We Can Stop Climate Change




Is global warming inevitable (неизбежно)? The consensus among many scientists is that it is, at least to some extent, and that we can only hope to stop major disasters and deal with the consequences. Some of the world's most respected climatologists say that humanity has already passed the proverbial (общеизвестный, пресловутый) point of no return. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of more than 2,000 scientists, met in 2007 and issued a stark warning (строгое предупреждение), after having first announced that in 2001 global temperatures were already rising.

Even now, we are seeing the effects of climate change, such as in glacier melt and rising sea levels making South Asian cyclones more severe. The effects are expected to be particularly severe for hundreds of millions of people in the developing world. The atoll (коралловый риф) of Tuvalu now deals with high tides (морской прилив и отлив) that threaten to submerge (погружать в воду) the entire nation.

 

If we produced no more greenhouse gases after today, the world would still see a 1 degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature by mid-century because existing carbon dioxide would stay in the atmosphere for a half-century or more. (Some countries are trying to do something about this, such as Norway, which is pumping (накачивать) CO2 into disused (неупотребляемые) underground oil wells.(колодец, родник, водоем) And a potentially catastrophic increase of 3 to 6 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century is possible.

 

The major remaining question, for some, is whether the amount of warming can be kept in check in order to prevent these disastrous scenarios. Encouraging grassroots (партии) environmental action is important, but intergovernmental cooperation is paramount (первостепенно), and that's been slow in coming, particularly with the United States, China and India. We also, experts say, need to begin to plan how to respond to warming-related disasters, such as by aiding (помогать) coastal areas, establishing quick-response units for wildfires and preparing for deadly heat waves.

 

 

Tasks

1. Define the following notions:

1) artificial intelligence - is intelligence exhibited by machines. In other words, machines will surpass humans in intelligence.

2) Moore's Law - is the observation that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit (кристалл интегральной схемы) doubles approximately every two years.

3) singularity - A trait marking one as distinct from others; a peculiarity.

4) autoplane - flying-car prototypes, taking off from the ground, hovering (парить, неподвижно зависать).

5) robotics - is the branch of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots,[1] as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing.

 

2. Answer the following questions using your active vocabulary:

a) Why is IT sphere described by “dog age”?

Just because of the fact that in one dog year is 7 human years and by this comparison the author shows the speed of the development of the IT cutting-edge technologies. So it means that in one year this sphere make a progress for 7 years (or as it is sais time three is 21 years).

 

b) What is one of the holy grails of the futuristic, utopian society?

The flying car has been prophesied for decades. It's one of the holy grails of the futuristic, utopian society, where everyone gets to zip (проноситься со свистом) around through the air and land easily, quietly and safely wherever he or she wants.

 

c) What prevents the idea of a flying car from becoming widely adopted?

There are simply too many challenges in the way of a flying car becoming widely adopted. Cost, flight paths and regulations, safety, potential use in terrorism, fuel efficiency, training pilots/drivers, landing, noise, opposition from the automobile and transportation industries -- all stand in the way of a legitimate flying car. Also, these vehicles will likely have to be able to operate as cars on regular roads, posing another logistical challenge.

 

d) How can singularity be described?

A trait marking one as distinct from others; a peculiarity. Some say it's a true artificial intelligence that can rival humans in independent thinking and creativity. In other words, machines will surpass humans in intelligence and as the planet's dominant species, capable of creating their own new, smarter machines. Others contend that it will involve such an explosion in computing power that somehow humans and machines will merge to create something new, such as by uploading our minds onto a shared neural network.

 

e) Why do some scientists contend (бороться) that highest intelligence in IT is unattainable?

While we may create highly intelligent machines -- far greater than anything we have now -- true intelligence relies on "experience and training," rather than just advanced programming and advanced processing power. They also argue that understanding the nature of consciousness is impossible, much less creating this capability within machines.

 

 

f) What makes Gordon Moore famous in among IT professionals?

Moore's Law is generally taken to mean that the number of transistors on a chip -- and by extension, processing power -- doubles every two years.

 

g) Are there any reasons to say that Moore's Law is doomed?

Because chips have become much more expensive to produce as transistors have become smaller.

 

h) Why is automation one of the main concerns of the scientists?

Because to tell the truth sometimes it is difficult to say if we will be able to control robots then and what limits will they (and we) have. Will military drones eventually be allowed to make their own decisions on whether or not to attack a target? If a human is monitoring, will he or she still be able to override the drone's wishes? Will we allow machines to replicate themselves without human direction? Are we going to allow self-driving cars?

 

i) What is the bottom line of professional discussions on robotics and related fields?

It's important to start tackling these issues early, to outline industry standards now, even if it's not clear what kind of technological advancements the future will bring.

 

j) Can global warming be stopped? Why?

No (in a doubt). Some of the world's most respected climatologists say that humanity has already passed the proverbial (общеизвестный, пресловутый) point of no return.

 

3. Make up a short summary of each myth and provide it with arguments “pro”and “contra”.



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