計(jì)算機(jī)和智能化設(shè)備的發(fā)展,讓人們擔(dān)憂今天的很多職業(yè)在未來(lái)將不復(fù)存在,如同曾經(jīng)的打字機(jī)打字員一樣。那么,有哪些職業(yè)是無(wú)法被電腦所取代的?
測(cè)試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識(shí):
pedant 學(xué)究
molehill 鼴鼠打洞制造的小丘,小事,小困難
gullibility [,g?li'biliti]輕信,易上當(dāng)
busker 街頭藝人
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By Mr Colin Pringle.
* * *
FT columnist Michael Skapinker published an article on March 20, in which he pointed out five irreplaceable careers: receptionist, climate researcher, care of the elderly, executive assistant, and pedant(or pedagogue).
............
Sir, I think Michael Skapinker’s “top five careers for the next 25 years” are valid, but aim too low. These five are likely to be the real winners.
Lawyer. Computers cannot readily replace the science of making a mountain out of a molehill. The computations are complex: dispute resolution = maximum billable hours * gullibility.
Politician. A role that definitely needs to be done by a human, despite strong impressions to the contrary. This is the career that all buskers aspire to. You must carry on banging your own drum while pretending to play everyone’s favourite tune on the flute. If you can’t get the crowd with you, let them help themselves to a few coins from the hat.
Banker. Few know exactly what a banker is. It sounds important and has the seal of mystery. Traditionally bankers simply charged a levy on the ownership of assets. More recently they have diversified into lucrative lines like “fixing” interest rates, foreign exchange and other “crook the house” strategies. Why are they so indispensable? In true mafia tradition, they can threaten: “If you want to see your money again?.?.?.?”
Doctor. Tiberius Caesar(second emperor of Rome, stepson of Augustus) said he would have on his tombstone: “It was the crowd of physicians that killed me.” Doctors are always in demand – witness the time needed to make an appointment and the wait when you actually visit. The subjective nature of some ailments and the love of second opinions mean that it can take many doctors to replace a hip. No chance of redundancy here.
Spin-doctor. Not to be confused with a real doctor (or anything real). The very human art of persuading people to change direction by using misleading signposts guarantees these rally experts are always in demand by those desperate to be first past the finish line.
請(qǐng)根據(jù)你所讀到的文章內(nèi)容,完成以下自測(cè)題目:
1. Where can we find whis article in FT?
a. Readers' letters.
b. Comments to Skapinker's article.
c. Satire column.
d. Guest commentator page.
2. The writer says lawyers can "make a mountain out of a molehill", what does this mean?
a. They always work with paper mountains.
b. They are good at diving into details.
c. They use tedious and lengthy language.
d. They always make a fuss from trivial things.
3. What is a "spin-doctor"?(You may go back to the last paragraph.)
a. Fashion & image consultant.
b. obbyst.
c. Fifty-center.
a. Propagandist.
4. What is the right match between a career and the reason it cannot be replaced, according to the passage?
a. lawyer--no computer can resolve disputes.
b. Politician--no computer can act like a busker.
c. Banker--no computer can anticipate interest or exchange rates.
d. Doctor--no computer can offer a second opinion during a surgery.
[1] 答案a. Readers' letters.
解釋:這是一篇有趣的讀者來(lái)信,可以看出它其實(shí)不是對(duì)斯卡平克文章的評(píng)論,而是談?wù)摿恕拔磥?lái)不會(huì)被取代的職業(yè)”這個(gè)話題。他對(duì)一些行業(yè)的吐槽反映了歐美文化中的一些著名“橋段”,比如人們總懷疑政客是瘋子,律師、銀行家是騙子,常抱怨醫(yī)院排隊(duì)總是很長(zhǎng)等等。
[2] 答案d. They always make a fuss from trivial things.
解釋:"make a mountain out of a molehill"是句著名的諺語(yǔ)“小題大做”,不是指文件堆成的山,也不是褒義。
[3] 答案a. Fashion & image consultant.
解釋:首先你需要知道spin一詞除了“旋轉(zhuǎn)”,還有“吐絲”的意思,引申義就是“編織、編造、忽悠”。spin-doctor顯然是個(gè)貶義詞,這些人通過(guò)粉飾、誤導(dǎo)、斷章取義等手段試圖影響輿論使之對(duì)自己有利,一些政客的“公關(guān)人員”就是干這個(gè)的,其漢語(yǔ)翻譯是“政治化妝師”。維基上的解釋:"spin" often implies disingenuous, deceptive and/or highly manipulative tactics.
[4] 答案d. Doctor--no computer can offer a second opinion during a surgery.
解釋:ABC“不可被替代”顯然不是因?yàn)檫@些原因,而是因?yàn)樽髡甙凳尽半娔X無(wú)法像他們一樣忽悠人”