新西兰英语 85 Google Street View

　　Google launched¹ the New Zealand edition of its Street View software this week. Street View is found on Google maps and is free to use. By typing in an address or dragging a small man on the screen, anyone with an Internet connection has a 360-degree, street level view of just about any address in New Zealand.
Street View was first launched in the United States in 2007 and is now active in six other countries including France, Italy and now New Zealand. Google eventually wants to provide street views of the entire world. The New Zealand images were collected by cameras fixed² to the roof of cars that drove around the country’s streets over the past year. Some people are worried that Street View will be used to help plan burglaries and Privacy³ Commissioner⁴ Marie Shroff expected some concerns about privacy when people realized what Street View could do. However, Street View only shows what you can already see from public roads. To protect privacy even more, Google have made sure that faces and vehicle licence⁵ plates are blurred⁶ and also people could ask to have a picture removed.
Street View can be used for many different things such as looking at holiday destinations before leaving home or locating a local business. Mike Elford, National President of the Real Estate⁷ Institute of New Zealand, said people wanting to buy or rent a house can check out local facilities first. George Hickton, Chief Executive⁸ of Tourism New Zealand, thinks Street View is a great tool for tourists and people who are thinking of visiting New Zealand will have a chance to see what our country offers before they even get here.
It is useful too for telling someone how to get to your place: they just enter their address and your address and Street View shows you how get there. It also tells you which streets to take, when to turn left, how many kilometres and so on. Street View will also be helpful in schools and universities, especially in subjects like Geography. You can check out your home at http://maps.google.co.nz/streetview
Contributed by Anita Jones

1 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

2 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

3 privacy   

n.私人权利，个人自由，隐私权

参考例句：

• In such matters,privacy is impossible.在这类事情中，保密是不可能的。
• She wept in the privacy of her own room.她在自己房内暗暗落泪。

4 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

5 licence   

n.证书；许可证，执照；v.许可；批准

参考例句：

• The restaurant applied for a licence to sell wine.那家餐厅申请售酒许可证。
• He hadn't paid his television licence fee.他尚未缴纳电视机使用许可费。

6 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 estate   

n.所有地，地产，庄园；住宅区；财产，资产

参考例句：

• My estate lies within a mile.我的地产离那有一英里。
• The great real estate brokers do far more than this.而优秀的房地产经纪人做得可比这多得多。

8 executive   

adj.执行的，行政的；n.执行者，行政官，经理

参考例句：

• A good executive usually gets on well with people.一个好的高级管理人员通常与人们相处得很好。
• He is a man of great executive ability.他是个具有极高管理能力的人。