issue196 科技类

papajohnsUID: 127722

196. "Technology creates more problems than it solves, and may threaten or damage the quality of life."

Technology itself is just a tool human beings use to satisfy their needs. Whether it creates or solves problems depends largely on how people make use of it. Therefore, although technology, in fact, has brought about some problems that plague us, technology should not be responsible for threatening or damaging the quality of life. Human being is the true cause of such trouble.

So powerful technology is that it has transformed our world and greatly enhanced the quality of life. Take plane for example: Today it takes us only four hours from America to Europe by plain, while in 1900 the same trip cost 7 to 10 days by boat. Modern air travel transports goods and people quickly around the world, facilitating our personal, cultural, and commercial interaction. Engineering innovation - from the Wright brothers to supersonic jets - have made it all possible. Perhaps the greatest outcome of this technology has been the expansion of our personal horizons. Another telling example is air conditioning and refrigeration which changed our life immensely. Dozens of engineering innovations made it possible to transport and store fresh foods, and to adapt the environment to human needs. Once luxuries, air conditioning and refrigeration are now common necessities which greatly enhance our quality of life.

Yet, sometimes technology acts like an evil, bringing us curse, not blessing. A great number of insecticides seriously destroy the balance of ecosystem, put a danger on human being’s health, and pollute environment. Although insecticides indeed enormously have increased the agricultural production, most of insecticides, more or less, contain poisonous substance, killing target insects and at the same time harming human beings’ body health. DDT, for example, is toxic to human beings when swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Nuclear weapons also illustrate this point. While nuclear energy have endowed industry with new power, nuclear weapons, a more horrible demon, put a huge menace on human beings, What else is more important than the survival of mankind? It is high time that we human being examined the way we apply technology.

Whether the end is survival or demise is ultimately up to us, human beings. Technology is mere a tool at our hands. How to use it largely depends on our rational choice. First, it must be kept in mind that sustainable development should be put in the first place. In spite of that fact insecticides kill pests, and thus provide us sufficient food, not only do insecticides have side effect on environment, but also cause genetic mutation of humankind. Therefore, to find other substitutes with little harm is a must for sustainable development. As for nuclear weapons, all people around the globe should make no spare to permit the use of it and at last destroy it. Then, nuclear technology can benefit us a lot, rather than kill us. In one word, we should not take short-sighted actions only to achieve short-term goals while ignoring  potential harm. Secondly, we must improve our morality standard. To meet human beings’ insatiable material desire, we have overexploited the limited resources of the Earth. Morality can help us inhabit our material impulse and increase our mental satisfaction. In the society worshiping money and profits, morality also can render us more concern about the love—love human beings, other species, and our communal globe.

In short, behind the modern civilization and prosperity the evil is always lurking, The pursuit of material enjoy and worship for technology mislead us so much that human beings might be doomed to death. The only way to escape the doom is at our hands. It is to properly use the technology.

Where's the topic? by imong

ShakespearUID: 154959

No.1 issue196 科技类
Technology itself is just a tool human beings（being） use to satisfy(meet or satisfy them) their needs. Whether it creates or solves problems depends largely on how people make use of it. Therefore, although technology, in fact, has brought about some problems that plague us, technology should not be responsible for threatening or damaging the quality of life. Human being is the true cause of such trouble.

So powerful technology is that it has transformed our world and greatly enhanced the quality of life. Take plane for example: Today it takes us only four hours from America to Europe by plain(?), while in 1900 the same trip cost (costs)7 to 10 days by boat. Modern air travel transports goods and people quickly around the world, facilitating our personal, cultural, and commercial interaction. Engineering innovation - from the Wright brothers to supersonic jets - have made it(?refer to) all possible. Perhaps the greatest outcome of this technology has been the expansion of our personal horizons. Another telling example is air conditioning and refrigeration which have changed our life immensely. Dozens of engineering innovations made it possible to transport and store fresh foods, and to adapt the environment to human needs. Once luxuries, air conditioning and refrigeration are now common necessities which greatly enhance our quality of life.

Yet, sometimes technology acts like an evil, bringing us curse, not blessing. A great number of insecticides seriously destroy the balance of ecosystem, put a danger on human being’s health(put human health in danger), and pollute environment. Although insecticides indeed enormously have increased the agricultural production, most of insecticides, more or less, contain poisonous substance, killing target insects and at the same time harming human beings’ body health. DDT, for example, is toxic to human beings(being) when swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Nuclear weapons also illustrate this point. While nuclear energy have endowed industry with new power, nuclear weapons, a more horrible demon, put a huge menace on human beings, What else is more important than the survival of mankind? It is high time that we human being examined(examine) the way (by which) we apply technology.

Whether the end is survival or demise is ultimately up to us, human beings. Technology is mere a tool at our hands. How to use it largely depends on our rational choice. First, it must be kept in mind that sustainable development should be put in the first place. In spite of that fact insecticides kill pests, and thus provide us sufficient food, not only do insecticides have side effect on environment, but also cause genetic mutation of humankind. Therefore, to find other substitutes with little harm is a must for sustainable development. As for nuclear weapons, all people around the globe should make no spare to permit the use of it and at last destroy it. Then, nuclear technology can benefit us a lot, rather than kill us. In one word, we should not take short-sighted actions only to achieve short-term goals while ignoring potential harm. Secondly, we must improve our morality standard. To meet human beings’ insatiable material desire, we have overexploited the limited resources of the Earth. Morality can help us inhabit our material impulse and increase our mental satisfaction. In the society worshiping money and profits, morality also can render us more concern about the love—love human beings, other species, and our communal globe.

In short, behind the modern civilization and prosperity the evil is always lurking, The pursuit of material enjoy(enjoyment) and worship for technology mislead us so much that human beings might be doomed to death. The only way to escape the doom is at our hands. It is to properly use the technology.

我觉得挺好的，除了一些小毛病之外，说理还是比较充分。有个观点想提出探讨一下，我觉得
科技的双刃剑似乎更多是其本身自带的，也就是说在有其好处的同时就带有不利，而并非人类的利用。问题在于人类采取何种手段去弥补其不利影响。仅供参考。就象你举的杀菌剂的例子，问题不在于人们如何使用它，而在于用还是不用。

papajohnsUID: 127722

不好意思, topic已经添加了.
谢谢Shakespear,有的我还是持保留意见:
1human beings是对的
2  satisfy or meet needs(是固定搭配)
3 plain是错了,应该是plane
4 cost改为Costed
5 it 指代上面那句的成就
6 it is high time that...(谓语动词应该是什么时态,请指教)
7put a danger on sb 也是一种表达方式

其他的我都同意,特别是那个观点,我也是犹豫,不知道是科技本身的负面作用还是人类的使用不当,那个杀菌剂是选择用与不用.其他的我提到了道德不知道有没有道理?
还请各位交流.

papajohnsUID: 127722

自己再顶一下,我确实存有疑问.