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Invisible in San Francisco: Science Fiction Technologies on Display 科幻隐身术在旧金山现身

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繁體中文譯本

George is working on his laptop while Judy, his wife, surfs the Internet:  乔治在他的笔记本电脑上工作，他太太茱蒂在上网：

G: Judy, let’s go to San Francisco for our next vacation.

茱蒂，我们下次去旧金山渡假吧。

J: Sure. What’s the inspiration?

好啊，你为什么会有这样的突发灵感？

G: I’d like to buy an invisible cloak.

我想买一件隐身斗篷。

J: Last I checked, Harry Potter’s school was in Scotland, not California.

上次我查过，哈利波特的魔法学校在苏格兰，不在加州。

G: No, this is for real! Next year, I wanna go to an exhibition called NextFest in San Fran. This year, a Japanese inventor, Professor Tachi, unveiled a working invisibility cloak. It’s on this website.

不，我讲真的！明年我要去旧金山看一个叫做「未来大展」的展览。今年有一位日本发明家馆教授，推出了一件真正能发挥作用的隐身斗蓬。细节就在这个网站上。

J: What’s the URL? (types address) Cool!

网站的网址是什么？（键入网址）好酷！

G: For sure. Professor Tachi invented this radical technology called RPT, or Retro-reflective Projection Technology. A camera behind the wearer captures the background image, which is then projected onto the reflective cloak making it appear transparent.

当然。馆教授发明了这种先进技术，叫做「从后反射投影术」。穿着斗篷像是透明的。

J: It says here the next step is virtual windows for windowless rooms. Just hang up some Retro-reflective drapes and – presto – you’ve got a view.

这里还说下一个目标是为没有窗子的房间设计虚拟窗。只要挂上使用从后反射物料的窗帘布──我变！──你马上就有窗景了。

G: Also, this stuff would let pilots see the runway through the bottom of the cockpit or let drivers see through their backseat while parking.

还有，这种东西能让飞机驾驶员经由驾驶舱底部看见跑道，或让司机要停车时能够看到后座后面。

J: It’d also be handy for a thief, wouldn’t it?

对小偷也同样方便，对不对？

G: Probably. But NextFest demonstrated lots of other stuff, like a flying car and a computer game that reads your mood!

或许吧。但未来大展还有展出很多其他的东西，例如会飞的车子和会测知你心情的电动玩具。

J: Settle down – I’ll book us tickets to San Francisco.

好，别急──我会订妥我们飞旧金山的机票。

－by Iain Ferguson

Vocabulary

单词发音

invisible [ɪnˋvɪzəb!] adj. 看不见的；无形的

on display 展出

cloak [klok] n. 斗篷，披风

unveil [ʌnˋvel] v. 使公诸于众；揭露

working [ˋwɝkɪŋ] adj. 有效的；可行的

radical [ˋrædɪk!] adj. 重大的; 根本的

retro- [ˋrɛtro] pref. 前缀, 表示"向后"；"倒退"；"追溯"；"回复"

virtual [ˋvɝtʃʊəl] adj. 【计算机】虚拟的

drape [drep] n. 帘（尤指窗帘）

presto [ˋprɛsto] interjection 感叹词【口】嘿〔用于给人看令人难以置信或不可思议的东西时〕

cockpit [ˋkɑk͵pɪt] n.（飞机，小艇，赛车等的）驾驶员座舱

handy [ˋhændɪ] adj. 便利的; 易于操作（或操纵）的

settle down (使)平静下来  to become calm or composed.

Sentence of the Day

Inventors like Professor Tachi are blazing a trail into possibilities previously considered science fiction.

像馆教授这样的发明家首开先河地将以往被视为天方夜谭的东西化为可能。

blaze a trail  开辟道路, 闯出新路, 率先…,披荆斩棘  to do early or pioneering work that others will follow up on