首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Douglas Adams, the late lamented author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, dreamed up many comic creations. One of his gre
Douglas Adams, the late lamented author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, dreamed up many comic creations. One of his gre
admin
2015-07-27
36
问题
Douglas Adams, the late lamented author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, dreamed up many comic creations. One of his greatest was the Babel fish. This interstellar ichthyoid neatly disposed of a problem all science-fiction authors have: how to let alien species talk to one another. It did so by acting as a mind-reader that translated thoughts between different races and cultures. Universal communication did not, unfortunately, lead to universal harmony. As Adams put it, "The poor Babel fish has caused more and bloodier wars than anything else in the history of creation."
For the moment, mind-reading is still science fiction. But that may not be true for much longer. Several lines of inquiry are converging on the idea that the neurological activity of the brain can be decoded directly, and people’s thoughts revealed without being spoken.
Just imagine the potential benefits. Such a development would allow both the fit and the disabled to operate machines merely by choosing what they want those machines to do. It would permit the profoundly handicapped — those paralysed by conditions such as motor-neuron disease and cerebral palsy — to communicate more easily than is now possible even with the text-based speech engines used by the likes of Stephen Hawking. It might unlock the mental prisons of people apparently in comas, who nevertheless show some signs of neural activity. For the able-bodied, it could allow workers to dictate documents silently to computers simply by thinking about what they want to say. The most profound implication, however, is that it would abolish the ability to lie.
Who could object to that? You shall not bear false witness. Tell the truth, and shame the Devil. Transparency, management-speak for honesty, is put forward as the answer to most of today’s ills. But the truth of the matter — honestly — is that this would lead to disaster, for lying is at the heart of civilisation.
People are not the only creatures who lie. Species from squids to chimpanzees have been caught doing it from time to time. But only Homo sapiens has turned lying into an art. Call it diplomacy, public relations or simple good manners: lying is one of the things that makes the world go round.
The occasional untruth makes domestic life possible ("Of course your bum doesn’t look big in that."), is essential in the office ("Don’t worry, everybody’s behind you on this one."), and forms a crucial part of parenting ("It didn’t matter that you forgot your words and your costume fell off. You were wonderful."). Politics might be more entertaining without lies — "The prime minister has my full support" would be translated as, "If that half-wit persists in this insane course we’ll all be out on our ears" — but a party system would be hard to sustain without the semblance of loyalty that dishonesty permits.
The truly scary prospect, however, is the effect mind-reading would have on relations between the state and the individual. In a world in which the authorities could divine people’s thoughts, speaking truth to power would no longer be brave: it would be unavoidable.
Information technology already means that physical privacy has become a scarce commodity. Websites track your interests and purchases. Mobile phones give away your location. Video cameras record what you are up to. Lose mental privacy as well, and there really will be nowhere to hide.
According to the author, mind-reading might benefit in that it could
选项
A、help the disabled to work with the machines.
B、make the unconscious come to themselves.
C、help the disabled with the paper work.
D、force the dishonest to tell truth.
答案
A
解析
事实细节题。根据第三段第二句,这一技术一旦得以实现,就可以使残疾人和正常人一样,不用手而依靠读心技术用大脑操控机器,可见[A]正确。第四句的意思是昏迷的人大脑有神经活动的迹象,我们可以通过他们的脑部活动了解他们的想法,而不是帮助他们恢复意识,所以[B]错误。[C]属于偷梁换柱,根据第五句,读心技术可以帮助the able-bodied而不是the disabled处理文字工作。最后一句说读心技术最重要的应用,也许还在于消除撒谎的可能性。但随后文章分析了这个应用的危害,可见在作者看来,这并不是读心技术带来的好处,所以排除[D]。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/icOO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
ThegeneralelectionoftheUnitedStatesisheldevery______years.
GreatExpectationswaswrittenby
Educationalphilosophyhaschangedagreatdealinthe50yearssinceIwasinschool.Backthen,forexample,Ihadthehighe
A、TheyworrythattheIrishRepublic’sbudgetplanwillunderminethestabilityofEuropeanUnions.B、EUcountriesfearthatIri
Themaximofmannerisasubcategoryof______.
The______schoolsinBritainwouldadmitchildrenwithoutreferencetotheiracademicabilities.
WhichofthefollowingworksisNOTwrittenbyWilliamShakespeare?
AsyoulingeronthemountainpasstoadmiretheruggedreflectionofBeinnanLochaintinthewatersofLochResti,spareatho
"Totellthetruthisnotalwaysessential.Onsomeoccasionitisnecessarytotellliesanditisnotrighttotellthetruth.
凉夜,我一个人走在雨湿的街心,街灯的微光使我眼前现出一片昏黄。两个老妇的脚步声跟着背影远远地消失了。我的前面是阴暗,又似乎是空虚。我在找寻炫目的光辉。但是四周只有几点垂死的灯光。我的脚不感到疲倦。我不记得我已经走了若干时候,也不知道还要走若
随机试题
下列选项中,()不是基金份额持有人必须承担的义务。
国际BOT是国际技术贸易的方式之一,它的意思是()
患者,男性,68岁。刺激性咳嗽5个月余。胸部X线片示右肺上叶有一不规则肿块阴影。经支气管镜检查诊为小细胞肺癌。肺癌常见的肺外表现险外
关于涉外民事诉讼管辖的表述,下列哪一选项是正确的?
某工程项目业主与监理单位及承包商分别签订了施工阶段监理合同和工程施工合同。由于工期紧张,在设计单位仅交付地下室的施工图时,业主要求承包商进场施工,同时向监理单位提出对设计图纸质量把关的要求,在此情况下,监理单位为满足业主要求,由项目土建监理工程师向业主直接
目前,美国的对冲基金以()为主。
集中趋势测度值对一组数据的代表程度,取决于该组数据的()。
随着我国经济发展进入新时代,我国旅游业也从高速旅游增长阶段转向()发展阶段。
设A是n阶矩阵,λ是A的r重特征根,A的对应于λ的线性无关的特征向量是k个,则k满足__________.
Well,hemadeitup.Allofit,apparently.AccordingtoareportpublishedonDecember29thbySeoulNationalUniversityinSou
最新回复
(
0
)