Biggest Stories in 2002 (2)

The year 2001 brought many technological 1 1)breakthroughs closer to home. New 2)targeted disease-fighting 3)medications, diametric products such as face-recognition devices and satellite radio just to name a few. Now many of them were 4)highlighted by our next guest right here long before most people had ever heard of them. So what can we expect this year? Joining us is John Benditt, editor and chief of MIT’s Technology Review magazine.

Journalist: John, nice to see you.

John: You too.

Journalist: So what do you have in store for us for the new year do you think?

John: Well, the three developments I’d like to highlight for your viewers, one is I think 2002 is going to be the year when something called Systems Biology emerges as a real commercial force.

Journalist: Alright, what is Systems Biology?

John: Well, 2001 saw the end of the Human 5)Genome project, the piling up of huge amounts of information. I think 2002 is going to see a time when big drug companies are going to be sorting through that information, looking for new drug targets and trying to develop new drugs more quickly, more efficiently 2. Systems Biology can help them do it. What Systems Biology is, is ways of using high powered computers to model entire biological systems beginning from the cell and working its way up to entire organisms.

Journalist: So should we actually see some results? When?

John: Well, we’ll see the first tip of this iceberg 3 in 2002. Eli Lilly has already 6)committed 20 million dollars to building a Systems Biology 7)laboratory in Singapore, and I think that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Journalist: Ok, so Systems Biology we’ll look for that. Nano Technology is next, what is Nano technology?

John: Nano technology is the ability to make devices, technologies on the scale of individual 8)atoms and 9)molecules. We’ve been hearing about it for a long time. I think 2002 is the year when it gets real.

Journalist: And where is this going to be applied 5?

John: Well, I’m most excited about the possibility of using something called Carbon Nano tubes which are 10)miniscule tubes made entirely 6 of carbon, for the making of flat 11)panel TV displays.

Journalist: And companies involved?

John: Well, four leaders in this field are Samsung, Motorola, Sony and NEC. Samsung has told Technology Review that they hope to have a flat-panel TV based on carbon nano-tubes on the market by Christmas 2003.

Journalist: And it will be a lot cheaper?

John: A first generation may be expensive still, but soon it will be much cheaper than existing flat panel displays.

Journalist: And for those of us who are on the Internet, which a lot of us are, there’s a new technology we should be aware of there. What is it?

John: There’s a start up company I’m very excited about called Pay-Pal from Silicon 7 Valley. What Pay-Pal allows people to do is 12)carry out small consumer 13)transactions over the Internet simply, securely and efficiently. And it’s all done by email, which is the magic of it. CE

12、当2002年到来 (2)

2001年中许多科技突破与家庭生活密切相联：治疗疾病的新药物、逆向（生物检测）产品如相貌识别仪器与卫星广播等相继问世。其中有相当多技术对大部分人来说还闻所未闻，而我们以下的来宾却早已洞察先机。那么在2002年我们将会看到哪些突破呢？加入我们讨论的是麻省理工大学《科技评论》杂志的主编——约翰·班迪特。

记者∶约翰，很高兴见到你。

约翰∶我也一样。

记者∶新的一年里你对我们有什么好介绍？

约翰∶嗯，我想对观众们重点谈三项科技发展，首先是系统生物技术将在2002年出现并成为商界真正的新宠。

记者∶那么什么是系统生物技术？

约翰∶2001年人类基因组工程的结束积累了大量的系统生物技术资讯。我认为在2002年会看到大医药公司将整理这些信息，从中寻找新的药物目标并尽快、高效、大力地开发新药。系统生物技术将帮助他们实现这一点。系统生物技术就是利用高效能电脑来模拟出完整的生物系统，从细胞直到整个生物体。

记者∶那我们什么时候才能看到一些实在的成果呢？

约翰∶嗯，2002年我们将略见这座冰山的一角。Eli Lilly已经投资两千万美元在新加坡建立一个系统生物技术实验室，我看那就是冰山一角。

记者∶好的，对于系统生物技术，我们将拭目以待。下面要谈纳米科技，什么是纳米科技？

约翰：纳米科技是在单个原子和分子的层面上生产仪器、发展技术。大家早就风闻过这项科技。我认为在2002年它才将得到真正发展。

记者：这项技术将被应用在什么领域？

约翰：我感到非常激动的是，它有可能使用一种完全由碳制成的、超细的纳米碳管，来制造电视机平面显示屏。

记者：有哪些公司参与呢？

约翰：业界的四大巨头均有参加，分别是三星、摩托罗拉、索尼和NEC。三星公司已向《科技评论》透露，他们希望用纳米碳管制成的电视机平面显示屏将在2003年圣诞节前面市。

记者∶到时售价将会便宜许多吗？

约翰：第一代产品也许很贵，可是很快它就会比现有的平面显示屏便宜得多。

记者：对于我们当中的广大网民而言，另外一项新技术不可不说。那是什么？

约翰∶使我感到激动的是，硅谷有一家叫做Pay-Pal的新公司。这家公司可使人们轻易、安全、高效地通过互联网进行小额交易服务。交易全部通过电子邮件来完成，这正是它的魅力所在。CE

1) breakthrough [5breikWru:] n. 突破

2) target [5ta:git] v. 把……作为目标，对象

3) medication [medi5keiFEn] n. 药物

4) highlight [5hai-lait] v. 着重，使显著，使突出

5) genome [5dVi:nEum] n. 基因组，染色体组

6) commit [kE5mit] v. 调配……供使用

7) laboratory [lE5bCrEtEri] n. 实验室

8) atom [5AtEm] n. 原子

9) molecule 4 [5mClikju:l] n. 分子

10) miniscule [5miniskju:l] a. 很小的

11) panel [5pAnEl] n. 面板，镶嵌板

12) carry out 进行，实行

13) transaction [trAn5zAkFEn] n. 交易，事务