环球英语 — 431：The Internet Umbrella
Voice 1
Hello, I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby Jones. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
It is another cold day in Tokyo, Japan. Grey clouds hang above the city. Crowds hurry along the streets. They want to find shelter before rain starts to fall. Some people are carrying umbrellas to shelter them from the rain. An umbrella is such a useful device! It is small to carry when you are not using it – closed just like a stick. But when you open it, it shelters you from sun and rain – like a huge hat on a stick. Sheltering under an umbrella with a friend can even make the rain fun! And umbrellas come in all sorts of colours. On a rainy day you can see many bright umbrellas moving through the streets!
Voice 2
At last, the rain begins to fall. People reach for their umbrellas as quickly as they can. Then, they continue hurrying towards their places of work. However, one young man does not worry about where he is going. He walks along very slowly, looking up at the inside of his umbrella. He has a very special kind of umbrella. Images are moving around on it – just like on a television screen. The young man seems to be enjoying his walk in the rain. But how does his umbrella manage to show pictures like that?
Voice 1
The young man is demonstrating the latest development in umbrella technology – the internet umbrella! The umbrella is called Pileus. It is the idea of two scientists who work at Keio University in Tokyo. The idea behind Pileus is to make walking in wet weather fun! The Pileus umbrella can connect to the internet without a wire. A small device in the umbrella stick then shines images from the internet on the underside of the umbrella. People can then watch films as they walk along in the rain!
Voice 2
And the Pileus has more than just the internet! People using this umbrella may see something that they would like to take a picture of. No problem, the Pileus also contains a camera! The Pileus’s camera can take the picture. It will then load it on to a photo–sharing website on the internet in only a few minutes!
Voice 1
But the Pileus umbrella is not just about fun. It does have a serious use too. It has in–built GPS – Global Positioning System. This uses links to satellites to record information about where the Pileus umbrella is exactly. Imagine somebody gets lost while they are out walking. But they are carrying a Pileus umbrella. The GPS information can show them a map or a picture of the area. The person can then discover where he is and return to the place where he should be.
Voice 2
However, when you use a Pileus umbrella, it may be good to remember one thing. Look around you as well as looking up. If you do not, you may walk into somebody and cause an accident!
Voice 1
All this technology is far away from the days when people first used umbrellas. Experts believe that umbrellas first appeared in Egypt at the time of the Pharoahs – over three thousand years ago! At that time, people did not use them when the weather was bad. Instead, Egyptian people saw umbrellas as symbols. They believed that the sky was part of a huge god – stretched out like an umbrella over the earth. So, slaves would hold small umbrellas over the heads of people in authority. The umbrella was a symbol of their god–given right to govern the land.
Voice 2
In ancient Greece, people also used umbrellas as symbols of authority. However, people later began to use them as protection against strong sunlight. People in ancient Rome also used umbrellas as shelter from the sun. In particular, women visiting the amphitheatre liked them. Umbrellas protected their heads as they sat watching the horse races. But the umbrellas also prevented other people from seeing the races – so they were not popular with everyone!
Voice 1
Historical evidence shows that umbrellas were widely used in early Chinese and Indian culture. But in Western Europe, only religious leaders used umbrellas – until the 16th century. At that time, European travellers who visited Africa and Asia brought back umbrellas from these places. They then started to use them in their own countries.
Voice 2
History experts believe that the Chinese made the first ever umbrella to keep people dry. But it was the English who designed the first modern water resisting umbrella. They developed the first model in the 1700s. This umbrella was large and not very good quality! But over the years, scientists developed the technology to improve the design. And, the umbrella industry began to grow and grow. Today, millions are sold around the world!
Voice 1
Over the years, people have tried to change the basic umbrella design to meet their needs. We have already heard about the Pileus Internet umbrella. But what about an umbrella that produces cool air? Anil Gupta is the founder of an international business aid group. This organisation helps develop ideas that improve people’s way of life. One idea that Anil discovered concerned an umbrella. It came from a girl in India. She lives in a part of the country where the weather can be extremely hot. Anil says:
Voice 3
“A girl in Orissa thought, ‘we have umbrellas. And umbrellas are supposed to save us from the rain or from the sun. Now,’ this girl thought, ‘Why not have an umbrella that rains? So, what do you do? You attach a bottle to the umbrella. You press it. Then it spreads water onto the top of the umbrella. The umbrella becomes wet. And the air below the umbrella becomes cool. So, it is an umbrella that gives you cool air.’”
Voice 2
An umbrella that takes pictures in Japan. An umbrella that rains in India. It seems that even after three thousand years, there are still new ways to use this basic item. What will we think of next?!
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