From voice-activated speakers to (1)___________ (END) options for online socialising, sharing and posting, it's clear that many of us are enjoying the benefits of technology. At the same time, we're hearing more voices that raise concerns at the rate of technological (2)_____________ (DEVELOP) and our lack of forward thinking about the potential costs it may bring.
To consider the balance between benefits and costs, we looked at three areas of technological and (3)_______________ (SCIENCE) progress: communications, industry and medicine.
Many people can't live without their phones, the new computers in their hands. Smartphone users continue to increase worldwide. Phones (4)___________ (ABLE) us to keep in touch with family, friends and colleagues with ease. But are these advantages perhaps superficial? Are they simply what people have always done but on a much larger scale? Well, not really- phone technology now does so much more, allowing us to navigate, shop, entertain ourselves, record our holidays and socialise in an endless stream of new ways. And many businesses couldn't function without this technology as rapid communication (5)____________ (BROAD) their area of operations, as well as speeding their business up.
But has anything been lost along the way? Having grown up in a world before mobiles, I'm (6)____________ (ACUTE) aware of the random strings of numbers still etched on my memory. The (7)_____________ (LAND) from my friend's parents, for example. I think I can live without this information but are we losing our capacity to memorise or do simple calculations? Even if this may not seem very dramatic, what if it is a symptom of a general loss of mental skills? Could it affect the whole learning process?
In medicine, technology has improved healthcare (8)_____________ (ENORMOUS). In some countries, it's now possible to see a doctor online if required. Operations can be performed by robots, guided by doctors at a distance. Research into diseases- aided by technology- has brought new medicines to combat and even prevent them, though at some expense. There's no doubting both the short- and long-term benefits for individuals in this case. And yet, increasing longevity does raise new concerns and issues. We need to address how to finance pensions and ensure adequate care for older people. We also need to consider any negative impact that healthier older people may have on the job market. If people work longer, will it limit opportunities for younger workers?
Technology has improved (9)_____________ (EFFICIENT) in industry. A by-product of machines doing the heavy and (10)_____________ (REPEAT) work is that people don't have to do this. However, this means that skills which have been handed down through the generations are slowly being lost. (11)_____________ (AUTOMATIC) is good for the economy of the country as a whole and sometimes allows governments to spend more on social and engineering projects. The (12)____________ (DOWN) is that more and more jobs being done by machines may mean more and more people out of work, unless we as a society are able to quickly adapt to the harsh realities of retraining or working a shorter working week.
The scientific and technological progress we see taking place today is awe-inspiring- both wonderful and frightening. While the benefits of technology are (13)_______________ (QUESTION) and life has improved for millions of people, we can't ignore the potential costs that progress brings. The need for more radical technological regulation could become greater in the future.
KEY
1. endless
2. development
3. scientific
4. enable
5. broadens
6. acutely
acutely:
acutely aware/conscious noticing or feeling something very strongly.
E.g.
I am acutely aware of the difficulties we face.
7. landline
8. enormously
9. efficiency
10. repetitive
11. Automation
12. downside
13. unquestionable
