Needless to say, the US military is now certain that in the event of war, China is fully capable of destroying all US military, spy, and even civilian satellites within 24 hours! At that point, the whole world will be blind, and no one will be able to see anyone else's military deployments. The US military, accustomed to high-tech guided missiles, will be somewhat weak in this regard.
It's important to know that China's missile forces can launch missiles directly from Xi'an to the continental United States without relying on any high-tech targeting systems!
The error will not exceed two thousand kilometers!
If a single missile were to strike the San Andreas Fault, the resulting massive earthquake would be enough to turn half of the United States into ruins.
Well, we've gone off on a tangent.
Wars between major powers are now virtually impossible; at most, there will be some localized conflicts. Therefore, this tactic is completely meaningless.
As for new network protocols... the US military currently uses IPv5, which is superior to IPv4.
IPv5 has actually been developed and matured long ago. Its performance and security are indeed far superior to IPv4. Although it is inferior to the current IPv6, IPv6 is not yet mature and cannot be used by the military.
However, IPv6 doesn't seem to be competitive, so what use is IPv5?
So Americans are really worried right now, unsure of what to do. Similarly, the EU is also worried, because if IPX is launched, all their hard work and investment in IPv6 will be wasted, and they'll become a laughingstock.
It's a laughing stock, much like the Maginot Line during World War II.
Meanwhile, the very entity behind the internet god, which these developed countries fear and dread, is also facing a dilemma.
Chen Xu sat in the examination room, feeling very worried, his heart pounding.
Worried about failing the exam?
No, no, no, with Xiaomin around, what exam can Chen Xu not pass?
He was playing the drums... how could he let Wu Yuan pass?!
Oh, I forgot to mention, today is June 20th. For many college students, this day is indeed a nightmare, because today... they take the CET-4 exam.
English Level 4!
To be honest, Chen Xu really didn't understand why a proud Chinese person would have to learn English.
And it has to be a national requirement! Some people may never even need to use English to communicate with others in their entire lives, but they still have to learn it. And not learning it isn't an option! If you fail the exam, you won't even get your degree!
Yes, it seems the link between degree certificates and CET-4 certificates has been removed now. But if you look at those job postings, the most basic requirement is still a CET-4 certificate. Most still require CET-6.
Is learning English really that important for Chinese people?
That day, when Chen Xu and Wang Dong discussed this issue, Wang Dong, smoking and blowing smoke rings, said, "Because the country needs to align with international standards. And we, the post-80s generation, to put it bluntly, are the victims."
While this statement may be somewhat extreme, those born in the 1980s have indeed witnessed the country's reform and opening up, leading to its prosperity and strength.
They were also a generation sacrificed by many of the country's pointless policies.
Calling us victims might be an exaggeration, but undeniably, we are a transitional generation, a generation in transition. Living within this social context, groping our way under the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we are indeed experimental subjects.
Of course, those born in the 1980s are also a lucky generation; compared to our parents' generation, our living conditions are better. However, many things, and much of our time, have been wasted.
In fact, it wasn't just from Deng Xiaoping; apart from the ten years of turmoil, China has been on the path of "seeking development at all costs" since its founding.
This was determined by the national circumstances at the time. There was nothing that could be done about it.
For example, the creation of simplified Chinese characters was due to the fact that traditional characters were too difficult to write and recognize. Therefore, in order to popularize cultural education, traditional characters were abolished and simplified characters, also known as simplified Chinese characters, were vigorously promoted.
Simplified Chinese characters were not invented in the People's Republic of China, but their significance lies in this. Now, however, some National People's Congress deputies are proposing the restoration of traditional Chinese characters. After all, traditional characters carry the cultural heritage of the Han people for thousands of years and cannot be easily abandoned.
If this proposal is implemented, then the simplified Chinese characters promoted since 1955 or 1966 will become a representative of an era that pursues rapid development.
The water pollution in the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers has been relatively well controlled in recent years. However, a few years ago, industrial waste, domestic waste, and pharmaceutical waste were all dumped into the rivers, making the water incredibly dirty… Xiao Bing grew up next to the Huai River. When she was a child, the Huai River was very clear and clean; you could even use the water to wash vegetables, let alone swim in it. But in the early 1990s, the river was polluted and turned a dark black, resembling Wang Xizhi's ink-washing pool…
The same applies to English.
Reform and opening up, and the introduction of foreign investment, have indeed created a need for a large number of people skilled in international exchange. However, it is unnecessary to escalate this to the point where the entire population must learn English.
Frankly speaking, the current English examination system is a huge burden on students.
Even if you're studying Chinese, you still have to pass the CET-4 (College English Test Band 4). Is that really necessary?!
English, as an international language, is naturally useful. But many people may never be able to exchange even a few words of English with a foreigner in their entire lives—so what's the point of learning it? The heavy burden of English learning has led to kindergarten children starting to learn it now; this cultural invasion is more terrifying than KFC, McDonald's, or Japanese manga!
English learning is already quite advanced these days. For many students, English is more important than Chinese for exams.
This reversal of priorities is placing an unbearable burden on students today. Just think how much time is spent memorizing English vocabulary! Freeing up that time would be true relief from the burden!
Of course, that's impossible.
Because of the current globalization of the national economy, there is a great need for a large number of diplomatic talents.
The country is not strong enough yet. If it were like the Han and Tang dynasties, when all nations came to pay tribute, humph, you barbarians would all have to obediently learn Chinese!
Chen Xu wasn't opposed to English; after all, it's an international language, and it's unlikely that foreigners would all learn Chinese these days. However, Chen Xu was indeed very dissatisfied with the current state of everyone learning English… He didn't look down on people who were good at English, but he despised those who constantly threw in English words when they spoke, like "Give me a paper!" Seriously, couldn't you just speak properly?!
Chen Xu's English level is quite average, a typical case of being neither high nor low. While he wouldn't score only 20 or 30 points on a test, it's just barely passing. Passing the CET-4 (College English Test Band 4) might be difficult for him on his own, but with some cramming, he could probably manage. The problem is, where does Chen Xu find the time to study English?
Wu Yuan was even more remarkable. He failed his college entrance exam with a score of 63 in English... In his own words, he just randomly filled in the ABCD answers. Moreover, the answers on the exam paper and the answer sheet were different... It's quite an achievement that he managed to guess 63 points. And to get into He Xie University with a score of 63 in English is even more remarkable... Looking at all the freshmen at He Xie University over the years, there hasn't been a single one with a score below 63 in English.
So even the head of the computer science department sighed, "Wu Yuan, if your English were better, you wouldn't be in the computer science department at Hefei University now, you'd be in the computer science department at Tsinghua University."
It's really frustrating if you don't pass the CET-4 (College English Test Band 4). Because by the end of university, there's not much to strive for. Passing CET-4 is great, but passing CET-6 means you'll have nothing to worry about.
But if I can't pass CET-4...
Look at those third- and fourth-year students in the front row. These are animals who have failed the CET-4 countless times. When they speak English, they practically grit their teeth and shed tears.
So Chen Xu's task today was to pass on the answer to Wu Yuan... because Wu Yuan was sitting right in front of him.
For Chen Xu, the CET-4 (College English Test Band 4) was truly not difficult at all.
Because the CET-4 (College English Test Band 4) includes a listening comprehension section. But the listening comprehension tests here aren't like in high school, where each teacher would carry a radio and play tapes. These days, the school plays the tests uniformly. Then everyone wears the large headphones they were given at the beginning of the semester… You guessed it, Chen Xu often used these large headphones to enter virtual reality.
So today, Chen Xu brazenly turned Xiao Min into an earphone and wore it on his ear, and some students didn't take off their earphones after the listening test either, so it didn't arouse suspicion.
This is a new trick Chen Xu discovered, because Xiao Min can read the thought information in his brain. When he sees the question, it is as if Xiao Min has also seen the question, and then he can answer it automatically.
Wow, that's so easy, so easy!
Especially English, which is highly logical but lacks depth... Does English have depth? Okay, could you please translate "alpaca" into English?
So Chen Xu did it with complete ease. When it came to the listening comprehension section, Xiao Min could also receive the radio waves, but she simply translated them into Chinese for Chen Xu to answer… There was absolutely no need for Xiao Min to provide the answers. If Chen Xu couldn't even answer such a simple, even idiotic, question, he shouldn't be living a normal life!
The difficulty of the CET-4 English listening test lies in the listening itself. The questions are all very simple, such as asking what the man said after a man and a woman have been chatting for a few minutes.
A. He needed to defecate but didn't have any toilet paper with him;
B. Actually, he was hungry;
C. He said the dish on the table looked like poop...
D. Actually, he has a peculiar hobby: eating feces...
If Chen Xu can't even answer this kind of question after the English sentence is translated into Chinese, then he really can choose D!
But as he was writing, Chen Xu suddenly remembered a question.
A very, very important question.
How did Xiaomin translate it?
As mentioned before, Chen Xu's English level is actually quite good; he could answer these simple English listening comprehension questions even without cheating.
When playing English listening exercises, Xiaomin would immediately provide a Chinese translation after each English sentence was spoken… Well, Chen Xu, who was already familiar with Xiaomin's functions, didn't find it particularly difficult; it was just like translation. If Xiaomin couldn't even handle this, it wouldn't be worthy of being called a supercomputer.
But then Chen Xu suddenly realized... something's not right!
Xiaomin isn't some kind of artificial intelligence; it's just a relatively advanced program!
Interpreting? Directly translating English into fluent Chinese?
No program can do this yet!
Software like Kingsoft PowerWord, well, it's okay for translating individual words, but once they form a sentence with grammar, it can't translate it. You have to understand that most so-called translation software is like this; true translation relies on humans.
But Xiaomin's translation was very authentic, and Chen Xu didn't find it awkward at all.
Is it possible for a pure program to achieve this kind of perfectly accurate translation? Like a real person translating, without any fear of grammar or awkwardness?
Chen Xu immediately raised this question in his mind to Xiao Min.
Xiaomin replied: "I recommend a great invention of the 21st century: the Babel Tower Translator software recommended by the United Nations. Babel Tower enables people from different regions, races, and languages to communicate without barriers. This software promotes global unity and exchange. You can communicate freely with users of any language through the internet and chat. With an analysis and recognition rate of over 99.9%, your communication is barrier-free."
Tower of Babel?
Chen Xu hadn't learned much orthodox scholarship, but he had read quite a few unorthodox and miscellaneous books. He immediately understood the meaning of the Tower of Babel.
The Book of Genesis in the Old Testament of the Bible mentions that people at that time united to build a road to heaven, and this road was called the Tower of Babel... In ancient Hebrew, Babel means confusion. The people's desire to unite and become gods was, in the eyes of the gods, confusion.
To stop this madness of mankind, Jehovah came to mankind and said, “Behold, they have become one people and speak the same language. Now that they have begun this, nothing they intend to do will be impossible for them. Let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they may not understand one another.”
So the Lord’s plan succeeded; he confused the language of the whole world and scattered them to all the lands, so that the Tower of Babel could not be built.
The software was named "Tower of Babel," meaning that Jehovah's plan failed, but the Tower of Babel was rebuilt... and the reason it was rebuilt... was because there were no more barriers to communication between people!
Chen Xu asked excitedly, "So, as long as this software is available, even people who haven't learned the ABCs can communicate fluently with foreigners?"
"Of course it can. The Tower of Babel contains a massive language database. It doesn't just contain the official standard languages of various countries, but it can also translate into local dialects or languages with regional accents. The translation success rate is over 99.9%. Moreover, the Tower of Babel is only 1.89GB in size. It doesn't even need to be installed on a computer; it can be installed on a mobile phone that supports the Tower of Babel and still work normally, facilitating communication."
Xiaomin's dialect reminded Chen Xu of "a perfect London accent," so if such software really existed, why would anyone need to learn English?!
In this way, how much time will each Chinese student be able to save?!
Admittedly, a machine is a machine, and a program is a program.
No matter how perfect a program is, it can't compare to a human. The advent of this software doesn't mean that everyone should stop learning English, but it can greatly reduce the burden on most people.
Thinking about this, Chen Xu suddenly felt sad for those who majored in English, or those who had spent more than ten years or even longer immersing themselves in foreign language majors.
Because if they find that what they've learned over ten or even decades is completely useless, what will they think? Will they be able to find other jobs?
This is the sorrow that Chen Xu is now contemplating.
A transitional product!
Especially now that foreign language majors are very popular in many universities, is it really a good idea to negate all their hard work by doing this?
But Chen Xu told himself that this was a sacrifice.
Because the release of this software is of immense significance to the entire world, some sacrifices are inevitable.
The advantages outweigh the disadvantages!
Therefore, it's unavoidable that the interests of some people have been harmed, even if those people are innocent. Ten years ago, during the reform and opening up, many coastal factories accumulated capital, which cheated countless migrant workers and ruined the happiness of a generation, but that was something that could not be helped.
No wonder Marx said that all accumulation of capital is bloody.