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VOA慢速英语2015 The Top Technology Stories of 2014

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The Top Technology Stories of 2014

Today, we look back at some of the top technology stories from 2014. Our first story is on the introduction of new products from the American technology company Apple.

Apple unveils smartwatch, bigger iPhones

Apple announced it would release a new smartwatch, known as the Apple Watch. The company also released updates of its popular iPhones series, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

The Apple Watch is the first Apple product to be developed by the company under Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook. Mr. Cook became CEO in 2011, just a few weeks before the death of company co-founder Steve Jobs.

The watch will let people watch their health, and will include maps. It will also permit wearers to enter rooms by unlocking the doors.

Mr. Cook also presented two new models of the company’s iPhone.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have larger screens and more power. The iPhone has been sold worldwide since 2007.

The South Korean technology company Samsung sells many more mobile phones worldwide than Apple does. But Apple is still one of the most valuable companies in the world.

The company also said it is starting a new mobile payments service. Apple Pay will let users pay for products using their phones, instead of traditional credit or debit1 cards.

US politicians debate net neutrality

Earlier this year, U.S. regulators proposed big changes in the way the Internet operates in the country. The Federal Communications Commission voted to offer a plan that could affect Internet service providers like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast. Under the plan, the service providers could make deals with companies like Google and Facebook to provide them with faster paths to get their content to consumers.

Some consumer groups and Internet companies oppose the plan. So do a majority of people questioned in a new University of Delaware study. President Barack Obama also dislikes the proposed changes. He spoke2 recently about how the Internet should be organized around ideas like openness, fairness and freedom.

The Federal Communications Commission is an independent regulator. So President Obama cannot order the FCC to make changes. recently, the President sought to persuade commission members to regulate consumer Internet services like a public utility.

Harold Furchtgott-Roth is an economist3 and former FCC commissioner4. He says the Internet adds hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy. He adds that new rules would be unnecessary and unwise.

He says proposals to govern the Internet as if it was a telephone company would interfere5 in many decisions, including pricing. He says those decisions should be made by people who operate the business.

The issue will likely be fought over by regulators, the courts and Congress.

Researchers work on 3-D printing of living tissue

Three-dimensional printers are fast becoming everyday devices in the United States. Three-D printers are used to make everything from automobile6 parts to bone replacements7 for human patients. American research scientists are now working on creating replacements for living tissue.

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have been working on creating and manufacturing living tissue since 2003. This process is called biofabrication. It requires special printing equipment and a special kind of ink.

Traditional printers require ink to produce an image or design on a piece of paper. For their three-D printer, the South Carolina researchers prepare complex nutritious8 solutions they call bio-inks. Bio-inks are made of proteins and glucose9, which normally provides energy for most cells of the body. The researchers also add living cells taken from the animal that will receive the new, printed tissue. The bio-inks are then added to a device that researchers call the Palmetto bio-printer.

The bio-inks are placed in three dispensers, containers, inside the printer. Lasers control both the position of the printing surface and the places where the bio-ink is released.

The researchers say bio-printing is still experimental. But they hope in a few years they may be able to print tissue to replace damaged human organs.

And those are just a few of the top technology stories in 2014. Tell us what you think were the most important stories this year.

Words in this Story

dispenser – n. a machine or container that lets you take small amounts of something

operate – v. to function or behave in a proper or particular way

oppose – v. to disagree with or disapprove10 of something or someone

proposal -  n.  something such as a plan or suggestion that is presented to a person or group of people to consider

regulator -  n. an official who works for the part of the government that controls a public activity such as banking or insurance by making and enforcing rules


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1 debit AOdzV     
n.借方,借项,记人借方的款项
参考例句:
  • To whom shall I debit this sum?此款应记入谁的账户的借方?
  • We undercharge Mr.Smith and have to send him a debit note for the extra amount.我们少收了史密斯先生的钱,只得给他寄去一张借条所要欠款。
2 spoke XryyC     
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。
3 economist AuhzVs     
n.经济学家,经济专家,节俭的人
参考例句:
  • He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
  • He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家,自以为什么都懂。
4 commissioner gq3zX     
n.(政府厅、局、处等部门)专员,长官,委员
参考例句:
  • The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
  • He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。
5 interfere b5lx0     
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰
参考例句:
  • If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话,可能弊多利少。
  • When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件,棘手的事情就来了。
6 automobile rP1yv     
n.汽车,机动车
参考例句:
  • He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
  • The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。
7 replacements 1f6e0d51ec9f57961e86b4aa2e91ef29     
n.代替( replacement的名词复数 );替换的人[物];替代品;归还
参考例句:
  • They infiltrated behind the lines so as to annoy the emery replacements. 他们渗透敌后以便骚扰敌军的调度。 来自辞典例句
  • For oil replacements, cheap suddenly looks less of a problem. 对于石油的替代品来说,价格变得无足轻重了。 来自互联网
8 nutritious xHzxO     
adj.有营养的,营养价值高的
参考例句:
  • Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
  • Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
9 glucose Fyiyz     
n.葡萄糖
参考例句:
  • I gave him an extra dose of glucose to pep him up.我给他多注射了一剂葡萄糖以增强他的活力。
  • The doctor injected glucose into his patient's veins.医生将葡萄糖注入病人的静脉。
10 disapprove 9udx3     
v.不赞成,不同意,不批准
参考例句:
  • I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
  • She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员,但她的父母不赞成。

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