Live互動英語雜誌2010年3月號 - A Taste of the Future 未來商品駕臨

UNIT 11

創新科技

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A Taste

of the Future 未來商品駕臨

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A

—Ted Pigott

課文朗讀》正常 CD/MP3 課程講解》MP3 -

MERICAN

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poet Mark Strand said, “The future is always beginning now.” †

These words ring true as we take a look at some products that are

popping up in stores. From cooling devices1 to body parts, these items are making our lives resemble2 something out of a sci-fi movie.

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These days, it’s all about going wireless. Now you can go bladeless, too—at least with your fan. The Air Multiplier is a fan that looks like a plastic

▲ 無扇葉電扇安全又好清理

ring on a base. However, this new gadgetu is fifteen times more efficient3 than a traditional fan and far easier to clean.

Another innovativeu product is the SenseCam. Developed 10

by researchers at Microsoft, this special camera is worn around the neck and automatically4 takes a picture after detecting movement. This camera has already been proven to help people suffering from memory loss. It may also become popular with

▲ 感知相機可幫助記錄 生活每一刻 工研院的「電力丸」可用 於手機等裝置

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lifeloggers, people who documentu every moment of their lives.

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To power the SenseCam and other electronics, we turn to batteries.5 Traditional batteries may soon be a thing of the past, though. Electric pills, which are solid-state hydrogen, have been developed to power our digital6 devices. These pills are easier to carry and better for the environment. * 中文翻譯請參閱第 71 頁

46 圖片提供：工業技術研究院、Dyson、Microsoft

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A Taste of the Future•

字彙 Vocabulary

關鍵解析 Language Notes

＊ 1.

1. 字尾 -less 此字尾表示「無；沒有」，常接在名詞後形成形容詞， 如文中第二段 wireless（無線的）、bladeless（無扇葉 的）。再來看看其他例子：

home 家 care 小心 hope 希望 end 盡頭 job 工作

+ less

= homeless 無家可歸的 = careless 粗心的 = hopeless 絕望的 = endless 無止盡的 = jobless 無業的

＊ 2.

＊ 3.

＊ 4.

動詞需用第三人稱單數

像；類似

efficient [6`f6]4nt] adj.

有效能的；效率高的

automatically [%7t4`m1t6ky6] adv.

自動地

Don’t worry; the car lights will automatically turn off in a minute.

5.

battery [`b1t4r6] n.

電池

You need to put two batteries into the toy dog before it will turn on. ＊ 6.

digital [`d6d.4ty] adj.

數位的

Kyle can use his digital watch to time the race for us.

• (In order) To solve the puzzle, you will need to use math.

b 當名詞。

resemble [r6`z5mby] v.

I was shown a more efficient way to do the job.

a 表示目的，指「為了……」。

+ 此用法也可寫成 in order to 喔。

裝置；儀器

This house is so dark that it resembles the set for a horror movie.

這個無家可歸的男人得到一份工作，且很快得以找到住處。

為了要解開這個謎題，你必須運用數學。

＊為大考出現過的字彙

I bought a device last week that will keep the air in my room clean.

• The homeless man got a job and was soon able to find a place to live.

2. 不定詞 to + V. 放句首的用法

device [d6`va6s] n.

Technology

u 字彙小筆記：僅供參考

† 為補充說明

gadget [`g1d.6t] n. 小器具；小玩意兒 u innovative [`6no%vet6v] adj. 創新的 u document [`d3kj4m4nt] v. 記錄；提供證明 † ring true 此指「聽起來像是真的」。

† lifelogger

u

＊ ＊

[`la6f`l7g0] 指「生活記錄者」，他們常隨身攜帶小

型電腦或網路攝影機，記錄生活的每一刻，並和他人分享。

• “To err is human; to forgive divine.” —Alexander Pope 犯錯乃人之常情；寬恕乃神之聖行。 —英國詩人波普

Extra Information 工業技術研究院應用固態氫燃料（ solid-state hydrogen fuel [`ha6dr4d.4n]）低污染且高效率的特 色，製成可隨身攜帶的氫能電力丸。只要將電力丸加 入水中，即可輕鬆產生電力。

圖片提供：工業技術研究院

Give It a Try

請依據中文提示，將正確英文填入空格。

我想要買一台數位書閱讀器。這種閱讀器像是底部 有按鈕的超薄電腦螢幕。有些閱讀器甚至有無線網路連 線，且電池壽命很長。但是它們蠻貴的。要買一台的 話，我必須花很多錢。我可能必須等到價格降低一些。

I want to buy a ________ book reader. The readers ________ very thin computer screens with buttons at the bottom. Some of them even have a ________ connection to the Internet and a long ________ life. They are pretty expensive, though. ________ ________ ________, I would have to spend a lot of money. I may have to wait until the price goes down. * 答案請參閱第 71 頁

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UNIT 11

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創新科技

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課文朗讀》正常 CD/MP3 課程講解》MP3 -

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Some new products are still in the development stages, such as a computer that can read your thoughts. So far, scientists have been able to use special software1 to produce pictures of what people 05

are seeing or remembering. They hope that this new technology will help solve crimes someday. †

A special robot is helping in a different way at MIT. †

The Affective Intelligent Driving Agent (AIDA) is a small robot that is attached2 to a car’s dashboard.u AIDA will 10

give traffic reports and recommendu the fastest route3 home. It will also helpfully remind the driver to fill up the gas tank on the way home or suggest ways to drive more safely.

Products are not only making life safer, but also

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helping us extend4 our lives. Scientists are hard at work developing replacement5 body parts that will never wear out. Right now, research is focused on the parts of the

▲ AIDA是行車駕駛的好幫手

body most affected by getting older, such as the joints, teeth, spine, and heart.

No one can predict6 the future, but we try to shape

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it as best we can. With products to make us more comfortable, more environmentally responsible, and safer, our future is definitely looking bright. * 中文翻譯請參閱第 71 頁

▲ 可替換人工關節和脊椎已有長足 發展（圖片翻攝自 Youtube）

48 圖片來源：AIDA、flickr、Wikipedia

A Taste of the Future•

關鍵解析 Language Notes

1. so far

字彙 Vocabulary ＊ 1.

至今；到目前為止

到目前為止，本週末的天氣一直很好。

＊ 2.

＊ 3.

軟體

attach [4`t1t]] v.

裝上；附上

route [rut] n.

路線；路程

The bridge is closed, so we’ll have to take a different route home tonight.

常用語 so far so good 表示「到目前為止一切順利」。

• A: How is your essay coming?

B: So far so good.

A: 你的論文寫得怎麼樣啊？ B: 到目前為止一切順利。

software [`s7ft%w5r] n.

Juliana attached a video camera to her computer so she could see and talk with her brother in Peru.

= The weather this weekend has been very nice so far. 延伸學習

＊為大考出現過的字彙

The young men made a fortune from their exciting new software.

此副詞片語常置於句首或句尾。

• So far, the weather this weekend has been very nice.

Technology

＊ 4.

extend [6k`st5nd] v.

延長；擴展

Casper was having a wonderful time in Thailand, so he decided to extend his stay. ＊ 5.

2. wear out 的用法 a 表示「（使）耗竭；磨壞」，如文中用法。

• Thomas wore out the bottom of his shoes during his sixth-month trip in South America.

replacement [r6`plesm4nt] n.

There is a shop around here that sells replacement parts for bicycles. ＊ 6.

predict [pr6`d6kt] v.

u 字彙小筆記：僅供參考

+ wear 的三態是 wear–wore–worn。

u

＊

• Helping Jessica move into her new house really wore me out.

預測；預料

Dan tried to predict what would happen in the game, but he was wrong.

湯馬士在六個月的南美之旅中，把鞋底磨壞了。

b 表示「使疲乏」。要表示「使某人筋疲力盡」，用法 是 wear sb out。

替換（物）；取代

幫潔西卡搬新家真的讓我累癱了。

† 為補充說明

dashboard [`d1]%b7rd] n. （汽車）儀表板

recommend [%r5k4`m5nd] v. 推薦 † MIT 為 Massachusetts Institute of Technology [m1s4`t]us6ts] [`6nst4tjut] 的縮寫，指「麻省理工學院」。 † Affective Intelligent Driving Agent [4`f5kt6v] [6n`t5l4d.4nt] [`ed.4nt] 譯為「情感智慧駕駛代理」，可模擬人類臉部表情，與

u

駕駛互動，還能在行車情況下記錄駕駛人的習性。

† as

best one can 為慣用法，指「盡某人所能」。

Give It a Try

請根據句意或提示選出最適合的答案。

_____ q It is not safe to drive with tires that are worn out.（請選出畫底線字的中文意思） a. 磨壞

研發中的身體替換部位 • tooth [tuq]

牙齒

（複數型為 teeth [tiq]）

• jaw [d.7]

b. 使疲乏

_____ w Who could have _____ that the tree would fall right on your parking space? a. extended

b. predicted

下顎

• spine [spa6n] 脊椎 • heart [h3rt] 心臟 • joint [d.76nt] 關節

_____ e Jeremy gave me some _____ that will help me manage my money better. a. software

b. routes * 答案請參閱第 71 頁

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