常春藤生活英語：Barcodes 條形碼的起源

In 1948, the Drexel Institute of Technology in America got a call from a local storeowner asking for help. He wanted the school to invent a machine that would help keep track of inventory as well as speed up the checkout process. Drexel asked two of their brightest students, Joe Woodland and Bernard Silver, to find a solution.

Woodland was fascinated by this problem and his idea was to use ultraviolet ink. He had difficulty with the first model because it was unstable and expensive. In 1952, the team came up with a new method and a patent was approved. The first barcode looked like a bull's-eye and was made up of many small circles. The barcode we know and see today looks very different; however, its purpose is still the same. When a barcode is scanned, data is collected and the product is immediately identified. The first product to have a barcode on it was a pack of Wrigley's gum. Today, that pack of gum is on display at the National Museum of American History.

1948年，美國(guó)的德瑞索理工學(xué)院接到一通當(dāng)?shù)厣碳掖騺淼那笾娫?。店主希望校方發(fā)明一臺(tái)有助于記錄庫存和加快結(jié)帳速度的機(jī)器。德瑞索學(xué)院要求兩名他們最聰明的學(xué)生——喬?伍藍(lán)德和伯納?西爾佛，找出解決之道。

伍藍(lán)德對(duì)此問題深深著迷，他的構(gòu)想是利用紫外線墨水。第一臺(tái)模型的麻煩多多，因?yàn)樗炔环€(wěn)定，又所費(fèi)不貲。1952年，這組人馬想出了一個(gè)新方法，并且獲得專利。第一代的條形碼由許多小圓圈組成，看起來狀似靶心。今天我們所見并熟悉的條形碼看起來雖然大不相同，然而它的目的仍是一樣的。當(dāng)條形碼被掃瞄過后，便能獲得數(shù)據(jù)，立刻辨識(shí)出產(chǎn)品。第一個(gè)印上條形碼的產(chǎn)品是一包青箭口香糖。如今，這包口香糖在美國(guó)國(guó)立歷史博物館中展出。

Building Your Vocabulary

1.unstable　a. 不穩(wěn)定的

Their relationship has been unstable recently.

他們的關(guān)系最近不太穩(wěn)定。

2.scan　vt. 掃描

Can you scan those photos for me?

你可不可以幫我掃瞄那些照片?

3.identify　vt. 辨別;認(rèn)出

The witness identified the killer right away.

目擊者立刻就指認(rèn)出兇手。

Phrases for Learning

1.keep track of...　　追蹤……

Tina uses a cell phone to keep track of her husband.

蒂娜用手機(jī)追查她老公的行蹤。

2.speed up...　　加快……的速度

The boss told me to speed up my work.

老板叫我要加快工作速度。

3.be on display　　被展示，被陳列

Ray's paintings are on display downstairs.

阿雷的畫作正在樓下展出中。

參考字詞

1.institute　n. 學(xué)院;研究院

2.inventory　n. 存貨，庫存

3.checkout　n. 結(jié)帳(本文中作形容詞用)

4.fascinate　vt. 吸引，使著迷

5.ultraviolet　a. 紫外線的

6.patent　n. 專利;專利權(quán)

7.bull's-eye　n. 靶心

Enjoy Box

條形碼再進(jìn)化

條形碼在現(xiàn)代人的生活中，已經(jīng)是一種不可或缺的物品。不論是您買東西結(jié)帳，或是商店店員在盤點(diǎn)時(shí)，都需利用條形碼來加快整個(gè)過程。傳統(tǒng)的條形碼為一維條形碼，原理是利用黑白線條的排列和粗細(xì)來儲(chǔ)存數(shù)據(jù)，最多僅能儲(chǔ)存達(dá)十五個(gè)英文字母或數(shù)字。由于掃描的部分為一橫線，如圖所示，故稱為一維條形碼。但隨著時(shí)代的進(jìn)步及產(chǎn)品數(shù)據(jù)量的增加，一維條形碼已逐漸不敷使用。因此，在一維條形碼的粗細(xì)線條之外加上其它點(diǎn)線，使其隱藏信息量增加的『二維條形碼』便應(yīng)運(yùn)而生。顧名思義，二維條形碼的掃描范圍為一整個(gè)面，如下圖二所示，所含的信息更可超過一千個(gè)字。目前常見的二維條形碼，是一套由日本人發(fā)明的QR Code(Quick Response Code)。QR Code的運(yùn)用在日本已行之多年，其中所蘊(yùn)含的信息可以是網(wǎng)址，或是姓名、電話等個(gè)人信息。甚至透過掃描一整組QR Code，就能顯現(xiàn)一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的圖案或小張的照片。QR Code多半與手機(jī)做結(jié)合，利用手機(jī)的照相功能加上內(nèi)建的辨識(shí)軟件來進(jìn)行掃描。手機(jī)用戶只要輕輕一拍，就能在一瞬間獲得大量訊息，而不需辛苦地鍵入各種資料。

Tips In Use

...that would help keep track of...　……有助于記錄……

在此介紹 help(幫助)的用法：

1.help (to) + 原形動(dòng)詞

2.help with + 名詞

3.help + 受詞 + (to) + 原形動(dòng)詞

4.help + 受詞 + with + 名詞

Joan helped (to) clean my room.

=Joan helped with the cleaning of my room.

=Joan helped me (to) clean my room.

=Joan helped me with the cleaning of my room.

(喬安妮幫我打掃我房間。)