Imagine having an idea, drawing it on paper, bringing it to a store and seeing it turned into an object. This is now possible with the help of 3D printers. Such machines were once used just by universities and big companies, but now, stores with 3D printing services are appearing around the United States.
Bryan Jaycox and his wife opened The Build Shop LLC in Los Angeles two years ago. The Jaycoxs offer 3D printing classes and services for anyone who is interested.
“I think 3D printing is going to be huge. It’s going to have a huge influence on society as a whole.” says KiChong Tran, one of the students in a recent class. He plans to open a 3D printing business in Cambodia (柬埔寨).
3D printing services are coming into American people’s life. The UPS Store is a nationwide retailer (零售商) that provides copying and other services. The UPS Store recently put 3D printers in three of its independently-owned stores. Burke Jones owns one of the stores in San Diego.
“The demand has been amazing. There has been a lot of interest from people. It’s been much more than I would have imagined.”
The UPS Store plans to add 3D printers in three more stores.
For $11, someone used a 3D printer to produce two small plastic parts as part of a knuckle (指节) for a hand. He works for the company which is testing finger prosthetics (假肢). He says the same–day or next-day printing services will speed up testing of parts and get them to patients faster.
Staples, an American store, is selling 3D printers on its website for as low as about $1,300. As with any technology - experts expect the printing speed to increase and the price to go down.
Bryan Jaycox requires $15 an hour to print an object. He also sets the price depending on the size of the object and up to $50 an hour for design and labor services.
Mr Jaycox thinks that within five years, 3D printing technology could become more user friendly. But KiChong Tran says even today’s technology can make a difference in a developing country like Cambodia.
“With 3D printing you can give them tools, so they are responsible more for their own development and they learn skills beyond just like learning English and becoming a tour guide or something like that. You can actually create things that give value to the world.”
He says it’s not just Cambodia but anywhere where there is a 3D printer, it can turn a good idea into reality.
小题1:What can 3D printers do according to the passage?

A．Come up with an idea.

B．Draw on a piece of paper.

C．Help users to spend less money.

D．Turn an idea into a physical object.

小题2:What does the underlined part mean in this passage?

A．Make users’ life better.

B．Make friends with users.

C．Make 3D printers easier to use.

D．Use 3D printers to make money.

小题3:What can we infer from the passage?

A．3D printing is becoming popular in the world.

B．There is no 3D printing business in Cambodia.

C．The UPS Store is the biggest 3D printing company.

D．3D printing plays the most important role in daily life.

小题4:What’s the passage mainly about?

A．The future of 3D printing in the world.

B．The 3D printing business in Cambodia.

C．The development and growth of 3D printing business.

D．The 3D printing classes and services in different places.

The 31st Summer Olympics will be held in Brazil in 2016. Before this global sporting event, we started thinking about sports that didn’t exist any more and sports that were maybe a little strange. Read the following ones that have ever been included in the past Olympic Games.
Live Pigeon Shooting (1900)
This bloody event was only held once, at the 1900 Paris Games. Nearly 300 birds were killed during the competition, leaving a crime scene of feathers and blood. This is the only event in Olympic history that involved killing live animals.
Kabaddi (1936)
This sport is popular in South Asia. The object is for one member of a team to enter the other side’s half of the field, and score points. The attacker then returns to his half of the field.
12 Hour Bicycle Race (1896)
Seven riders got on their bikes at 5 a.m. and rode until 5 p.m. Four riders dropped out before noon, but the winner, Adolf Schmal of Austria, managed about 180 miles. Only Schmal and one other finished.
Tug of War (1900—1920)
This may seem like a basic PE class sport more than an Olympic event, but Tug of War was actually one of the first sports played at the Olympic games in 500 BC.
There are two teams of eight; the winning team must pull the other team six feet forward.
Swimming Obstacle Race (1900)
The athletes had to climb over a pole (杆子) and a row of boats, and then swim under another row of boats. All of this was done in the Seine River, so they also had to fight against the water. This event was only ever held in 1900, in Paris.
小题1:What do you probably think of these events?

A．Strange.	B．Fantastic.
C．Modern.	D．Interesting.

小题2:Which sport looks like a common activity more than an Olympic event?

A．Swimming Obstacle Race.	B．12 Hour Bicycle Race.
C．Live Pigeon Shooting.	D．Tug of War.

小题3:How many athletes finished the event 12 Hour Bicycle Race?

A．One.	B．Two.
C．Four.	D．Seven.

小题4:What does “drop out” mean in English according to the passage?

A．Give up.	B．Run out.
C．Fall off.	D．Break down.

小题5:What can we learn from the passage?

A．Athletes took part in all of the events in teams.

B．Tug of War was held in the Olympics only once.

C．Some of the events may be in the 31st Summer Olympics.

D．These events are not as popular as they used to be.