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Does the development of technology affect the way we study?

Sure, absolutely. In the past, both learning and teaching were conducted physically face-to-face; whereas these days, the Internet, communication and cloud technology make it possible for more people to study anytime and anywhere. It also offers access to more learning resources, and thus helping people to be more productive in their learning.

In fact, there’re so many applications that can help people to study, such as language apps, and also different platforms where you can find any particular knowledge you’d like to learn, such as Knowledge Planet, a popular app in China, so all of this technology allows learners to study more independently, I think that’s one of the most significant changes that have occurred.

• conduct 实施；执行


• cloud technology 云技术


• anytime and anywhere 随时随地


• productive 有收获的


• independently 独立地

What changes has the development of technology brought about in our lives?

Well, as said, it can help those who want to learn to be more independent in their learning journey, and another major change is that technology can help reduce the amount of time and cost of ‘getting things done’. For instance, to put money in the bank or to transfer money, we used to plan at least 2 hours for doing such banking because we needed to physically be in the bank and fill out all types of forms.

These days, we can have it done on our smartphone in just a few seconds using online banking, saving lots of time and trouble. The same goes for shopping, so overall, the biggest change is that it has made daily living more convenient.

• getting things done 把事办完


• forms 表格


• online banking 网上银行

Why do technology companies keep upgrading their products?

One of the prime reasons I think is that technology firms always want to be seen on the cutting edge, and that to promote or upgrade their product portfolio helps to gain more market share especially with those who are gadget or technology enthusiasts, but ultimately, it boils down to wanting to generate more revenue.

Another reason is that they are trying to enhance the user experience of their products while reducing costs, and this can also impact the bottom line as it can help capture new markets.

Apple, I think, is a very good example of product enhancement, especially in their early years. Each time they gave a product launch event, they presented smarter and more interconnected tech products.

• cutting edge 前沿


• gadget 小工具


• boils down to 归根到底


• enhance 增强


• user experience 用户体验


• the bottom line 底线


• capture new markets 占有新市场


• product enhancement 产品改进


• product launch 产品发布


• interconnected 互联的

What technology do people currently use?

These days, people use communication, entertainment, and banking-related technology the most…basically the type of technology that helps them stay in contact with others, entertain themselves, and do online banking.

Oh, another one is e-commerce technology because almost every one of the younger generation uses it, I’d say, at least 50% of their grocery shopping, for example, is done using e-commerce technology.

Oh, and of course, it’s been big in the news lately, is that app called ChatGPT. I haven’t experienced it yet, but I think it will become really popular, in fact, will revolutionize what it means to learn. Not sure if that’s good or bad, but anyway, all of these apps are the kind of tech most people use now.

• e-commerce 电子商务


• the younger generation 年轻一代