拇指英语说， 分享英语学习心得，技巧和方法。让英语学习变得更有趣，更简单。
在英语学习中，阅读是学生获得英语知识，提高英语能力与素养的重要途径。通过阅读，学生们可以增强语感、积淀文化知识，提高学生跨文化交际能力，从而整体提高他们的英语综合能力。
为增加阅读素材的多元化，拇指英语说特推出“报刊时文阅读素材积累系列”。众所周知，报刊阅读的材料内容丰富，真实感和时效性强，语言地道，话题轻松活泼，贴近学生生活。因此，报刊阅读是对校内英语教材的有益补充，有利于培养学生的阅读兴趣，提高阅读技能。本系列适合小学高年级至初中年级学生。按阅读难度，分为一星（小学高年级），二星（初中低年级）和三星（初中高年级）。
[来源】Teens
[主题语境】科技
[难度系数】 ***
The virtual world in The Matrix (L) and VR games in real life.
虚拟现实技术 帮助我们获得非同凡响的 沉浸式体验 。
When we go to sleep at night, we dream – and the things we see in our dreams are often out of our control. But virtual reality (VR，虚拟现实) allows us to create “dreams” that we can change to our liking .Creating our own virtual worlds is not a new idea. One of the first times we saw this was in the 1982 film Tron (《创》). In this film, a hacker (黑客) is brought into a virtual world where he must fight digital warriors (数码武士) in order to escape. In 1999’s The Matrix (《黑客帝国》), a hacker named Neo finds that the “real” world we live in is in fact a virtual one – in the real world, humans have been enslaved (奴役) by machines. Neo and other hackers have to fight the machines in order to save humanity.The virtual worlds shown in these films are quite fantastic . But we’ve been experimenting with VR in real life as well.In the gaming world, players can feel truly immersed (沉浸的) with VR tech. In Star Wars: Squadrons (《星球大战：飞行中队》), players take on the role of a space fighter pilot. By putting on a VR headset, you can look around your cockpit (驾驶员座舱) as if you’re really sitting in a space fighter, as well as look out into the endless depths of space.In the medical field, VR can help treat patients with anxiety disorders (焦虑症). Patients are put in virtual situations that make them anxious in a safe and controlled environment. They can slowly learn not to feel so scared. VR can also be used to simulate (模拟) real workspaces for training purposes and for those who work dangerous jobs. VR has already been used to train astronauts in spaceflight, as well as train miners (矿工) and soldiers in virtual environments that can’t actually harm them.
What is ‘augmented reality’?
With virtual reality, we step into a virtual world. But do you know about augmented reality (AR，增强现实)? You can think of AR as a digital “layer (层)” that we put on top of the real world. For example, there are apps that allow your phone to project digital pictures onto the windshield of your car. The information shown can include weather and traffic conditions. It allows you to check these things without taking your eyes off the road. Military fighter jets (战斗机) have used digital HUDs (Heads-Up Displays) since the 1980s to show pilots valuable information about the altitude, direction, and speed of their plane while they fly.AR can even be used to bring the dead back to “life”. At the 2012 Coachella music festival, a hologram (全息投影) of deceased singer Tupac Shakur gave a “performance” onstage.
【Treasure Box]
1. liking n. 喜好 用法：单数名词，表示“喜欢，偏爱”等意思，如：have a liking for sth/sb 喜欢某物或某人；show one’s liking for … 显示出对……的喜欢；to one’s liking 合某人心意。例句： He has a strong liking for music. He wants to learn more about it. 他非常喜欢音乐。他想要学习更多关于音乐的知识。
2. fantastic adj. 极好的 用法：形容词，表示“极好的，了不起的”，既可以作表语也可以作定语修饰名词，如：a fantastic plan 一个非常好的计划；fantastic TV series 一部非常好的电视剧。例句： Both of them are fantastic football players. 他们二个都是很棒的足球运动员。
3. purpose n. 目的 用法：作可数名词，表示“目的，意图”，在for … purposes短语中，purpose多用复数形式，表示泛指的“目的”，意为“为……的目的”。on purpose 故意地。例句： The purpose of advertising is to get the attention of customers. 广告的目的是获得客户的关注。
【Comprehension test】
Choose the answer:
1. What does Neo have to do to save humanity in The Matrix?A. Escape from virtual “dreams”. B. Fight digital warriors. C. Fight machines. D. Enslave hackers.
2. How do gamers feel when using VR tech?A. They feel like their life has become a game. B. They feel like they’re really in the game. C. They feel more energetic.D. They feel less scared.
3. What are the last three paragraphs about?A. Why VR is so common in films.B. Why AR is not useful. C. How VR can be used in real life.D. How our lives have been changed by AR.
Keys:
- B 2. B 3. C
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