脸书CEO梵蒂冈旅游期间拜访教皇并赠予无人机

AS IT IS 2016-09-02 Facebook CEO Gives Pope Drone During Vatican Visit 脸书CEO梵蒂冈旅游期间拜访教皇并赠予无人机

Facebook founder¹ Mark Zuckerberg met Pope Francis at the Vatican Monday and gave him a high-tech² gift -- a drone.

However, it was not a working drone. His gift was a model of the aircraft Facebook plans to use to bring internet access to people in developing countries.

Zuckerberg posted a picture on Facebook showing him presenting the model drone to the Pope at his Santa Marta residence in Vatican City.

“We gave him a model of Aquila, our solar-powered aircraft that will beam internet connectivity to places that don't have it,” he explained.

The businessman’s wife, Priscilla Chan, also attended. Zuckerberg said they were touched by the meeting. “You can feel his warmth and kindness, and how deeply he cares about helping³ people.”

He praised Pope Francis for finding “new ways to communicate with people of every faith around the world.”

The Facebook founder and his wife launched the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in December 2015. He said he spoke⁴ with the pope about the initiative’s goal “to advance human potential and promote equality” in all parts of the world.

The organization works on many issues. They include personal learning, fighting disease, connecting people and building strong communities, according to information on its website.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said one topic discussed was "how to use communication technologies to alleviate⁵ poverty, encourage a culture of encounter, and make a message of hope arrive, especially to those most in need.”

Facebook disaster help

Zuckerberg announced he was traveling to Italy after a deadly 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the country last week. Nearly 300 people died in the quake, which hit the central part of the country.

In a Facebook post, he expressed concern for victims of the earthquake and their loved ones. Facebook has tried to improve communication during disasters. A few years ago it launched its Safety Check system. The program allows users to let loved ones know they are OK after a disaster or terrorist attack.

In Italy, Zuckerberg held a live question and answer session with Facebook community members.

The Facebook founder also met in Rome with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. He said the two discussed the earthquake, and how technology is creating jobs to help Italy’s economy.

Zuckerberg spoke about Facebook’s efforts to provide equipment to researchers across Europe to study artificial intelligence.

Words in This Story

drone – n. a small flying machine flown remotely by a pilot

beam – v. to send out streams of light

faith – n. a system of religious beliefs

potential – adj. capable of becoming something real

alleviate – v. make something less difficult or painful

encounter – n. meeting and interacting with others

artificial intelligence – n. the development of computers to perform intelligence-related tasks without human involvement

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。