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Remembering Remote Control Inventor Eugene Polley

Eugene Polley, inventor of the wireless television remote control, holding his revolutionary device. (Phto from: VOA NEWS)

 來看看"couch potatoes"的英雄--remote control的發明者是誰吧 


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本學期英語寫作諮詢

外語教學暨資源中心寫作工作室100學年度第二學期的英文寫作諮詢於312日開始服務, 35日起即開放預約。諮詢日期自101312日起至101615日止,週一至週五均開放五個諮詢時段,歡迎同學多加利用! 

詳細服務內容請參考

http://homepage.ntu.edu.tw/~avwrite/consultation/consultation.htm

自學包裹中高級第66期上線囉!

在各國反對聲浪之中,北韓發射了多階段火箭(multi-stage rocket)。雖然火箭第一階段後就失敗,未能把人造觀測衛星(observation satellite)送上軌道,但各國仍同聲撻伐,將之視為挑釁行為(provocation),也違反聯合國決議(resolution)。更有情報指出,北韓的下一階段是地下的核子試爆(underground explosions of nuclear devices)。更多關於軍事與國際政治的英文表達法都在本期的自學包裹裡。

聽力訓練在本期一起來聽有 「絕世金嗓 (The Voice)」 美名的已故西洋天后Whitney Houston的經典名曲「I Will Always Love You」,一同欣賞這位金嗓天后的傳奇歌聲。」

快來練習自學包裹吧 | 申請帳號和使用說明

 

◎ 六月份彭蒙惠英語已上線

在家即可線上閱讀當月Advanced彭蒙惠英語,六月份已上線囉,還沒申請帳號的,請先申請Author Plus帳號。

進入Author Plus 線上閱讀與聆聽課程! | 申請帳號和使用說明

 

◎ 本中心每月提供英語學習雜誌供學習使用

外語教學中心每月提供最新英語學習雜誌,「大家說英語」、「空中英語教室」、「彭蒙惠英語」,雜誌皆附有互動光碟,請多加利用。(限在本中心資料室使用)

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 E-Freeway主題介紹

feature of the week

Amateur Traveler

開站兩年,就在2007年被「芝加哥太陽報」(Chicago Sun-Times) 選為10個最佳旅遊網站之一。網站上提供的Podcast廣播包括旅遊開講及旅遊故事。

本介紹針對網站所提供的audio episode/ video episode 音檔及影片檔影集,能夠讓進階英語學習者練習聽力並增廣世界旅遊見聞。

來看介紹 | 直接進入網站


Members Only資源介紹

MyET

轉眼間畢業典禮已經結束,期末考後就要準備進入職場了,除了服裝儀容的整潔、履歷表的填寫外,最重要的其中一關不外乎是面試了,萬一面試主考官突然用英文問你,總不能鴨子聽雷,一臉茫然吧!所以囉,MyET在這裡提供了208句很實用的面試英語,讓你在面試時無往不利!而且這個練習可是免費的唷! ...... 我要參加面試!


這個網站包括了18個不同的生活會話主題,每個主題又各有數個對話,分別介紹該主題中常用的表達語句。每一段對話都有音檔,發音與速度都還滿不 錯的,雖然音質不是很好,但是都相當清晰。

主題從電話溝通,旅遊,一直到談戀愛跟整型都有,是相當豐富的口語材料。

網站另外的English in Focus單元(請點該網頁下方[English in Focus]連結),則有一些情境讓你練習口說,依照情境跟用法分類,然後提供參考的答案, 也是很不錯的練習工具喔。

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 館藏介紹

本套書係針對第一次參加TOEIC考試的讀者設計的,簡明易懂,共分為:新多益高分單字&片語、新多益題型解析與應考技巧、提高聽力部分的得分、新多益精選模擬試題、新多益聽力技巧與解題練習、新多益核心文法與解題練習。這一套書告訴你多益該如何準備,想增加實力、掌握得分技巧嗎?這一套朗文多益應考聖經提供很好的幫助喔。


 英語宅急便     

Remembering Remote Control Inventor Eugene Polley

 

Whenever someone leaves the earth having changed it, we like to make note of it.

Not just the famous or notorious, but also obscure people who dreamed up something memorable or useful in our everyday lives.

So we’ve told you about those who brought us the TV dinner, the hula hoop, and that shocking-orange color called “Day-Glo.”

Recently we lost Eugene Polley of Downers Grove, Illinois, at age 96. He invented the Flash-Matic. That may not ring a bell until we tell you that this device, which looked like a combination hair dryer and ray gun, was the first really useful TV remote control.

Although they didn’t know his name, Eugene Polley became a hero to sedentary souls we call “couch potatoes,” and a villain to those who are fighting America’s obesity epidemic.

Polley started as a stock boy at the Zenith Electric Company in Chicago during the Great Depression of the 1930s. But he had a way with gadgets. He studied engineering and eventually helped Zenith develop bomb fuses, push-button radios, and video disks.

But the Flash-Matic was his crowning achievement, which Zenith introduced in 1955. For it, the company gave him a ,000 bonus─and kept the patent and profits for itself.

The Flash-Matic was not the first hand-held control that could change TV channels and volume. But earlier models were tethered to the set by a cord, over which owners often tripped and on which family dogs sometimes chewed.

The Associated Press reported that the Flash-Matic performed “TV miracles” while being “absolutely harmless to humans.” This was noted because kids playing spacemen were running around America at the time, zapping each other with toy ray guns.

The man known as “the father of the remote control” told the Baltimore Sun newspaper in 2000, “It makes me think maybe my life wasn’t wasted. Maybe I did something for humanity, like the guy who invented the flush toilet.”

At Eugene Polley’s passing, Sean O’Neal, a writer on the A.V. Club Web site, suggested a moment of silence in gratitude. To do that, he thought television viewers should punch “mute” on their remotes.

 

I. Scanning for Information

Scan the article for the answer to each question. Work as quickly as possible.

1. How old was Eugene Polley when he died?

2. What was the name of the TV remote control that Polley invented?

3. What company did Polley work for during the 1930s?

4. When was Polley’s TV remote control introduced?

5. How much did Polley get for his TV remote control?

 

II. Reading Comprehension

Choose the best answer.

6. In paragraph 2, the word obscure is closest in meaning to _____.

A) recognized B) unknown C) infamous D) famed

7. What does the idiom “ring a bell” in paragraph 4 mean?

A) sound familiar B) sound impressive C) sound catchy D) sound interesting

8. What does Polley’s TV remote control look like?

A) A flashlight B) An electric drill

C) A combination of a microphone and a gun

D) A combination of a hair dryer and a ray gun

9. Which of the following is a drawback of previous TV hand-held controls?

A) Earlier controls often malfunctioned.

B) Children pretended the controls were toy guns and often broke or lost them in their games.

C) Users often tripped over cords that connected controls to TVs.

D) Not all hand-held controls could plug into TV sets.

10. How did Polley feel about his invention?

A) Disappointed B) Embarrassed C) Humiliated D) Proud

 

Answer Key:

1. 96 2. The Flash-Matic 3. The Zenith Electric Company 4. 1955 5. ,000

6. B 7. A 8. D 9. C 10. D

Source: http://www.voanews.com/content/remembering-remote-control-inventor-gene-polley/1146103.html

 
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