The Notre Dame (巴黎圣母院) fire was put out, but its spire (尖顶) and a large portion of its wooden roof were damaged. The terrible destruction causes people around the world sudden sharp pain. What a pity that we cannot see the damaged parts of the wonder anymore!
But the good news is that there is at least one way of seeing them, namely through a video game called Assassin’s Creed Unity. In this game, the players can travel to one city after another, enter the buildings exactly like what they are in reality, and see Notre Dame as it was before the fire. Further, with virtual reality technology, which is already quite mature, one can even look around the undamaged Notre Dame as if it were still there. Maybe digital technology could help to better protect the architectural cultural heritage.
The idea of making digital models of ancient buildings to save their data dates back to the 1990s and the necessary technology has continued to advance since then. By scanning the ancient buildings with lasers, building 3-D models with multiple images, as well as measuring everything precisely, engineers can make a copy as accurate as the real one.
As computers and smartphones are hugely popular, a digital model has great useful value. First, it allows tourists to feel the cultural relics without touching them. The virtual tour of Mogao Grottoes in Gansu Province is a good example of this as tourists can view the paintings without standing near them. Furthermore, it can make the digitized cultural relics more famous by spreading awareness of them via the Internet. In 2000, a virtual tour of the Great Wall became very popular at the World Expo in Hannover, which increased the number of foreign tourists visiting the site in the following years. Above all, it preserves all the information of the cultural relics.
Of course, however precise a model is, it is not the original. Maybe we will have better technologies in the future, but the digital technology offers a practical way to preserve the architectural cultural heritage at the moment.
52. What can we see about Notre Dame in the mentioned game?
A.Its repaired part. |
B.Its wooden shape. |
C.Its original look. |
D.Its present appearance. |
53. What do engineers do to create digital copies of the ancient buildings?
A.Build 3-D models of full size. |
B.Measure all the parts exactly. |
C.Scan the photos of the buildings. |
D.Improve the technology needed. |
54. How does the author prove the importance of the digital copy in protecting the cultural relics?
A.By listing data. |
B.By giving examples. |
C.By presenting findings. |
D.By making a comparison. |
55. What is the author’s attitude towards the application of the digital technology?
A.Negative. | B.Supportive. |
C.Doubtful. | D.Cautious. |