Printing a Better Future 3D 科技 印出美好未來 Get ready for 3D printing to change the world. 準備好讓 3D 影印改變世界吧。
How cool would it be to have a machine in your house that could make a cup, an engine part for your car, or even a shirt? It may sound like science fiction▼, but it is already happening now. It is called a 3D printer, and 3D printing is changing the world we live in forever. The simplest 3D printers usually use some type of plastic. The machine heats up the plastic and prints layers▼ of it into a 3D object. The plastic then becomes hard as it cools. However, some special printers can use metal, glass, and even living cells. Almost anything can be made from the right materials by using a computer and a special 3D printer. Engineers▼ and large companies have used 3D printing for years, but it has only recently become available to everyone. The technology is still in its early stages, but people are using it to make some surprising things. Home users are printing small items like toys and cellphone cases. Scientists are printing body parts and artificial▼limbs. Some building companies are even using giant 3D printers to build houses and bridges.
圖片來源：Tinxi / Shutterstock.com
要是你家裡有一台機器可以做出一個杯子、一個汽車引擎零件或甚至是一件襯衫的話會有多酷呢？這聽起來可能像是科幻小說的情節，但事實上已經正在發生了。它叫做 3D 列印機，而 3D 列印正在永遠地改變我們所居住的世界。 最簡單的 3D 列印機通常使用某種類型的塑膠。機器將塑膠加熱並層層印成一個 3D 的物件。之後當塑膠冷卻時它就變堅固了。然而，有些特別的列印機可以使用金屬、玻璃，甚至是活細胞。只要用一台電腦和一台特殊的 3D 列印機，幾乎所有東西都能被用正確的材質製作出來。 工程師們及大型公司已經使用 3D 列印機好幾年了，但它最近才開始變得人人都可以使用。該科技尚在發展初期的階段，但人們用它來製作一些讓人驚奇的東西。家庭用戶列印像玩具和手機外殼這些小物件。科學家列印身體部位和義肢。有些建築公司甚至使用巨型的 3D 列印機來建造房子和橋梁。
type n. 類型；某種類型的人 be sb's type 是某人喜歡的類型 Gina went on a blind date last night, and the guy turned out to be her type. 吉娜昨晚去相親，結果對方正是她喜歡的類型。
heat up sth / heat sth up 把……加熱，使……變熱 Maggie heated up the chocolate on the stove and poured it over the cake. 梅姬將巧克力放在火爐上加熱，然後倒在蛋糕上。
cell n. 細胞 It is said that almost a million of our skin cells die every day. 據說我們每天差不多都會有一百萬個皮膚細胞死掉。
material n. 材料 As you can see, our contact lenses come in various materials and colors. 正如您所看到的，我們的隱形眼鏡有各種材質及顏色。
recently adv. 最近，近來 There is a big difference between the singer's early pieces and what she's done recently. 這個歌手的早期作品和她近來所作的差別很大。
technology n. 科技 Modern technology is being applied to every part of our lives. 現代科技正被應用在我們生活的各個部分。
surprising a. 令人驚奇的，出人意料的 It was not surprising to me that David got himself in trouble and stood me up again. 我一點也不意外大衛又給自己惹上麻煩還放我鴿子。 * stand sb up 失約，讓某人空等
limb n. 肢；手臂；腿 For your safety, please keep your limbs inside the vehicle at all times. 為了您的安全著想，請全程將您的四肢保持在車內。
▼ fiction n. 小說；虛構的事 ▼ layer n. 層 ▼ engineer n. 工程師 ▼ artificial a. 人造的，人工的
『在初期階段』怎麼說 本文 "The technology is still in its early stages, but people are using it to make some surprising things." 中的片語 in sth's early stages 表『在某事／物的初期階段』，也可說成 in the early stages of sth，其中的名詞 stage 在這裡可不是指舞台，而是表『階段，時期』。相關用法 move to the next stage 則表『進入新階段』。例：
Regular checkups can help you spot diseases in their early stages. （定期健康檢查可幫助你早期發現疾病。） In the early stages of this company, there were only six employees. （這家公司的初期只有六位員工。） Now that you've graduated, are you ready to move to the next stage of your life? （現在你畢業了，你準備好進入人生的下個階段了嗎？）
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