UNIT 4 LINIT 4 Reading for Information programmes are exercises in killing rather than in thinking. Many scientists see some truth in this. Some of them say: "A strong concern of ours with virtual technologies is the use of violence, especially because the realism of simulators is getting better and better." Some psychologists warn that for the young and mentally ill virtual trips could be very dangerous because after such trips they mix up the real world with the virtual one. As virtual models that scientists design become more and more realistic, people may start believing these models to be true and forgetting to go to the real world to see if it is really so. In science, this tendency can lead to wrong conclusions. In training it could result in unpreparedness for risky situations. The pilot trained on a plane model that is realistic, but not true, for example, would be ready for a virtual flight, but not a real one. 17 Read the article from "USA Today" once and answer these questions. 1. What kind of war is described at the beginning of the text? 2. What are the advantages of the new virtual technology? 3. Do we have answers to all questions connected with virtual reality? 4. What in virtual technologies may turn out to be dangerous: a) for their users generally, b) in science, c) in training? 5. What may happen to human ethics and morality as a result of using virtual technologies? Virtual Reality: Danger Ahead? Virtual reality is an environment in which computers create the effect of a world which seems almost completely real to the people in it. Perhaps the biggest question of all is what virtual reality will mean for human ethics and morality. There is a danger that traditional morality will break down in virtual worlds. There is no chance of hurting another person in the world of VR and so the feeling of immorality will be taken away. Nothing in a virtual world ever will be believed immoral, anything will go: no harm, no damage. War has begun. You are seated in an M-1 tank simulator. A head display is fixed over your eyes. As you sit, the display flashes computer-generated images of the battle field into each eye. You look around. The helmet with the help of sensors picks up your eye and head movements and sends them to the computer, which changes the scene. An enemy tank fires from the south. You use the controls and your tank "moves". When the fighting is over you know how many soldiers are "killed" and how many tanks are "destroyed". If your result isn't impressive, don't worry. You will work at warfare until you get right. So, what is the final word on virtual reality? It can be a curse or a blessing. In the end this new technology will be what we make it. Cierse(ka:sT- dur, depetbee 18 Cp) Read the article again for more details and match the English words and word combinations with their Russian equivalents: 1) simulator a) боевые действия 2) a head display b) вымышленные миры 3) flashes images c) побочные эффекты 4) a battlefield d) взаимодействовать Welcome to virtual reality, the technology that allows users to interact with computer-simulated images and some day may offer getting into make-believe worlds. In today's virtual worlds people can do a lot of things and their advantages - both real and potential - are clear. Doctors practise operations on different parts of human body, students learn some geography and history by "walking" into the places they are interested in, tourists take far-away trips to other countries etc. 5) picks up your movements 6) warfare e) технология высокой сложности f) имитирующее устройство 7) to interact g) оказывать влияние на наш разум, суждения и взаимоотношения 8) make-believe worlds 9) both real and potential 10) side effects h) все сойдет: нет вреда, нет урона i) поле битвы 11) to effect our minds, judgment Less clear, though, are possible side effects on individuals, groups of people and/or society itself. Will virtual reality (VR) be the new television? How will virtual trips (journeys) effect our minds, judgment and relationships? Will virtual reality make us better people? Will it make us worse? Critics of VR say that this sort of technology without careful regulation will be nothing more than a high-tech instrument for spreading violence, pornography and advertising. Already, they say, a lot of VR and relationships j) шлем виртуальной реальности 12) without careful regulation 13) high-tech k) распространение насилия 14) spreading violence … l) улавливает ваши движения m)без тщательно выработанных правил 15) anything will go: no harm, no damage n) высвечивает образы o) как реальные, так и возможные (потенциальные) правильно перевод