VOA慢速英语 2007 0305b
时间：2019-01-11 作者：英语课 分类：VOA慢速英语2007年（三）月
英语课
VOICE ONE:
Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Faith Lapidus. This week on our program, we have the third part of our series on living with a disability in America. In January we looked at education. Last month we talked about jobs. Today we discuss assistive technology.
(MUSIC)
Disabled man uses a device called the Liberator 1, which helps him form words and sentences
VOICE ONE:
Technology offers many different ways to help people with disabilities lead more normal lives. Devices that help them perform an activity are called assistive technology. Assistive technology can help people reach their personal and professional goals.
The invention of the telephone might not have been very exciting to a deaf person. But it led to a way to send text messages over a phone line with the use of a teletypewriter, or TTY.
VOICE TWO:
Today, with special care, Web site designers can make their sites highly accessible to disabled users.
There are both simple devices and very complex ones to help people with disabilities.
VOICE ONE:
Even something as low-tech as a small piece of soft plastic can be an assistive technology. Attached to a pencil, it might help a child hold the pencil better if the child has trouble writing.
VOICE TWO:
Blind people can have documents read out loud electronically on their computer. And for people who cannot use their arms to type, speech recognition 2 programs may be the answer. These let people give commands to their computer or have their words turned into print.
What about a person who is not able to speak? There are now special devices to help them, too. An American company called Blink 3 Twice produces a device that looks like a handheld computer game. The device is called Tango.
VOICE ONE:
Tango was invented by Richard Ellenson, the father of an eight-year-old boy with cerebral 4 palsy. This condition affects a person's ability to move and speak. With Tango, his son Thomas can touch pictures that express his feelings or the words he wants to say. A voice then speaks the words that Thomas has chosen.
The company's Web site has examples of what Tango sounds like:
TANGO: How was your day? OK. Where did you go today? Oh. Did you do anything fun? Let me think of another question. Did you see anybody I know? Ah-ha! Last question. Did you miss me? I missed you!
VOICE TWO:
Other voices, ideas and words can be added to meet the interests and needs of the individual user. For example, when Thomas watches sports, he can play cheers for his team that were recorded in his father's voice.
Richard Ellenson says he wants Tango to help people with disabilities build relationships, not just sentences. Right now, Tango costs about seven thousand dollars. But this is a new device, and the price of new technology often comes down after a few years.
VOICE ONE:
There are many devices to help people with disabilities use computers. There are ways for people to operate a computer by moving their heads or even just their eyes.
There are also keyboards that can be used with only one hand. One of these small keyboards is called a FrogPad. One young girl used the FrogPad at school. Her mother said the small keyboard helped her daughter work normally at school, and her friends thought the FrogPad was great.
VOICE TWO:
Students with disabilities want to be like their friends; they want to be able to do things as normally as possible. So for young people, technology must not only help them do their work. The devices must also be cool.
Ben is a fifteen-year-old boy in Maine. He was born with a condition called spina bifida. He cannot move his arms or legs. He uses a small device called a TongueTouch Keypad, made by a California company, newAbilities Systems.
The keypad is placed in the mouth. Ben learned to use his tongue to touch different keys. They operate his telephone, his computer, his electric wheelchair, his bed and his music player.
Ben is able to get in and out of his house without help. And he can even turn his music up loud if he wants to.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Sometimes, all it takes to improve on existing technology is a little imagination. Like adding a voice to clocks and watches so they announce the time. Or printing children's books in Braille with both raised marks and traditional text. That way the parent of a child who is blind can read the same book out loud while the child reads with his or her fingers.
Using a motorized wheelchair requires the ability to operate the controls. But what about people who are not able to use their hands? One solution is to attach a tube to the chair. The person operates the wheelchair by sucking air through the tube or blowing into it. This is called sip 5 and puff 6 technology, and it can also be used to operate other devices.
VOICE TWO:
Things that are designed to help the disabled may also make life easier for people who are not disabled. The opposite is also true.
Think of the millions of people who send and receive messages over cell phones and other wireless 7 devices. This ability to communicate quickly by text messaging or e-mail is very useful. But imagine just how useful it can be to a person who is deaf.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Many times, the technology that helps people with disabilities is invented by people who have disabilities themselves.
TecAccess is a company that helps government offices and companies provide technology for people with disabilities.
TecAccess has fifty-two employees. Forty-six of them have one or more disabilities. The company is in Virginia, but its employees work all over the world.
VOICE TWO:
Don Dalton, owner of Assistive Technologies
A man named Don Dalton started a company in Illinois called Assistive Technologies. Mister Dalton became a quadriplegic in a swimming accident almost forty years ago. His company offers computer technology to help people with disabilities become more independent.
His newest product, in fact, is called Independence One. Once the system is put into a house, the user wears a wireless headset to control it. By voice, the user is able to control many devices and systems around the house.
Don Dalton uses the Independence One controller when he rides in the elevator in his office building. The system answers him in a woman's voice.
DON DALTON: Wake up.
INDEPENDENCE ONE: Hello. I'm here.
DON DALTON: Elevator down.
INDEPENDENCE ONE: Elevator going down.
VOICE ONE:
A video on his company's Web site also shows how Mister Dalton uses his voice to operate devices in his house. He can turn on the television, close a window in a different room, or work on his computer, all by using his voice.
He also uses the controller to make telephone calls over the Internet.
DON DALTON: Start computer phone.
INDEPENDENCE ONE: Starting computer phone. Please say login.
DON DALTON: Login.
INDEPENDENCE ONE: Logging in.
DON DALTON: 865-7004. Dial phone.
INDEPENDENCE ONE: Thank you. Dialing.
INDEPENDENCE ONE: I'm calling the cell phone on my wheelchair and it's ringing. [sound]
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
In the United States, the federal government is expected to be a leader in supporting the use of assistive technology. For example, federal agencies are required by law to purchase or develop technology that can be used by all employees.
The government is providing money to research new assistive technologies. Loans are also available to help disabled federal employees and others to buy equipment. For example, a disabled person who owns a computer may be able to work from home instead of having to travel to an office.
Research centers are working to improve technology for people with disabilities. They are working in the areas of education, employment, computers, communication and community living.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Assistive technology can do a lot to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
That is, if the technology is available to them. Sometimes it can be very costly 8. People with a disability, especially a severe disability, have lower earnings 9 and higher poverty rates than the general population. But government programs and private organizations may be able to help them get the assistance they need.
VOICE TWO:
Next month we have the fourth and final report in our series on living with a disability in America. Find out how recreation programs are helping 10 people with disabilities have fun like they might never have thought possible.
VOICE ONE:
And if you missed any of the earlier reports, you can find transcripts 11 and audio files at www.unsv.com.
Our program was written by Karen Leggett and produced by Caty Weaver 12. I'm Steve Ember with Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.
Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Faith Lapidus. This week on our program, we have the third part of our series on living with a disability in America. In January we looked at education. Last month we talked about jobs. Today we discuss assistive technology.
(MUSIC)
Disabled man uses a device called the Liberator 1, which helps him form words and sentences
VOICE ONE:
Technology offers many different ways to help people with disabilities lead more normal lives. Devices that help them perform an activity are called assistive technology. Assistive technology can help people reach their personal and professional goals.
The invention of the telephone might not have been very exciting to a deaf person. But it led to a way to send text messages over a phone line with the use of a teletypewriter, or TTY.
VOICE TWO:
Today, with special care, Web site designers can make their sites highly accessible to disabled users.
There are both simple devices and very complex ones to help people with disabilities.
VOICE ONE:
Even something as low-tech as a small piece of soft plastic can be an assistive technology. Attached to a pencil, it might help a child hold the pencil better if the child has trouble writing.
VOICE TWO:
Blind people can have documents read out loud electronically on their computer. And for people who cannot use their arms to type, speech recognition 2 programs may be the answer. These let people give commands to their computer or have their words turned into print.
What about a person who is not able to speak? There are now special devices to help them, too. An American company called Blink 3 Twice produces a device that looks like a handheld computer game. The device is called Tango.
VOICE ONE:
Tango was invented by Richard Ellenson, the father of an eight-year-old boy with cerebral 4 palsy. This condition affects a person's ability to move and speak. With Tango, his son Thomas can touch pictures that express his feelings or the words he wants to say. A voice then speaks the words that Thomas has chosen.
The company's Web site has examples of what Tango sounds like:
TANGO: How was your day? OK. Where did you go today? Oh. Did you do anything fun? Let me think of another question. Did you see anybody I know? Ah-ha! Last question. Did you miss me? I missed you!
VOICE TWO:
Other voices, ideas and words can be added to meet the interests and needs of the individual user. For example, when Thomas watches sports, he can play cheers for his team that were recorded in his father's voice.
Richard Ellenson says he wants Tango to help people with disabilities build relationships, not just sentences. Right now, Tango costs about seven thousand dollars. But this is a new device, and the price of new technology often comes down after a few years.
VOICE ONE:
There are many devices to help people with disabilities use computers. There are ways for people to operate a computer by moving their heads or even just their eyes.
There are also keyboards that can be used with only one hand. One of these small keyboards is called a FrogPad. One young girl used the FrogPad at school. Her mother said the small keyboard helped her daughter work normally at school, and her friends thought the FrogPad was great.
VOICE TWO:
Students with disabilities want to be like their friends; they want to be able to do things as normally as possible. So for young people, technology must not only help them do their work. The devices must also be cool.
Ben is a fifteen-year-old boy in Maine. He was born with a condition called spina bifida. He cannot move his arms or legs. He uses a small device called a TongueTouch Keypad, made by a California company, newAbilities Systems.
The keypad is placed in the mouth. Ben learned to use his tongue to touch different keys. They operate his telephone, his computer, his electric wheelchair, his bed and his music player.
Ben is able to get in and out of his house without help. And he can even turn his music up loud if he wants to.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Sometimes, all it takes to improve on existing technology is a little imagination. Like adding a voice to clocks and watches so they announce the time. Or printing children's books in Braille with both raised marks and traditional text. That way the parent of a child who is blind can read the same book out loud while the child reads with his or her fingers.
Using a motorized wheelchair requires the ability to operate the controls. But what about people who are not able to use their hands? One solution is to attach a tube to the chair. The person operates the wheelchair by sucking air through the tube or blowing into it. This is called sip 5 and puff 6 technology, and it can also be used to operate other devices.
VOICE TWO:
Things that are designed to help the disabled may also make life easier for people who are not disabled. The opposite is also true.
Think of the millions of people who send and receive messages over cell phones and other wireless 7 devices. This ability to communicate quickly by text messaging or e-mail is very useful. But imagine just how useful it can be to a person who is deaf.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Many times, the technology that helps people with disabilities is invented by people who have disabilities themselves.
TecAccess is a company that helps government offices and companies provide technology for people with disabilities.
TecAccess has fifty-two employees. Forty-six of them have one or more disabilities. The company is in Virginia, but its employees work all over the world.
VOICE TWO:
Don Dalton, owner of Assistive Technologies
A man named Don Dalton started a company in Illinois called Assistive Technologies. Mister Dalton became a quadriplegic in a swimming accident almost forty years ago. His company offers computer technology to help people with disabilities become more independent.
His newest product, in fact, is called Independence One. Once the system is put into a house, the user wears a wireless headset to control it. By voice, the user is able to control many devices and systems around the house.
Don Dalton uses the Independence One controller when he rides in the elevator in his office building. The system answers him in a woman's voice.
DON DALTON: Wake up.
INDEPENDENCE ONE: Hello. I'm here.
DON DALTON: Elevator down.
INDEPENDENCE ONE: Elevator going down.
VOICE ONE:
A video on his company's Web site also shows how Mister Dalton uses his voice to operate devices in his house. He can turn on the television, close a window in a different room, or work on his computer, all by using his voice.
He also uses the controller to make telephone calls over the Internet.
DON DALTON: Start computer phone.
INDEPENDENCE ONE: Starting computer phone. Please say login.
DON DALTON: Login.
INDEPENDENCE ONE: Logging in.
DON DALTON: 865-7004. Dial phone.
INDEPENDENCE ONE: Thank you. Dialing.
INDEPENDENCE ONE: I'm calling the cell phone on my wheelchair and it's ringing. [sound]
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
In the United States, the federal government is expected to be a leader in supporting the use of assistive technology. For example, federal agencies are required by law to purchase or develop technology that can be used by all employees.
The government is providing money to research new assistive technologies. Loans are also available to help disabled federal employees and others to buy equipment. For example, a disabled person who owns a computer may be able to work from home instead of having to travel to an office.
Research centers are working to improve technology for people with disabilities. They are working in the areas of education, employment, computers, communication and community living.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Assistive technology can do a lot to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
That is, if the technology is available to them. Sometimes it can be very costly 8. People with a disability, especially a severe disability, have lower earnings 9 and higher poverty rates than the general population. But government programs and private organizations may be able to help them get the assistance they need.
VOICE TWO:
Next month we have the fourth and final report in our series on living with a disability in America. Find out how recreation programs are helping 10 people with disabilities have fun like they might never have thought possible.
VOICE ONE:
And if you missed any of the earlier reports, you can find transcripts 11 and audio files at www.unsv.com.
Our program was written by Karen Leggett and produced by Caty Weaver 12. I'm Steve Ember with Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.
解放者
- The best integrated turf quality was recorded in Ram I、Midnight、America、Connie、Liberator, which could be adopted in Shanxi. RamI、Midnight、America、Connie、Liberator综合质量表现均衡且分值较高，是山西省推广应用的重点品种。
- It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old. 这是一部新世界的发展史，是一部后浪推前浪的历史。
n.承认，认可，认出，认识
- The place has changed beyond recognition.这地方变得认不出来了。
- A sudden smile of recognition flashed across his face.他脸上掠过一丝笑意，表示认识对方。
vi.眨眼睛，闪烁；vt.眨（眼睛），使闪烁
- In a blink of an eye he had disappeared.一眨眼的工夫他就没影了。
- The boy disappeared around the corner in a blink of an eye.一眨眼，这男孩就在拐角处不见了。
adj.脑的，大脑的；有智力的，理智型的
- Your left cerebral hemisphere controls the right-hand side of your body.你的左半脑控制身体的右半身。
- He is a precise,methodical,cerebral man who carefully chooses his words.他是一个一丝不苟、有条理和理智的人，措辞谨慎。
v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量
- She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
- Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。
n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气
- He took a puff at his cigarette.他吸了一口香烟。
- They tried their best to puff the book they published.他们尽力吹捧他们出版的书。
adj.无线的；n.无线电
- There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
- Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。
adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的
- It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
- This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。
n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得
- That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
- Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的
- The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
- By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本
- Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
- You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句