sts now believe they should be angled inward to reduce strain.

¡¡¡¡Inventors have attacked these problems in a variety of ingenious ways. A Maryland optometrist has designed something called the MIkey, which splits the keyboard down the middle, angling the two halves for a more natural posture. The Kinesis keyboard puts the keys in two curved wells, shoulder distance apart. The most elaborate solution is proposed by two California inventors, whose Vertical keyboard arranges the keys on two vertical planes, so that the hands face each other palmª²in, accordion fashion. This is not as hard to use as it sounds, but in any case it comes with mirrors so that when you¬ðre groping for the control key, at least you¬ðre not groping blindly.

¡¡¡¡But why not do away with keys together? That is the premise of the DataHand, a prototype machine under development by Industrial Innovations, Inc., of Scottsdale, Ariz., which consists of two padded handrests with individual finger wells, like the holes in bowling balls. Each finger operates five separate switches by pressing down or wiggling forward, backward, left or right. This system can be learned, the company asserts, in as little as 15 hours.

¡¡¡¡For that matter, computer technology is almost at the point at which humans car interface with their machines without any physical motion whatsoever. Programs to control computers by speech are starting to show up in some offices, although users still find them somewhat like dictating to a stenographer£¨ËÙ¼ÇÔ±£© with attentionª²deficit disorder and a bad head cold. ¡°It takes totally concentrated attention,¡± says Harrigan, who returned to work when Newsday provided her with a microphone and software system known as Dragon Dictate. ¡°If I say ¡®from¡¯, it might type ¡®Georgetown¡¯.¡± If the person at the next desk sneezes, it might delete whole paragraphs. Although the manufacturer claims the system has a speed of up to 40 words per minute, Harrigan still run it fast enough to meet daily deadlines. She now works on longerª²deadline pieces. But without it, she couldn¬ðt work at all.

¡¡¡¡1. The passage is mainly about

¡¡¡¡A. The disadvantages of the keyboards of the past

¡¡¡¡B. The improvements made on the basis of the keyboards of the past

¡¡¡¡C. The characteristics of the present keyboards

¡¡¡¡D. The past keyboards causing an epidemic of injuries among office workers

¡¡¡¡2. According to the passage, what does the author mean by saying ¡°users still find them somewhat like dictating to a stenographer with attentionª²deficit disorder and a bad head cold¡±?

¡¡¡¡A. The users are reluctant to use such programs as controlling computers by speech

¡¡¡¡B. Operating of the programs is very attentionª²demanding

¡¡¡¡C. There are always something wrong with the programs

¡¡¡¡D. Users of the programs are inclined to get ill

¡¡¡¡3. Which statement is correct about Industrial Innovations, Inc.?

¡¡¡¡A. It has designed successfully the keyb

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