一起听英语 207 智能眼镜

一款可以包含手机所有功能的眼镜，你是否想拥有?

Finn: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Finn and with me is Neil.

Neil: Hello.

Finn: And, we have a technology theme today – Neil, you carry a smartphone, don't you?

Neil: Yes – my phone can take photos and search the internet, I can watch videos, send

messages and even… hang on (phone rings)

Finn: Even make phone calls?

Neil: Sorry about that.

Finn: Very good. And – I can see that you are wearing a very fine pair of glasses.

Neil: Why thank you. They do make me quite… handsome, don't you think?

Finn: Of course. But how would you like to combine the two things – put them together?

Neil: Combine my smartphone and glasses?

Finn: That's what Google hope people will do. Their new product Google Glass is a kind of

small computer you wear on your face.

Neil: Yes, several companies are now developing wearable tech – that's technology you

can wear – just like my glasses. With Google Glass, when you wear them you can

see the real world, as normal, but also a small kind of computer screen, hanging in

space…

Finn: Interesting, isn't it? And it makes me think of an action movie. Neil, which action

movie character had special eyes that were like computers – giving information

about the world around him?

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2013

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Neil: That's a difficult question. I'm not sure, science-fiction is not my favourite type of

movie. I will say, though, Terminator.

Finn: Ok, you're not a science fiction fan. We'll find out at the end of the programme if that

was right. First, let's take a closer look at these specs – or glasses - themselves.

Neil: We don't have a pair, but our BBC colleague Rory Cellan-Jones went to Google to try

a pair out. Listen carefully - which three different things does he do with them?

BBC technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones:

Ok Glass. Take a picture! There, I've got a picture of the cameraman. I'm going to go back. OK

Glass. Let's record a video. I'm now recording everybody that's in this room. And I'm going to stop

that. How do I say 'thank you for the flowers' in Japanese? Hana arigatou gozaimashita. Excellent,

so I can now speak Japanese via these glasses.

Finn: So, which different things did Rory Cellan-Jones do?

Neil: Did you hear them? Number one - he took a picture:

BBC technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones:

Take a picture!

Finn: Number two – he recorded a video:

BBC technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones:

Let's record a video.

Neil: And three…

BBC technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones:

How do I say 'thank you for the flowers' in Japanese?

Neil: He learned how to say a phrase in Japanese.

Finn: Very good, yes. Neil, I know you speak Japanese, what was the phrase?

Neil: Oh right. It was: hana arigatou gozaimashita.

Finn: Wonderful pronunciation.

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Google Glass:

Hana arigatou gozaimashita.

Finn: Which means 'thank you for the flowers'. But anyway let's get back to English!

Neil: With all the things these glasses can do, some people find them creepy – a bit

strange and scary.

Finn: Yes, because you can use them while walking along the street, for example, nobody

will know what you're doing, and some people are worried that they might be used to

find out information about their private, or personal lives.

Neil: Some are concerned about drivers using the glasses – saying it could be dangerous

when driving.

Finn: And casinos – places where people play games – like card games – to win money,

are concerned they could be used to cheat. Anyway, what do you think about them

Neil?

Neil: I have to say I don't like the idea.

Finn: OK, why?

Neil: Because I like to be separate from technology sometimes. I'm worried that my brain

will stop working if I have a computer on my head.

Finn: If there's a computer in your head, you might become a cyborg, which is part man,

part machine. Which takes me back to the question I asked you earlier, what was the

name of the action movie where there was a character with a robot eye?

Neil: I said Terminator.

Finn: That was absolutely correct, very good. The Terminator with 'Terminator vision'. So,

what do you think of Google Glass and wearable tech in general? Let us know on the

BBC Learning English Facebook page. Now, Neil, could you remind us of some of

today's language?

Neil: smartphone

to combine

wearable tech

specs

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2013

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creepy

private

casino

cyborg

Finn: OK that's it for this programme. Do join us again soon for more 6 Minute English

from BBC Learning English.

Both: Bye