高中二年级英语(人教版)下册 Unit 18 Integrating Skills 1

　　ALL IN THE MIND: SCIENTIFIC METAPHORS

　　It is certainly true that computers, cellphones and digital cameras have become part of our everyday life. Anywhere we go, we can hear the ringing of a cell phone , the tapping of a keyboard or the clicking of a mouse. We are said to be living in the "Information Age", a time of new discoveries and great changes. But is it really true that we are living in the "Information Age"? Has our life changed that much? Many of the things we do with computers, such as typing and sending mail, are things that we also did before. Has anything really changed except the tools we use?

　　When we describe or talk about new inventions, we use words and ideas that we already know. For example, when we want to explain how a computer works, we use words like "memory", "store" and "cut and paste". The words are useful, but they are not quite true. A computer's "memory" is similar to human memory in some ways, but it is also very different. A computer does keep information in its memory, but that is clearly different from other kinds of storage. We do cut and paste, but we don't use scissors or glue. Using familiar words makes it easier for us to understand and use a new tool, but it may also make it more difficult for us to use the new invention in the best way. After all, what makes a new invention such a wonderful thing is that it allows us to do something we could not do before.

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