2023年上海中級口譯真題

2023年9月中級口譯真題+參照答案

英語中級口譯資格證書第一階段考試

SECTION1:LISTENINGTEST

PartA:SpotDictation

Directions:Inthispartofthetest,youwillhearapassageandreadthesame

passagewithblanksinit.Fillineachoftheblankswiththewordorwordsyou

haveheardonthetape.Writeyouranswerinthecorrespondingspaceinyour

ANSWERBOOKLET.RememberyouwillhearthepassageONLYONCE.

Britishpeoplearefarmoresophisticatedaboutbeveragesthantheywere50

yearsago.WitnesstheStarbucksrevolutionandyou'llknowwhere

(1)goes.However;spurredonbyrecentstudiessuggestingthat

itcancuttheriskof(2)andretardtheagingprocess,teais

enjoyinga(3).

Althoughteaisavailableinmoreplacesthanever;itremainstobe

(4)ofatypicalBritishfamily.

IfyouareinvitedtoanEnglishhome,(5)inthemorningyou

getacupoftea.Itiseitherbroughtinbyaheartily(6)cran

almostmalevolentlysilentmaid.Whenyouare(7)inyour

sweetestmorningsleepyoumustnotsay:'Goaway,you(8)/

Onthecontrary,youhavetodeclarewithyourbestfiveo'clocksmile:'Thank

youverymuch.I(9)acupoftea,especiallyinthemorning.'If

theyleaveyoualonewiththeliquidyoumaypourit(10)!

Thenyouhave(11);thenyouhaveteaat11o'clockinthe

morning;(12);thenyouhaveteafortea;thenaftersupper;

andagainateleveno'clock(13).

Youmustnotrefuseanyadditionalcupsofteaunderthe(14):

ifitishot;ifitiscold;ifyouare(15);ifyouarenervous;ifyou

arewatchingTV;(16);ifyouhavejustreturnedhome;ifyou

feellikeit;ifyoudonotfeellikeit;ifyouhavehadnotea(17);

ifyouhavejusthadacup.

Youdefinitelymustnot(18),Isleepatfiveo'clockinthe

morning;Ihavecoffeeforbreakfast;Idrinkinnumerable(19)

duringtheday;Ihavethe(20)evenattea-time!

PartB:ListeningComprehension

1.Statements

Directions:Inthispartofthetest,youwillhearseveralshortstatements.These

statementswillbespokenONLYONCE,andyouv/illnotfindthemwrittenonthe

paper;soyoumustlistencarefully.Whenyouhearastatement,readthe

answerchoicesanddecidewhichoneisclosestinmeaningtothestatementyou

haveheard.Thenwritetheletteroftheansweryouhavechoseninthe

correspondingspaceinyourANSWERBOOKLET.

1.(A)TheprogramonChannelEightremindsmeofTVcommercials.

(B)TheproductadvertisedintheTVcommercialcannothelpcuremyillness.

(C)Idon'twatchTVthatmuch,becauseoftheomnipresentadvertisements.

(D)Ihavetositonthesofa,becauseIamtoosicktostandinfrontofthe

television.

2.(A)Theplanearrivedat7:30.

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(B)Theplanearrivedat8:00.

(C)Theplanearrivedat9:00.

(D)Theplanearrivedat10:00.

3.(A)rilasksomeoneelsetoreadandcheckthisagreementforerrors.

(B)rilthinkmoreabouttheagreementbeforemakingadecision.

(C)It'sobviousthatIIIdiscusstheagreementv/ithmyassistantfirst.

(D)It'soutofquestionthatIshouldgetintoanyagreementwithyou.

4.(A)Thebettermembersdecidedtocancelthemeeting.

(B)Lessthanhalfofthecommitteewasawayonbusinesstrips.

(C)Itzdbebetterifnoonehadattendedthismorning'scommitteemeeting..

(D)Themeetingwascancelledbecauseoflowattendance.

5.(A)Supermarketsintheinnercityandthesuburbsareusuallyownedbythe

samecompany.

(B)Productsingrocerystoresaremoreexpensivethanthoseinsupermarkets.

(C)Thereisapricedifferenceforthesameproducteveninshopsrunbythe

samecompany.

(D)Peopleprefertoshopinsupermarkets,whicharemostlylocatedinthe

suburbs,withfreeparkingspace.

6.(A)ManyAmericanscannotaffordhighereducationbecauseofthesoaring

collegetuitionfeesandexpenses.

(B)Sendingtheirchildrentocollegeisnolongerabiggerchallengeformillions

ofAmericans.

(C)TheAmericangovernmenthassetthegoalthatitwilleventuallystop

fundinghighereducationinstitutions.

(D)Nowadays,Americanparentshavetopaymoretosendtheirchildrento

college.

7.(A)Formanyuniversitygraduates,thejobstheytakewillnotberelatedto

theiracademicachievements.

(B)Becauseofeconomicrecession,thenumberofuniversitystudentsmajoring

inliberalartsisdeclining.

(C)Universitystudentswhoareinterestedinliberalartswillhavemorejob

opportunitiesupongraduation.

(D)Withhighunemploymentrate,manyuniversitystudentswillhavetooptfor

transferringtoothermajors.

8.(A)Goodbusinessnegotiatorswillneverrepeatwhatotherpeoplehave

alreadyrestated.

(B)Restatingbygoodbusinessnegotiatorsisnotaneffectivewaytocheckthe

information.

(C)Goodbusinessnegotiatorsaresometimescuriousaboutotherpeople's

restatements.

(D)Restatingwhatothershavesaidisagoodstrategyforconfirming

understanding.

9.(A)Wecannotreachanagreement,letaloneaspokenpromise.

(B)We'dbetterdraftandthensignawrittenagreement.

(C)Wegenerallykeepourpromisesinbusinesstransactions.

(D)Wehopeyouunderstandwhyweareunabletokeepourpromises.

10.(A)Idon'tthinkyouhavemoretosayonthattopic.

(B)Ithinkwe'dbettertalkaboutthatindetailsometimelater.

(C)Iamtrulyappreciativeifyoucanelaborateonthattopicafterlunch.

(D)Iambusyrightnow,sowemightaswelldiscussitoverlunchtoday.

2.TalksandConversations

Directions:Inthispartofthetest,youwillhearseveralshorttalksand

conversationsAftereachof

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these,youwillhearafewquestions.Listencarefullybecauseyouwillhearthe

talkorconversationandquestionsONLYONCE.Whenyouhearaquestion,read

thefourchoicesandchoosethebestanswertothatquestion.Thenwritethe

letteroftheansweryouhavechoseninthecorrespondingspaceinyour

ANSWERBOOKLET.

Questions11—14

11.(A)Two(B)Three(C)Four(D)Five

12.(A)Aprofit-makingprivateschool.

(B)Anon-profit-makingindependentschool.

(C)Astateschoolthatisfundedbynon-governmentalsources.

(D)AsecondaryschoolthatisopentothemajorityofBritishstudents.

13.(A)Manychildrenarenolongerplacedinschoolsaccordingtotheir

academicabilities.

(B)Manychildrencanaffordtostudyinprivateschools,astheybecomepartof

thestatesystem.

(C)Childrenfromwealthyfamiliesnolongerchoosetogoandstudyinpublic

schools.

(D)Clevererchildrenwillbesenttothebestprivateschoolsinthecountryfora

betterdevelopment.

14.(A)Cleverandlessbrightchildrenwillmixv/ellwitheachother.

(B)Schoolauthoritieswillreceivemorefundsfromthegovernment.

(C)Moststudentswilldowellintheirentranceexaminationforthehigher

education.

(D)Everychildwillhaveanequalopportunitytogoontohighereducation.

Questions15—18

15.(A)Onethatisunabridgedwithdetaileddefinitions.

(B)Onethatcontainsfewerwordsandemphasizesonspecialwords.

(C)Onethatcontainsabroadrangeofwordsincommonusage.

(D)Onethatspansseveralvolumesandhasextensivewordhistories

16.(A)TheNewOxfordPictureDictionary

(B)TheAmericanHeritageDictionary

(C)TheDictionaryofLegalTerms

(D)TheDrinkingWaterDictionary

17.(A)Itlistsabbreviations,propernouns,andtablesofmeasures.

(B)Itisanunabridgededitionprovidingasmanyas500,000entries.

(C)Itwasrandomlycompiledandcontainsasmanyforeignwordsaspossible.

(D)Itprovidesdetailedinformationoffamouspeopleandplaces.

18.(A)Aschooldictionary.(B)Acollegedictionary.

(C)Ageneraldictionary.(D)Aspecializeddictionary.

Questions19—22

19.(A)He'sboughthiswifeapresent.(B)He'smissedanimportantphonecall.

(C)He'sdismissedhisnewsecretary.(D)He'spoppedoutshopping.

20.(A)Talkingaboutthelatestfashion.

(B)Offeringspecialreductions.

(C)Givingbiggerdiscountstofemalecustomers.

(D)Pressingonthecustomertomakeadecision.

21.(A)Upsidedownandinsideout.(B)Insideoutandbacktofront.

(C)Withitssleevesastrouserlegs.(D)Withitspatternupsidedown.

22.(A)AV-neckedpulloverwithshortsleeves.

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(B)Ahigh-neckedpulloverwithlongsleeves.

(C)Awhitepulloverwithapattern.

(D)Abluepulloverwithahighneck.

Questions23—26

23.(A)Thatofacreator.(B)Thatofare-creator.

(C)Thatofareceiver.(D)Thatofaperformer.

24.(A)Becauseweneedtoconcentrateforourquietthought.

(B)Becausewewanttogivefullattentiontothedriving.

(C)Becausewetrytoavoidbeingcaughtbythepatrollingpolice.

(D)Becauseweintendtobeascasualaspossibleinthedriving.

25.(A)Intheelevator.(B)Inthecar.

(C)Inthebathroom.(D)Inthechurch.

26.(A)Byperceptiveandanalyticallistening.

(B)Bytakingasonicbath.

(C)Byattendingclassicalconcerts.

(D)Bylisteningtoanemotionalpieceofmusic.

Questions27—30

27.(A)Hisgrandfather'shouse.(B)Hisparents'remarks.

(C)Amagazine.(D)Acoursebook.

28.(A)Enjoyingvisitingzoos.(B)Drivingacar.

(C)Makingmoney.(D)Takingkidstoamuseum.

29.(A)Itdiedafewyearsago.(B)Itkilledseveraltourists.

(C)Itisonlyalegend.(D)Itisalivingdinosaur.

30.(A)Noonehasprovidedanaccuratedescriptionoftheanimal.

(B)Nodeadbodiesoftheanimalhaveeverbeenfound.

(C)Thereareonly500specieslivinginLochNess.

(D)Thelakeisnotdeepenoughforsuchahugeanimal.

PartC:ListeningandTranslation

1.SentenceTranslation

Directions:Inthispartofthetest,youwillhear5sentencesinEnglish.Youwill

hearthesentencesONLYONCE.Afteryouhaveheardeachsentence,translate

itintoChineseandwriteyourversioninthecorrespondingspaceinyour

ANSWERBOOKLET.

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

2.PassageTranslation

Directions:Inthispartofthetest,youwillhear2passagesinEnglish.Youwill

hearthepassagesONLYONCE.Afteryouhaveheardeachpassage,translateit

intoChineseandwriteyourversioninthecorrespondingspaceinyourANSWER

BOOKLET.Youmaytakenoteswhileyouarelistening.

(1)

(2)

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SECTION2:STUDYSKILLS(45minutes)

Directions:Inthissection,youwillreadseveralpassages.Eachpassageis

followedbyseveralquestionsbasedonitscontent.YouaretochooseONEbest

answer;(A),(B),(C)or(D),toeachquestion.Answerallthequestionsfollowing

eachpassageonthebasisofwhatisstatedorimpliedinthatpassageandwrite

theletteroftheansweryouhavechoseninthecorrespondingspaceinyour

ANSWERBOOKLET.

Questions1—5

ThepurposeoftheArrericancourtsystemistoprotecttherightsofthepeople.

AccordingtoAmericanlaw,ifsomeoneisaccusedofacrime,heorsheis

consideredinnocentuntilthecourtprovesthatthepersonisguilty.Inother

words,itistheresponsibilityofthecourttoprovethatapersonisguilty.Itisnot

theresponsibilityofthepersontoprovethatheorsheisinnocent.

Inordertoarrestaperson,thepolicehavetobereasonablysurethatacrime

hasbeencommitted.Thepolicemustgivethesuspectthereasonswhytheyare

arrestinghimandtellhimhisrightsunderthelaw.Thenthepolicetakethe

suspecttothepolicestationto"book"him.''Bookingmeansthatthenameof

thepersonandthechargesagainsthimareformallylistedatthepolicestation.

Thenextstepisforthesuspecttogobeforeajudge.Thejudgedecideswhether

thesuspectshouldbekeptinjailorreleased.Ifthesuspecthasnoprevious

criminalrecordandthejudgefeelsthathewillreturntocourtratherthanrun

away—forexample,becauseheownsahouseandhasafamily—hecangofree.

Otherwise,thesuspectmustputupbail.Atthistime,too,thejudgewillappoint

acourtlayertodefendthesuspectifhecan'taffordone.

Thesuspectreturnstocourtaweekortwolater.Alawyerfromthedistrict

attorney'sofficepresentsacaseagainstthesuspect.Thisiscalledahearing.

Theattorneymaypresentevidenceaswellaswitnesses.Thejudgeatthe

hearingthendecideswhetherthereisenoughreasontoholdatrial.Ifthejudge

decidesthatthereissufficientevidencetocallforatrial,heorshesetsadate

forthesuspecttoappearincourttoformallypleadguiltyornotguilty.

Atthetrial,ajuryof12peoplelistenstotheevidencefrombothattorneysand

hearsthetestimonyofthewitnesses.Thenthejurygoesintoaprivateroomto

considertheevidenceanddecidewhetherthedefendantisguiltyofthecrime.

Ifthejurydecidesthatthedefendantisinnocent,hegoesfree.However;ifhe

isconvicted,thejudgesetsadateforthedefendanttoappearincourtagainfor

sentencing.Atthistime,thejudgetellstheconvictedpersonwhathis

punishmentwillbe.Thejudgemaysentencehimtoprison,orderhimtopaya

fine,orplacehimonprobation.

TheAmericanjusticesystemisverycomplexandsometimesoperatesslowly.

However;everystepisdesignedtoprotecttherightsofthepeople.These

individualrightsarethebasis,orfoundation,oftheAmericangovernment.

1.Whatisthemainideaofthepassage?

(A)TheAmericancourtsystemrequiresthatasuspectprovethatheorsheis

innocent.

(B)TheUScourtsystemisdesignedtoprotecttherightsofthepeople.

(C)UndertheAmericancourtsystem,judgedecidesifasuspectisinnocentor

guilty.

(D)TheUScourtsystemisdesignedtohelpthepolicepresentacaseagainst

thesuspect.

2.Whatfollows'inotherwords7(para.l)?

(A)Anexampleoftheprevioussentence.

(B)Anewideaaboutthecourtsystem.

(C)Anitemofevidencetocallforatrial.5

(D)Arestatementoftheprevioussentence.

3.Accordingtothepassage,'hecangofree"(para.3)means.

(A)thesuspectisfreetochoosealawyertodefendhim

(B)thesuspectdoesnothavetogototrialbecausethejudgehasdecidedheis

innocent

(C)thesuspectwillbeinformedbymailwhetherheisinnocentornot

(D)thesuspectdoesnothavetowaitinjailorpaymoneyuntilhegoestotrial

4.Whatisthepurposeofhavingthesuspectpaybail?

(A)Topayforthejudgeandthetrial.

(B)Topayforacourtlawyertodefendthesuspect.

(C)Toensurethatthesuspectwillreturntocourt.

(D)Toensurethatthesuspectwillappearinprison.

5.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingstatementsistrue?

(A)TheAmericanjusticesystemsometimesoperatesslowly.

(B)Thepolicecanarrestasuspectwithoutgivinganyreasons.

(C)Itistheresponsibilityofthesuspecttoproveheisinnocent.

(D)Thejuryconsiderstheevidenceinthecourtroom.

Questions6—10

Soyou'vegotaninvention—youandaround39,000otherseachyear;according

to2023statistics!

The64,000-dollarquestion,ifyouhavecomeupwithadevicewhichyoubelieve

tobetheanswertotheenergycrisisoryou'veinventedalawnmowerwhichcuts

grasswithajetofwater(notsodaft,someonehasinventedone),ishowto

ensureyou'retheonetoreaptherewardsofyouringenuity.Howwillallyou

gardenshedboffinsouttherekeepothersfromcapitalizingonyourideasand

liningtheirpocketsatyourexpense?

Oneofthefirststepstoprotectyourinterestistopatentyourinvention.That

cankeepitoutofthegraspofthepiratesforatleastthenext20years.Andfor

thisreasoninventorsintheirdrovesbeataconstanttrailfromalloverthe

countrytothedoorsofananonymousgrey-frontedbuildingjustbehind

London'sHolborntotryandpatenttheirdevices.

ThebuildinghousesthePatentOffice.It'sanantheapofcorridors,officesand

filingrooms—asortinghouseandstoragedepotforoneoftheworld'sbiggest

andmostvariedcollectionsoftechnicaldata.Sometenmillionpatents—English

andforeign—arelistedthere.

Fileafterfile,catalogueaftercataloguedetailthebrain-childrenofinventors

downthecenturies,froma1600'smachinegundesignedtofiresquarebullets

atinfidelsandroundonesatChristians,topresent-daylaser;nuclearand

computertechnology.

Thefirst'letterspatent7weregrantedaslongagoas1449toaFlemish

craftsmanbythenameofJohnUtynam.Theletters,writteninLatin,arestillon

fileattheoffice.TheyweregrantedbyKingHenryVIandentitledUtynamto

'importintothiscountry'hisknowledgeofmakingstainedglasswindowsin

ordertoinstallsuchwindowsatEtonCollege.

Present-daypatentsprocedureisamoresophisticatedaffairthangettinga

go-aheadnotefromthemonarch.Thesedaysthestrictproceduresgoverning

whetheryougetapatentforyourrevolutionarymouse-traporsolar-powered

back-scratcherhavebeenreducedtoaprettyexactscience.

Fromstarttofinishitwilltakearoundtwoandahalfyearsandcost￡165for

theinventortogainpatentprotectionforhisbrainchild.That'sifhe'slucky.By

nomeansallwhoapplytothePatentOffice,whichisabranchofthe

DepartmentofTrade,getapatent.6

AkeymanatthePatentOfficeisBernardPartridge,PrincipalExaminer

(Administration),whoboilsdowntoonewordthevitalingredientanyinventor

needsbeforehecanhopetoovercomethemanyhurdlesinthecomplex

procedureofobtainingapatent—'ingenuity".

6.Peopletakeoutapatentbecausetheywantto.

(A)keeptheirideasfrombeingstolen

(B)reaptherewardsofsomebodyelse'singenuity

(C)visitthepatentofficebuilding

(D)comeupwithmorenewdevices

7.Thephrase'thebrain-childrenofinventors'(para.5)means.

(A)thechildrenwithhighintelligence

(B)theinventionsthatpeoplecomeupwith

(C)adevicethatachildbelievestobetheanswertotheenergycrisis

(D)alawnmowerthatanindividualhasinventedtocutgrass

8.Whathavethe1600zsmachinegunandthepresent-daylaserincommon?

(A)Bothwereapprovedbythemonarch.

(B)BothweregrantedbyKingHenryVI.

(C)BothwererejectedbytheDepartmentofTrade.

(D)Bothwerepatented.

9.WhyisJohnUtynamstillremembered?

(A)Heisthefirstpersontogetapatentforhisrevolutionarymouse-trap.

(B)Heisthefirstpersontobegrantedanofficialpatent.

(C)HeisthefirstpersontobeanofficerinthePatentOffice.

(D)Heisthefirstpersontohaveinventedalawnmower.

10.Accordingtothepassage,howwouldyoudescribethecomplexprocedureof

obtainingapatentforaninvention?

(A)Itisratherexpensive.

(B)Itisanimpossibletask.

(C)Itisextremelydifficult.

(D)Itisverytricky.

Questions11—15

Alllivingcellsonearthrequiremoisturefortheirmetabolism.Cerealgrains

whenbroughtinfromthefield,althoughtheymayappeartobedry,may

contain20percentofmoistureormore.Iftheyarestoredinabinthus,there

issufficientmoistureinthemtosupportseveralvarietiesofinsects.These

insectswill,therefore,liveandbreedand,astheygrowandeatthegrain,it

providesthemwithbiologicalenergyfortheirlifeprocesses.Thisenergywill,

justasinman,becomemanifestasheat.Sincethebulkofthegrainactsasan

insulator;thetemperaturesurroundingthecolonyofinsectswillrisesothat,not

onlyispartofthegrainspoiledbythedirectattackoftheinsectsbutmoremay

bedamagedbytheheat.Sometimes,thetemperaturemayevenrisetothe

pointwherethestoredgraincatchesfire.Forsafestorage,grainmustbedried

untilitsmoisturecontentis13percentorless.

Traditionalartsoffoodpreservationtookadvantageofthisprincipleinanumber

ofways.Theplantseeds,wheat,rye,rice,barleymillet,maize,arethemselves

structuresevolvedbynaturetoprovidestoredfood.Thestarchoftheir

endospermisusedforthenourishmentoftheembryoduringthetimeit

over-winters(ifitisaplantoftheTemperateZone)anduntilitsnewleaveshave

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grownandtheirchlorophyllcantrapenergyfromthesunlighttonourishthe

new-grownplant.Theseparationbythreshingandwinnowingis,therefore,to

somedegreepartofatechniqueoffoodpreservation.

Thedirectdryingofotherfoodshasalsobeenused.Fishhasbeendriedinmany

partsoftheworldbesidesAfrica.Slicesofdriedmeatarepreparedbynumerous

races.Biltong,aformofdriedmeat,wasacustomaryfoodfortravelers.The

dryingofmeatorfish,eitherinthesunoroverafire,quiteapartfromthe

degreetowhichitexposesthefoodtoinfectionbybacteriaandinfestationby

insects,tendsalsotoharmitsquality.Proteinsarecomplexmolecular

structureswhicharereadilydisrupted.Thisisthereasonwhydriedmeat

becomestoughandcan,withsomescientificjustification,bylikenedtoleather.

Thetechnicalprocessofdryingfoodsindirectlybypicklingtheminthestrong

saltsolutionscommonlycalled'brine'doeslessharmtotheproteinthan

straightforwarddrying,particularlyifthisiscarriedoutathightemperatures.It

isforthisreasonthatmanyofthetypicaldryingprocessesarenottakento

completion.Thatistosay,theouterpartsmaybedriedleavingamoistinner

section.Underthesecircumstances,preservationisonlypartial.ThedriedFood

keepslongerthanitwouldhaveundriedbutitcannotbekeptindefinitely.For

thisreason,traditionalprocessesaretobefoundinmanypartsoftheworldin

whichacombinationofpartialdryingandpicklinginbrineisused.Quiteoften

thedryinginvolvesexposuretosmoke.Foodstreatedinthiswayare,besides

fishofvarioussorts,bacon,hamsandnumeroustypesofsausages.

11.Accordingtothepassage,insectsspoilstoredcerealsby.

(A)consumingallthegrainthemselves

(B)generatingheatandraisingthesurroundingtemperature

(C)increasingthemoisturecontentinthegrain

(D)attackingeachotherformoregrain

12.Inspeakingofthetraditionalmethodsoffoodpreservation,thewriter

(A)expressesdoubtsaboutdirectsmoking

(B)describessaltingandpicklingasineffective

(C)condemnsdirectdrying

(D)mentionsthreshingandwinnowing

13.Directdryingaffectsthequalityofmeatorfishbecause

(A)itexposesthemtoinsects

(B)itmakesthemhard

(C)itdamagestheprotein

(D)itdevelopsbacteria

14.Wecanlearnfromthepassagethatsaltingpreservesfoodby

(A)destroyingtheprotein

(B)drawingawaymoisturefromthefood

(C)dryingthefoodinthesun

(D)dressingthefood

15.Accordingtothepassage,partialdryingisusefulbecause

(A)itdamagestheproteinless

(B)itcanbecombinedwithpickling

(C)itleavestheinsidemoist

(D)itmakesthefoodsoft

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Questions16—20

Wearemovinginexorablyintotheageofautomation.Ouraimisnottodevise

amechanismwhichcanperformathousanddifferentactionsofanyindividual

manbut,onthecontrary,onewhichcouldbyasingleactionreplaceathousand

men.

Industrialautomationhasmovedalongthreelires.Firstthereistheconveyor

beltsystemofcontinuousproductionwherebyseparateoperationsarelinked

intoasinglesequence.Thegoodsproducedbythiswell-establishedmethodare

untouchedbytheworker;andthemachinereplacesbothunskilledand

semiskilled.Secondly,thereisautomationwithfeedbackcontrolofthequality

oftheproduct:heremechanismsarebuiltintothesystemwhichcancomDare

theoutputwithanorm,thatis,theactualproductwithwhatitissupposedtobe,

andthencorrectanyshortcomings.Theentirecycleofoperationsdispenses

withhumancontrolexceptinsofarasmonitorsareconcerned.Oneortwo

examplesofthistypeofautomationwillillustrateitsimmensepossibilities.

ThereisafactoryintheU.S.A,whichmakes1,000millionelectriclightbulbsa

year,andthefactoryemploysthreehundredpeople.Ifthepreautomation

techniquesweretobeemployed,thelabourforcerequiredwouldleapto25,000.

Amotormanufacturingcompanywith45,000sparepartsregulatestheirentire

supplyentirelybycomputer.Computerscanbeentrustedwithmostofthe

supervisionofindustrialinstallations,suchaschemicalplantsoroilrefineries.

Thirdly,thereiscomputerautomation,forbanks,accountingdepartments,

insurancecompaniesandthelike.Heretheessentialfeaturesaretherecording,

storing,sortingandretrievalofinformation.

Theprincipalmeritofmoderncomputingmachinesistheachievementoftheir

vastlygreaterspeedcfoperationbycomparisonwithunaidedhumaneffort;a

taskwhichotherwisemighttakeyears,ifattemptedatall,nowtakesdaysor

hours.

Oneofthemosturgentproblemsofindustrialsocietiesrapidlyintroducing

automationishowtofillthetimethatwillbemadefreebythemachineswhich

willtakeoverthetasksoftheworkers.Thequestionisnotsimplyoffilling

emptytimebutalsoofutilizingthesurplushumanenergythatwillbereleased.

Wearealreadyseeingstrawsinthewind:destructiveoutburstson