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What is the main idea of the "Bestcom Considerate Computing" passage?
The passage explores the concept of considerate computing, where computers and devices are designed to recognize human attention limits and respond more thoughtfully to reduce interruptions and improve user efficiency.
How does Bestcom-ET determine whether to allow a call to go through?
Bestcom-ET checks if the caller is listed in the user’s address book, company directory, or recent call list. It also evaluates the relationship with the caller before deciding whether to connect the call.
Why do researchers believe that considerate computing is important?
Research shows that frequent interruptions reduce work efficiency and increase frustration. For professionals like doctors and pilots, loss of focus can have serious consequences, making it essential for devices to minimize unnecessary disruptions.
How does Bestcom-ET handle incoming calls when the user is busy?
If the user is busy, Bestcom-ET sends a message informing the caller about the user's unavailability and offers to reschedule the call based on both parties’ calendars.
What are the key challenges in developing considerate computing systems?
The main challenges include accurately sensing the user's availability, ensuring privacy, and balancing complexity with reliability to avoid disrupting user workflow.
Bestcom Considerate Computing Reading Answers offers detailed answers and explanations for the IELTS Reading passage "Bestcom Considerate Computing." Improve your IELTS score with sample questions, solutions, and faqs.
Porishmita .16 Mar, 2025
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Bestcom Considerate Computing Reading Answers: The IELTS Reading passage "Bestcom Considerate Computing Reading Answers" is an important topic that appears in the test. This passage discusses how modern technology, including phones and computers, can be programmed to function more thoughtfully by understanding human attention and memory limits.
In this guide, we provide a sample passage along with answers to help IELTS aspirants practice effectively. The question types in this passage include True/False/Not Given and Flow Chart Completion. Practicing these will enhance reading comprehension and improve accuracy in locating answers quickly. Read till the end to gain a better understanding of the "Bestcom Considerate Computing Reading Answers" passage.
A. ‘Your battery is now fully charged,’ announced the laptop to its owner Donald A. Norman in a synthetic voice, with great enthusiasm and maybe even a hint of pride. For the record, humans are not at all unfamiliar with distractions and multitasking. ‘We are used to a complex life that gets constantly interrupted by computer’s attention-seeking requests, as much as we are familiar with procreation,’ laughs Ted Selker of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab.
B. Humanity has been connected to approximately three billion networked telephones, computers, traffic lights and even fridges and picture frames since these things can facilitate our daily lives. That is why we do not typically turn off the phones, shut down the e-mail system, or close the office door even when we have a meeting coming or a stretch of concentrated work. We merely endure the consequences.
C. Countless research reports have confirmed that if people are unexpectedly interrupted, they may suffer a drop in work efficiency, and they are more likely to make mistakes. According to Robert G. Picard from the University of Missouri, it appears to build up the feeling of frustration cumulatively, and that stress response makes it difficult to focus again. It is. not solely about productivity and the pace of life. For some professionals like pilots, drivers, soldiers and doctors, loss of focus can be downright disastrous. ‘If we could find a way to make our computers and phones realise the limits of human attention and memory, they may come off as more thoughtful and courteous,’ says Eric Horvitz of Microsoft Research. Horvitz, Selker and Picard are just a few of a small but prospering group of researchers who are attempting to make computers, phones, cars and other devices to function more like considerate colleagues instead of egocentric oafs.
D. To do this, the machines need new skills of three kinds: sensing, reasoning and communicating. First, a system must: sense or infer where its owner is and what he or she is doing. Next, it must weigh the value of the messages it wants to convey against the cost of the disruption. Then it has to choose the best mode and time to interject: Each of these pushes the limits of computer science and raises issues of privacy, complexity or reliability. Nevertheless, ‘Attentive’ Computing Systems, have started to make an appearance in the latest Volvos, and IBM has designed and developed a communications software called WebSphere that comes with an underlying sense of busyness. Microsoft has been conducting extensive in-house tests of a way more sophisticated system since 2003. In a couple of years, companies might manage to provide each office employee with a software version of the personal receptionist which is only available to corner-suite executives today.
E. However, the truth is that most people are not as busy as they claim to be, which explains why we can often stand interruptions from our inconsiderate electronic paraphernalia. To find out the extent to which such disruption may claim people’s daily time, an IBM Research team led by Jennifer Lai from Carnegie Mellon University studied ten managers, researchers and interns at the workplace. They had the subjects on videotape, and within every period of a specific time, they asked the subjects to evaluate their ‘interruptibility’. The time a worker spent in leave-me-alone state varied from individual to individual and day to day, and the percentage ranged from 10 to 51. Generally, the employees wished to work without interruption for roughly 1/3 of the time. Similarly, by studying Microsoft workers, Horvitz also came to the discovery that they ordinarily spend over 65 per cent of their day in a low-attention mode.
F. Obviously, today’s phones and computers are probably correct about two-thirds of time by assuming that their users are always available to answer a call, check an email, or click the ‘OK’ button on an alert box. But for the considerate systems to be functional and useful, their accuracy has to be above 65 in sending when their users are about to reach their cognitive limit.
G. Inspired by Horvitz’s work, Microsoft prototype Bestcom-Enhanced Telephony (Bestcom-ET) digs a bit deeper into every user’s computer to find out clues about what they are dealing with. As I said earlier, Microsoft launched an internal beta test of the system in mid-2003. Horvitz points out that by the end of last October, nearly 3,800 people had been relying on the system to field their incoming calls.
H. Horvitz is, in fact, a tester himself, and as we have our conversation in his office, Bestcom silently takes care of all the calls. Firstly, it checks if the caller is in his address book, the company directory, or the ‘recent call’ list. After triangulating all these resources at the same time, it attempts to figure out what their relationship is. The calls that get through are from family, supervisors and people he called earlier that day. Other callers will get a message on their screens that say he cannot answer now because he is in a meeting, and will not be available until 3pm. The system will scan both Horvitz’s and the caller’s calendar to check if it can reschedule a callback at a time which works for both of them. Some callers will take that option, while others simply leave a voicemail. The same happens with e-mails. When Horvitz is not in his office, Bestcom automatically offers to transfer selected callers to his cellphone, unless his calendar implies that he is in a meeting.
Bestcom Considerate Computing Reading Answers with Explanations
Questions 1–6 (True/False/Not Given) Answers
Question
Answer
Location
Reference
Explanation
1. Ted Selker from MIT Media Lab believes that human distraction due to computer interruptions is comparable to multitasking in daily life.
TRUE
Paragraph A
"We are used to a complex life that gets constantly interrupted by computer’s attention-seeking requests, as much as we are familiar with procreation,’ laughs Ted Selker of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab."
Ted Selker compares computer interruptions to multitasking in daily life, indicating that it is a familiar experience.
2. Research has shown that interruptions at work can sometimes improve productivity and concentration levels.
FALSE
Paragraph C
"Countless research reports have confirmed that if people are unexpectedly interrupted, they may suffer a drop in work efficiency, and they are more likely to make mistakes."
The passage clearly states that interruptions cause a decline in work efficiency, not improvement.
3. Eric Horvitz believes that developing considerate computer systems will be impossible due to privacy issues.
FALSE
Paragraph D
"Each of these pushes the limits of computer science and raises issues of privacy, complexity or reliability."
Privacy issues are mentioned as a challenge, but it does not state that Horvitz believes it is impossible.
4. The IBM Research team found that most employees wanted to be interrupted at least half of the time during work hours.
FALSE
Paragraph E
"The time a worker spent in leave-me-alone state varied from individual to individual and day to day, and the percentage ranged from 10 to 51. Generally, the employees wished to work without interruption for roughly 1/3 of the time."
Employees wanted to work without interruption for about one-third of the time, not more than half.
5. The accuracy of current phones and computers in sensing user availability is more than 70%.
FALSE
Paragraph F
"Obviously, today’s phones and computers are probably correct about two-thirds of the time…"
Two-thirds translates to about 65%, which is less than 70%.
6. Bestcom-ET only allows calls from people listed in the user’s contact list.
FALSE
Paragraph H
"Firstly, it checks if the caller is in his address book, the company directory, or the ‘recent call’ list."
The system also allows calls from the company directory and recent call list, not just the contact list.
Questions 7–13 (Flow Chart Completion) Answers
Question
Answer
Location
Reference
Explanation
7. Bestcom-ET checks if the caller is listed in the
address book
Paragraph H
"Firstly, it checks if the caller is in his address book, the company directory, or the ‘recent call’ list."
Bestcom-ET verifies the caller's identity through the address book, company directory, or recent call list.
8. It tries to determine the caller's
relationship
Paragraph H
"After triangulating all these resources at the same time, it attempts to figure out what their relationship is."
The system evaluates the nature of the caller's relationship with the user.
9. Calls from
family
Paragraph H
"The calls that get through are from family, supervisors and people he called earlier that day."
The system prioritizes calls from close contacts, including family.
10. Other callers receive a message stating the user’s unavailability until
3pm
Paragraph H
"Other callers will get a message on their screens that say he cannot answer now because he is in a meeting, and will not be available until 3pm."
The system notifies callers when the user will be available again.
11. The system scans the
calendar
Paragraph H
"The system will scan both Horvitz’s and the caller’s calendar to check if it can reschedule a callback."
The system references the calendar to schedule a suitable time.
12. If a suitable time is found, the system will reschedule a
callback
Paragraph H
"…it can reschedule a callback at a time which works for both of them."
The system sets up a new callback if timing aligns.
13. If the user is not in the office, the system will transfer selected calls to the
cellphone
Paragraph H
"When Horvitz is not in his office, Bestcom automatically offers to transfer selected callers to his cellphone."
The system redirects calls to the user’s cellphone when they are away.
