VOA慢速英语2015 科技商店让高科技梦想触手可及

 

TechShop Puts High-Tech¹ Dreams Within Reach 科技商店让高科技梦想触手可及

Maurice Mountain is a retired² lawyer in Washington, D.C. He developed a prototype for a device he calls the Presto³ Emergency Boat Ladder. His invention is a small folding ladder that attaches to the side of a boat to help people who fall into the water. Mr. Mountain plans to mass-produce his boat ladder.  

He created his invention at a workshop called TechShop.  Members of TechShop use high-tech equipment to develop and produce ideas they have for inventions. Mr. Mountain says TechShop permits people to turn their dreams into reality.

“I think it encourages innovation. I think people who probably have had ideas rolling around in the back of their minds for years but have never had the opportunity to actually put them into production or even experiment with them would find this place wonderful.”

Isabella Musachio manages a TechShop in Arlington, Virginia. She says the shop has many different kinds of equipment.

“TechShop is a do-it-yourself maker⁴ space and fabrication studio. So when you come in we have all these different areas of the shop, and we have a metal shop, wood shop, plastic slab⁵, lasers, 3D printers, electronics, textiles.  I mean, we have so many different areas and we have all this equipment that is available to anybody above the age of 12 and up.”

Membership costs for TechShop start at just over $100 per month.  Members are able to use costly⁶ machines including 3D modeling tools and laser cutters. Isabella Musachio says TechShop helps its members build their dreams.

“Our motto is ‘build your dreams here’ because you can really come in with just an idea, and then with the help of TechShop make that leap from an idea to building your project or your prototype or even your business.”

The business application and credit card reader Square was developed at a TechShop facility in San Francisco. Now, Square is used to charge about $8.8 billion in business transactions every year.

U.S. President Barack Obama spoke⁷ at the TechShop workshop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2014. He said that innovation is the first step to the future. He added that TechShop is giving people the tools they need to turn their ideas into reality.

“Because of advances in technology, the opportunity is now to make the tools that are needed for production and prototypes are now democratized. They are in the hands of anybody who’s got a good idea."

Jim Newton is the founder⁸ of TechShop. He first introduced the idea for the technology workshops at an arts and sciences event called Maker Faire in San Mateo, California in 2006. His idea attracted hundreds of members during that event. Now, there are eight TechShop locations in the U.S. In all, there are more than 6,000 members.

Jim Newton has plans for two more TechShop locations in the cities of St. Louis and Los Angeles.

Words in this Story

attract – v. to cause someone to like or be interested in something

facility – n. something such as a building or large piece of equipment that is built for a specific purpose

innovation – n. a new idea, device, or method

prototype – n. an original or first model of something from which other forms are copied or developed

1 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

2 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 presto   

adv.急速地；n.急板乐段；adj.急板的

参考例句：

• With something so important,you can't just wave a wand and presto!在这么重大的问题上，你想挥动一下指挥棒，转眼就变过来,办不到！
• I just turned the piece of wire in the lock and hey presto,the door opened.我把金属丝伸到锁孔里一拧，嘿，那门就开了。

4 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

5 slab   

n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上

参考例句：

• This heavy slab of oak now stood between the bomb and Hitler.这时笨重的橡木厚板就横在炸弹和希特勒之间了。
• The monument consists of two vertical pillars supporting a horizontal slab.这座纪念碑由两根垂直的柱体构成，它们共同支撑着一块平板。

6 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。