Unit 3 Computers using language课时作业

[高考题型练习提能力]

　　Ⅰ.阅读理解

　　A

　　Robots will have taken over most jobs within 30 years leaving humanity facing its "biggest challenge ever" to find meaning in life when work is no longer necessary，according to experts.

　　Professor Moshe Vardi, of Rice University, in the U．S.，says that many middle­class professionals will be assisting the work of machines within the next few decades leaving workers with more leisure(休闲) time than they have ever experienced.

　　Prof Vardi said the rise of robots could lead to unemployment rates greater than 50 percent.

　　"We are approaching a time when machines will be able to do better than humans at almost any task，" said Vardi, a professor in computational engineering.

　　Robots are doing more and more jobs that people used to do. I believe that society needs to face this question before it's upon us. If machines can do almost any work humans can do, what will humans do?

　　"The question I want to put forward is，'Does the technology we are developing finally benefit mankind？'"

　　Prof Vardi said existing robotic and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies were already getting rid of a growing number of middle­class jobs and that pace of advancement in the field is increasing.

　　But Prof Vardi is not sure that a workforce of humanlike robots will be good for mankind.

　　"A typical answer is that if machines will do all our work, we will be free to pursue(追求) leisure activities，"he said.

　　"I do not find this a promising future, as I do not find the idea of leisure­only life appealing. I believe that work is essential to human well­being."

"Humanity is about to face perhaps its greatest challenge ever, which is finding meaning in life."