Issue-1.
As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate.
At no other time in history were the lives of people so dramatically shaped by technology. A quick look at a typical day reveals how technology has revolutionized our world. Upon stepping out of the house, family members can be reached through wireless networks that utilize satellites orbiting the earth. During a typical day at work, chances are high that an employee will use a computer that processes information on a microchip. These are just a couple common occurrences would have been inconceivable at any earlier point in human history.
The argument that as our reliance on technology increases, our critical thinking skills decrease is based on the assumption that an increased reliance on technology negates the need for people to think critically or creatively. Looking back at the introduction, one could argue that without a car, computer, or mobile phone, the hypothetical individual would need to find alternate methods of transport, information processing and communication. Technology short-circuits this thinking by making some problems obsolete, but not all problems.
Our reliance on technology does not necessarily preclude the use of critical or creative skills. The prior examples reveal that technology allows for convenience. The car, computer and phone all free up time for people to live more efficiently but this efficiency does not preclude the need for humans to think critically or creatively. In fact, technology frees individuals to tackle new problems, but sometimes creates new and more complex issues that did not exist without technology. For example, the proliferation of automobiles has introduced a need for global fuel consumption and conservation. With increasing energy use, the by-product of global warming becomes a concern. Likewise dependence on oil has created nation-states that are not dependent on taxation, allowing ruling parties to oppress minority groups such as women. Solutions to these complex problems require the unfettered imaginations of maverick scientists and politicians.
Quite the opposite of the argument, we can even see how technology actually increases the demand for creative and critical thinking. Furthermore, technology offers us platforms to exchange our new skills with each other. Consider how the digital revolution and the advent of the Internet have allowed for an unprecedented exchange of ideas. WebMD, a popular Internet portal for medical information, permits patients to self-research symptoms to prepare for a more informed doctor visit. This exercise opens pathways of thinking that were previously closed off to the medical layman. With increased interdisciplinary interactions, inspiration can arrive from the most surprising places.
Technology actually provides hope to the future of humanity. By increasing our reliance on technology, impossible goals can now be achieved. Consider how the late 20th century witnessed the complete elimination of smallpox. This disease had ravaged the human race since prehistoric days, and yet with the technology of vaccines, freethinking humans dared to imagine a world free of smallpox. Using technology, battle plans were drawn out and smallpox was systematically targeted and eradicated.
Technology will always mark the human experience, from the discovery of fire to the implementation of nanotechnology. Given the history of the human race, there will be no limit to the number of problems, both new and old, for us to tackle. The possibilities that spring from our reliance on technology provides new avenues for the human imagination to explore.
- At no other time in history were the lives of people so dramatically shaped by technology.作为文章首句的本句采用了倒装结构。状语at no other time in history提到句首，谓语中的were提到主语the lives of people之前，表达了作者对状语的强调，即历史上没有任何时期，技术显著地决定人们的生活的发展状态，突出了在现代，而不是在以往，技术的重要性。文章首句应用这种不常规的语序，令人眼前一亮，吸引读者继续看下文。
- During a typical day at work, chances are high that an employee will use a computer that processes information on a microchip.本句是一个同位语从句，that引导的部分为chances的同位语，告诉读者这是怎样的chances。如果不使用同位语从句，而是将此句变成chances of an employee using a computer…microchip are high，那么不仅主语变得过长，让人读起来心生厌烦，也起不到强调high的效果。
- Looking back at the introduction, one could argue that without a car, computer, or mobile phone, the hypothetical individual would need to find alternate methods of transport, information processing and communication.本句句首的looking引领的部分采取了现在分词作状语的用法。句中的could表示了一种虚拟的可能性，因为这个one并不是一个固定的真实的人，而是一个“hypothetical individual”。在句子的后半部分，作者用transport，information processing和 communication分别对应前文的car，computer和mobile phone，保持了词汇的多样性。
- Technology short-circuits this thinking by making some problems obsolete, but not all problems.这一句中的short-circuit一词用得很生动，作者没有选择simplify等看上去略显死板的词，而是用带有短路之意的short-circuit发挥“使简化”的意思，读者会感到很新鲜。同样的，作者在多处句子中的选词都很精妙，比如第五段中“…freethinking humans dared to imagine a world free of smallpox”的dare虽然是个很简单的动词，但隐含了拥有自由思想的人们不仅能够，而且敢于去畅想一个没有天花的世界，而这种能力和勇气是technology赋予的，彰显了其积极影响。诸如此类巧妙用词，不胜枚举。
这篇文章采取了总分总结构，通过反反反的三段方式论证作者观点。全文逻辑清晰，论证有力。作者表达的立场不仅扣题，而且每一个论点给出了足够例证和理由作为支持。具体来说，第一段和第二段作为总起部分，第一段介绍了背景，第二段剖析了本题所给statement，并且在此基础上提出了作者的观点。接下来的三段均直接表达了对本题statement的反对，并且逐层深入，先是技术没有削弱人批判创新思考的能力，再是技术增强了这方面能力，第三是技术的其他优点。通过这三段论述，作者得到了最后一段的结论，对技术的依赖并未令人的批判和创新思考能力恶化，因此作者反对本题的statement。