Vocabulary

alien, n - инопланетянин

outsmart, v - превзойти

spread out, v – зд. переселяться

predict, v – предсказывать

enough room – достаточно места

whirring, n – шум, жужжанье

deliver, v the answer, n – произносить ответ

supplementary, a – дополнительный

significant, n - значительный

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) - ДНК (дезоксирибонуклеиновая кислота)

increase, v - увеличивать

wait, v - ждать

record, n - информация

redesign, v - переконструировать

be banned, v – быть запрещенным

doubt, v - сомневаться

prevent, v - предотвращать

genetic engineering – генная инженерия

be allowed, v – быть разрешенным, позволенным

improve, v – усовершенствовать, улучшать

Exercises

Exercise 1. Complete the sentences.

1) Stephen Hawking is asked …

a) to forecast weather;

b) to predict the future of humankind;

c) to redesign the human DNA.

2) The world population continues …

a) to grow at its present rate;

b) to colonise the universe;

c) to spread out to other planets.

3) In the next 100 years we may discover …

a) the so-called theory of Everything;

b) a complete theory of the basic laws of universe;

c) Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

4) Genetic engineering on plants and animal will be allowed …

a) for economic reasons;

b) for obscure reasons;

c) to aliens.

5) There haven’t been any significant changes in human DNA …

a) in the past 5 years;

b) in the past 10 000 years;

c) in the past 3 000 years.

A Brief History of the Future Part III

‘We need to become more complex if biological systems are to keep ahead of electronic ones. At the moment computers have an advantage of speed but they show no sign of intelligence. This is not surprising as our present computers are less complex than the brain of an earthworm, a species not known for its intellectual powers. But so computers’ speed and complexity double every eighteen months and this will probably continue until computers have a similar complexity to the human brain. ‘But will computers ever show true intelligence, whatever that might be? ‘It seems to me that if very complicated chemical molecules can operate in humans to make them intelligent, then equally complicated electronic circuits can also make computers act in an intelligent way. And if they are intelligent, they can presumably design computers that have even greater intelligence and complexity’.

‘On the biological side, the limit of human intelligence has been set by the size of the human brain that will pass through the birth canal,’ Hawking says. ‘Having watched my three children being born, I know how difficult it is to get the head out. But in the next 100 years I expect we will learn how to grow babies outside the human body so this limitation will be removed. But ultimately, increases in the size of the human brain through genetic engineering will come up against the problem that the chemical messages responsible for our mental activity are relatively slow-moving - so further increases in the complexity of the brain will be at the expense of speed. We can be quick-witted or very intelligent, but not both.'