8. 科技和社会变化
% P! a3 `4 t, k) W; a8 B! _Inventions affect the size of populations, which in turn influences the course of history. Some inventions affect population directly: Improvements in sanitation, the development of cured for fatal illnesses, and more effective contraceptive techniques are examples. Some inventions can also have indirect effects on population: techniques that improve crop yields or permit long-term storage of food surpluses make it possible to support a larger population with a given amount of farmland. And improvements in military technology have had dramatic effects on the conduct of war and hence on population size.
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9.对能量的要求
9 ]1 N& h) `9 \/ R3 T* ]3 ^0 D7 vThroughout human history a central aspect of technological change has been the quest for new sources of energy to meet the needs of growing populations. That quest has given rise to a succession of energy technologies, each more sophisticated than the last.(animal power---steam-driven machines---internal-combustion engine---nuclear energy---fusion reaction, in which hydrogen atoms are fused into helium.)
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* {& P/ K3 [5 `" bMany people believe that societies can meet their growing energy needs by continually investing in more sophisticated technologies. This approach has led to the development of huge nuclear-power plants to replace oil-fueled generators, and it is widely hoped that investment in fusion, an even more complex technology, will eliminate the dangers posed by nuclear power.7 Q d6 P: r7 x0 X8 q* L
( i+ [, Y: T, {; Y$ u! WThe trend toward greater use of nuclear power to generate electricity has become a major social and political issue. Underlying the conflict over the safety of nuclear-power plants is the issue of control. |