73. Computers and human life

For every individual who praises the advent of the computer age there seems to be a computer phobic person. Truly, many people are having a difficult time warming up to this machine and its ubiquity. The computer appears to have made life more complex because it can be difficult to understand and it has quickened our pace of life and thus caused stress, but once people learn how to use it they will be able to appreciate the conveniences it has to offer.

Many people, especially older generations, are not familiar with computers and therefore uncomfortable with them. They find the machine's workings too complex and difficult to understand. Even the terminology seems like a completely different language, because twenty years ago nobody knew what words like software, hardware, or network connection meant. When people heard the word mouse they thought of a rodent. This has changed today, and few teenagers would make the same mistake as their grandparents.

It is also true that computers have quickened the pace of life by allowing us to communicate and do business more efficiently, and this can certainly result in stress. After all, time saved is usually spent on accomplishing more tasks, and thus personal and professional schedules have become more crowded. The stress factor increases yet again when the technology on which we rely breaks down.

Few people understand their computers well enough to fix them, and as entire companies depend on this technology to handle all of their business needs, a single broken computer can wreck a lot of havoc.

Nevertheless, computers and the Internet have become an integral part of everyday life. Computers are here to stay, because they facilitate many of our everyday processes and we have already grown dependent on them. Today computer owners use their machines not only to communicate and do business but also for entertainment. As people learn more about computers they will become more comfortable with them, and technological progress will fix many of the small annoyances that cause stress to their owners.

译文

73. 电脑与人类生活

对于那些称赞电脑时代到来的人来说，也有患上电脑恐惧症的人。确实如此，很多人是非常艰难地熟悉了电脑，适应了电脑的无处不在。电脑好像把生活变得更为复杂了，因为电脑很难让人搞懂，电脑把我们生活的节奏变快、给我们带来压力，但是人们一旦知道怎样使用电脑，就开始夸赞它给生活带来的方便了。

有很多人，特别是老年人，不熟悉电脑，因而他们觉得电脑让人很不舒服。他们觉得电脑操作过于复杂、又很难懂。他们甚至认为电脑术语也是一种完全不同的语言，因为在二十年前没有人知道“软件”、“硬件”、“联网”是什么意思。当人们听到“鼠”的时候，脑中会浮现出一种啮齿动物。而现在这种情况变了，没有几个青少年会再犯他们祖父母所犯的错误。

电脑使我们的交流和做生意更加方便、生活更加快捷，但是与此同时也给人们带来了压力。毕竟，人们可以用节省出来的时间去做更多的工作了，私人时间的安排和工作的安排也更为紧密。当我们所依赖的技术不能正常工作时，我们的压力就加大了。没有多少人会修理电脑，当整个公司的业务都要通过电脑处理时，一台电脑出现毛病就可能导致混乱。

然而，电脑和互联网已经成为人们生活中不可分割的一部分。电脑注定要生存下去，因为它们使我们的日常生活便利化，我们已经变得依赖电脑了。今天，拥有电脑的人不仅用机器与人交流、做生意，还能用以娱乐。随着人们对电脑的日益了解，电脑将会使人们生活得更加舒适，而且技术的进步必将使那些给人们带来压力的琐碎烦心事不再出现。

Word List

• praise ［preiz］ v. 赞扬，称赞
• advent ［ˈædˌvent］ n. (尤指不寻常的人或事) 出现，到来
• phobic ［ˈfəubik］ adj. 恐惧症的
• ubiquity ［ju:ˈbikwiti］ n. 到处存在
• be familiar with 熟悉
• terminology ［ˌtə:məˈna:lədʒi］ n. 术语，专门名词
• rodent ［ˈrəudnt］ n. 啮齿动物
• pace ［peis］ n. (一) 步；速度
• havoc ［ˈhævək］ n. 大破坏，浩劫
• integral ［ˈintigrəl］ adj. 完整的，整体的
• facilitate ［fəˈsiliteit］ n. 使容易；推动，促进
• annoyance ［əˈnɔiəns］ n. 烦恼，可厌之事