[所有分类]English for IT and EE-20.pptVIP

Technical English For Information Science and Electronic Engineering Unit 20 Human Errors and System Design Part I Learning from Disasters New Words New Words 1 Although both many decades ago, the Titanic and Hindenburg disasters provide a challenging starting point for a consideration of the present day state of system safety engineering.  1 Both were the biggest, most advanced technology of their day – very much equivalent to the status of the safety critical, computer controlled systems being developed and deployed in a range of industries today.1 1 Perhaps the most frightening aspect of these examples is not the serious mistakes obvious with the benefit of hindsight, but the similarities between these and much more recent accidents.2 2 The most striking aspect of the sinking of the Titanic is the almost unbelievable complacency of so many of the people concerned. The end of the Edwardian era was a time of great confidence in engineering and scientific progress, and the decisions that condemned so many may be seen as a product of this extreme confidence.3  2 However, Dr. Robert Ballard, the famous oceanographer who discovered the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985, draws parallels between the Titanic and the much more recent loss of the space shuttle Challenger in January 1986, pointing out the ways in which overconfidence in technology and an underestimation of the power of the natural environment led to negligence by those in command in both instances. 3 Even the official report displays an air of unjustified self-assurance; it discusses the inadequacy of the requirements for lifeboat provision without any apparent criticism other than a mild note that they are outdated.4 3 Similarly, it notes that binoculars, floodlights and other aids to watch-keeping are not required for a ship of Titanic’s class, without acknowledging that this might be a deficiency in the requirements. The general tone that a regrettable incident has occurred but the blame lies elsewher