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Biometrics: Scanning the Future 生物辨识系统：身份带着走

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

A man and a woman stand side by side in line at the supermarket. The man goes to pay by credit card, but then realizes that he left his card at home. The woman simply presses her finger over a scanner, which reads her fingerprint. After she types in her password, the amount she owes is subtracted from her bank account, and she’s on her way. This is the convenience of biometrics.

超市里一男一女并肩排队。男士想刷卡付账，但发现自己将信用卡放在家里。女士则仅在读取指纹的扫描仪上按压手指；输入密码后，她欠下的金额就从其银行账户扣除，接着便离开了。这就是「生物辨识」的便利性。

Biometrics are methods of recognizing a person. It could be by your fingerprint, your voice, your eye, your hand, or your DNA. Businesses and banks are starting to use biometrics as methods for people to pay, or take out money.

「生物辨识」技术是辨识身份的方法，可透过指纹、声音、眼睛、手或DNA来辨认。企业和银行正开始使用「生物辨识」技术，作为人们付钱或提款的方式。

Three million people in the United States now use biometrics to pay for goods at supermarkets, pharmacies and convenience stores. In Japan, another two million use palm-scanners whenever they want to take out cash from an ATM. Laptops and phones are also coming out with fingerprint scanners. A Dutch bank has also unveiled plans for a new telephone banking system where a customer’s identity will be confirmed by their voice.

美国现有三百万人使用「生物辨识」技术在超市、药局和便利商店消费。在日本，有二百万人用掌纹扫瞄器，可随时从自动柜员机提款。含指纹扫瞄器的手提电脑和电话也陆续上市。一家荷兰银行也宣布了新的电话金融系统计划，将由声音辨认顾客的身份。

Vocabulary

单词发音

scan [skæn] v.（雷达光束等）扫描

fingerprint [ˋfɪŋgɚ͵prɪnt] n. 指纹

pharmacy [ˋfɑrməsɪ] n. 药房

unveil [ʌnˋvel] v. 使公诸于众；揭露

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单词发音

biometrics [͵baɪəˋmɛtrɪks] n. 生物测定学；生物统计学

side by side 肩并肩地；一起 next to each other; close together

subtract [səbˋtrækt] v. 减，减去；去掉

DNA  deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸（染色体和基因的组成部分）

ATM  Automated Teller Machine, Automatic Teller Machine 自动存提款机

banking [ˋbæŋkɪŋ] n. 银行业务

课文朗读

课文讲解

Bank cards can be lost or stolen, passwords can be forgotten or stolen, and signatures can be forged. But with biometrics, there’s little possibility that someone could steal your fingerprint, or imitate your voice. As the technology is new, banks especially are treading cautiously, adding extra security filters where biometrics are used. However, some experts predict those filters will gradually be done away with.

银行的卡可能遗失或遭窃，密码也可能遗忘或遭窃，而签名则可能被伪造。但有了「生物辨识」技术，就不太可能有人窃取你的指纹或模仿你的声音。由于这是项新科技，银行特别谨慎行事，在「生物辨识」技术使用处添加额外的安全过滤系统。然而，有些专家预测这些过滤系统将逐渐被停用。

In addition to making shopping and banking more convenient, biometrics could also keep us safer. Governments could use biometrics to keep tabs on criminals, or even terrorists. Of course, this brings up a host of privacy issues, as some worry that biometrics could also be used to spy on honest citizens. However, because of its convenience and security, people around the world are starting to embrace this emerging technology.

除了使购物和银行业务更加方便之外，「生物辨识」亦能使我们更安全。政府可利用「生物辨识」监控罪犯，甚至恐怖份子。当然，这引发诸多关于隐私的争议；有些人担心「生物辨识」技术也会被用来监视诚实的公民。然而，由于其便利与安全，全世界的人都开始接受这项新兴科技。

A recent survey showed that people would welcome a biometric check-in process at airports, if it meant that waiting time in lines would be reduced. As long as something makes life more convenient, people will greet it with open arms. So don’t be surprised if the next time you visit the supermarket, the clerk asks, “Will you be paying by debit, credit card, or finger scan?”

一项近期的调查显示，人们会欣然接受在机场用「生物辨识」技术办理报到手续，如果这表示排队时间将缩减的话。只要是使生活更加便利的事物，人们都会展开双臂欢迎。因此，如果下次到超市，店员问你这样的问题：「您要用现金卡、信用卡还是指纹扫描付费？」你可别太惊讶啰！

−by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

单词发音

tread [trɛd] v.（谨慎）行事; 踩，踏

cautiously [ˋkɔʃəslɪ] adv. 小心地，谨慎地

predict [prɪˋdɪkt] v. 预测

keep tabs on 记录; 监视  to observe carefully

tab [tæb] n.【口】密切注视，监视；记录; v. 【口】监视

embrace [ɪmˋbres] v. 欣然接受（提议等）; 拥抱

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单词发音

signature [ˋsɪgnətʃɚ] n. 签名

forge [fɔrdʒ] v. 伪造

do away with  废除, 停止  to make an end of; eliminate

host [host] n. 一大群，许多[（+of）]

check-in n.（旅客登机前）验票并领取登机卡

greet [grit] v.（以特定方式）接受

debit card（银行存款户持有的）现金卡

Reading Questions

1. The word “password” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to _____.

A. secret code

B. difficult task

C. printed text

D. ordinary system

2. Why would people welcome a biometric check-in system at airports?

A. Because the airplanes will be able to fly much faster.

B. Because the size of airports can be reduced.

C. Because the line to check in will be much shorter.

D. Because it’s cool to use your voice to check in.

3. Which is NOT one of the benefits of biometrics?

A. They can’t be stolen like credit cards.

B. They can be forged just like signatures.

C. You wouldn’t forget about them as you would with codes.

D. They are with you at all times no matter where you are.

4. What is this article mainly about?

A. How biometrics are everywhere around us.

B. Why biometrics won’t work in our society.

C. The advantages of biometrics.

D. People should use biometrics carefully.

Answer