Practice 5　　Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.　　Nearly twenty years ago, President Ronald Reagan said to scientists and Nobel laureates, “You on the cutting edge of technology have already made yesterday’s impossibilities the commonplace realities of today.” In the same year, author C. P. Snow expressed a more ambivalent view: “Technology...brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other.” (NY Times)　　Assignment: What is your opinion of the claim that the benefits of new technology always outweigh the costs? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

正确答案： 【参考范文】
Over the last two decades, the world has become increasingly aware of environmental damage caused by technology and industrialization. There are various international non-profit agencies, such as Greenpeace, and lobbying movements that continue to protest against the destruction of nature. In response, many companies have changed their policies to become eco-friendly, and new techno- logy has shifted from adding pollution to the world to recycling and reusing energy and material. Of course, there are exceptions, but current technological innovations are increasingly beneficial to the environment and human lifestyles.
Take for example, hybrid cars, which run on electricity and gas. When environmentalists began protesting against the massive amount of carbon emissions produced by oil-run transportation, car companies took note and began producing electric and hybrid automobiles. Now, Toyota, Honda, Ford, and GM, among other automakers produce such cars, and the Toyota Hybrid has become increasingly popular among green activists. The most popular hybrid car models produce less carbon emissions than the standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The relatively inexpensive price tag and reliability of hybrid car types also benefit consumers as well as the environment.
Another new innovation that has proven its usefulness is the rapid transit system, more commonly called the subway or metro system. Almost every major city in the world now has one, and though this system was first created in the 19th century, recent advancements made to current systems have improved efficiency and simplified usage. For example, the Shanghai metro system has recently increased the number of lines running for the World Expo, adding dozens of miles of track and increasing mobility around the ever-developing city. This allows visitors and residents to easily navigate a metropolis, and commute from home to the office. The metro systems around the world also tend to be electrically run, which also lowers carbon emissions and fuel dependency. Riding the metro has also been simplified with public transportation cards that deduct fares easily with one swipe on a machine.
Though transportation around the globe is still heavily reliant on oil and gas, new innovations increasingly abide by an eco-friendly mantra. Much of the world is very aware of the dirty footprint humans have left on nature, of the heavy damage construction and industry have wrought. Paired with new environmental protection standards and policies, technology and innovation will prove ever more advantageous to humans as well as the earth.

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