VOA标准英语2011-Life Batteries are Tomorrow's Innovations

Three-dimensional cell phones and batteries that last much longer are just two of the techonogies that could become commonplace in the next few years.

For the fifth year, IBM has looked at the horizons of research, picked five technologies and announced them as tomorrow's innovations.

 

"Individual technologies take different times to matriculate," says John Cohn, IBM's Chief Scientist. "But the thing that's common about them is that we think in 2015, all these predictions will actually be something that we take for granted."

Cohn says 3-D technology is at the top of the company's "Five in Five" list. While movies and television are already moving to the 3-D interfaces¹, he says this technology will enable us to interact with photos, browse² the web and chat with friends in entirely³ new ways.

"Smart phones, for example, will be able to do 3-Ds and you will not require glasses. Imagine your friend calling from another city and having him or her pop up almost like Princess Leia in Star Wars. It's really the science of optics. where beaming into individual eyes, the light gives the perception of 3-D, and tells the brain that you're seeing a 3-D image," says Cohn. "We think that it will make communication much more personal."

And when we interact with friends in 3-D on our cell phones, Cohn says, there will be no worries about our need to recharge the phone battery. Future batteries will last much longer than they do today.

"We have scientists who are looking at new battery chemistries, looking at lithium air batteries. Imagine a battery that actually recharges by breathing air like you and I do. So when it's sitting on the bed table at night while you're sleeping, it's recharging," he says. "That means that you can go 10 times longer without recharging. That's really good, not only that it is more convenient, but it also means fewer of these batteries will end up in the waste stream."

The third innovation on IBM's list involves power - technology to capture heat from our computers and re-use it.

"As you use computers, as you're surfing for the web, especially in large data centers, it generates a lot of heat. Right now, that heat is wasted. It actually just gets pulled away and it goes out through the chimneys. Well, our scientists are putting small channels actually into the chips that do the computing⁴, taking that heat back and using heat pump technology to then heat a building or even cool a building. So the energy will be reclaimed⁵. So computing will become a lot more energy efficient."

Our commutes⁶ will also become more efficient, thanks to developments in transportation.

"Right now your GPS (Global Positioning System) might be able to tell you there is congestion⁷ up ahead. Our scientists are now using traffic prediction technology, not just detection, but prediction, so that by knowing everyone's driving patterns, knowing about the arrival times of planes, trains, we'll be able to give everyone personalized commuting⁸ instructions. So rather than waiting for congestion to happen, then moving people around it, we'll be able to anticipate and prevent that congestion on the same roadways and everyone will move more smoothly⁹."

And as data technologies develop, Cohn says, each of us will be able to contribute to saving the planet.

"As people are moving into their lives, like commuting, all of these devices- their laptops, their cell phones, their cars even - are connected in sort of an internet of things. All of that will be gathering¹⁰ data and so people will be helping¹¹ gathering info about traffic flow, about air flow, even seismic¹² activities. Your cell phone will be able to tell scientists about earthquakes and tsunamis¹³ that have happened. So everyone will be participating in this web of citizen scientists. So those are the five."

1 interfaces   

界面( interface的名词复数 )； 接口（连接两装置的电路，可使数据从一种代码转换成另一种代码）； 交界； 联系

参考例句：

• If the class needs to be reprogrammed, new interfaces are created. 如果class需要重新程序设计，新的interfaces创建。
• Interfaces solve this problem of evolving code. Interfaces解决了代码升级的问题。

2 browse   

vi.随意翻阅，浏览；(牛、羊等)吃草

参考例句：

• I had a browse through the books on her shelf.我浏览了一下她书架上的书。
• It is a good idea to browse through it first.最好先通篇浏览一遍。

3 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。

4 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

5 reclaimed   

adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• Many sufferers have been reclaimed from a dependence on alcohol. 许多嗜酒成癖的受害者已经被挽救过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They reclaimed him from his evil ways. 他们把他从邪恶中挽救出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 commutes   

上下班路程( commute的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She commutes from Oxford to London every day. 她每天上下班往返于牛津与伦敦之间。
• Barbara lives in Oxford and commutes. 芭芭拉住在牛津，通勤往来。

7 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

8 commuting   

交换（的）

参考例句：

• I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
• Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。

9 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

10 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 seismic   

a.地震的，地震强度的

参考例句：

• Earthquakes produce two types of seismic waves.地震产生两种地震波。
• The latest seismic activity was also felt in northern Kenya.肯尼亚北部也感觉到了最近的地震活动。

13 tsunamis   

n.海啸( tsunami的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our oceans are alive with earthquakes, volcanoes, and more recently, tsunamis. 海中充满着地震、火山，包括最近发生的海啸。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年2月号
• Please tell me something more about tsunamis! 请您给我讲讲海啸吧！ 来自辞典例句