2016-03-07 Like reality, only better 像现实一样，只不过更好？

如果你相信来自硅谷的大肆宣传的话，那么下一个风靡技术界的大事件则将是“增强现实 AR”。虽然有些人对它的吸引力表示怀疑，但是像微软和阿里巴巴这样的大公司正在对这一新技术投入大笔资金。这究竟是什么东西呢？

课文内容

词汇: innovation 创新

We’ve landed on the moon and sent spacecraft to Mars. But how would you like to take a stroll around the red planet itself, having a closer look at the rocky Martian surface from all angles?

Well, for those of us who can’t afford our own rocket ship, experiences like this are now a ‘virtual‘ step closer, thanks to AR technology.

The letters stand for ‘augmented reality’, and even if it’s not the most beautiful phrase in English, a lot of people in Silicon Valley think it will be the next big thing in tech.

AR refers to the process of displaying digital information on top of the physical world using an electronic device. The device could be a pair of smart glasses, a tablet or even a humble smartphone. And unlike ‘virtual reality’, or VR, users can physically move around and explore the digital world, instead of being restricted to a small area. This is particularly exciting for businesses.

Alex Kipman is the creator of the HoloLens – a headset which allows people to see and interact with holograms. During the 2016 TED Conference he even ‘teleported‘ a hologram of a NASA scientist onto the stage with him, a stage which was transformed into a virtual Martian landscape.

In time, AR advocates hope it will allow us to interact with a whole world that is enhanced by multimedia provided by very clever computers – transforming not only business, but also fields like healthcare. A doctor could see patients around the world from the comfort of her own home.

Not everyone is convinced that either the technology or the world at large is ready. Google’s pioneering pair of smart glasses Google Glass were deemed a “fascinating failure” by the BBC’s technology correspondent.

And Kipman himself thinks we still have a long way to go before AR reaches its potential: “We will look back at this decade as being like cavemen in terms of technology,” he said.

词汇表

spacecraft 宇宙飞船
Martian 火星的
virtual （双关语）几乎的，虚拟的
augmented 增强、扩增的
Silicon Valley （美国）硅谷
the next big thing 下一个（将要来临的）大事
tablet 平板电脑
headset （头戴式）耳机
holograms 全息图（一种三维图像）
teleported （利用特殊技术）远距离及时传输
advocates 倡导者
enhanced （被）增色，提高
at large 整体上，普遍的
pioneering 首创的，先驱性的
reaches its potential 充分释放、发挥它的潜力
cavemen （史前时代的）穴居人

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. Do Silicon Valley entrepreneurs think AR is the biggest thing in tech?

2. What is the main difference between AR and VR?

3. True or false: A NASA scientist stood on stage with Alex Kipman.

4. Which short word meaning ‘technology’ was used in the article?

5. What does Alex Kipman compare our stage of technological development to?

2. 请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. The _________ surface is very hot and dry.

Martian     caveman     Silicon Valley     Mars

2. Many things are possible in _________ that you can’t do in the real world.

enhanced     hologram      virtual      augmented

3. The policy was introduced six months ago but its benefits haven’t been felt by the population _________.

cavemen     potential     pioneering     at large

4. Devices such as headsets, _________ and smartphones can be used to experience AR.

tablet     hologram     tablets      holograms

5. You have to work hard if you want to _________.

reach potential     reach your potential      reaches its potential      reaching your potential

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。 

1. Do Silicon Valley entrepreneurs think AR is the biggest thing in tech?
Many believe it’s the ‘next big thing’, so although it’s not there yet, it will become very important. 

2. What is the main difference between AR and VR?  
AR allows people to move around the physical world while experiencing a virtual world, while VR restricts peoples’ movement in the physical world. 

3. True or false: A NASA scientist stood on stage with Alex Kipman.
False. A hologram of a NASA scientist was on stage with Alex Kipman.        

4. Which short word meaning ‘technology’ was used in the article?
Tech. 

5. What does Alex Kipman compare our stage of technological development to?
He says we’re like “cavemen”, which means a very limited stage of development.

2. 请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. The Martian surface is very hot and dry.

2. Many things are possible in virtual that you can’t do in the real world.

3. The policy was introduced six months ago but its benefits haven’t been felt by the population at large.

4. Devices such as headsets, tablets and smartphones can be used to experience AR.

5. You have to work hard if you want to reach your potential.