英语听力精选进阶版 6405

Luis Prado has created what he hopes will become the international symbol for global warming. He's one of many designers contributing icons² to an online bank of icons called the Noun Project.The creators of the Noun Project think it could one day contain an icon¹ for every noun, which is a tall order.

But we are already surrounded by icons in the modern world. Pictorial³ instructions appear on everything from instant noodles to emergency exits. And of course, modern computers and smartphones are unthinkable without a screenful of icons.

It's hard to imagine now, but early computers didn't have them. They used 'command line interfaces': lines of written commands scrolling⁴ down the screen. The virtual desktop⁵ with icons we know today was created by Xerox⁶ in the 1970s. They established conventions we still use: a document was symbolised by a blank sheet of paper with one corner folded, a directory was a card folder⁷ with a tab on top, a picture of a trash can meant 'delete' and a closed envelope indicated an unread email.

As technology improved, it was possible to move away from the early, simple black and white signs to full colour and more realistic images. But we still love the simple when it comes to icons. All the designs on the Noun Project site are clean black and white line drawings, and there are nostalgic fan sites dedicated⁸ to old-school computer icons from the 70s and 80s.

But things are harder for designers today. Modern devices have many functions and require more icons, making it harder to avoid confusion. Take the arrow. It's an old and well-used symbol but in a modern operating system, an arrow can mean drop down menu, undo⁹, redo, sort, cursor, play video, change text direction and move to next item - to name just a few uses.

It's clear we need icons more than ever. So what makes a successful one? As well as simple lines and unique shape, an icon needs to be universal, so plays on words don't work well. An early Apple icon of a cat meaning copy (from the English 'copycat') was soon dropped because it was confusing to non-English speakers. But it might be impossible to be truly international. Most computers indicate time passing from left to right, with the past on the left and the future on the right. That's logical for English speakers, but not for people who write right to left like Arabic speakers.

Quiz 测验

1. According to the article, which company introduced the virtual desktop and icons?

Xerox.

2. Is the following statement true, false or not given? Computer icons were introduced in the 1960s.

False. They were introduced in the 1970s.

3. Were the first computer icons in colour?

They were black and white.

4. Name one example from the article, of a place where you see pictorial instructions.

Instant noodles or emergency exits.

5. According to the article, do icons which are a play on words work well?

No, because they aren't internationally understood.

Glossary 词汇表

symbol for 某物的象征

icons 图标

bank 库（如数据等）

a tall order 一项艰巨的任务

pictorial instructions 图片说明

a screenful of 满屏的，整屏的

commands （计算机）指令

scrolling down 向下滚动

virtual desktop 虚拟桌面

established conventions 既定惯例

symbolised by 被…代表

indicated 标示出

realistic images 逼真的图像

line drawings 线条画

nostalgic 怀旧的

functions 功能

confusion 疑惑 ，困惑

operating system 操作系统

to name just a few 仅举几个例子

universal 全球（通用） 的

logical 有逻辑的

1 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

2 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 pictorial   

adj.绘画的；图片的；n．画报

参考例句：

• The had insisted on a full pictorial coverage of the event.他们坚持要对那一事件做详尽的图片报道。
• China Pictorial usually sells out soon after it hits the stands.《人民画报》往往一到报摊就销售一空。

4 scrolling   

n.卷[滚]动法，上下换行v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的现在分词 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕

参考例句：

• Another important detail required by auto-scrolling is a time delay. 自动滚屏需要的另一个重要细节是时间延迟。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In 2D visualization and drawing applications, vertical and horizontal scrolling are common. 在二维的可视化及绘图应用中，垂直和水平滚动非常普遍。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 desktop   

n.桌面管理系统程序；台式

参考例句：

• My computer is a desktop computer of excellent quality.我的计算机是品质卓越的台式计算机。
• Do you know which one is better,a laptop or a desktop?你知道哪一种更好，笔记本还是台式机？

6 xerox   

n./v.施乐复印机，静电复印

参考例句：

• Xerox and Lucent are two more high-tech companies run by women.施乐和朗讯是另外两家由女性经营的大科技公司。
• You cannot take it home,but you can xerox it.你不能把它带回家，但可以复印。

7 folder   

n.纸夹，文件夹

参考例句：

• Peter returned the plan and charts to their folder.彼得把这份计划和表格放回文件夹中。
• He draws the document from its folder.他把文件从硬纸夹里抽出来。

8 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

9 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。