Time's Top 50 of 2010《時代》雜誌 2010 年度 50 大最佳發明
by Rebecca A. Fratzke and Marcus Maurice
Time magazine highlights the best inventions of 2010.
《時代》雜誌讓全世界民眾注意到 2010 年的各項最佳發明。
Each year, Time magazine looks back on the previous year's achievements and judges how far we have come in the world of inventing. Time's 50 Best Inventions of 2010 showcases the best in toys, entertainment, medicine, the military, and more. In the category of technology, Apple proved itself again to be a company with many tricks and ideas up its sleeve by introducing the iPad. Within 80 days of its release last April, more than three million units were sold, and now iPads have become art boards, classrooms, movi e theaters, and personal secretaries. A tablet computer is not a new idea, so why is Time so impressed with it? The answer is simple—Apple keeps reinventing ideas and convincing people that their products are revolutionary.
Flipboard, a technology based on another technology, was also featured on the list. Instead of looking at people's Twitter or Facebook posts like usual, the Flipboard app for the iPad places each one into a different box, and the result is a digital publication that feels as if it was made specifically for the user by their friends and acquaintances.
When people think about inventions for transportation, jetpacks and driverless cars come to mind. Although those inventions as well as the Antro Electric Car made the list, the most impressive thing in the transportation section of the list was the electric car charging station. Electric cars are catching on, but there are very few charging stations, which means that driving is limited to places close to home. However, Coulomb Technologies is building automated charging docks that can be billed to one's home energy bill, which makes them very easy to use.
精解字詞片語
- look back on/at... 回顧……
例: Bill recalled many fond moments as he looked back on his past.
（比爾回顧過往，想起了很多美好的回憶。） - with/have sth up one's sleeve 某人藏了一手；某人胸有成竹∕有應變的計劃
sleeve n. 袖子
例: Don't underestimate Darren. He always has a trick or two up his sleeve.
（別小看戴倫。他總是深藏不露。） - introduce vt. 推出（產品等），引進；介紹
introduce sth to + 地方 將某事物引進某地
introduce A to B 將 A 介紹給 B
例: The computer company has recently introduced a new product.
（這家電腦公司最近推出了一項新產品。）例:The Dutch were the first to introduce tea to Europe.
（首次將茶引進歐洲的是荷蘭人。）
例: Mike introduced his girlfriend to his colleagues.
（麥克將女友介紹給他的同事認識。） - impress vt. 使印象深刻
be impressed with/by... 對……印象深刻
impress sb with sth 以某事使某人印象深刻
例: I am impressed with the excellent faculty and facilities at that school.
（我對那間學校優秀的師資和設備印象深刻。）
例: The new secretary impressed the boss with her efficiency.
（那位新祕書的效率使老闆印象深刻。） - convince vt. 說服，使信服
convince sb + that 子句 說服某人相信……
convince sb of sth 使某人相信某事
例: Timmy succeeded in convincing his father that he's telling the truth.
（提米成功說服他爸爸相信他說的是實話。）
例: George tried to convince Harry of the truth behind the mystery.
（喬治試著使哈利相信這個謎團背後的真相。） - feature vt. 以……為特色 & n. 特色
例: The museum exhibition features woolly mammoths.
（長毛象是這次博物館展覽的主要特色。） - specifically adv. 特別地，專門地
例: We put aside some money specifically for the project.
（我們特別為那項計劃撥出一筆款項。） - acquaintance n. 相識的人；認識
make one's acquaintance 結識某人
例: Edward is no friend of mine; he's just an acquaintance.
（艾德華不是我的朋友，他只是一個我認識的人。）
例:It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
（很高興認識你。） - come to mind 浮現於腦海，湧上心頭
例: What comes to mind when you hear this song?
（你聽到這首歌時會想到什麼？） - impressive a. 令人印象深刻的
例: The young singer's performance was very impressive.
（這位年輕歌手的演出令人印象深刻。） - catch on 流行
例: Hip-hop music has caught on all over the world.
（嘻哈音樂已風靡全世界。） - be limited to + N/V-ing 受限於∕侷限於……
= be confined to + N/V-ing
confine vt. 使受限
例: Fortunately, the damage caused by the fire was limited to the top floor.
（所幸，火災造成的損害只限於頂樓而已。）
單字小舖
- achievement n. 成就
- showcase vt. 陳列，展示
- category n. 種類；項目
- trick n. 妙計；花招；手法
- unit n. 一組；一套
- board n. 板子
- tablet n. 圖形輸入板；刻寫板
a tablet computer 平板電腦 - reinvent vt. 在已有事物的基礎上發明
- revolutionary a. 革命性的
- post n. 張貼的資訊
- app n. 應用程式
= application n. - digital a. 數位的
- transportation n. 運輸（工具）
- jetpack n. 噴射背包
- driverless a. 無駕駛員的
- charge vt. & vi.（使）充電
- automated a. 自動化的
- dock n.（裝卸貨物用的）月台；碼頭
- bill vt. 給……開帳單 & n. 帳單
片語小舖
prove oneself (to be) + N/adj.
證明自己是……
注意:
a. 此處的 prove 作不完全及物動詞，加受詞後，之後接 "to be + N/adj." 作受詞補語，而 to be 可予以省略。
例: Jerry proved himself (to be) a true team leader.
（傑瑞證明了自己是個真正的團隊領導者。）
例: The police proved the man (to be) the murderer of several young females.
（警方證明這個男子是謀殺數名年輕女性的兇手。）
b. prove 亦可作不完全不及物動詞，表『證明是、顯示』之意，等同於 turn out，之後接 "to be + N/adj." 作主詞補語，而 to be 亦可予以省略。
例: The sensational news proved (to be) fake.
（那則聳動的新聞結果證實是捏造的。）
c. prove 作及物動詞時，表『證明、證實』，之後接名詞或 that 引導的名詞子句作受詞。
例: The suspect proved that he had nothing to do with the robbery.
（那名嫌犯證明自己與該搶案無關。）
中文翻譯
《時代》雜誌每年都會回顧前一年的成就，然後評斷我們在發明世界裡的進展。《時代》雜誌 2010 年度 50 大最佳發明的名單裡列舉了玩具、娛樂、醫療、軍事等項目。在科技類，蘋果電腦推出 iPad，再次證明了自己是間滿藏各種把戲與創意的公司。iPad 在去年 4 月發行後的 80 天內，銷售量就超過 3 百萬台，現在已成為畫板、教室、電影院以及個人秘書。平板電腦並非是全新的創意，為什麼《時代》雜誌會對它青睞有加呢？答案很簡單──蘋果電腦不斷翻新創意，說服人們他們的產品具有革命性的突破。
Flipboard 這項以另外一項科技為基礎的科技，同樣榜上有名。Flipboard 這個 iPad 的應用程式，將各則訊息放在不同的方格裡，看起來就像是由親朋好友特別為使用者規劃的數位刊物，讓使用者能以不同於一般的方式瀏覽 Twitter 或是 Facebook 的訊息。
當人們想到運輸方面的發明時，噴射飛行背包及無人駕駛的汽車就會躍入腦海。雖然這些發明與 Antro 廉價電動車同時上榜，不過在 50 大最佳發明榜的運輸類裡，最讓人印象深刻的卻是電動車充電站。電動車越來越流行，不過充電站卻很少，所以電動車的使用侷限在住家附近。然而，庫倫科技公司正設置自動充電站，費用可以記入家裡的電費帳單裡，使用起來非常方便。
引用自：長春藤英語 http://www.ivy.com.tw/
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