Technology or tradition?科技还是传统？

蒋建平

众所周知，科技发展可以为人类和社会带来各种便利，但新技术的使用是否会对一些历史传统造成冲击？

主题语境：科技进步 篇幅：368词 建议用时：7分钟

1 Everyone looks forward to progress， whether in ones personal life or in the generalsociety. Progress indicates （象征） a person's ability to change the way he is living at the mo⁃ment. Progress must lead to a better life and a better way of doing things. All these， how⁃ever， remain true only in so far as people want to accept technology and move forward byfinding new and more efficient ways of doing things.

2 However， at the back of the minds of many people， especially those who miss the“good old days”， efficiency comes with a price. When communication becomes more effi⁃cient， people are able to contact one another no matter where they are and at whatever timethey wish to. The click of a button allows people miles apart to talk or see each other with?out even leaving their homes. With the communication gadgets， such as mobile phones andtablets （平板电脑）， people often do not take the effort to visit one another personally.

3 With efficiency also comes mass production. Factories have improved efficiency. Un⁃skillful tasks are left to machines and products are better made and produced with greateraccuracy than any human hand could ever have done. However， with the improvements inefficiency also comes the loss of the personal touch when making these products. For ex⁃ample， many handicrafts are now produced in a factory. Although this means that supply isbetter able to increase demand， now that the supply is quick and efficient， the demand might fall because mass production lowers the quality of the handicraft and it is difficult tofind unique designs on each item.

4 Nevertheless， progress has allowed tradition to keep up. It is only with progress andthe invention of new technology that many old products can be brought back to their oldstate. New technology is required for old products to stay old.

5 It is peoples attitude towards progress that causes the type of influence that tech⁃nology has on society. Technology is flexible. There is no fixed way of making use of it.Everything depends on peoples attitude. When we accept progress and adapt it to suit ourneeds， a new“past”is created.

Reading

Check

1. How does the author explain“efficiency comes with a price”in paragraph 2？

A. By describing a process.

B. By using examples.

C. By following time order.

D. By making classification.

2. What does the underlined word“gadgets”in paragraph 2 mean？

A. Tools. B. Messages.

C. Barriers. D. Skills.

3. What can be learned about technology from paragraph 4？

A. It can destroy old traditions.

B. It can sometimes slow social progress.

C. It can be used to correct mistakes.

D. It can be used to protect old products.

4. What can be concluded from the last paragraph？

A. Progress can suit the needs of daily life.

B. People review the past with great regret.

C. Peoples attitude decides the use of technology.

D. Technology should be introduced in a fixed way.

Language

Study

Ⅰ. Useful expressions

look forward to 期待；盼望

lead to 导致；通往

move forward 前行

take the effort to do 费力去做……

now that 既然

have an influence on 对……有影響

make use of 利用

depend on 取决于

suit ones needs 满足某人的需求

Ⅱ. 熟词生义

However， at the back of the minds of many people， especially those who miss the“good old days”， efficiency comes with a price. 然而，在许多人的心中，尤其是那些怀念“过去的美好日子”的人，效率是有代价的。

price n. 代价

e.g. Giving up his job was a small price to pay for his childrens happiness. 放弃工作是他为子女幸福所付出的小小代价。