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Unit 9
Computer Technology
After-Class Reading
PASSAGE I Microchips
No invention in history has so quickly spread throughout the world or so deeply touched so many parts of human existence as the microchip. Today there are nearly 15 billion microchips of some kind in use. In the face of that fact who can doubt that the microchip is not only changing the products we use, but also the way we live. Will it finally change the way we view reality?
If we were to take away the microchip from every application in which it is now used, we would be both stunned and frightened by the loss. The modern kitchen would become nearly useless, since the microwave, the dishwasher, and most other appliances would become unworkable. The television and VCR would fade[1] to black, the stereo would become quiet, and most of the clocks would stop. The car wouldn't start. Airplanes would be unable to leave the ground. The phone system would go dead[2], as[3] would most streetlights, thermostats, and, of course, a half-billion computers. And these are only a few of the most obvious applications. Every factory in the industrial world would also shut down, as would the electrical grid, stock exchanges, and the global banking system. Pacemakers would stop too, as would surgical equipment and various monitoring machines used in hospitals. All because of the loss of a tiny square of silicon the size of a fingernail, weighing less than a postage stamp.
The modern microchip contains as many as 20 million transistors, and each finished chip is the product of processes more complicated than those used in building the atomic bomb. Yet despite an extraordinarily sophisticated manufacturing process, microchips are mass-produced at the rate of more than a billion a year. To put this complexity in perspective, imagine that within each tiny microchip there exists a structure as complex as a mid-size city, including all of its power lines[4], phone lines, sewer lines, buildings, streets, and homes. Now imagine that throughout that same city, millions of people are racing around at the speed of light and with perfect timing in an intricately planned dance. That is just one chip.
Of all the stunning statistics used to describe the world of the microchip, none is more extraordinary than this: the total number of transistors packed[5] onto all of the microchips produced in the world this year (1998) is equivalent to the number of raindrops that fell in the state of California during that period. Faced with such astounding numbers, it becomes even more difficult to ask what it all means for us and for the generations to come.[6]
What is remarkable, and perhaps a little frightening, is that by all indications, we are only halfway through the story of the microchip.[7] It is not far-fetched to suggest that it will take another century of humankind to realize all of the implications of this revolution. Thus, all the miracles we see around us today resulting from the microchip may be but a tiny fraction of all the wonders that will derive from this device well into the next century.[8]
It is not merely an invention, but a meta-invention, which enables us to create yet[9] other inventions. Thousands of new devices and products have been made possible by the existence of the microchip and by the embedded intelligence it offers.
Packed in a microprocessor, the microchip is not only giving us power over our own lives, it is also the greatest instrument for accessing[10] information ever invented. It is allowing us to reach out from our desks, to grasp and share knowledge that was beyond the reach of the wealthiest man in the world just a century ago. It is freeing us to work at home, wherever we choose our home to be.
By the middle of the next century, the typical microprocessor may have more computing power than today's fastest supercomputers. It will talk, and more important[11], it will listen. The relationship we have with it will change in almost unimaginable ways. Yesterday, the microprocessor was a tool. Today, it is a partner and who knows what role it will play in our lives in the years to come? Just a few years ago who would have thought that in Shanghai, China, customers of the New World Department Store could try on clothes without undressing?[12] A video camera takes a customer's picture, the image is digitized, and changes of outfits or colors are as simple as point and click[13]. In Baltimore, Maryland, prospective astronauts simulate weightlessness by floating in water at the University of Maryland's Space Systems Lab pool. Buddhist monks in Thailand also have found important uses for computers. They use them to perform traditional tasks as well as to study the teachings of Buddha.
For hundreds of years, humankind has searched for the philosophers' stone[14], the magical object that turns ordinary metal into gold. Who would have thought it would turn out to be a little sliver of crystal with etching on its surface? The microchip, in the time of a single generation, has developed from a clever technical novelty to a tireless, almost invisible partner of humanity. Today there is no place on, above, or below the Earth that it has not reached. (865 words)
Proper Names
Baltimore
巴尔的摩(美国马里兰州中北部)
Maryland
马里兰州(美国州名)
New World Department Store
新世界百货公司
Shanghai
上海(市)
University of Maryland's Space Systems Lab
马里兰州立大学空间系统实验室
New Words
appliance
n. a piece of electrical equipment used in people's home 器械,装置
e.g. I) None of the kitchen appliances worked when the power went out.
II) Most homes now have numerous domestic appliances, from dishwashers to microwave ovens.
astounding
adj. amazing, surprising 令人震惊的,使人惊骇的
banking
n. the business of a bank 银行业
e.g. the international banking system
Buddhist
adj. belonging to or relating to Buddhism 佛教的
e.g. Buddhist monks佛教徒
compute
v. (formal) calculate a result, sum, answer, etc., especially by using a computer or calculator (用计算机或计数器)计算,估算
e.g. I) The cashier computed the bill with a calculator.
II) Scientists can accurately compute the course of the rocket.
crystal
n. a crystalline material used in electronics 晶体
e.g. Silicon combines with oxygen to form silica (硅石), the crystals of which can be found in quartz (石英).
digitize
v. put information into a digital form 数字化
dishwasher
n. a machine that washes and cleans dirty plates, cups, forks, etc.洗碟机
etching
n. engraving of a design on metal, glass, etc. 蚀刻
far-fetched
adj. extremely unlikely to be true or to happen 夸张的,不可信的
global
adj. of or about the whole world, worldwide 全球性的,全世界的
e.g. I) One country's pollution can have global effects.
II) The minister blamed the rise in unemployment on the global economic recession (衰退).
grid
n. a system of wires through which electricity is connected to different power stations across a region 输电网
halfway
adj. at the midpoint between two things 中途的
invisible
adj. unable to be seen 看不见的
e.g. I) Sally was dancing on stage, and pretending to play an invisible guitar.
II) The moons of Saturn are invisible to the naked eye.
meta
prefix (technical) beyond the ordinary or usual 超越,超出
microchip
n. (also called chip) a very small piece of silicon containing a set of electronic parts used in computers and other machines 微芯片
microprocessor
n. the central chip in a computer, which controls most of its operations 微处理机
microwave
n. (also called microwave oven) a type of oven that cooks food very quickly using very short electric waves instead of heat 微波炉
monk
n. a member of an all-male religious group that lives in a monastery 修士,僧侣
outfit
n. a set of clothes worn together, especially for a special occasion (尤指在特殊场合穿的)全套服装
e.g. Have you bought your wedding outfit yet?
pacemaker
n. a device that is put into the body to keep the heartbeat regular (心脏)起搏器
postage
n. the money charged for carrying a letter, parcel, etc. by post 邮费,邮资
e.g. I) postage stamp (formal for stamp) 邮票
II) What was the postage on that parcel?
raindrop
n. a drop of rain 雨点
sewer
n. a pipe or passage under the ground that carries away waste material and used water from houses and factories 下水道,污水管
simulate
v. make a working model or representation of (a situation or process) 模拟
e.g. I) Some driving teachers use computers to simulate different road conditions for learners to practise on.
II) Cars are tested to see how much damage they suffer in simulated crashes.
sliver
n. a very small thin piece of something, usually broken off something larger 一小片
streetlight
n. a light at the top of a tall post in the street 路灯,街灯
stunning *
adj. surprising, astounding, shocking, amazing 令人惊奇的,令人震惊的
e.g. The company's stunning announcement surprised the employees.
supercomputer
n. a very fast, powerful mainframe computer, used in advanced military and scientific applications 巨型计算机,超级计算机
surgical
adj. connected with or used for medical operations 外科的,外科手术的
teachings
n. (plural) the moral, religious, or political ideas spread by a particular person or group 学说,主义,教义
e.g. The teachings of Confucius have influenced millions of people for centuries.
transistor
n. a small piece of electronic equipment that controls the flow of electricity 晶体管
e.g. I) The transistors were damaged by a surge (急增)of electrical power.
II) My computer has hundreds of transistors inside on small boards.
undress
v. take off one's clothes 脱去衣服
unimaginable *
adj. not possible to imagine 不可想象的,想不到的
e.g. Experiments were carried out under almost unimaginable conditions.
unworkable *
adj. that cannot function, that cannot be operated 不能使用(或操纵、操作、运作)的
e.g. I) His proposals for reform of the Trade Unions are unworkable and ill-judged.
II) She turned down all his suggestions as unworkable without giving them a try.
Phrases and Expressions
derive from
develop from 源自,源于
e.g. I) Most of John's problems derive from his bad attitude.
II) Laws to restrict working hours derive from 19th century attempts to protect women and child workers.
in the face of
confronted by 面对
e.g. We are powerless in the-face of such forces.
put/keep/get/consider something in perspective
be reasonable about something, understand and accept something 关系恰当地对待某事物,恰当不夸大地看待某事物
e.g. I) Hearing of her friend's tragedy helped her put her own problems in perspective.
II) We must get/keep the problem in perspective; it's not really that serious.
shut (something) down
(cause to) stop working, whether for a short time or forever (使)停工,歇业,关闭
e.g. I) Two thousand people will lose their jobs if the factory shuts down.
II) The company recently announced plans to shut down two factories and reduce its workforce by 4,000.
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