託福寫作素材:科技對人類的影響

　　How Does Technology Impact Your Daily Life?

　　Over the last two decades, our lives have been slowly taken over by technology. Take a moment to look around you. How many screens do you see? Did you include the one you're reading this on?

　　Our Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets have changed the way we work, play, and even raise our children. Today's offices would be unrecognizable to workers of the past thanks to the proliferation of emails, video conferencing, tablets, laptop computers, and other relatively recent innovations. Meanwhile, more and more of our personal time is influenced by our gadgets (OK, smart phones) with each passing day.

　　...

　　The novelty of constant online connections and instant communication may have begun to wear thin for older generations, but the next wave of Americans have no such qualms. Their tech-dependent lifestyles are already causing huge changes in both the professional and private spheres. The change may be inevitable…unless the Wi-Fi cuts out, of course.

　　Our Digitized Professional Lives

　　As many as 79% of employees now "work on virtual teams," be it by email, online collaboration, messaging, video conferences, or some combination of any of the above. A 2013 Pew Research study found "94% of jobholders are Internet users." This includes full-time, part-time, and freelance workers in technology companies, big corporations, and small businesses, who work in cities, the suburbs, rural America, and everywhere in between.

　　For most of the last century, communicating professionally meant writing letters, sending faxes, or spending hours on the phone. Not anymore. Email is now the primary means of communication in the modern workplace. We are communicating more, faster, and better than ever before. And employers have been reaping the benefits. A major report cited by British newspaper The Telegraph found that the incorporation of technology into the workplace has led to an "84% increase in productivity per hour for office workers since the 1970s." The major influencers? Email, business software, and yes, even cell phones.

　　Technology Gets Personal

　　We don't leave technology at the workplace. In fact, our private lives might be even more tech-enabled than our professional lives. In the 1980s and 1990s, our televisions were often the height of our home technology. Some people had clunky personal computers, a Nintendo for the kids, and maybe even a telephone in their car (remember those?).

　　Information from the Census Bureau tells us that 15% of homes had a personal computer in 1989; by 2011 that number climbed to 75%. Now we have desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, Apple watches, GPS-enabled cars, and more coming every day. Forget unplugging after the 5 or-6 o'clock whistle blows-we plug in instead.

　　In fact, going without tech might trigger an existential crisis for some (that sound you hear is Albert Camus rolling over in his grave). Our technology helps us learn, date, eat, socialize, and so much more.

　　The only time we don't use technology is when we are exercising flying sleeping, well, dead. For now…

　　A New Generation of Digital Natives

　　Anyone born before the advent of technology in their daily lives is considered a "digital immigrant." Older generations invented our tech-enabled society, but the generations born in this millennium are the first true "digital natives."

　　While the "digital rehab" programs older generations have begun using to push back against the all-consuming digital saturation are gaining traction, these programs may make as much sense to younger generations as getting up from the couch to change the channel on the TV. The genie is out of the bottle, and technology is said to have even changed the way younger generations perceive reality.

　　We're assuming they perceive reality as that thing happening just beyond the horizon of their laptop, tablet, or smartphone screen (as long as someone is tweeting about it). Although it's easy to make fun of the next generation's digital obsession, it will soon be impossible to ignore it. The digital natives are on pace to outnumber the digital immigrants before long.

　　The Bottom Line

　　Technology is now so integrated with our lives that going without it can cause severe anxiety for some. It's not hard to see why. Technology has taken over.

　　Both our professional and personal lives are now technology dependent. While older generations are fighting back with unplugged retreats, the next wave of Americans can't picture their lives without tech. They might not have anything to worry about. The future favors these digital natives.

　　重點搭配和句子摘抄：

　　have been slowly taken over by :逐漸的被xxx替代

　　look around ：到處看看

　　Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets ：有wifi的小裝備

　　would be unrecognizable to workers of  the past：對過去的工人來說是無法辨認的

　　thanks to ：由於

　　proliferation of emails, video conferencing, tablets, laptop computers, and other relatively recent innovations：

　　電子郵件、視頻會議、平板電腦、臺式電話和其他相關的革新

　　is influenced by ：收到影響

　　with each passing day：隨著每一天的流逝

　　constant online connections and instant communication ：

　　不間斷的在線連接和及時的溝通

　　wear thin ：沒那麼有吸引力

　　tech-dependent lifestyles ：依靠科技的生活方式

　　in both the professional and private spheres：在職業和私人的範圍內

　　Wi-Fi cuts out. 沒有了無線網絡。

　　work on virtual teams：通過虛擬的團隊工作

　　jobholder：有工作的人

　　full-time, part-time, and freelance workers in technology companies：

　　科技公司的全職、兼職和自由職業者

　　big corporations, and small businesses：大公司、小企業

　　who work in cities, the suburbs, rural America, and everywhere in between：

　　那些在城市、郊區、農村和以上區間工作的人

　　writing letters, sending faxes, or spending hours on the phone：

　　寫信,發送傳真,或者花上幾個小時在電話:

　　We are communicating more, faster, and better than ever before.

　　我們比以往任何時候都交流更多、更快、更好。

　　reaping the benefits：收穫好處

　　Research found that the incorporation of technology into the workplace has led to an "84% increase in productivity per hour for office workers since the 1970s."

　　研究發現技術整合進工作場導致了自1970年代的上班族每小時生產率增長84% 。

　　even more tech-enabled ：更加的科技可行

　　the height of our home technology：家庭技術的高峰

　　clunky personal computers：笨重的個人電腦

　　desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, Apple watches, GPS-enabled cars:

　　桌上型電腦、筆記本電腦、智慧型手機、平板電腦,蘋果手錶,帶有gps功能的汽車

　　trigger an existential crisis for xxx: 引發一場事關生死的危機

　　the advent of technology:技術的出現

　　generations born in this millennium: 新千年出生的幾代人

　　push back against：反抗

　　gaining traction：獲得關注/吸引

　　The genie is out of the bottle, and technology is said to have even changed the way younger generations perceive reality.

　　惡魔從瓶子裡出來了, 技術據說甚至改變了年輕一代感知現實的方式。

　　Although it's easy to make fun of the next generation's digital obsession, it will soon be impossible to ignore it. The digital natives are on pace to outnumber the digital immigrants before long.

　　儘管很容易取笑下一代對電子（產品）的痴迷,它很快就會無法忽視它。不久"電子產品原生代"就會速度超過"電子產品"移民。

　　is so integrated with ：跟xxx如此的融合在一起

　　cause severe anxiety：引起嚴重的焦慮

　　are now technology dependent:  依賴技術的

　　fighting back with unplugged retreats: 反擊＂沒有插進去的＂倒退

　　While older generations are fighting back with unplugged retreats, the next wave of Americans can't picture their lives without tech.

　　雖然老一輩在用"沒有插入的倒退"反擊,下一波的美國人無法想像他們的生活沒有科技。

　　【unplugged retreat這個不好太翻譯，我們知道電腦、電視、手機都必須插入到插座才可以工作，這個unplugged就是在說之前沒有那麼多高科技產品的時候的生活方式，當然這種方式也被看成是倒退】

　　Citation：

　　http://www.motus.com/how-does-technology-impact-your-daily-life/

　　適用題目：

　　2013.11.22

　　Scientists have been working to make technology easier and human friendly. How do you think technology had affected our lives?

　　作者簡介：

　　孟炎，託福(TOEFL)口語優秀主講師，畢業於密蘇裡大學哥倫比亞分校，經濟學碩士，SAS高級程式設計師。託福114，GRE高分通過(1330),2008年外研社全國大學生英語競賽特等獎(全省僅4人)，演講比賽優勝獎;全額獎學金獲得者，曾在經濟系任研究生助教教授美國本科生經濟學課程。

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