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Where Will You Wear Your Computer? 「计算机」穿上身?

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A few decades ago, one computer could fill a whole room. Then, personal computers and laptops appear. Since then, computers have only gotten smaller and less noticeable. In fact, computers are now being designed to be completely unobtrusive and even worn like clothing. These wearable computers will soon change the way we live and think.

数十年前一部计算机可能占据整个房间，后来个人计算机和笔记本电脑陆续出现，从此以后，计算机只有变得越来越小且越来越不引人注意。事实上，计算机现在的设计完全不醒目，甚至可以让我们像衣服一样穿着。这些可穿式计算机很快地会改变我们的生活方式和想法。

Wearable computers aren’t really a new idea. The idea originated in the 1970s, when scientists first developed backpack computers. These, however, were quite large and heavy. Wearable computers of the future will be small, powerful, and integrated into clothing, wristwatches, or eyeglasses. These computers won’t need keyboards or other clumsy input devices either, as users will control them with voice commands or simple gestures.

可穿式计算机并不完全是新的构想。这个想法源自1970年代，当时科学家们第一开发背包计算机，但是这些计算机又大又重。未来可穿式计算机将是体积小、性能强，并可以和衣服、手表、眼镜整合在一起。这些计算机不需要键盘，也不需要其他难操作的输入设备，因为用户可以用语音指令或简单的手势来操控。

Some of the benefits of this technology are already being realized. One wearable computer being used now can save the lives of people prone to heart attacks. It monitors the wearer’s heart for problems, and if one is detected, it automatically calls for an ambulance. All of this happens up to twenty minutes before the heart attack even occurs! Another wearable computer on the near horizon is a glove that can translate the sign language of deaf people into speech.

这种科技的一些好处已经实现了，现行有一种可穿式计算机可以用来拯救容易患心脏病的人的生命。这种计算机可以监视穿着者的心脏毛病，如果有侦测到任何问题，它会自动叫救护车，这一切甚至在心脏病发作前二十分钟就会发生了。另一种即将问世的可穿式计算机是只手套，可以把视障者的手语翻译成话语。

However, these advances are just the beginning. Scientists believe that in the future, wearable computers will be integrated into our bodies. They will inevitably become part of our senses, our memory, and even our consciousness. Just like cell phones today, wearable computers will be everywhere. Unlike cell phones, however, this technology will transform our very idea of what is human and what is machine.

然而这些进展只是开端，科学家们相信未来可穿式计算机可以和我们的身体整合在一起，不可避免地将成为我们感官、记忆甚至是知觉的一部份。就像现在的手机一样，可穿式计算机将随处可见。然而和手机不一样的是，这种科技将改变我们对于什么是机器及什么是人的看法。

－by Darshan Tyler

Vocabulary

单词发音

noticeable [ˋnotɪsəb!] adj. 显而易见的，显著的

backpack [ˋbæk͵pæk] n. 登山、远足用的背包

clumsy [ˋklʌmzɪ] adj. 笨拙的，手脚不灵活的; 不便使用的

ambulance [ˋæmbjələns] n. 救护车

inevitably [ɪnˋɛvətəblɪ] adv. 不可避免地；必然地

More Information

单词发音

originate [əˋrɪdʒə͵net] v. 发源；来自；产生[Q][（+in/from/with）]

integrate [ˋɪntə͵gret] v. 使成一体，使结合，使合并[（+with/into）]

wristwatch [ˋrɪst͵wɑtʃ] n. 手表

prone to 易于; 有...倾向的

call for 要求, 需要

very [ˋvɛrɪ] adj. 正是那一个的﹐正是的; 真正的, 真实的

on the near horizon 即将到来

translate [trænsˋlet] v. 翻译，转译[（+from/into）]

unobtrusive [͵ʌnəbˋtrusɪv] adj. 不引人注目的