18.Flappy Bird
Be careful what you wish for,especially if you want to invent something new.Recently,Dong Nguyen,the designer of the mobile game Flappy Bird,removed it from app stores.He said its success-it had been downloaded more than 50million times and was making him around£30,000from advertising each day-had ruined his simple life.On his Twitter account,he said:"I cannot take this anymore."OK,so regretting making Flappy Bird isn't quite the same as regretting making a gun,but Nguyen is just the latest inventor who wished he hadn't created a monster.
The Labradoodle
The labradoodle isn't a monster-it's attractive.But what's unnatural is the way crossbreed (杂交的)dogs have been sold since the labradoodle's inventor,Wally Conron,first created the dog in the 1980s."I've done a lot of damage,"he told the media."I've created a lot of problems.There are a lot of unhealthy and dropped dogs out there."Conron came up with the labradoodle when he was working for the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia to provide a dog for a blind woman whose husband was easily affected by dog hair.What he didn't expect was that the labradoodle-and other types of such dogs,many of which have health problems-would become so popular.
The AK-47
Six months before his death in December 2013,Mikhail Kalashnikov,the designer of the gun,wrote to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church:"I almost cannot deal with my mental pain.If my gun killed people,does that mean that I,93years of age,the son of a poor farmer,am responsible for people's deaths,even if they were enemies?"
Electronic Tagging
The electronic tag was originally made in the 1960s as a way of tracking former prisoners'presence at school and work,and rewarding them for good behavior.Its inventors,Bob Gable and his brother Kirkland,were later shocked that the tag had become a form of control and punishment."It's not pleasant,"Kirkland Gable told the Guardian in 2010,"but I'm not in control of the universe.I have to realize there are some things out of my control."
Pepper Spray
After police sprayed(喷射) peaceful protesters with pepper spray at a University of California campus in 2011,one of the scientists who helped develop it in the 80s criticized its use."I have never seen such an inappropriate use of chemicals,"Kamran Loghman told The New York Times.
The Office Cubicle
In the late 60s,a new form of office was designed to give workers privacy and increase productivity by providing more work space.Instead,it became a way for companies to put employees into tighter spaces.These days,the cubicle is often connected with uniformity and soulless work.Its inventor,Bob Propst,said,in 1997,"the use of cubicles in modern corporations is crazy."
Office Cubicle
55.Which of the following is Wrong according to the passage?D
A.The labradoodle was originally created to help people have a better life.
B.The inventor thought electronic tagging would give former prisoners more freedom.
C.The office cubicle was intended to provide personal life and improve work performance.
D.Pepper spray and the AK-47were used to kill enemies.
56.Which of the following inventions came first?C
A.Flappy Bird. B.The labradoodle.
C.The office cubicle. D.Pepper spray.
57.What's the best title of the six passages?A
A.Inventions their creators regret.
B.Products their creators praise.
C.Damages inventions cause.
D.Benefits inventions bring.