大学英语视听说第三册4+6+7单元听力文本.docVIP

B3U4L1 audio A leading US scientist has predicted that computers will be as intelligent as humans by 2029. Futurologist Dr Ray Kurzweil told the American Association for the Advancement of Science that in the near future, machine intelligence will overtake the power of the human brain. He said that within two decades computers will be able to think quicker than humans. Dr Kurzweil painted a picture of us having tiny robots called nanobots implanted in our brain to boost our intelligence and health. He told reporters that these microscopic nanobots would work with our brains to make us think faster and give us more powerful memories. Kurzweil explained that we are already “a human machine civilization” and that the upcoming technology “will be a further extension of that.” Dr Kurzweil was one of 18 top intellectuals asked by the US National Academy of Engineering to identify our greatest technological challenges. Other experts included Google founder Larry Page and the human genome pioneer Dr Craig Venter. Kurzweil has a very impressive background in science and innovation. He was an innovator in various fields of computing, including the technology behind CDs. He also pioneered automatic speech recognition by machines. He predicts the pace of new inventions will increase greatly from now. saying: “… the next half century will see 32 times more technical progress than the past half century.” (46) This means scenes from science fiction movies will become more and more a part of our everyday lives. B3U4L2 audio The scientists who launched the Human Genome Project believed in the power of genetic information to transform health care to allow earlier diagnosis of diseases than ever before and to fuel the creation of powerful new medicines. But it was also clear that genetic information could potentially be used in ways that are hurtful or unfair— for example denying health insurance because of an increased risk for developing a particular disease. Aware of the danger