3-D Printing: No Factory Required! (1)

This magical technology turns 3-D designs into 3-D objects
Printing images is easy: Select an image of a purple robot on your PC, for example, and then press print. Your home printer precisely shoots drops of ink onto a flat piece of paper, creating the robot's 2-D image. "Printing" 3-D objects is something altogether different. Take the purple robot. First select a file of the 3-D model of the robot and send it to your special 3-D printer. Immediately, the printer begins making noise, and a nozzle releases plastic material in thin layers, over and over again. In two to three hours, a 3-D purple robot is standing before you!

3-D printing: then and now
3-D printing technology first appeared in the 1980s. At that time, it was used as an inexpensive way for companies to make prototypes before creating final products. But 3-D printing technology has matured to the point where printers can now create high-quality objects using a variety of materials, including metals. That means 3-D printers can now make final products that meet high industrial standards. 3-D printers are already being used to make parts for race-cars and jets as well as artificial limbs and hearing aids.

Info Cloud
quotation marks/ quotes 引號
one of a pair of punctuation marks “ ” or ‘ ’ that are used to show the beginning and the end of a quotation, to show that something is a title, to show that a word or phrase is being used in a special way, etc. — usually plural

Today, let's take a look  at something that may seen insignificant but it's in fact quite meaningful: quotation marks. Steve, what can you tell us about quotation marks?

Well, as the name suggests, quotes are used when quoting someone's words. That's the most common usage of quotation marks.

Yes, that's one usage. But, there is another function of this punctuation mark. Irony which is the use of words to express something different from there original meaning.

In other words, what's quoted is an usual meaning of the word.

As an example, living in the age of the internet, we might talk about living in the virtual world. And, I might put the word "living" in quotes because no one can literally live in the virtual world. It's not real.

That's a good one, Ken. Here's another example. John claimed he was too "busy" to help me. If I put busy in quotes, I am doubting whether he was really busy.

Hey, Steve! Why did you put your fingers up like that just now?

Well, Ken. That's what we call air quotes. Some people called it finger quotes when people speak, they'll sometimes use their fingers to indicated quotation marks. Giving the quoted word an ironic or unusual meaning.

insignificant adj.
small or unimportant : not significant; too small or unimportant to consider or worry about
irony n.
/ˈaɪrəni/
when you use words that are the opposite of what you really mean, often in order to be amusing
literally adv.
according to the most basic or original meaning of a word or expression

Grammar Gym
take: take for example
Hi, there, friends! How are you doing today? Welcome to the Grammar Gym, my name is Liz. In today's article, we see this sentence: take the purple robot. The writer is not saying that the we, the readers, should go ahead and reach out with our hands and grab the purple robot. No, instead take is a short way of saying take for example. So today's sentence just means, using the purple robot as an example.

This use of take to talk about examples is most often found in spoken situations. For example, Robert has so many crazy stories about his travels. Take the time when he was stuck in Mexico City without his passport. Or, Mrs. Jensen's students are very creative. Take Timothy and his artwork. And that's it for today. Be sure to check out today's grammar tips section in your magazine for more example sentences. This is Liz, from the Grammar Gym. See you next time.

Language Lab
precisely adv.[=exactly] 精確地, 準確也
 [prɪˋsaɪslɪ]
very accurate and exact
- No one knows precisely how many people survived the train crash.
precise adj. 精確的
- The precise location of the stolen car has not been determined yet.

nozzle n.噴嘴
/ˈnɑ:zəl/
a short tube that is put on the end of a hose or pipe to control the way a liquid or gas flows out
- The nozzle of the fire extinguisher was jammed.
這台噴火器的噴嘴堵住了
- The gas nozzle automatically stops adding gasoline when the tank is full.
當油箱滿的時候, 加油的油槍會停止加油

prototype n. 新發明設備或機械的樣本, 樣品, 原型, 原模型
/ˈproʊtəˌtaɪp/
 [prot字首- 第一個/type典型]
an original or first model of something from which other forms are copied or developed
- The prototype of the new car was built by a group of Japanese engineers.

mature v.成長, 成熟
to become mature: such as a : to become fully developed in the body and mind
- Teenage girls usually mature faster than teenage boys.
mature v. 趨于完善
to continue developing to a desired level
- Her acting skills mature rapidly over the years.
maturity n.成熟
the time or state when someone or something is fully grown or developed
- The girls delayed maturity was caused by a hormonal imbalance. 
這個女孩的過晚發育是因為荷爾蒙失調引起的

limb n.
a leg or arm


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