“I hope my technology can help the blind to live independently.” Said Dr. Chieko Asakawa, an IBM computer scientist, sharing her life experience and her research with students in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Asakawa began losing her eyesight after an accident and was totally blind by the age of 14. Since the 1980s, she has devoted herself to helping blind people to live a better life with the help of modern technology.
Asakawa was born a normal child, but she became blind at age 14 due to a swimming accident at age 11. In the 1980s. she was a lead developer in digital(数字的)books, allowing blind people to read newspapers and books.
Three years ago, Dr. Asakawa began to work on cognitive assistant (认知辅助)research. NavCog an app developed by Asakawa, uses cognitive technologies to locate users’ position, determine their facing directions and get other information about the surrounding environment. Asakawa is exploring more possibilities, hoping people with disabilities like her can give a presentation on stage without any assistance.
Dr. Asakawa and her team want to develop new technology for various situations-shopping malls. airports, hospitals, etc. She hopes this technology can also be used by normal people-a Take Me Home app for the elderly who get lost, for example.
Dr. Asakawa studied English literature(文学)in college. After she joined IBM, she earned a Ph. D. degree from the University of Tokyo after three years’ study. One student asked Dr. Asakawa how she dealt with the difficulties of changing from English literature to computer science. She replied that she studied from 9 p. m. to midnight every day including weekends and worked the rest of the time. Dr. Asakawa told the students that everything is possible if you don’t give up.
【小题1】What can be learned about Chieko Asakawa?| A．She went blind in her teens. | B．She was born with poor eyesight. |
| C．She wrote books for blind people | D．She became disabled as a college student. |
| A．It will locate lost things. | B．It will help normal people keep fit. |
| C．It will be applied in various surroundings. | D．It will help users become familiar with blind people’s life. |
| A．Be prepared for the future. | B．Never give up. |
| C．Treasure what we have. | D．Treat the disabled nicely. |
| A．Exploring the importance of modern technology | B．How the Internet has changed everyday life |
| C．How Chieko Asakawa “survived” an accident | D．Let the blind “see” the real world |
