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Technology plays an increasingly important part in our daily lives. While many technological developments may be beneficial – in the field of medicine, for instance – there are many others whose effects are less positive. We may find examples of these in the world of work, in the home and in the whole area of freedom and privacy.
In the world of work, technological advances have had various negative effects. The development of robotics has meant that in industries such as car-manufacturing robots are replacing people. They work faster and more accurately and they don’t need breaks. As a result, industrial workers see job opportunities dwindling further and unemployment levels rising. In addition, more and more people are working from home using personal computers, which means that they lose the stimulus that comes from working in direct contact with other people and may feel isolated.
Another example of the negative effect of technological change can be found on the domestic front, in the home. In my view, technological developments such as the microwave are devaluing traditional home-making skills like cooking.
Finally, there are the implications of information technology for freedom and privacy. More facts about individuals are being stored in date banks, which may be accessed through networks of computers. This creates an ever-increasing risk of accidental or deliberate leaking of private details. Every day more information is collected by banks, credit card companies, consumer organizations and so on – and who is there to keep an eye on what happens to it? It is certainly convenient to store information in this way, but I feel it could lead to long-term problems. There may be other hidden dangers – theoretically, could a ‘thinking’ computer start to use the data against us?
To sum up, I believe that we must be very careful with technology. While it has clear advantages, there is also the danger that it could turn on us and we could find ourselves the victims of our own success.
1. What is the main topic of each paragraph?
2. What specific information is given to support each main paragraph?
3. Which point lacks sufficient support?
4. What evidence can you think of to support it?
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| VIII. Translate the text in written form. Annotate it in English. | | | III. Make a dialogue with your partner on how you benefit by the computer. Use the following statements. |