新世纪研究生公共英语教材阅读A第二版 第二课.pdfVIP

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Whattheinternetcannotdo?

1.itisimpossiblethatoldprejudicesandhostilitiesshouldlonger

exist,whilesuchaninstrumenthasbeencreatedfortheexchangeof

thoughtbetweenallthenationsoftheearth.acclaimedvictorian

enthusiastsonthearrivalin1858ofthefirsttransatlantictelegraph

cable.Peoplesaythatsortofthingaboutnewtechnologies,even

today.Biotechnologyissaidtobethecureofworldhunger.the

sequencingofthehumangenomewillsupposedlyeradicatecancer

andotherdiseases.Thewildestoptimism,though,hasgreetedthe

Internet.Awholeindustryofcybergurushasenthralledaudiences

[andmadeafineliving]withexuberantclaimsthattheinternetwill

preventwars,ruducepollution,andcombatvariousformsof

inequality.however,althoughtheinternetisstillyoungenoughto

inspireidealism,ithasalsobeenaroundlongenoughtotestwhether

theprophetscanberight.

2.Grandestofalltheclaimsarethosemadebysomeofthesavantsat

theMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyabouttheinternets

potentialasaforceforpeace.oneguru,NicholasNegroponte,has

declaredthat,thankstotheInternet,thechildrenofthefuturefuture

notgoingtoknowwhatnationalismisiscolleagues,Michael

Dertouzos,haswrittenthatdigitalcommunicationswillbringbring

futureflareups

ofethnichatredandnationalbreakups.Theideaisthatimproved

communicationswillreducemisunderstandingsandavertconflict.

3.Thisisnotnew,alas,anymorethanweretheclaimsforthepeace

makingpossibilitiesofothernewtechnologies.Intheearlyyearsof

th

the20century,aeroplaneswereexpectedtoendwars,b