美文欣赏：2013年度一些令人惊艳的最佳发明

 　　美国《时代》周刊评选出了2013年的25项最佳发明，有些很实用：能隐身的摩天大楼、能让瘫痪者重新站立的外骨骼套装；有些很有趣：不能提神的咖啡酒、结合了两种美味的羊角甜甜圈面包。让我们随着这篇文章，一起来看看其中一些令人惊艳的最佳发明吧。

　　The year 2013 has seen a wide array of inventions, some of them solving problems that we never thought could be solved and others simply making life more fun. Which of these inventions stand out? Check out some of the things that made it into Time magazine’s list of the 25 best inventions of 2013.

　　The Driverless (Toy) Car

　　无人驾驶（玩具）汽车

　　San Francisco-based Anki wants to bring robotics to the people. The company’s first offering is Anki Drive, a $200 racing¹ game in which toy cars can drive themselves. The cars carry sensors³ that feed data to an iPhone or iPad, which players can use to control speed and position for their cars. Meanwhile, the Anki app computes⁴ actions of the enemy cars so they can compete as craftily⁵ as the humans.

　　Gravity’s Lightbox

　　太空灯箱

　　For his film Gravity, set entirely⁶ in space, director Alfonso Cuarón had to throw out the normal sci-fi playbook. Working with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, he created a “lightbox”: a 20-by-10-ft. (6 by 3 m) structure covered with 196 panels of 4,096 LED bulbs each to simulate the extreme light in outer space. The box had the added bonus of being able to project images that would be added later in CGI, so that the actors had a visual reference.

　　Alcoholic⁷ Coffee

　　咖啡酒

　　Portuguese⁸ and Spanish researchers writing in the journal LWT—Food Science and Technology announced the birth of a new coffee-based beverage⁹. They dried used grounds, heated the powder in scalding water for 45 minutes, removed the liquid and added sugar and yeast¹⁰. Then they let the mixture ferment¹¹ and concentrated it to boost the alcohol content. The result? A booze that’s about 80 proof, like tequila and vodka. It’s good enough to consume , they found, and its taste might improve with age. But beware: this coffee won’t keep you awake, since most of the caffeine disappears as it brews¹².

　　Sony’s Smart Lens

　　索尼智能镜头

　　With its large sensor², high-quality glass and 3.6x optical zoom¹³, the Sony DSC-QX100 has all the fixings of a high-quality digital camera—but it clips to your iPhone or Android phone. With Sony’s “PlayMemories Mobile” app, your phone acts as the viewfinder. Unattached, it’s the remote control. The DSC-QX100 is a bit too big to fit in a jeans pocket but plenty small enough for a bag. It retails¹⁴ for $499.

　　The Cronut

　　羊角甜甜圈面包

　　In 2013 a new fusion¹⁵ food joined the ranks of the ice cream cake and the turducken. The cronut—made of croissant-style pastry¹⁶ that’s fried like a doughnut, filled with cream and topped with glaze—transfixed foodies when New York City chef Dominique Ansel started selling it in May. His recipe inspired imitations around the world, and customers proved willing to wait hours for a taste; scalpers were even hawking¹⁷ the $5 treats for up to $40.

　　The 3Doodler

　　3D打印笔

　　Enjoy doodling? The 3Doodler promises to make it more fun. The pen doodles in three dimensions instead of two. Essentially¹⁸ it works like a 3-D printer, melting and cooling colored plastic to create freestanding structures in any shape imaginable. Invented by Maxwell Bogue, Peter Dilworth and Daniel Cowen at the Boston-based toy company WobbleWorks, the 3Doodler raised over $2 million on Kickstarter, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects.

 

1 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

2 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

3 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

4 computes   

v.计算，估算( compute的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This article also computes STL model volume and research simply model complexity. 文章还评估了STL实体体积，对模型的复杂度进行了研究。 来自互联网
• This macro computes the length of the day, from sunrise to sunset. 把根据要求确定出来的日出日没间隔作为我们通常直觉上的一个白天。 来自互联网

5 craftily   

狡猾地，狡诈地

参考例句：

• He craftily arranged to be there when the decision was announced. 在决议宣布之时，他狡猾地赶到了那里。
• Strengthen basic training of calculation, get the kids to grasp the radical calculating ability craftily. 加强计算基本训练，通过分、小、百互化口算的练习，使学生熟练地掌握基本的计算技能。

6 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

7 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

8 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

9 beverage   

n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料

参考例句：

• The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
• Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。

10 yeast   

n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫

参考例句：

• Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
• The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。

11 ferment   

vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱

参考例句：

• Fruit juices ferment if they are kept a long time.果汁若是放置很久，就会发酵。
• The sixties were a time of theological ferment.六十年代是神学上骚动的时代。

12 brews   

n.（尤指某地酿造的）啤酒( brew的名词复数 )；酿造物的种类；（茶）一次的冲泡量；（不同思想、环境、事件的）交融v.调制( brew的第三人称单数 )；酝酿；沏（茶）；煮（咖啡）

参考例句：

• He brews beer at home. 他在家里酿造啤酒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They produce the country's best brews of beer. 他们生产该国的佳酿啤酒。 来自辞典例句

13 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

14 retails   

n.零售( retail的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This book retails at 10 dollars overseas. 这本书的海外零售价是十美元。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This radio retails for ＄ 14.95. 这种收音机的零售价是14美元95美分。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 fusion   

n.溶化；熔解；熔化状态，熔和；熔接

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc. 黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• This alloy is formed by the fusion of two types of metal.这种合金是用两种金属熔合而成的。

16 pastry   

n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry.厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• The pastry crust was always underdone.馅饼的壳皮常常烤得不透。

17 hawking   

利用鹰行猎

参考例句：

• He is hawking his goods everywhere. 他在到处兜售他的货物。
• We obtain the event horizon and the Hawking spectrumformula. 得到了黑洞的局部事件视界位置和Hawking温度以及Klein—Gordon粒子的Hawking辐射谱。

18 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。