One of the greatest advances in moderntechnology has been the invention ofcomputers. They are already widely usedin industry and in universities and thetime may come when it will be possiblefor ordinary people to use them as well.Computers are capable of doing extre-mely complicated work in all branches oflearning. They can solve the most com-plex mathematical problems or putthousands of unrelated facts in order.These machines can be put to varied uses.For instance, they can provide informa-tion on the best way to prevent trafficaccidents, or they can count the numberof times the word 'and' has been used inthe Bible. Because they work accurately and at high speeds, they save researchworkers years of hard work. This whole process by which machines can be usedto work for us has been called automation. In the future, automation may enablehuman beings to enjoy far more leisure than they do today. The coming ofautomation is bound to have important social consequences.Some time ago an expert,on automation, Sir Leon Bagrit, pointed out that itwas a mistake to believe that these machines could 'think'. There is no pos-sibility that human beings will be 'controlled by machines'. Though computersare capable of learning from their mistakes and improving on their performancethey need detailed instructions from human beings in order to be able to operate.They can never, as it were, lead independent lives, or 'rule the world' by makingdecisions of their own.Sir Leon said that in the future, computers would be developed which wouldbe small enough to carry in the pocket. Ordinary people would then be able touse them to obtain valuable information. Computers could be plugged into anational network and be used like radios. For instance, people going on holidaycould be informed about weather conditions; car drivers could be given alter-native routes when there are traffic jams. It will also be possible to make tinytranslating machines. This will enable people who do not share a commonlanguage to talk to each other without any difficulty or to read foreign publi-cations. It is impossible to assess the importance of a machine of this sort, formany international misunderstandings are caused simply through our failure tounderstand each other. Computers will also be used in hospitals. By providinga machine with a patient's symptoms, a doctor will be able to diagnose thenature of his illness. Similarly, machines could be used to keep a check on apatient's health record and bring it up to date. Doctors will therefore haveimmediate access to a great many facts which will help them in their work.Book-keepers and accountants, too, could be relieved of dull clerical work, forthe tedious task of compiling and checking lists of figures could be done entirelyby machines. Computers are the most efficient servants man has ever had andđó là không có giới hạn về cách họ có thể được sử dụng để cải thiện cuộc sống của chúng tôi.
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