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Unit 4 Lesson 1 The Future of Cyberspace Peter Taylor finds out how computers and the Internet are going to affect our lives. In the last thirty years, the Internet has grown rapidly. In 1983, there were only 200 computers connected to the Internet;now there are around 50 million and this growth is clearly going to continue. Some experts are pessimistic about the future. One worry is crime in cyberspace. Even now, young hackers can get into the computers of banks and governments. In the future, terrorists may "attack" the world's computers, cause chaos, and make planes and trains crash. However, many people are optimistic about the future of the Internet. Already, users can buy books, find out about holiday offers, book tickets, and get all sorts of information from the Internet. "In the next few years," says Angela Rossetto of Cyberia magazine,"it is clear that we are going to see a huge growth in shopping on the Internet." She also believes that, in the future, we will get entertainment from the Net and that television will probably disappear. The mail service may also disappear with the increasing use of e-mail. Some experts see our future in virtual reality – the use of computers with sounds and pictures that make you feel as if you are in a real situation. "Personally, I think virtual reality will become a part of modern life," says Australian expert Peter Anderson. "I see people living and working in a virtual world. We will work in virtual offices, shop in virtual supermarkets, and we will even study in virtual schools." 第一课 未来的世界 未来的电脑空间 彼得·泰勒发现电脑和网络将如何影响我们的生活。 在过去三十年，网络发展得很快。1983年，只有200台电脑连接在互联网上；现在有将近5千万台，很明显，这种增长还在继续。 一些专家对未来表现出悲观的态度。其中一种担心就是网络犯罪。甚至现在，年轻的电脑黑客能够进入银行和政府的电脑。在未来，恐怖分子可能“袭击”全世界的电脑，制造混乱，以及制造飞机坠毁和火车相撞。 但是，很多人还是对互联网的未来很乐观。现在，用户可以通过互联网买书，找到关于假期的建议，订票，并从网上得到各种信息。 “在接下来的几年，”网络杂志的安吉拉·罗瑟托说，“很显然，不远的将来我们就会看到网上购物狂潮。” 她同样相信，在未来，我们将从网络中获得娱乐，电视可能会消失。电子邮件使用的增长，将可能会使邮政服务也消失。 一些专家在虚拟现实中看到我们的未来，虚拟现实是计算机通过声音和图像模拟现实，以使人仿佛置身于一个真实的空间。 “我个人认为虚拟现实将会成为现代生活的一部分，”澳大利亚专家彼得·安德森说。 “我看见人们在一个虚拟的世界里生活和工作。我们将会在虚拟的办公室工作，在虚拟的超市购物，甚至在虚拟的学校学习。” |
