听力原文：Student Professor King, we learnt something about the Myth of the Paperless Office last week, but I missed your lesson because my mum was badly ill. So I came here today to ask you some questions. Professor King You are welcome. What would you like to ask? Student Since I have read the article in our textbook, I want to know some background information about the paperless office. Professor King Well, here is a piece of paper and you can have a look at it first. Student Oh, in the spring of 1979, a model office opened in Washington, D. C., touting itself as a world without paper—a workplace filled with the best technology and the promise of more sophisticated automation to come. But a quarter century later, all the advances of the information age have only ushered in the use of more and more paper—not less. Professor King Right, in fact that was just the very beginning. The amount of paper shipped by U. S. producers almost doubled from 1980 to 1995, from 16.1 million tons to almost 30 million tons, according to the American Forest and Paper Association. Copier paper alone rose by 500000 tons in just a year, from 1996 to 1997. Eliminating paper in business certainly is a desirable goal. But, unfortunately, its not currently realistic, since paper plays important psychological, aesthetic and legal functions in todays business world. Student I see now, and there are many advantages of hard copies over electronic documents, including better reader comprehension, less eyestrain, greater mobility, superior flexibility and an enhanced comfort level among workers. In addition, the U. S. and foreign countries vary considerably with regard to the legality of electronic documents and signatures, am I right? Professor King Precisely. Some of your points are mentioned in our texts and some are your own opinions, but they are all very exact, it seems you are interested in this topic. Student Yes, I am. I have read another article on the Internet, and it introduces some other hidden advantages over computers, especially in three aspect—reading, writing and personal satisfaction in delivery. However, that author analyzes two activities—air-traffic control and writing up police reports, and in the end he concludes computers cant replace paper completely. He suggests two reasons for such a chimera as paperless office, and finally, states that at least for now paperless office looks both unlikely and pointless. Professor King Very good. I plan to continue this topic next Monday in our class, and would you like to prepare a presentation about what you know on this topic? Im sure it will be very interesting and good. At the same time you can make up what you missed during the preparation. Student Thank you very much, professor King. I think for the time being its best to combine some use of paper with electronic or digital information systems. This approach can substantially reduce, although certainly not eradicate, the reliance on paper in peoples life. Professor King Well, if you have any questions, you can call me. Student Thank you very much, professor.Narrator Listen to part of a conversation between a student and a professor. Now get ready to answer the questions. You may use your notes to help you answer. Why did the student miss the lesson?