题目内容
Yet what technology has done, other technology is now starting to undo, using computer power to zap those ear-splitting noises into silence. Previously silence seekers had little recourse except to stay inside, close the windows, and plug their ears. Remedies like these are quaintly termed "passive" systems, because they place physical barriers against the unwanted sound. Now computer technology is producing a far more effective "active" system, which doesn't just contain, deflect, or mask the noise but annihilates it electronically.
The system works by countering the offending noise with "anti-noise", a some what sinister sounding term that calls to mind antimatter, black holes, and other Popular Science mindbenders but that actually refers to something quite simple. Just as a wave on a pond is flattened when it merges with a trough that is its exact opposite (or mirror image), so can a sound wave by meeting its opposite.
This general theory of sound cancellation has been around since the 1930s. In the fifties and sixties it made or a kind of magic trick among laboratory acousticians playing around with the first clunky mainframe. computers. The advent of low-cost, high-power microprocessors has made active noise-cancellation systems a commercial possibility, and a handful of small electronics firms in the United States and abroad are bringing the first ones onto the silence market.
Silence buffs might be hoping that the noise-canceling apparatus will take the shape of the 44 Magnum wielded by Dirty Harry, but in fact active sound control is not quite that active. The system might more properly he described as reactive in that it responds to sound waves already headed toward human ears. In the configuration that is usual for such systems microphones detect the noise signal and send it to the system's microprocessor, which almost instantly models it and creates its inverse for loudspeakers to fire at the original. Because the two sounds occupy' the same range of frequencies and tones, the inverse sounds exactly tike the noise it is meant to eliminate: the anti-noise canceling Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is heard as Beethoven's Fifth. The only difference is that every positive pressure produced on the air by the orchestra is matched by a negative pressure produced by the computer, and thereby silencing the sound. The system is most effective as a kind of muffler, in which microphones, microprocessor, and loudspeaker are all in a unit encasing the device, that produces the sound, stifling it at its source. But it can work as a headset, too, negating the sound at the last moment before it disturbs one's peace of mind.
The writer holds that_______.
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What can you conclude from the last sentence of the passage？
Part A
Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points)
"Equal Justice Under Law", reads the motto atop the U.S. Supreme Court building. The words are lofty, but for the thousands of people who trudge through the criminal-justice system daily and who speak no English, the phrase means legally nothing. For many of these defendants, the words are also legally empty. American justice for those who do not comprehend English is "anything but uniform, let alone understandable. There are no nationwide standards for court interpreters, little training and virtually no monitoring. "Everybody gets a piece of due process", says David Fellmeth, a senior court interpreter in New York City. "But how big a piece depends on the interpreter".
Horror stories regularly fill court dockets. In a New York federal court, a translated undercover wire quotes a Cuban defendant: "I don't even have the ten kilos". The defendant means kilos of currency (Cuban cents), but the translated statement suggests kilograms of drugs. In a New Jersey homicide trial, the prosecutor asks whether the testimony of a witness is lengthier than the translation. "Yes", responds the Polish interpreter, "but everything else was not important".
Congress tried to surmount the language barriers in the federal courts by passing legislation eleven years ago authorizing Government-paid interpreters for those who do not speak English. So far, though, only 308 people have passed the rigorous Spanish-only federal certification process—a cadre far too small to handle the 43,000 annual requests for interpreters in 60 languages. The situation in the states is breaker. Last year Cook County, IH, processed 40,000 requests, and the New York courts sought out interpreters 250 times a day. As in the federal system, Spanish is the language most in demand.
Only a handful of states test their interpreters for language skills. Thus in many local courts, translation may be a free-lance project for the secretary who speaks a little French or a favor requested from a relative of the defendant. "A family member is the worst person you can use", says Maureen Dunn, an interpreter for the deaf. "They have their own side of the story, and they add and omit things". Besides, interpretation is a sophisticated art. It demands not only a broad vocabulary and instant recall but also the ability to reproduce tone and nuance and a good working knowledge of street slang. "Most people believe that if you are bilingual, you can interpret", says Jack Leeth of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. "That's about as true as saying that if you have two hands, you can automatically be a concert pianist".
Professional interpreters are among the first to admit the sad state of translation in the courts. They are often relegated to clerical status, with low pay, and asked to work without time to prepare. Says New York interpreter Gabriel Felix: "We could use a central administrator, dictionaries and in some courts a place to hang our coats, a chair and a desk."
Some jurisdictions are trying to make improvements. New York and New Jersey are broadening their testing and sending their interpreters to school for further training. The Federal Government is working on new requirements for Navajo and Haitian-Creole interpreters. And in Los Angeles a federal lawsuit is demanding certified interpreters in immigration proceedings. For now, however, the quality of court interpreting around the country depends on the luck of the draw.
What is the passage mainly about？
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage？
Let me take you on a trip towards death. (Sentence 3, Paragraph 1) indicates ______.
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