At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents (文件) because they could be stored electronically. But for all the texts that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper.
It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of Internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime. "I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down," says Ted S
mith of the Earth Village Organization.
Perhaps the best sign of how computer and Internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the high-tech industry itself, which sees printing as one of its most promising new markets. Several Internet companies have been set up to help small businesses print quality documents from a computer. Earlier this week Hewlett-Packard Co. announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to print even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a one-line e-mail, even if they are nowhere near a computer. As the company sees it, the more use of the Internet the greater demand for printers.
Does all this mean environmental concerns (环境问题) have been forgotten? Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away. " I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling (回收利用) " said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco. Yet Quirke is hopeful that high-tech may also prove helpful. He says printers that print on both sides are growing in popularity. The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste.
小题1: The growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to ________.
A．the rapid development of small businesses
B．the opening up of new markets
C．the printing of high quality copies
D．the increased use of the Internet小题2:Environmentalists believe one possible way of dealing with the paper situation is ________.
A．to encourage printing more quality documents
B．to develop new printers using recycled paper
C．to find new materials for making paper
D．to plant more fast-growing trees小题3:Hewlett-Packard Co. has decided to develop new technologies because _______.
A．people are concerned about the environment
B．printers in many offices are working overtime
C．small companies need more hard copies
D．they see a growing market for printers
