Whyit’swrongtolookatwork-lifebalanceasanachievementA)Fewtopicshavebeensoendlesslyanalysedaswork-lifebalance.Thequesttoattainthismysteriousstatehasdominateddiscussionaroundcareersforyears--especiallyforworkingparents.Theconceptisoftenpresentedassomethingtoachieve,oragoaltoreach.Andonceyouvereachedit,congratulations:youvemadeit;youreasuccessfulhumanbeingofthe21stcentury.B)Buttheproblemisthatweoftentellourselves:“Imgoingtoputineighthours’worthofwork,andthenImgoingtoputineighthours’worthof‘metime’,whichwillincludemyfamily,myhobbies,myworkout,myeverything,saysAnatLechner,clinicalassociateprofessorofmanagementatNewYorkUniversity.“Idontthinkitssuchasimpleformula.”C)And,accordingtonewfindings,itmaynotbe.Someresearchersarenowencouragingustostopthinkingaboutwork-lifebalanceasanachievementthatyoueitherhitordont.Instead,theysuggestitmaybemoreofalifelongprocess--acontinuous,never-endingexercisethatrequiresself-awarenessandtimelyadjustments.ResearchersIoanaLupuandMayraRuiz-Castroarguethatwork-lifebalanceis“acycle,notanachievement.Intheir2020study,theresearchersinterviewednearly80employeesattwoLondon-basedfirms-anequalnumberofmenandwomenbetweentheagesof30and50,allwithatleastonedependentchild-whoworkedinmiddleorseniormanagementroles.D)Althoughitsoundsliketherespondentshadalotincommon,hereswhatseparatedthem:about30%ofthemenand50%ofthewomenreportedresistingworkinglonghours.Theotherrespondents,meanwhile,allworkedlonghoursbecausetheythoughtthatswhatsuccessfulprofessionalsshoulddo.E)LupuandRuiz-Castrolookedatthosewhorejectedthelonghoursandtheyfoundthatthoseworkersactuallyhadstrikinglysimilarstrategiesformaintainingtheirwork-lifebalance.Theyhadatendencytoreflectandquestionassumptionsinthenameofself-awarenessandregularlytookstepstoadjustthethingsstandingintheirwaytowork-lifebalance.F)LupuandRuiz-Castroidentifiedfivestepsthattherespondentsinthestudywhohadbetterwork-lifebalanceusedintheirjobs.First,theypausedandreconsideredbeliefssuchas“Imaprofessional,soIshouldwork,work,work,andaskedthemselvesquestionslike,“What’scurrentlycausingmestress?”Second,afteridentifyingthecause,theyzeroedinontheirresultantemotions.Didtheyfeelangry,sad,energised?Third,theyreprioritised,asking“Isworkinglonghoursreallyworthcuttingbackonfamilytime?,forexample.Fourth,theyconsideredtheiralternatives:isthereanythingatworkthatcouldbechangedtoaccommodatethesenewpriorities?Andfinally,theyimplementedchanges,likeaskingtheirsupervisorforgreaterflexibility,ordecidingnottotakeoneveryprojectthatcomestheirway.G)Thisfive-stepprocessissomethinganyonecanadopt.Goingthroughthesteps,andconstantlycheckinginwithyourself,canhelpyoushiftandadaptyourprofessionallifetosomethingthatwillbetterharmonisewithyourpersonalone.“Awarenessofyouremotionalstateisessentialinordertodeterminethechangesyouwanttomakeinyourworkandinyourlife,saysLupu.H)NewYorkUniversity’sLechneragreesthatfindingthatbalanceisanongoingpursuit.Itsnotsimplyaboutdividingupthehoursinyourdaybetweenwork,thegym,kidsandchores.Iftheunderlyingemotionalsourcesofstressarestillthere,thenthetimeyouactuallyspendathomemaynotbeenjoyable.“Wecomehomeandeventhoughphysicallywearethere,mentallywestillmaybeprocessingthingsthathappenedatwork.Werenotpresent,shesays.Whatwecall“work-lifebalance”isactuallyjustasubstitutetohavingasenseoffulfillmentandcontentment.I)Ofcourse,findingthatbalanceprobablyshouldntbesomethingyouhavetodobyyourself.ResearchbyErinKelly,professorofworkandorganisationstudiesatMIT,showscompaniesandmanagerscanplayakeyroleincreatingabetterenvironmentforworkers.ForherbookOverload:HowGoodJobsWentBadandWhattoDoaboutIt,sheandco-authorPhyllisMoensplitmorethan1,000employeesataFortune500companyintotwogroups,onethatworkedunderamanagementredesignandonethatcontinuedworkingwithintheexistingmanagementstructure.J)Underthemanagementredesign,manystepsweretakentoensurebetterwork-lifebalanceandpreventburnout(精疲力竭).Managerswereregularlyremindedtoexplicitlysupporttheiremployees.Workerswereallowedtomakechanges,likecancelling9ammeetings.Allofthiswasdoneinthenameofincreasingjobsatisfactionandgivingworkersgreaterflexibility,andtoassureworkersthatitwassomethingmanagementwascommittedto.Unsurprisingly,KellyandMoenfoundthatemployeesintheredesigngroupreportedlessstressandlessburnout.Theywerelesslikelytoquittheirjobs;indeed,overthenextfouryears,theywere40%lesslikelytoquitthanthosewhokeptworkingundertheoldpolicies.K)“Work-lifebalanceisunderstoodtobeanindividual’sresponse,sopeoplethink‘itsuptometomanagethecrazinessofmyworklife,saysKelly.Butorganisationsneedtoexaminethedemandstheyreplacingonemployees.“Therootproblemisnothowthetwopiecesofworkandlifecometogether.Itsthatwehaveunrealisticexpectationsofwhatwereaskedtodoontheworkside.Ifyourworkplaceisntanenvironmentwherework-lifebalanceispossibleinthefirstplace,anyeffortyouattempttomaketowarditonapersonallevelwillbeinvain.L)Thatsaconversationthatappearstobegatheringpace.Thenewprevalenceofremoteandflexibleworkingmodelswilllikelyallplayimportantrolesinhowwebalanceourprofessionalandpersonallives.Andifitseemslikefindingthatperfectbalanceremainsdifficulttoachieve,theexpertssaythatkeepingsomeperspectivecanhelp.Formillionsofpeople,workisaboutbeingabletoputfoodonthetable.Talkingaboutwork-lifebalance“isaveryprivilegedconversation,saysLechner.“Ifwerereflecting,maybeweshouldalsoreflectonthat.
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PassageTwoDoyoueverblendupaproteindrinkforbreakfast,orgrabaproteinbarfollowinganafternoonworkout?Ifso,youarelikelyamongthemillionsofpeopleinsearchofmoreprotein-richdiets.Protein-enrichedproductsarefoundeverywhere.Butcontrarytoallthepublicitythateveryoneneedsmoreprotein,mostAmericansgettwiceasmuchastheyneed.Manyofuslivinginthemostdevelopedcountriesarebuyingintoamythofproteindeficiencycreatedbyfoodcompaniesandself-identifiedhealthexperts.GlobalretailsalesofproteinsupplementproductsreachedanastonishingUS$18.9billionin2020.Butarewereallyinneedofmoreprotein?PhysiciansintheU.S.haveneveractuallyexaminedapatientwithproteindeficiencybecausesimplybyeatinganadequatenumberofdailycalorieswearealsomostlikelygettingenoughprotein.Infact,AmericanscurrentlyconsumealmosttwicetheNationalAcademyofMedicinesrecommendeddailyintakeofproteinalthoughthemostdesirableproteinintakemayvarydependingonageandactivitylevel.Forexample,ifyoureadedicatedathleteyoumightneedtoconsumehigherquantitiesofprotein.Generally,though,a140-poundpersonshouldnotexceed120gramsofproteinperday,particularlybecauseahighproteindietcanstrainkidneyandliverfunctionandincreaserisksofdevelopingheartdiseaseandcancer.Whilefatsandsugarhavetakenthebeatinginturnssinceoveracenturyago,proteinhasmanagedtoremainourred-hotfavorite.Inthe1970sthroughthe1990s,proteinproductsremainedvisiblebutmovedbacksomewhatwiththedietaryspotlightfirmlyfixedonlow-calorie,low-fat,sugar-freesnackfoodsandbeveragesfollowingthepublicationofstudieslinkingsugarandsaturated(饱和的)fatconsumptiontoheartdisease.Laterresearchin2003,however,suggestedhigh-proteindietscouldaidinweightloss,andproteinquicklyregaineditsformernutrient-superstarstatus.Nowmostpeoplelivinginhigh-incomenationsareconsumingenoughprotein.Whenwereplacemealswithaproteinbarordrink,wealsoriskmissingoutontherichsourcesofantioxidants(抗氧化剂),vitaminsandmanyotherbenefitsofrealfood.
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Scientistshaveknownthatdeprivingadultmiceofvisioncanincreasethesensitivityofindividualneurons(神经元)inthepartofthebraindevotedtohearing.NewresearchfrombiologistsattheUniversityofMaryland27thatsightdeprivationalsochangesthewaybraincells28withoneanother,shiftingthemice’ssensitivitytodifferentfrequencies.“Thisstudy29whatwearelearningabouthowmanipulatingvisioncanhavea30effectontheabilityofananimaltohearlongafterthewindowforauditory(听觉的)learningwasthoughttohave31,”saidPatrickKanold,seniorauthorofthestudy.Itwasoncethoughtthatthesensoryregionsofthebrainwerenot32_afteracriticalperiodinchildhood.Thisiswhychildrenlearnlanguagesmuchmore33thanadults.Kanold’searlierresearchdisprovedthisideabyshowingthatdeprivingadultmiceofvisionforashortperiodincreasedthesensitivityofindividualneuronsintheauditorycortex(皮质),whichisdevotedtohearing.Youngbrainswirethemselvesaccordingtothesoundstheyhearfrequently,assigningareasoftheauditorycortexto34frequenciesbasedonwhattheyareusedtohearing.Theresearchersfoundthat,inadultmice,aweekinthedarkalsochangedthe35ofspacetodifferentfrequencies.“Wedontknowwhyweareseeingthesepatterns,”Kanoldsaid.“We36thatitmayhavetodowithwhatthemicearepayingattentiontowhiletheyareinthedark.”A)adaptableF)neutralK)reinforcesB)closedG)permanentlyL)revealedC)distributionH)prescribesM)significantD)interactI)readilyN)specificE)narrationJ)registeredO)speculate
PassageTwoEngineeringintheU.S.haslongbeenamale-dominatedprofession.Fiftyyearsago,itlookedlikethatmightchange.In1970,thepercentageofwomenmajoringinengineeringwaslessthan1%.In1979,thatnumberwas9%.Manyhopedwomenwouldcontinuetoenterthefieldatthesamerate.Butthatsnotwhathappened.Today,only21%ofengineeringmajorsarewomen,anumberlargelyunchangedsince2000.Iamahistorianwho,alongwithmycolleagues,surveyed251womenengineerswhograduatedfromcollegeinthe1970s.Thesepioneersreflectedonthechallengestheyfaced-andhadadviceforwomenenteringthefieldtoday.Onesurveytakerexplained,“Thegreatestchallengeformewascontinuingtobelieveinmyself,whenallthemessagesIwasgettingwerethatIwouldneverbetakenseriouslyorpromotedorgivenraisesatthesamerateasmen,whowereclearlylessqualifiedandnotassmartasIwas.”Achemicalengineerwhoworkedinmanufacturingagreed,“Youhavetoproveyourselfjustbecauseyouarefemale.Andyouhavetoworktwiceashard!Acivilengineersaid,“Weare‘womenengineers.’Peopledontrefertoamanasa‘manengineer’--he’sanengineer.Weareconstantlyremindedthatwedonttrulybelong.Anothercivilengineerstated,“Onmanylevels,youreneverquiteoneofthegroups.Womenalsotalkedaboutfamilycaregivingresponsibilities.Aretiredvicepresidentfromamajorchemicalcompanystated,“Youngwomenengineersareonanequalfootinguntiltheyhavechildren,thentheystruggletobalanceworkandfamily-andcompetewithmenwhodonthavethesamehouseholdresponsibilities.”Butovertheyearsthingshavechangedalot.Youngwomenengineersaremoreacceptedmostlybecausetherearejustmoreofthem.Manywomenengineershailedthebenefitsoftheirchosencareer.Aprogrammanagerinmanufacturingstatedthatengineeringisthebestdegree.Amechanicalengineersaid,“Itwillgiveyoutheflexibilitytodoalmostanything.Itisalsosatisfyingtoseetheeffectsofwhatyouhavedone.
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中国政府十分重视人民的健康饮食(diet)。通过大力提倡健康饮食，人们对合理营养增进健康的重要性有了更加深刻的认识。“吃得安全、吃得营养、吃得健康”是人民对美好生活的基本需要，是提升人民幸福感的必然要求，也为食品产业的发展提供了新机遇。目前，各级政府都在采取多种举措确保人民饮食健康，推进健康中国的建设。
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PassageOneTheweakeningofthehumanconnectiontonaturemightbegoodforeconomicgrowthbutisbadforpeople.Atippingpointwasreachedin2020whenhuman-madematerials--suchassteel,concreteandplastic-werefoundtoweighmorethanalllifeonEarth.Continuingtogrowconcreteforestsratherthanrealonesisshortsighted.SimplybeinginthenearestwoodhassuchhealthbenefitsthattheWoodlandTrustsuccessfullylobbiedforittobeprescribedbydoctors.Yetslippingfrompopularcultureisthewonderandbeautyofthenaturalworld.Foreverythreenature-relatedwordsinhitsongsofthe1950s,researchersfound,therewasonlyslightlymorethanone50yearslater.Itisnotamomenttoosoonthatteenagerswillbeabletotakeanaturalhistorytest,giventhatfordecadeschildrenhavebeenabletonamemorevideogamecharactersthanwildlifespecies.Partofremedyingthissocialdiseasewouldbeforparliamenttopassa“righttogrowlaw,allowinganyonetoturnunderusedpublicspacesintovegetableandfruitgardens.Theideaisforpeopletogetbackintouchwiththesoil-whileproducingfoodsustainably.Vegetableplantinghasarespectabletradition.InApril1649,localsrespondedtohighpricesandfoodshortagesbycultivatingvegetablesoncommonlandinSouthernEngland.Thepracticeofthrowingseedbombstoturnvacantplotsoflandgreentookoffin1970sNewYork,andhasbeenrevived(使复活)bygreen-thumbed(有园艺才能的)socialmediainfluencerswhodefylocalUSregulationsinawaronuglyspotsincities.Apartfromtheurgenttaskofprovidingmorehealthynutrientstothosewhoincreasinglycantaffordthem,publiclyaccessiblefruitandvegetablegardensconnectwhatweeattowhereitcomesfrom--themeansofproduction,ifyouwill.Theycanmakeunlovelyspaceslovely,andmarryuseandbeautyaswellashelppromoteasenseofcommunity.Plantsarealso,ofcourse,ourfirstdefenceagainstspecieslossandclimatechange.Suchplantingisasmallstepforhumanity--intherightdirection.
PassageTwoChocolatessaveusfrommanythings,especiallyemotionaldistress.Theycomfortusintimesoftrouble,calmingdownaracingheartbychannellinghappycaloriesinsideus.Weallhavefaithinchocolatestodelightusinaninstant!Recently,chocolateloverswereheartbrokenasscientistsclaimedthattheycanbecomeextinctby2050!Buthey,wehavesomehappynewsforyou.Scientistscanstillhelpsavechocolatesfromdyingout!Ifyouarenotawareastowhyscientistsmadethestatementaboutthedeathofthiswonderfulthing,letustellyouthefacts.Chocolatetrees,whoseseedsareusedtomakechocolate,growinthetropicalplantworldandrequireveryspecificweatherconditionstoprosper.Now,fiftypercentoftheworld’scocoa(可可)beanscomefromtwocountriesinWestAfrica:Côted’IvoireandGhana.Scientistsbelievethatbothofthesecountrieswillexperiencea3.8°Ftemperatureincreaseby2050duetoglobalwarming,endangeringthecacao(可可树)farmsintherainforests.Thesefarmswillthenhavetobeshiftedtocoolermountainousareas,whicharethenaturalhabitatofwildlife.Thiswillleadtosometoughdecisions:whethertogrowchocolateorsavewildlife.Unfortunately,thecrisisofglobalwarminghasalreadyhadaseriousnegativeimpactoncacaofarms’yields,leadingtothepricesofchocolatesskyrocketing.Scientists,however,aretryingtofindalong-termandeco-friendlysolutiontothisproblem!Theyaretryingtomodifythespecieswithagene-editingtechnology,whichwilltransformtheseedlingsintoaspeciesthatsurviveseveninadrierandwarmerclimate.AccordingtoareportbyTheBusinessInsider,intheUniversityofCaliforniasnewbio-sciencesbuilding,tinygreencacaoseedlingsarelinedupinrefrigeratedgreenhousesforanewexperimentbyusingatechnologycalledCRISPR.BymanipulatingtheDNAofplants,thistechnologyisalreadybeingusedacrosstheworldtomakeplantstougherandcheaper.Similarly,inthisunconventionalexperiment,scientistswillmaketiny,precisechangestotheDNAoftheseedlingstomakethecocoacropssurviveinwarmeranddrierclimates.
StopthinkingandstartdoingA)Mostpeoplehaveadreaminlife,avisionofwhoorwhattheydliketobeinthefuture.Ataminimum,everyonehasinterestsandvaluesthatdeterminewhattheywantoutoftheirlives.Evenso,tryingtosetachievablegoalsthatyoullworkforoverthecourseofmanyyearscanbeextremelychallenging.Itcanbehardtoknowwheretoevenbegin,andthethingsyouhopetoachievemayseemimpossible.But,ifyourewellpreparedyoumaybeabletosetgoalsforyourlifethatarejustasfulfillingtoworktowardastoachieve.B)Weallhavegoalsthatwewanttoachieveinourlives.Thesegoalsmayincludelearninganewlanguage,eatinghealthierandlosingweight,becomingabetterparent,savingmoremoney,andsoon.Itcanbeeasytoassumethatthegapbetweenwhereyouarenowandwhereyouwanttobeinthefutureiscausedbyalackofknowledge.Thisiswhywebuycoursesonhowtostartabusinessorhowtoloseweightfastorhowtolearnanewlanguageinthreemonths.Weassumethatifweknewaboutabetterstrategy,thenwewouldgetbetterresults.Webelievethatanewresultrequiresnewknowledge.C)WhatImstartingtorealize,however,isthatnewknowledgedoesnotnecessarilydrivenewresults.Infact,learningsomethingnewcanactuallybeawasteoftimeifyourgoalistomakeprogressandnotsimplygainadditionalknowledge.D)Itallcomesdowntothedifferencebetweenlearningandpracticing.ThomasSterner,inhisbookThePracticingMind,explainsthekeydifferencebetweenpracticingandlearning.Hesays:“Whenwepracticesomething,weareinvolvedinthedeliberaterepetitionofaprocesswiththeintentionofreachingaspecificgoal.”Herethewords“deliberate”and“intention”arekey,becausetheydefinethedifferencebetweenactivelypracticingsomethingandpassivelylearningit.E)Learningsomethingnewandpracticingsomethingnewmayseemverysimilar,butthesetwomethodscanhaveprofoundlydifferentresults.Herearesomeadditionalwaystothinkaboutthedifference.Letssayyourgoalistogetstrongerandmorefit.Youcanresearchthebestinstructionsonweightliftingtechnique,buttheonlywaytobuildstrengthistopracticeliftingweights.Letssayyourgoalistogrowyourstartup.Youcanlearnaboutthebestwaytomakeasalespitch,buttheonlywaytoactuallylandcustomersistopracticemakingsalescalls.Letssayyourgoalistowriteabook.Youcantalktoabest-sellingauthoraboutwriting,buttheonlywaytobecomeabetterwriteristopracticepublishingconsistentlyF)Passivelearningcreatesknowledge.Activepracticecreatesskill.Let’sconsideracouplemorereasonstoprioritizeactivepracticeoverpassivelearning.First,passivelearningcanbeastickthatsupportsinaction.Inmanycases,learningisactuallyawaytoavoidtakingactiononthegoalsandintereststhatwesayareimportanttous.Forexample,letssayyouwanttolearnaforeignlanguage.Readingabookonhowtolearnaforeignlanguagequicklyallowsyoutofeellikeyouaremakingprogress(“Hey,Imfiguringoutthebestwaytodothis!”).Ofcourse,yourenotactuallypracticingtheactionthatwoulddeliveryourdesiredoutcome(speakingtheforeignlanguage).G)Insituationslikethisone,weoftenclaimthatwearepreparingorresearchingthebestmethod,buttheserationalizationsallowustofeellikewearemovingforwardwhenwearemerelyspinningourwheels.Wemakethemistakeofbeinginmotionratherthantakingaction.Learningisvaluableuntilitbecomesaformofprocrastination(拖延).H)Anotherpointtoconsideristhatpracticeislearning,butlearningisnotpractice.Passivelearningisnotaformofpracticebecausealthoughyougainnewknowledge,youarenotdiscoveringhowtoapplythatknowledge.Activepractice,meanwhile,isoneofthegreatestformsoflearningbecausethemistakesyoumakewhilepracticingrevealimportantinsights.I)Evenmoreimportantly,practiceistheonlywaytomakeameaningfulcontributionwithyourknowledge.Youcanwatchanonlinecourseabouthowtobuildabusinessorreadanarticleaboutaterribledisasterinadevelopingnation,butthatknowledgeisunproductiveunlessyouactuallylaunchyourbusinessordonatetothoseinneed.Learningbyitselfcanbevaluableforyou,butifyouwanttobevaluabletoothers,thenyouhavetoexpressyourknowledgeinsomeway.J)Thelastimportantpointtoconsideristhatpracticefocusesyourenergyontheprocess.ThomasSterneroncesaid,“Progressisanaturalresultofstayingfocusedontheprocessofdoinganything.Thestateofyourliferightnowisaresultofthehabitsandbeliefsthatyouhavebeenpracticingeachday.Whenyourealizethisandbegintodirectyourfocustowardpracticingbetterhabitsday-inandday-out,continualprogresswillbethelogicaloutcome.Itisnotthethingswelearnnorthedreamswevisualizethatdetermineourresults,butratherthehabitsthatwepracticeeachday.Fallinlovewithboredomandfocusyourenergyontheprocess,nottheproduct.K)Whatdoesthisallmean?Ispassivelearninguseless?Ofcoursenot.Inmanycases,learningforthesakeoflearningcanbeabeautifulthing.Nottomentionthatsoakingupnewinformationcanhelpyoumakemoreinformeddecisionswhenyoudodecidetotakeaction.Thatsaid,themainpointofthisarticleisthatlearningbyitselfdoesnotleadtoprogress.Weoftenhidebehindinformationanduselearningasanexcusetodelaythemoredifficultandmoreimportantchoiceofactuallydoingsomething.Spendlesstimepassivelylearningandmoretimeactivelypracticing.Stopthinkingandstartdoing.
WhenToniMorrisondiedin2019,theworldlostoneofitsmostinfluentialauthors.ButMorrisonwasnotanearlysuccess.Herfirstnovelwasnotpublisheduntilshewas39,andherlastappearedwhenshewas84.AndMorrisonwasnot27inthisregard.Numerouswritersproducemasterpieceswellintotheir70sandbeyond.Such28accomplishmentshighlightanimportantpoint.Ourcapacitytospeak,writeandlearnnewvocabularydoesnotseemto29_withage.Oureyesightmaydimandourrecallmayweaken,but,bycomparison,ourabilitytoproduceandto30languageiswellpreservedintoolderadulthood.Indeed,thelatestresearchthathasemergedonlanguageandagingshowsthatlanguagemasteryisa31thatwebeginasinfantsandcontinueonfortherestofourlives.Someaspectsofourlanguageabilities,suchasourknowledgeofwordmeanings,32__improveduringmiddleandlateadulthood.Onestudy,forexample,foundthatadultsoversixtyhadanaveragevocabularysizeofover21,000words.Theresearchersalsostudieda__33__ofcollegestudentsandfoundthattheiraveragevocabularycontained3416,000words.Inanotherstudy,olderadults,withanaverageageof75,35betterthanparticipantsintheiryouthormiddleyearsontasksthatrequiredthemtodeterminethemeaningofwords.Thus,languageseemstobeaskillthat,contrarytowhatmanymight36,doesnotweakenwithage.A)actuallyF)deteriorateK)rarelyB)approximatelyG)equivalentL)sampleC)assumeH)journeyM)underminedD)componentI)literaryN)uniqueE)comprehendJ)performedO)unit
PassageOneResearchinhuman-vehicleinteractionhasshownevensystemsdesignedtoautomatedrivingarefarfrombeingerror-proof.Recentevidencepointstodrivers’limitedunderstandingofwhatthesesystemscanandcannotdoasacontributingfactortosystemmisuse.Arecentstudytacklestheissueofover-trustingdriversandtheresultingsystemmisusefromalegalviewpoint.Itlooksatwhatthemanufacturersofself-drivingcarsshouldlegallydotoensurethatdriversunderstandhowtousethevehiclesappropriately.Onesolutionsuggestedinthestudyinvolvesrequiringbuyerstosignend-userlicenseagreements(EULAs),similartothetermsandconditionsthatrequireagreementwhenusingnewsoftwareproducts.Butthisisfarfromideal.Theagreementmaynotprovideenoughinformationtothedriver,leadingtoconfusionaboutthenatureoftherequestsforagreementandtheirimplications.Further,mostendusersdontreadEULAs.A2017studyshows91percentofpeopleagreetothemwithoutreading.Amongyoungpeople,97percentagreewithoutreviewingtheterms.Theissueisthat,unlikeusingasmartphoneapp,operatingacarhasserioussafetyrisks,whetherthedriverishumanorsoftware.Andhumandriversneedtoconsenttotakeresponsibilityfortheoutcomesofthesoftwareandhardware.“Warningfatigue”anddistracteddrivingarealsocausesforconcern.Forexample,adriver,annoyedafterreceivingcontinuouswarnings,coulddecidetojustignorethemessage.Or,ifthemessageispresentedwhilethevehicleisinmotion,itcouldrepresentadistraction.Giventheselimitationsandconcerns,evenifthismodeofobtainingconsentistomoveforward,itlikelywontfullyprotectautomakersfromtheirlegalliabilityshouldthesystemmalfunction(发生故障)oranaccidentoccur.Drivertrainingforself-drivingvehiclescanhelpensurethatdriversfullyunderstandsystemcapabilitiesandlimitations.Thisneedstooccurbeyondthevehiclepurchase.Recentevidenceshowsevenrelyingontheinformationprovidedbythesellerisnotgoingtoanswermanyquestions.Allofthisconsidered,theroadforwardforself-drivingcarsisnotgoingtobeasmoothrideafterall.
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