日常英語 “智能”城市

Would you like to live in a city where buildings turn the lights off for you, where self-driving cars find the nearest parking space, and where even the rubbish bins know when they're full?

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Although it might sound like science-fiction, living in a 'smart' city like this could happen sooner than you think.

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Towns we have lived in for centuries are being upgraded, while completely new cities are being built.

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One such place is Songdo in South Korea. Every home there will have a built-in 'telepresence' system - allowing users to control the heating and locks; take part in video conferences; and receive education, healthcare and government services.

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Around the city, escalators will only move when someone is on them, and offices and schools will all be connected to the network.

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The digital mastermind behind Songdo is the company Cisco. Indeed, technology firms around the world such as IBM, Siemens and Microsoft are already selling software to solve a range of city problems, from water leaks and air pollution to traffic congestion.

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For example, IBM is gathering traffic data in Singapore which it uses to predict where traffic jams will occur - an hour before they happen.

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So what is all this smart technology for? Many hope all this connectedness will make cities greener, more sustainable, and more efficient.

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And with 75% of the world's population predicted to live in cities by 2050, the transport system and emergency services will need to modernise to cope with all the new arrivals.

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But making cities smarter is only part of the solution, according to Dan Hill, chief executive of research firm Fabrica.

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He said: "We don't make cities to be efficient, we make cities for culture, commerce, community - all of which are very inefficient".

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In the rush in order to make cities perform better, we could be missing their greatest asset.

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"It is going to be smart citizens that make smart cities," he said.