新世纪大学英语视听说系列教材4听力原文

新世纪大学英语视听说系列教材4听力原文新世纪大学英语视听说系列教材4听力原文新世纪大学英语视听说系列教材4听力原文新世纪大学英语视听说系列教材4听力原文编制仅供参考审核批准生效日期地址：电话：传真:邮编:<U1>Ourearth<L-A>ThenaturalworldListentoMaryandBlaketalkingaboutherpaper.Thenanswerthequestion.Whatareyouworkingon,Mary?I’mfinishingmypaper.It’sduetomorrow,Blake.What’sthetopic?It’saboutGreenland.Greenland.Hmmmthat’spartofCanada,right?

Ithinkyouneedtostudyyourworldgeography,Blake.Well,isn’titnearCanada

Yes,it’soffthecoastofnortheastCanada,butit’spartofDenmark.Oh,Ididn’tknowthat.Well,what’syourpaperaboutexactly?Inmypaper,Ianswerthequestion“IsGreenlandreallygreen”Inotherwords,isGreenlandcoveredbyalotofplantsandtrees?Isit?Whatdoyouthink?Let’sseeGreenlandisintheArcticCirclewayupnorth.It’scold,so“IsGreenlandreallygreen”

I’danswer“probablynot.”

You’dbecorrect.It’stoocoldhere.Inthenorth,alotofthegroundisfrozen.Thesummersareshort,soonlythesurfacethaws.Thatsoundstough.It’shardfortheconstructionindustry.It’snoteasytobuildinGreenlandItsoundssoharsh.Whywouldanyonewanttogothere?Therearebigmountainrangesonthecoasts.They’regreatforhikingandoutdoorsports.Andtherearelotsofanimalsthere.Youcansometimesseewhalesswimmingintheharbors.Thatsoundscool!Ok,soifit’snotreallya“green”place,whywasitnamed“Greenland”

Thefirstsettlerswantedtoattractotherpeople.Theygaveitanattractivename.Listenagain.CircleTrueorFalse.GustavandCarolinaareinternationalstudents.TheyaretellingBartabouttheirsummerworkexperienceintheUnitedStates.Didtheyenjoythemselves?

Sowhatexactlydidyoudooverthesummer?WeworkedasvolunteersatGlacierI’veneverbeenthere.What’sitlike?It’sbeautiful.Therearemountainsandlakes…and,ofcourse,glaciers!Howwasthejob?Wehadtodoalotofphysicalwork.Itwaskindofhard.That’strue,butitwasexciting,too!Weactuallysawbears!Wow!Thatdoessoundexciting.MaybeIshouldapply.I’llneedajobnextsummer.Sorry,Bart,butyoucan’tapplytothatprogram.It’saspecialprogramforinternationalstudents.Listentotwopeopletalkingaboutnaturalwondersandman-madestructures.Payattentiontotheexpressionstheyuse.1.Mt.Fuji2.LastyearIwasinSanFranciscoandIhadachancetodriveacrosstheGoldenGateBridge.Whatanamazingfeatofengineering.ItgivesyouachancetolookthroughallofSanFranciscoandoverJayandElisearetalkingaboutanaccident.Listenandcheckthecorrectpicture.Comeinhere,Elise.Youshouldseethisshow!Whatisit?It'scalled"TheTitanicoftheSky."It'sabouttheHindenburg,agreatengineeringfeat.TheHindenburg...Youknow,thatgiantzeppelinthatcrashedin1934.Thirty-fivepeopledied.Ohyeah,Iremembernow.ItwasflyingfromGermanytotheUnitedStates.Itcrashedasitwaslanding.Right.It'ssofunnylooking,don'tyouthinkItdoesn'tlookanythingliketheairplanesashavetoday.That'strue.WhywouldpeoplerideinazeppelinanywayItseemssodangerous.Well,somepeoplecalledtheHindenburg"man'sgreatestachievementinflight."Theythoughtitwassafe,Iguess.WhorodeinitanywayMostlywealthypeople.Itaccommodatedbetween30and40passengersandcrew.Onepersonsaiditwaslikea"flyinghotel."Itsoundsprettygreat.Yeah,anditwasfast.That'swhypeoplerodeit.Theywantedtogettotheirdestinationfaster.Whydidn'ttheyjusttakeajetplaneElise!Youknowtheydidn'thavejetsbackthen.Look,in1934ittookfivedaystotravelfromGermanytotheU.S.byship.Thezeppelincoulddoitinhalfthattime.Itwasspeedy.Well,maybeI'llsitdownandwatchalittlebit.MaybeI'lllearnsomething...Listenagain.HowwasthezeppelindescribedCheckyouranswers.Comeinhere,Elise.Youshouldseethisshow!Whatisit?It'scalled"TheTitanicoftheSky."It'sabouttheHindenburg,agreatengineeringfeat.TheHindenburg...Youknow,thatgiantzeppelinthatcrashedin1934.Thirty-fivepeopledied.Ohyeah,Iremembernow.ItwasflyingfromGermanytotheUnitedStates.Itcrashedasitwaslanding.Right.It'ssofunnylooking,don'tyouthinkItdoesn'tlookanythingliketheairplanesashavetoday.That'strue.WhywouldpeoplerideinazeppelinanywayItseemssodangerous.Well,somepeoplecalledtheHindenburg"man'sgreatestachievementinflight."Theythoughtitwassafe,Iguess.WhorodeinitanywayMostlywealthypeople.Itaccommodatedbetween30and40passengersandcrew.Onepersonsaiditwaslikea"flyinghotel."Itsoundsprettygreat.Yeah,anditwasfast.That'swhypeoplerodeit.Theywantedtogettotheirdestinationfaster.Whydidn'ttheyjusttakeajetplaneElise!Youknowtheydidn'thavejetsbackthen.Look,in1934ittookfivedaystotravelfromGermanytotheU.S.Well,maybeI'llsitdownandwatchalittlebit.MaybeI'lllearnsomething...Listentotheconversationandcheckthecorrectpicture.Ithinkweshouldbuyabiggercar.Bigcarsaresafer.Yes,butontheotherhand,theyconsumemoreoil.Theyalsolookreallycool.That'strue,buttherearesomeSUVswhicharenotbigbutalsoverybeautiful.And1thinkbigcarsaremorefuntodrive.Butthenagain,it'sveryexpensive.Well,let'sgetmoreinformationaboutseveralkindsofcars,okay?Listentoanotherpersontalkingaboutfamousbuildingsinhiscountryandfillintheblankswithinformationyouhear.MycountryhastwoveryfamousbuildingscalledthePetronasTowers.Thebuildingsaremadeofglass,steel,andconcrete.TheyweredesignedbyanAmericanarchitect,butheusedaMalaysianstyle.Theywerefinishedin1998,andtheywerethetallestbuildingsintheworldatthattime.Eachtowerhas88floListentoatalkoncontroversiesaboutmodernbuildings.Thenfillintheblankstocompletethesentences.Modernbuildings:Welovethem.WehatethemTheworld-famousLouvreMuseuminParisisalmost500yearsold,anditfacedaverymodernproblem:Theresimplywasn'tenoughspaceforsixmillionvisitorseachyear.In1989,AmericanarchitectI.M.Peidesignedastrikingglasspyramidinthebuilding'scentertobeavisitorentranceandshoppingarcade.Buthealsostartedanangrydebate.Somepeoplefelthisglassbuildingwasapieceofart,liketheonesinsidethemuseum.Otherssaiditwasjustanugly,modernmistake.Kyoto,Japan,isthecountry'sancientcapital,andtheheartofitsculture.Itsrailroadstationwastoosmallforthemillionsofvisitors.In1997,thecitycompletedanewstationinahugeshoppingcenter,rightintheoldestpartofthecity.DeNowlistenagainandcompletethechartwiththeinformationyouhear.MycountryhastwoveryfamousbuildingscalledthePetronasTowers.Thebuildingsaremadeofglass,steel,andconcrete.TheyweredesignedbyanAmericanarchitect,butheusedaMalaysianstyle.Theywerefinishedin1998,andtheywerethetallestbuildingsintheworldatthattime.Eachtowerhas88floors,andis452metershigh.IreallylikethePetronasListentoatalkoncontroversiesaboutmodernbuildings.Thenfillintheblankstocompletethesentences.Modernbuildings:Welovethem.WehatethemTheworld-famousLouvreMuseuminParisisalmost500yearsold,anditfacedaverymodernproblem:Theresimplywasn'tenoughspaceforsixmillionvisitorseachyear.In1989,AmericanarchitectI.M.Peidesignedastrikingglasspyramidinthebuilding'scentertobeavisitorentranceandshoppingarcade.Buthealsostartedanangrydebate.Somepeoplefelthisglassbuildingwasapieceofart,liketheonesinsidethemuseum.Otherssaiditwasjustanugly,modernmistake.Kyoto,Japan,isthecountry'sancientcapital,andtheheartofitsculture.ItsrailroadstationwastoListentotheinterviewwithErikaVanBeek,anengineer.AccordingtoErika,whatshouldbedoneaboutovercrowdingincities?Thefuturebuildingboom?Whatdoyouthinkisthebiggestproblemfacingourcities?Ithinkit'sovercrowding.Talktoanyonelivinginamajormetropolitanareaandtheywillsaythesamething:There'snospace.Eventhesuburbsaregettingcrowded.Well,insomeplacestheresimplyisn'tanylandleftforbuilding,right?Yes,that'strue,butyouhavetothinkcreatively.Youcan'tgiveupsoeasily.ThinkcreativelyWhatdoyousuggest

WhatI'msayingisthatwecanbuildmorestructuresunderground.Wecanaddparkinglots,malls,hotels,andevenapartmentbuildings.There'splentyofspace.Isn'titexpensive?Yes,itcanbe.Inthepastbuildingundergroundhasbeenveryexpensive.However,wehavenewtechnologythatwillbringthecostdown.Itinvolvesusingrobots.Youdon'thavetopayrobotsasalary!Isn't"buildingdown"moredangerousthanotherkindofconstruction?Actually,Ithinkit'ssaferthanbuildingskyscrapers,forexample.Remember,wealreadydoit.Wehavesubwaysandundergroundshoppingmalls.I'mjustsuggestingweinvestinavarietyofbiggerprojectsandthatwedigdeeper.Whatwouldyousaytopeoplewhodoubtyouridea?Icanunderstandtheirfeelings.Wheneverthere'sanewidea,itcancausecontroversy.But"buildingdown"isnotsomekindofimpracticalidea.Itmakessense.Thereissomuchspaceunderground:Itcanaccommodatealotoftraffic,storage,andpeople.Withthenewtechnologywehave,we'dbecrazynottoconsidertheidea—it'sthewaveofthefuture!Listenagain.CheckthestatementsyouthinkErikawouldagree.Thefuturebuildingboom?Whatdoyouthinkisthebiggestproblemfacingourcities?Ithinkit'sovercrowding.Talktoanyonelivinginamajormetropolitanareaandtheywillsaythesamething:There'snospace.Eventhesuburbsaregettingcrowded.Well,insomeplacestheresimplyisn'tanylandleftforbuilding,right?Yes,that'strue,butyouhavetothinkcreatively.Youcan'tgiveupsoeasily.ThinkcreativelyWhatdoyousuggest

WhatI'msayingisthatwecanbuildmorestructuresunderground.Wecanaddparkinglots,malls,hotels,andevenapartmentbuildings.There'splentyofspace.Isn'titexpensive?Yes,itcanbe.Inthepastbuildingundergroundhasbeenveryexpensive.However,wehavenewtechnologythatwillbringthecostdown.Itinvolvesusingrobots.Youdon'thavetopayrobotsasalary!Isn't"buildingdown"moredangerousthanotherkindofconstruction?Actually,Ithinkit'ssaferthanbuildingskyscrapers,forexample.Remember,wealreadydoit.Wehavesubwaysandundergroundshoppingmalls.I'mjustsuggestingweinvestinavarietyofbiggerprojectsandthatwedigdeeper.Whatwouldyousaytopeoplewhodoubtyouridea?Icanunderstandtheirfeelings.Wheneverthere'sanewidea,itcancausecontroversy.But"buildingdown"isnotsomekindofimpracticalidea.Itmakessense.Thereissomuchspaceunderground:Itcanaccommodatealotoftraffic,storage,andpeople.Withthenewtechnologywehave,we'dbecrazynottoconsidertheidea—it'sthewaveofthefuture!<L-B>Theman-madeworldGlobalviewpointsNaturalwondersOneofthemostbeautifulnaturalwondersI’veseenaretheglaciersinthesouthofArgentina.TheMatterhorn,whichisamountaininSwitzerland,isoneofthemostbeautifulplacesI’veeverseen.MydadandIclimbedabouthalfway,andoncewegotthereitstartedsnowingsowehadtoturnback.IclimbeduptoEverestBaseCamp.Allofasudden,youlookupandthere’sthishugemountainthateveryone’stalkedabout,thateveryone’sphotographed,andyou’veseenwhatit’slikeinpicturesbutyou’veneverseenitinperson.Mt.FujiIwenttoNiagaraFallsforafamilyreunion.ItwasoneofthemostmemorabletimesofmylifebecauseIgottobearoundpeoplewhoIlovemyfamily.AnditwasalsooneofthemostbeautifulsitesthatI’veeverseen.Man-madestructuresThemostimpressiveman-madewonderthatIhaveseenistheGreatWallofChina.TheGreatWalltookseveralthousandsofpeopletobuild,itstretchesmany,manymilesthroughoutChina,anditwasmadeinaperiodwherewedidn’thaveallthetechnologicaladvancementslikecranesandlifts.LastyearIwasinSanFranciscoandIhadachancetodriveacrosstheGoldenGateBridge.Whatanamazingfeatofengineering.ItgivesyouachancetolookthroughallofSanFranciscoandoverIsawtheHooverDamonceandIdidn’tlikeitverymuch.Itwasinthemiddleofthedesertandit’sjustveryhot,andtherewasn’tmuchactivitygoingonandit’sjustabigconcretestructure.CityLivingIloveskyscrapers!Man,lookatthat!InNewYorkthere’salwayssomethingbeingbuilt.Andeverythinggoesupsoquickly…youneverknowwhat’sgoingtobearoundnextweek.Yeah,butontheotherhand,sometimesIwonderaboutovercrowding.Maybetheyneedtostartbuildingdownmore.Buildingdown?Yeah,it’swhenyoubuildundergroundinsteadofaboveground.Nah,that’stoomuchlikelivinginacave.Ilovetheskyscrapers!Theyarethemostincrediblefeatsofengineering!True.AndsomeofthefirstoneswerebuiltrighthereinNewYorkCity.That’sright!Youknow,IwonderwhatNewYorklookedlikebeforeallthesebuildingspoppedup.Yeah,I’llbetit’llbesomethingfantastic!Maybe…whatdoyouthinkit’sgoingtolooklike?Idon’tknow…butyouknowwhatI’mgoingtorememberwhatitlookedlike.WhatareyoutalkingaboutAndwhyareyoutakingpicturesThere’snothingthere.

Ok.Youknowhowsomepeoplegetfamousbecausetheyhavepicturesofmoviestarsorperformersbeforetheymakeitbig?Yeah?Well,somebuildingsandarchitecturalstructuresgettobefamoustoo,liketheEiffelTowerortheEmpireYeah,andThere’snothinghere!Right!Buttherewillbe.Somedaythisveryspotmaybecomereallywell-knownlikemaybeit’llbesomeincrediblehotelthattherichandfamousstayat.AndI’llbetheonlyonewithpicturesofitbeforeitwasbuilt.Cool,huh?Uh…youaretoomuch.Hey,let’saskthisguywhatyour“famous”building’sgoingtobe.Excuseme,canyoutellwhatthisisgoingtobewhenit’sfinishedMaybeafancyhotelorsomething

FancyhotelNo,thisisn’tgoingtobeahotel.It’sgoingtobeaparkinggarage.Aparkinggarage.Uhhuh.Thanks.Wellmaybesomeonerichandfamouswillparkhere.Listentothestorysummary.Fillintheblankswithwhatyouhear.TakeshiandRobertowalkbyaconstructionsiteandstarttalkingaboutallthebuildingsthatarebeingbuiltinNewYork.Takeshithentalksabouthowmuchheadmirestheskyscrapers.Suddenly,Takeshistartstakingpicturesofthesite,butRobertocan’tunderstandwhybecausenothinghasbeenbuiltyet.Takeshiexplainsthathethinkssomethingfamousmaybetheresomeday,likeahotelwheretherichandfamousstay,andhewantstobetheonlyonewithpicturesofitbeforeitwasbuilt.ThefunnypartiswhenRobertoasksoneoftheconstructionworkerswhat’sbeingbuiltonthesiteitturnsoutit’sgoingtobeaparkinggarage!<U2>Technologytoday<L-A>ComputersareeverywhereListentosomepeopletalkingaboutdifferentsituationswiththeircomputers.Matcheachsituationanditsproblem.Situation1Ohno!Whathappened?Ican’tbelieveit.IwassendingamessageandIaccidentallyclickedon“ReplytoAll.”SoItwasapersonalmessageformyfriend,Jerry.Iwantedtosendittohise-mailaddressonly.Oops.ExactlyInsteadIsentittoeveryoneonthelist.Howembarrassing!Situation2Iseeyouhaveanewkeyboard.That’snice.Yes,thecompanyboughtmeanewone.That’sgood.Well,actuallyIspilledcoffeeonmyoldkeyboard,anditstoppedworking.Oh,Isee.Don’ttellanyone.Drinkingcoffeenearthecomputersisnotallowed!Situation3Haveyoufinishedworkingonmycomputer?Yes,Ihave.I’mafraidIdon’thavegoodnewsforyou.Really?Really.Theproblemiswithyourhardware.Oh.Whatdoyousuggest?Ithinkyoushouldprobablybuyanewcomputer.Thisonecan’tbefixed.Well,Ihavehaditforfiveyears.It’stimetoreplaceit,Iguess.Listenagain.Circlethecorrectword.Situation1Ohno!Whathappened?Ican’tbelieveit.IwassendingamessageandIaccidentallyclickedon“ReplytoAll.”SoItwasapersonalmessageformyfriend,Jerry.Iwantedtosendittohise-mailaddressonly.Oops.ExactlyInsteadIsentittoeveryoneonthelist.Howembarrassing!Situation2Iseeyouhaveanewkeyboard.That’snice.Yes,thecompanyboughtmeanewone.That’sgood.Well,actuallyIspilledcoffeeonmyoldkeyboard,anditstoppedworking.Oh,Isee.Don’ttellanyone.Drinkingcoffeenearthecomputersisnotallowed!Situation3Haveyoufinishedworkingonmycomputer?Yes,Ihave.I’mafraidIdon’thavegoodnewsforyou.Really?Really.Theproblemiswithyourhardware.Oh.Whatdoyousuggest?Ithinkyoushouldprobablybuyanewcomputer.Thisonecan’tbefixed.Well,Ihavehaditforfiveyears.It’stimetoreplaceit,Iguess.Listen.Steveishelpinghisdaughter,Lea,withhertermpaper.HowdidSteveusetowritehispapers?Ihatewritingtermpapers!Ittakesforever!You’relucky,Lea.WhenIwasyoung…Oh,I’veheardthisstorybefore.Well,whenIwasyoung,wedidn’thavecomputers.Weusedtowriteourpapersontypewriters.Oh,reallyThatsoundsdifficult!Itwas,especiallybecauseImadealotofmistakes.Didittakealongtime?Yes.Computersaresomuchfasterandeasiertouse.Listentotwopeopletalkingabouttheircomputers.Payattentiontotheexpressionsused.Thentellyourpartnerwhatyoulikeaboutthecomputeryouuse.1.Ilikethelaptopbecauseit’svery,verythin.It’smaybelessthanoneinchandit’saboutfourpoundsandIcancarryitanywhereIwant.2.MyfavoritefeatureofmycomputeristheInstantMessenger.Thereasonforthisisthatit’sveryaffordable,funandconvenientandallowsmetochatwithmyfriendsfromallovertheworld.Listentothesetwoconversations.Circlethebestanswertocompleteeachsentence.Conversation1Well,Lynn,Imustbegoing.Itwasgreattoseeyou–By,Pam.What’sthat?Oh…that’sOllie.OllieIdidn’tknowyouhadadog!Well,wedon’t…really.Whatdoyoumean?Comehere.Ohmygoodness.It’sarobot!That’sright.It’sadogrobot.Theycallita“dogbot.”Howinteresting!…Butit’salittlestrange,don’tyouthink?Well,Iwantedtogetaninteractivetoyforthekids.Theyloveit.SoI’mhappy.Howmuchdiditcost?Don’task.Itwasn’tveryaffordable.It’scheaperthanhavingarealdog,though.Wedon’teverhavetobuydogfood!Andthebatteriesarerechargeable.Conversation2Hey,Henrik.Look.Whatisit,Juliana?What’sthatguydoingoverthere?Whichguy?Theoneoverthere.Wearingasuit.H’spunchingsomanybuttonsonhiscellphone.Oh,him.He’sprobablyplayingagame.Really?Alotofpeoplehavegamesontheircellphones.It’sreallypopularhereinFinland.Theyplaythemeverywhere.Doyouplaythem,too?Yes,Ido.Ionlyusemyphonetomaketelephonecalls.IguessI’mold-fashioned.Iheardthatsomepeopleplaygamesevenatwork.Theycanplayquietlyduringbusinessmeetings.Nooneknowsaboutit.I’dliketotryit.Here,usemine!Listenagain.Foreachconversation,circlethewordsusedtodescribethenewtechnology.Conversation1Well,Lynn,Imustbegoing.Itwasgreattoseeyou–By,Pam.What’sthat?Oh…that’sOllie.OllieIdidn’tknowyouhadadog!Well,wedon’t…really.Whatdoyoumean?Comehere.Ohmygoodness.It’sarobot!That’sright.It’sadogrobot.Theycallita“dogbot.”Howinteresting!…Butit’salittlestrange,don’tyouthink?Well,Iwantedtogetaninteractivetoyforthekids.Theyloveit.SoI’mhappy.Howmuchdiditcost?Don’task.Itwasn’tveryaffordable.It’scheaperthanhavingarealdog,though.Wedon’teverhavetobuydogfood!Andthebatteriesarerechargeable.Conversation2Hey,Henrik.Look.Whatisit,Juliana?What’sthatguydoingoverthere?Whichguy?Theoneoverthere.Wearingasuit.H’spunchingsomanybuttonsonhiscellphone.Oh,him.He’sprobablyplayingagame.Really?Alotofpeoplehavegamesontheircellphones.It’sreallypopularhereinFinland.Theyplaythemeverywhere.Doyouplaythem,too?Yes,Ido.Ionlyusemyphonetomaketelephonecalls.IguessI’mold-fashioned.Iheardthatsomepeopleplaygamesevenatwork.Theycanplayquietlyduringbusinessmeetings.Nooneknowsaboutit.I’dliketotryit.Here,usemine!ListentotheconversationandchoosethemessageTedleftforScott.Hello.YourComputerWorldsalesdepartment.Hi,Penny.It’sTed.Oh,hi,Ted.What’sup?Well,mycomputerhascrashedagain.Ohno!Oh,yes.That’swhyI’mcalling.Youknow,it’sfiveyearsold.AndIneedtospeaktoScottaboutgettinganewone.Well,you’vecalledatagoodtime.Wehavesomeattractivenewmodels.Great!I’mlookingforsomethingaffordable.AndIwanttogetsomethingportablethistime.I’msureScottcanhelpyouwiththat…Let’ssee,heisinameetinguntil3:30.I’llaskhimtocallyou.No,that’sOK.I’llcallhimafter3:30.Pleasegivehimthemessage.Nowlistentoatalkaboutdifferentwaysofcommunication.CompletethechartbycheckingtherightboxesaccordingtowhatismentionedinthetalkE-mailismyfavoritewaytocommunicate.Ithinkitisasfastasafaxmachine,anditisaseasyasacellphone.Ofcourse,e-mailhassomeproblems,too.Itisn’tasaffordableasordinarymail,becauseyouneedacomputerandInternetservice.AndIdon’tthinkitisasreliableasafaxmachine.Sometimese-mailmessagesgetlost.Butinmyopinion,e-mailisasconvenientasacellphone.Icansendamessagefrommyhomeoroffice,andmyfriendscanreaditwhentheyhavetime.Listentoatechnologyreport.WhatappliancesdoesthereportmentionWritethemdown.Intoday’sreport,welookatanewtechnologycalledpervasivecomputing.Pervasivecomputingmeansputtingtinycomputersintoeverydayelectronicappliances,suchastoastersandmicrowaves.Withpervasivecomputing,appliancescancommunicatewiththeirusers–andwithotherappliances!Somecompaniesnowsellpervasivecomputingproductslikea“smart”toaster.Itremembersyourfavoritekindoftoast:lightordark.Companiesaredesigninga“smart”coffeemakeranda“smart”clock.Thecoffeemakercanmeasurethewaterandcoffee.Itcanevenputmilkinyourbreakfastcoffeeandmakeblackcoffeeintheafternoon.Theclockwillcheckthetimeonotherclocksinyourhouse,andgiveinformationaboutotherappliances.Forexample,itcantellyou,“Yourcoffeemakerneedsmorewater.”Andthat’sonlythebeginning.Onecompanyisnowadvertising“Savetime–phoneyourwashingmachine!”Engineersaremakinga“smart”house.Inthishouse,thelights,heater,andairconditionerchangeautomaticallywhenfamilymemberscomehome.Thismakesthehomecomfortable,anditsavesalotofenergy.Pervasivecomputingcouldchangemanypartsofourdailylives.ButdopeoplereallywantpervasivecomputingDotheyreallyneedtechnologyeverywhereOnecompanyaskedpeopleabouttheiropinionson“smart”appliances.Thereweresurprises.A“smart”refrigeratorcanbuymorefoodontheinternet,butpeopledidn’twantit,becauseitmightmakemistakes.

“Pervasivecomputingisasimportantasatelephone,”saysRebeccaBlair,presidentofInnoTechCorporation.Butsomeoftheseproductsarenotuseful,orevenpractical.Companiesshouldlearnmoreaboutthetechnologythatpeoplereallywant.Listenagain.Arethesentencesbelowtrue(T)orfalse(F)Forthefalsesentences,crossoutthemistakesandcorrectthemIntoday’sreport,welookatanewtechnologycalledpervasivecomputing.Pervasivecomputingmeansputtingtinycomputersintoeverydayelectronicappliances,suchastoastersandmicrowaves.Withpervasivecomputing,appliancescancommunicatewiththeirusers–andwithotherappliances!Somecompaniesnowsellpervasivecomputingproductslikea“smart”toaster.Itremembersyourfavoritekindoftoast:lightordark.Companiesaredesigninga“smart”coffeemakeranda“smart”clock.Thecoffeemakercanmeasurethewaterandcoffee.Itcanevenputmilkinyourbreakfastcoffeeandmakeblackcoffeeintheafternoon.Theclockwillcheckthetimeonotherclocksinyourhouse,andgiveinformationaboutotherappliances.Forexample,itcantellyou,“Yourcoffeemakerneedsmorewater.”Andthat’sonlythebeginning.Onecompanyisnowadvertising“Savetime–phoneyourwashingmachine!”Engineersaremakinga“smart”house.Inthishouse,thelights,heater,andairconditionerchangeautomaticallywhenfamilymemberscomehome.Thismakesthehomecomfortable,anditsavesalotofenergy.Pervasivecomputingcouldchangemanypartsofourdailylives.ButdopeoplereallywantpervasivecomputingDotheyreallyneedtechnologyeverywhereOnecompanyaskedpeopleabouttheiropinionson“smart”appliances.Thereweresurprises.A“smart”refrigeratorcanbuymorefoodontheinternet,butpeopledidn’twantit,becauseitmightmakemistakes.

“Pervasivecomputingisasimportantasatelephone,”saysRebeccaBlair,presidentofInnoTechCorporation.Butsomeoftheseproductsarenotuseful,orevenpractical.Companiesshouldlearnmoreaboutthetechnologythatpeoplereallywant.Nowlistentothereport.LocalgirlrescuedShemayhaveabrokenleg,butshecan’tbehappier.MorganBailey,11,ishappytobealive.TuesdaywaslikeanyotherdayforMorgan.Shewasatschool.Itwasfourthperiod,andshewasthefirststudenttoarriveinthegymnasiumforherphysicaleducationclass.Suddenlytherewasaloudnoise.“Therewasasharpcrackingnoiseandthenaloudboom.Afterthat,Idon’trememberanything,”saidMorgan.Theroofofthegymnasiumhadcollapsedundertheheavysnow.Morganwastrappedunderneath.Shecouldn’tescape.“Iwokeupandtherewasabigpieceofwoodonmyleg.Icouldn’tmoveit.Iwasstartingtogetcold.”Fortunately,helpwasnearby.Anewprogramusing“rescuerobots”wastriedforthefirsttime.“Wewerenervousaboutusingtherobot,”saidDerrickSneed,themaninchargeoftheprogram.“Butintheend,therobotgaveusreliableinformation.Itwentextremelywell.”TherescuerobotwasabletogointothegymandlocateMorgan’sexactposition.“Wesendinrobotsfirstbecauseitmaynotbesafeforhumans,”saidMr.Sneed.“Humanbeingsarenotasusefulasrobotsinsomesituations.Agasleak,forexample,couldkillyouormebutwouldn’thurtarobot.”Althoughitdidn’thappeninMorgan’scase,somerescuerobotscanbringfresha