节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-11-05
难易度:High
关键字:innovation, warm up to, prism, notification, field of vision, bone
conduction
Hello, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And my name is Carolyn.
And your English will improve today.
Our lesson today is called Google Glass is a Promising Innovation.
Of course if you know anything about Google, they're inventing things all the
time.
They are a prominent, a very important company, an organization in today's
world.
If you use the Internet, you use Google all the time.
Well, today we're talking about Google Glass, which is a product that they've
been working on.
It's a promising innovation.
It's a kind of technology.
Now what kinds of technology do you find really useful?
Carolyn, do you find any kind of technology especially useful?
Well, I don't have too much technology.
I might be a little behind the times, Gabe.
But I love my laptop computer.
OK.
I... I find it very convenient.
I can take it lots of places with me.
But I'm thinking about getting a tablet because it would be much easier to
transport to and from different places.
And it's smaller and lighter.
And... and you have touchscreen.
Yeah!
Oh, yeah!
I think that might be a good idea for you, Carolyn.
Get a tablet, or at least get a smartphone.
I enjoy my smartphone.
I also enjoy using things like USBs and... I mean, I think there are a lot of
great technology items out there.
And of course, in today's lesson we're going to be learning about a new one
called Google Glass.
So let's get started.
(Music).
Google Glass is a Promising Innovation.
Putting the Internet right before your eyes.
With the arrival of smartphones, our computers moved from our desktops into our
pockets.
Now, tech giant Google is betting that people will warm up to the idea of
wearing computers on their faces in the form of Internet-connected eyewear.
This new device, called Glass, looks like a pair of sunglasses from a
science-fiction movie, minus the lenses.
The computer that powers Glass is built into the arm of the glasses frame, which
also contains a touch pad, microphone and front-facing camera.
Glass connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi or to the user's smartphone by means of
a Bluetooth link.
(Music).
Well, so far Google Glass sounds like a pretty interesting, exciting new piece
of technology.
Well, let's go back to our title here.
We have a word from our Word Bank: innovation.
Google Glass could be a promising innovation.
An innovation is something new that Google is coming up with - Google Glass.
That's right.
Now an innovation is a little bit different from an invention.
An invention is a thing that you can use, that you can see or hold or feel or
touch.
But an innovation could just be a new idea or a new way or a method of doing
something.
But it can also include new things.
It can include new inventions.
That's right.
So do you remember learning about Bluetooth fashion?
Well, that was a new kind of innovation as well.
Of course people have been using Bluetooth for years.
Now there's a way to make Bluetooth look cool.
That's a... an innovation of a different kind.
Well, today we're talking about Google Glass.
It's a promising innovation.
What does promising mean?
That means there's probably a good future with Google Glass.
That's right.
And it is putting the Internet right before your eyes.
And let's look at that phrase: right before your eyes.
That means it's right in front of you.
And you can see it very clearly.
Now usually I use this phrase or I see it when something happens right in front
of you.
It happened right before my eyes.
Oh, you heard about the accident?
Well, the accident happened right before my eyes!
I saw everything as it happened.
Here we're talking about it in a literal way.
You can actually have something right in front of your eyes.
You're putting the Internet right before your eyes.
That's right.
So we have these glasses, this Google Glass.
Let's learn about it right now.
With the arrival of smartphones, our computers move from our desktops into our
pockets.
Uh, Gabe, do you have a computer in your pocket?
Well, actually I do because my smartphone is a kind of computer.
And I like the way that this sentence is worded.
It's kind of cute.
Our computers moved from our desktops, from on top of our desks, into our
pockets like with this smartphone.
Now, tech giant Google is betting that people will warm up to the idea of
wearing computers on their faces in the form of Internet-connected eyewear.
Carolyn, what is a giant?
What is the tech giant Google?
Well, usually when we hear the word "giant," it's talking about something that
is very, very big.
But let's look at this word a little bit closer.
A tech giant or a something giant describes something that is a major player or
very influential in a certain area.
That's right.
So of course Google is a tech giant, or a technology giant, this big company.
Now what are some other giants out there?
Well, Facebook is a social networking giant, a company that everyone knows about
when it comes to social networking.
What about the fast food giant McDonald's?
Everyone knows about that company.
That's right.
And we're talking about the tech giant Google and some of their new innovations.
And they think that people will warm up to wearing computers on their faces.
This phrase is from our Word Bank: to warm up to something.
What does that mean, Gabe?
Well, that means maybe you're not sure of it at first, but you like the idea
more and more.
I could use this phrase like this.
Actually when I first got my cat (Chinese), he was a little uncomfortable with
me.
But over time, he warmed up to me.
So that's how you can use that phrase.
That's right.
So you can warm up to an idea.
You can also warm up to a person.
I was not very comfortable with the person I was assigned to work with on this
project.
But I'm starting to warm up to them because we have to get along to complete the
work.
That's right.
It's good to warm up to people you need to work with.
Well, let's continue here.
This new device, called Glass, looks like a pair of sunglasses from a
science-fiction movie, minus the lenses.
Of course a science-fiction movie, maybe like Star Wars or After Earth, Avatar,
those kinds of movies might have glasses like that.
And they look very unique.
And we learn about these glasses.
The computer that powers Glass is built into the arm of the glasses frame, which
also contains a touch pad, microphone and front-facing camera.
OK. So all of this is in the arm of the glasses frame.
That means they connect to your ears.
That's the arm, part of the glasses.
All right.
And Glass connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi or to the user's smartphone by
means of a Bluetooth link.
So this pair of glasses includes a whole lot.
I didn't know you could fit that much just into a single pair of glasses.
But this is a new innovation.
Right now it's time for us to continue learning with Michelle in the Language
Lab.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.