Sunglasses that can record videos
Snapchat, the popular social media app that allows users to share photos or short videos, or “snaps”, has taken the world by storm since its launch in 2011. Now, the company has done it again with the release of Snapchat Spectacles-stylish sunglasses that can record short videos.
To begin recording, the user taps a button on the left hand comer of the sunglasses. However, the camera can only record a 10-second-long video at a time.
The recording can be instantly downloaded to an Android phone or iPhone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and shared with friends and family through the Snapchat app. If a user does not have access to a phone, the film remains stored in the sunglasses.
To recharge the camera’s battery, the user simply places the Spectacles back into the bright yellow sunglasses case that comes with the purchase. What’s great is that the portable case can store enough power to charge the sunglasses up to four times, before the case itself needs recharging.
The Snapchat Spectacles, which were released on November 10, 2016, are priced at $ 130. While not cheap, they are a bargain when compared to Google Glasses, which cost $ 1, 500. But before you rush out to get yourself a pair, be warned that they are a little hard to find. For the past few weeks, the Snapchat Spectacles could only be bought in select American cities with limited stock.
On November 21, the company established its first semi-permanent storefront in New York City. Those wishing to obtain a pair or two (the maximum allowed) have to be prepared for a long wait. Judging from the over 500 people that patiently lined up outside the store long before it opened, Snapchat Spectacles’ fans do not appear to mind! Most probably the glasses will rank high on Christmas wish lists this year.
1. What is special about Snapchat Spectacles?| A．They allow users to share photos or short videos. |
| B．They can record short videos. |
| C．They can protect your eyes from strong sunshine. |
| D．They can help improve people’s eyesight. |
| A．its recording can be stored in the sunglasses |
| B．its battery doesn’t need to be recharged |
| C．it can take a very long video |
| D．it has easy access to the Internet |
| A．pay $1, 500 | B．go to certain cities in the US |
| C．place an order in advance | D．purchase the bright yellow sunglasses case |
| A．Snapchat Spectacles function better than Google Glasses |
| B．Snapchat Spectacles are not selling well outside the US |
| C．Snapchat Spectacles are enjoying great popularity |
| D．Snapchat Spectacles are of very high quality |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Smart Home Products for Living a Connected Life
What makes something a smart home product? Generally, it’s defined by its ability to connect to a Wi-Fi network, allowing users to interact（互动）with it from their smartphones.We’ve rounded up some cool, diverse offerings that you’ll love to have in your home.
Nest Cam IQ
walmart.com
$299.00
The Nest Cam IQ is a beautifully designed home security camera that can recognize faces. It can warn you if there’s a stranger in your home. The device also supports two-way communication via built-in microphones and a powerful speaker.
Logitech Harmony Elite
amazon.com
$249.99
The Logitech Harmony Elite is one of the best universal remote controls available on the market. It can control just about every piece of electronics you own（it supports over 270，000 devices！）in every room of your house or apartment, including TVs，streaming devices, and sound systems.
Apple HomePod
bhphotovideo.com
$349.00
The Apple HomePod has better audio quality than any other smart speaker available today. Available in white or space gray, the Siri-powered device also allows you to control a number of devices with your voice.
August Smart Lock Pro
amazon.com
$279.99
The August Smart Lock Pro is compatible（兼容的）with most locks. A mobile app allows you to manage access to the lock, check its usage history, and get informed when someone opens the door. You can control it and check on the state of your door with voice commands.
1. What can the Nest Cam IQ help you do？| A．Properly use your smartphone camera |
| B．Control electronics with your voice. |
| C．Check the locks of your house. |
| D．Keep your home safe. |
| A．Nest Cam IQ. |
| B．Apple HomePod. |
| C．August Smart Lock Pro. |
| D．Logitech Harmony Elite. |
| A．Technology. |
| B．News. |
| C．Society. |
| D．Education. |
【推荐2】Technology is always trying to meet our needs and demands. There’s a new frontier in 3D printing that’s beginning to come into focus: food. Recent development has made possible machines that print, cook and serve foods on a mass scale. And the industry isn’t stopping there.
Food production
With a 3D printer, a cook can print complicated chocolate sculptures and beautiful pieces for decoration on a wedding cake. Not everybody can do that — it takes years of experience, but a printer makes it easy. A restaurant in Spain uses a Foodini to “recreate forms and pieces” of food that are “exactly the same,” freeing cooks to complete other tasks. In another restaurant, all of the dishes and desserts it serves are 3D-printed, rather than farm to table.
Sustainability (可持续性)
The global population is expected to grow to 9.6 billion by 2050, and some analysts estimate that food production will need to be raised by 50 percent to maintain current levels. Sustainability is becoming a necessity. 3D food printing could probably contribute to the solution. Some experts believe printers could use hydrocolloids (水解胶体) from plentiful renewables like algae (藻类) and grass to replace the familiar ingredients (烹饪原料). 3D printing can reduce fuel use and emissions. Grocery stores of the future might stock “food” that lasts years on end, freeing up shelf space and reducing transportation and storage requirements.
Nutrition
Future 3D food printers could make processed food healthier. Hod Lipson, a professor at Columbia University, said, “Food printing could allow consumers to print food with customized nutritional content, like vitamins. So instead of eating a piece of yesterday’s bread from the supermarket, you’d eat something baked just for you on demand.”
Challenges
Despite recent advancements in 3D food printing, the industry has many challenges to overcome. Currently, most ingredients must be changed to a paste (糊状物) before a printer can use them, and the printing process is quite time-consuming, because ingredients interact with each other in very complex ways. On top of that, most of the 3D food printers now are restricted to dry ingredients, because meat and milk products may easily go bad. Some experts are skeptical about 3D food printers, believing they are better suited for fast food restaurant than homes and high-end restaurants.
1. What benefit does 3D printing bring to food production?| A．It improves the cooking conditions. |
| B．It contributes to restaurant decorations. |
| C．It helps cooks to create new dishes. |
| D．It saves time and effort in cooking. |
| A．can keep all the nutrition in raw materials |
| B．is more tasty than food in supermarkets |
| C．can meet individual nutritional needs |
| D．is more available to consumers |
| A．Some experts doubt 3D food printing. |
| B．Food materials have to be dry. |
| C．3D food printers are too expensive. |
| D．The printing process is complicated. |
| A．The Challenges for 3D Food Production. |
| B．3D Food Printing: From Farm to Table. |
| C．A New Way to Improve 3D Food Printing. |
| D．3D Food Printing: Delicious New Technology. |
【推荐3】In the African bush in southern Kenya, Lucy King watched an elephant rest under a big tree, seemingly bothered by an overhead beehive. It was 2007, and King had just published a behavioral study confirming a belief, widely held by local communities for thousands of years, that elephants are frightened by bees.
King, a zoologist at the nonprofit organization Save the Elephants (STE), asked her research assistant to throw a stone at the hive. “And then suddenly, the bees just erupted,” King says, “the elephants just fled.” That moment led King to a novel design for using live beehives as “fences” to protect farm crops from hungry elephants.
An elephant can eat a farm’s entire harvest in one day, seriously threatening a family’s income and food security. To protect their livelihoods, some farmers have taken to shooting elephants. In an attempt to find a nonlethal solution, nearly 10,000 bee fences like those in King’s initial design are now built into sites in 20 African and Asian countries, she estimates. STE team members focus on providing bee-fence kits to farmers in areas of serious human-elephant conflicts.
In a 2017 field study, King documented that bee fences installed at 10 farms near a national park in Kenya deterred elephants 80 percent of the time. Meanwhile, bee fences have provided some farmers with new income. As part of the STE program, they are taught beekeeping and provided with protective gear such as suits, smokers, rubber boots and gloves.
Farms with bee fences and healthy hives have also inspired another type of enterprise. Mavis Nduchwa started a honey-collecting business in Botswana — a country that has a farm-based economy and is also home to the world’s largest elephant population. The company offers beekeeping training to women at farms with bee fences and helps them sell the resulting honey through her business. The benefits go beyond extra income, she says. “We have seen a decline in the number of gender-based violence cases as women are more empowered and have jobs,” says Nduchwa, who employs more than 1,500 female farmers. “It might sound crazy, but a jar of honey saves elephants and feeds more families.”
1. Why did King design bee fences?| A．To obtain live beehives. | B．To test the function of STE. |
| C．To protect crops. | D．To provide jobs for women. |
| A．It trains farmers to watch over crops. | B．It makes bees provide more honey. |
| C．It frightens elephants away. | D．It uses kits to reduce conflict. |
| A．cause and effect | B．example | C．process | D．comparison and contrast |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Tolerant. | C．Worried. | D．Positive. |
【推荐1】You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?
Jane Addams (1860-1935)
Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community (社区) by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Sandra Day O’Connor (1930-present)
When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was woman. She became an Arizona state senator ( 参 议 员 ) and, in 1981, the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court. O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.
Rose Parks (1913-2005)
On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a while passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott ( 联 合 抵 制 ). It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil-rights movement. “The only tired I was, was the tired of giving in,” said Parks.
1. Who made a great contribution to the civil-rights movement in the U.S.?| A．Jane Addams | B．Rachel Carson |
| C．Sandra Day O’Connor | D．Rose Parks |
| A．They are highly educated | B．They are truly creative. |
| C．They are pioneers. | D．They are peace-lovers. |
【推荐2】What’s in a logo?
What attracts customers?
There are now many products and services on the market which are similar in content though produced by different companies. It is important, therefore, for a company to distinguish itself from its competitors by having a strong company image which is immediately recognizable.
Logos are part of this image.
The logos of large international companies are instantly recognizable throughout the world.
Companies need to have a strong corporate identity. The logo helps to promote this image and to fix it in the minds of the consumers.
| A．One of the most famous logos is that of Coca Cola. |
| B．Colour isn’t a strictly visual element; it’s very psychological. |
| C．In different cultures, different colours carry different meanings. |
| D．Logos, therefore, need to be original and to have impact and style. |
| E．There was a time when Coca Cola was struggling a bit with brand recognition. |
| F．Obviously the quality of a product does, but visual images contribute a great deal. |
| G．They are symbols which often include a name or the first letters of it to identify a company. |
Whatever the reason, you can soon become totally unaware of your surroundings. The desire to pick up a book with an attractive dust-jacket is irresistible, although this method of selection ought not to be followed, as you might end up with a rather dull book. You soon become absorbed in some book or other, and usually it is only much later that you realize you have spent far too much time there and must dash off to keep some forgotten appointment—without buying a book, of course.
This opportunity to escape the realities of everyday life is, I think, the main attraction of a bookshop. There are not many places where it is possible to do this. A music shop is very much like a bookshop. You can wander round such places to your heart's content. If it is a good shop, no assistant will approach you with the unavoidable greeting: "Can I help you, sir?" You needn't buy anything you don't want. In a bookshop an assistant should remain in the background until you have finished browsing. Then, and only then, are his services necessary. Of course, you may want to find out where a particular section is, but when he has led you there, the assistant should retire considerately and look as if he is not interested in selling a single book.
You have to be careful not to be attracted by the variety of books in a bookshop. It is very easy to enter the shop looking for a book on, say ancient coins and to come out carrying a copy of the latest bestselling novel and perhaps a book about brass-rubbing—something which had only slightly interested you up till then. This volume on the subject, however, happened to be so well illustrated and the part of the text you read proved so interesting that you just had to buy it. This sort of thing can be very dangerous. Apart from running up a huge account, you can waste a great deal of time wandering from section to section.
1. The underlined phrase " dust-jacket" means ________.
| A．a kind of clothes | B．a paper cover of a book |
| C．a dusty book | D．a title of a book |
| A．the dust jackets are very attractive |
| B．you start reading one of the books |
| C．it is raining outside |
| D．you have to make sure you won't buy a dull book as a present |
| A．as soon as you have entered the shop |
| B．just before you finish browsing |
| C．only when you have finished reading |
| D．when he leads you to a particular section |
| A．a book on ancient coins |
| B．a best-selling novel on brass-rubbing |
| C．a book that only vaguely interests you |
| D．a book that unexpectedly fascinates you |
| A．The Attraction of Bookshops |
| B．How to Spend Your Time |
| C．Bookshops and Their Assistants |
| D．How to Select Books |
