Lily的Scalers Talk第八轮新概念朗读持续力训练Da

L51-3:Predicting the future

Bagrit foresaw a time when computers would be small enough to hold in the hand, when they would be capable of providing information about traffic jams and suggesting alternative routes, when they would be used in hospitals to help doctors to diagnose illnesses, when they would relieve office workers and accountants of dull, repetitive clerical work. All these computer uses have become commonplace. Of course, Leon Bagrit could not possibly have foreseen the development of the Internet, the worldwide system that enables us to communicate instantly with anyone in any part of the world by using computers linked to telephone networks. Nor could he have foreseen how we could use the Internet to obtain information on every known subject, so we can read it on a screen in our homes and even print it as well if we want to. Computers have become smaller and smaller, more and more powerful and cheaper and cheaper. This is what makes Leon Bagrit's predictions particularly remarkable. If he, or someone like him, were alive today, he might be able to tell us what to expect in the next fifty years.

capable /ˈkeɪpəbl/ 有能力;有才能;能力强的;

jam /dʒæm/ 拥挤;堵塞

alternative  /ɔːlˈtɜːrnətɪv/ 选择的,可供替代的

diagnose /ˌdaɪəɡˈnoʊs/ 诊断(疾病);判断(问题的原因)

illness /ˈɪlnəs/ 疾病

relieve  /rɪˈliːv/  减轻，解除、缓和

accountant  会计

dull   /dʌl/  迟钝的;无聊的;枯燥无味的

repetitive /rɪˈpetətɪv/ 重复的;重复乏味的

clerical /ˈklerɪkl/ 办公室工作的、文书工作的

commonplace /ˈkɑːmənpleɪs/  常见的事;老生常谈;平常的事;

难得遇到一课相对简单的课文，不费什么时间就能够读流利。