| Science & Health |
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Smile For The Camera 錄影監視中，請微笑
Facial-recognition software and street-side video cameras mean you'll be known wherever you go.
臉部辨識軟體和街邊的錄影機，意味著走到哪裡都有人認得出你。
Over the past few years, cities from Los Angeles to London to Taipei have been rigging lampposts with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. Police say they help prevent and solve crimes.
在過去幾年中，從洛杉磯、倫敦到台北等城市都在街燈柱上安裝了閉路電視攝影機，警方說它們有助於防止並解決犯罪。
But the effectiveness of CCTV policing has always been limited by a shortage of manpower: More cameras require more police sitting in headquarters watching the monitors. But a new kind of software currently in testing promises to make CCTV policing almost completely automatic.
但是以閉路電視維護治安的有效性，一直因為人力不足而受限：越多攝影機就需要更多警察坐在總部盯著監視器。但是一種目前正在測試的新軟體可能可以讓閉路電視幾乎完全自動化地維持治安。
Facial-recognition systems take a picture of someone's face, and automatically compare it to images stored in a database. Some companies have begun using the technology instead of regular locks: After all, keys can be stolen or copied, but you'd have trouble borrowing somebody else's face.
臉部辨識系統拍下一個人的臉，並自動比對它和資料庫中儲存的影像。有些公司已經開始用這項科技代替一般的鎖：畢竟，鎖可能會被偷或複製，但是借用別人的臉會讓你惹上麻煩。
The police are interested in using facial-recognition software to keep on the lookout for potential troublemakers, from escaped prisoners to known gang members. If a street-corner camera sees a gang member on his own, he'd probably be left alone - after all, even gangsters need to go out for groceries from time to time. But if the camera sees two or more gang members together, it could alert the police to drop by and check up on what they're doing.
警方有意利用臉部辨識軟體來密切注意可能會惹麻煩的人，包括逃獄的犯人到有名的幫派分子。如果街角的攝影機看到了落單的幫派成員，可能不會有人理會他──畢竟，就算是流氓偶爾也需要出門購買食品雜貨。但是如果攝影機看到兩個或更多的幫派成員在一起，它可以提醒警方過來一趟，查看他們在做什麼。
But some are concerned that the new technology gives the police too much power. "There's a long history of government misusing information it gathers," notes one lawyer in Los Angeles, where police are already testing the system. Privacy advocates are concerned that the police might abuse their power, and that the buggy systems often result in false matches. A test system installed at an airport in Boston failed to correctly match 45% of the test group.
但是有些人擔心這項新科技賦予警方太多權力。「政府錯用它收集的資訊已經有很長的一段歷史了。」洛杉磯的一位律師這樣強調，當地警方已經開始測試這個系統。隱私權維護者擔心警察會濫用他們的權力，還有這個毛病很多的系統常常造成錯誤的比對結果。在波士頓機場安裝的一個測試系統對測試團體中百分之四十五的對象做出錯誤比對。
However, in Los Angeles, the system resulted in 16 arrests in a two-month period in late 2004, and also cleared a man who the police had suspected of being someone else. It's only a matter of time before software engineers get the kinks ironed out, say software experts, and police departments around the world are showing interest.
然而，在洛杉磯，這個系統已於二○○四年底的兩個月期間成功達成十六次逮捕行動，並讓一位被警方懷疑是另一個人的男性證明自己的清白。軟體工程師遲早會解決困難，軟體專家這樣說，而世界各地的警政單位也表示出他們的興趣。 |
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be on the lookout for 密切注意著；費心尋覓著
I'm on the lookout for an affordable coat, so please let me know if you find one.
get the kinks ironed out 解除阻礙；解決困難
It took awhile to get the kinks ironed out, but we're confident the new program is performing smoothly now. |
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| • | 超可愛的蓿 |
| | 各位網友大大如果覺得她夠甜夠可愛就多來看看她吧!! |
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| Vocabulary |
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1. rig [rIg] v. 裝置
Hank put so much money into his car - he rigged it with all of the latest accessories.
2. headquarters [`hAd`kwRrtXz] n. 總部
Our company's headquarters are in Beijing, but I work in the Bangkok office.
3. monitor [`mZnKtX] n. 監視器
This computer monitor is too small - it hurts my eyes to read on it.
4. potential [pK`tAnBKl] adj. 可能的；潛在的
Despite the odds, some people feel the potential winnings justify buying lottery tickets.
5. gangster [`gGEstX] n. 流氓
Jenna's mom didn't like her new boyfriend and said his rough appearance made him look like a gangster.
6. groceries [`grosKrI] n. 食品雜貨
His list of needed groceries included bread, butter and milk.
7. privacy advocate n. chk. 隱私權擁護者
Privacy advocates often warn people about giving away personal information on the internet.
8. abuse [K`bjuz] v. 濫用
The principal abused his authority by making the students paint his house.
9. buggy [`bOgI] adj. 多毛病的
The new DVD player is really buggy - sometimes it will suddenly switch itself off.
10. install [In`stRl] v. 安裝
The new program was easy to install. I just put a CD-ROM in the disc drive and pressed 'enter'.
11. arrest [K`rAst] n. 逮捕
The Minister's arrest for drunk driving made headlines across the country.
12. clear [klIr] v. 證明清白；消除疑慮
It took some time for Ken to clear his name after being accused of theft, but now everyone knows he was innocent. |
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| questions |
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1.What do you think about police using facial-recognition systems?
2.What are the police like where you live? Do you know any police officers?
3.Have you ever been mistaken for another person? What happened? |
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