarecarriedoutfarfromassemblylinesorblastfurnaces.Indeed,inelectronics,inspacetechnology,inmostofthenewindustries,quietandcleansurroundingsarecharact
6、eristic--evensometimesessential.Andtheassemblyline--theorganizationoflargenumbersofmentocarryoutsimplerepetitivefunctions--isoutdated.Itistimeforoursymbolsoftechnologytochange--tocatchupwiththequickeningchangeintechnologyitself.Thisaccelerationisfrequen
7、tlydramatizedbyabriefaccountoftheprogressintransportation.Ithasbeenpointedout,forexample,thatin6000BCthefastesttransportationavailabletomanoverlongdistanceswasthecamelcaravan,averagingeightmilesperhour(mph).Itwasnotuntilabout1600BCwhenthechariotwasinven
8、tedthatthemaximumspeedwasraisedtoroughlytwentymilesperhour.Soimpressivewasthisinvention,sodifficultwasittoexceedthisspeedlimit,thatnearly3,500yearslater,whenthefirstmailcoachbeganoperatinginEnglandin1784,itaveragedameretenmph.The
