When I opened my e-mail the other day, a pretty woman named Rachel appeared on my computer screen.She greeted me by name and started talking with great enthusiasm.Every now and then she stopped to smile at me or blow a kiss.She was reading to me an e-mail from my brother, and a lot of it was about his getting the phone company to give him a high-speed Internet connection.It was pretty cool.
Rachel was there thanks to a new technology called Facemail.Facemail lets you send e-mail that gets ready to the receiver by an attractive male or female form or by a clown(小丑).The software, which is free, can be downloaded at www.Facemail.com.
Facemail faces are lifelike, and they simulate(模拟)emotions based on emotions that you put in your text.For example, type in-X, and Rachel blows a kiss.
LifeFX, the company that develops the Facemail, is sure there are broad business uses.The reason e-business is not popular, the company says, is that buying over the Internet lacks the human touch.But what if you went to the Nike website and Michael Jordan greeted you by name, waited on you and personally closed the sale?And it is talking with Whirl(惠而浦公司)about using the technology in a computer screen on a fridge.Then if Morn can't be home when the kids get back from school, she can leave a note with voice and image telling them what there is to eat.
Facemail could get hot fast.Personally, I'm a fan.But Facemail should be used with care.The clown looks lively and funny at first.But if you select the clown, put a few rude words in an e-mail and add some angry emotions, you've got a Psycho-mail(疯人型电子邮件).
(1)
The pretty woman that appears on the writer's computer screen was ________.
[ ]
A.
a woman working on the Internet
B.
his brother's girlfriend
C.
not a real person
D.
the picture of his pen-friend
(2)
The main advantage of Facemail is that ________.
[ ]
A.
you can hire a beautiful woman to read the e-mail to you
B.
you can see the person who sends you the e-mail
C.
yon can send an e-mail free of charge
D.
e-mail can be attractive in a more lovely way
(3)
The writer mentioned Nike website and Michael Jordan to show that ________.
[ ]
A.
Famous people like Michael Jordan also like to use Facemail
B.
Facemail can make shopping on the Internet more interesting
C.
Nike website will increase its sales by Jordan
D.
Michael Jordan will serve you himself on Nike website
She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday.
Whe n it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder.She lived to the ripe old age of 122.So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span(寿命)?If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150-or beyond?
Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers.“Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135,”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.
Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees.“People can live much longer than we think,”he says.“Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110.When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120.So why can’t we go higher?”
The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing.“Anyone can make up a number,”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan.“Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine.”
Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries?Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120.Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most.So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller,“adding another 50 percent would get you to 120.”
So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers?That life span is flexible(有弹性的),but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington.“We can get flies to live 50 percent longer,”he says.“But a fly’s never going to live 150 years.”
“Of course, if you became a new species(物种),one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story,”he adds.
Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve(进化)their way to longer life?“It’s pretty cool to think about it,”he says with a smile.
(1)
What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?
[ ]
A.
People can live to 122.
B.
Old people are creative.
C.
Women are sporty at 85.
D.
Women live longer than men.
(2)
According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ________.
[ ]
A.
the average human life span could be 110
B.
scientists cannot find ways to slow aging
C.
few people can expect to live to over 150
D.
researchers are not sure how long people can live
(3)
Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?
[ ]
A.
Jerry Shay.
B.
Steve Austad
C.
Rich Miller
D.
George Martin
(4)
What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?
[ ]
A.
Most of us could be good at sports even at 120.
B.
The average human life span cannot be doubled.
C.
Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before.
D.
New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species.