北师大版高中英语模块11--Unit32(2)-1

[00:03.01]Unit 32 Reading and speaking
[00:07.61]What didn't come to pass
[00:10.20]by Vivienne Parry, former presenter¹
[00:13.05]of Tomorrow's World
[00:15.02]1 Forecasting what life is going to be
[00:16.88]like years down the line is a dodgy business.
[00:19.87]Even the experts don't always get it right.
[00:22.80]Take Bill Gates, for example.
[00:25.07]In 1981, he firmly stated that "640k of memory
[00:29.85]ought to be enough for anyone."
[00:31.92]So it's more than a bit embarrassing for him
[00:34.79]now that,even on a standard issue home PC,
[00:38.24]you need 200 times that amount of memory
[00:40.93]just to run his own company's software.
[00:44.17]Fortunately for Bill,
[00:45.47]others predicted that the technological²
[00:47.26]future would involve giant computers
[00:50.08]that were the size of cities,
[00:52.21]whereas what we actually have
[00:54.56]are ever-shrinking models that you can tuck
[00:57.29]neatly into your pocket,
[00:59.24]which are hundreds of times more powerful
[01:01.48]than their lumbering³ predecessors⁴.
[01:03.89]Nano-technology is definitely the way forward.
[01:05.67]

1 presenter   

n.（电视、广播的）主持人，赠与者

参考例句：

• Most people think being a television presenter is exciting.很多人认为当电视节目主持人是一件刺激的事情。
• The programme dispensed with its most popular presenter.这个节目最受欢迎的主持人被换掉了。

2 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

3 lumbering   

n.采伐林木

参考例句：

• Lumbering and, later, paper-making were carried out in smaller cities. 木材业和后来的造纸都由较小的城市经营。
• Lumbering is very important in some underdeveloped countries. 在一些不发达的国家，伐木业十分重要。

4 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》