Making Things Smart
Picture that you're shopping. You go into a store with no clerks or shopkeepers. Right away, your cellphone shows you where to find the things on your shopping list. You collect everything, and you leave the store. When you're outside, your phone tells you if the money has been paid from your online wallet successfully. Very convenient, isn't it? Well, thanks to IoT, there are stores just like this now.
IoT stands for Internet of things. The idea is to make things "smart" by connecting them to the Internet and having them share information with each other. For example, when you get home and are opening the door with your key, your phone will tell your house that you're back. So, even before you hit the couch, the lamps are already on and the TV is set to your favorite program. IoT makes our daily lives easier.
More and more companies are now designing IoT products. Soon, these modern products will be everywhere, and we won't even know they are there. No one can know for sure how IoT will shape our lives. We will have to cross that bridge when we come to it.
讓事物變聰明
想像你正在購物。你進入一間沒有店員或店主的商店。你的手機立刻顯示哪裡可以找到你購物清單上的商品。你拿到全部的東西，然後離開商店。當你在外面時，你的手機會告訴你是否成功的透過電子錢包付費。相當方便，不是嗎？嗯，多虧有物聯網，現在就有這樣的商店。
物聯網代表「物物相連的網際網路」。其概念是將所有事物連結到網路，並讓它們互相分享資訊，來讓事物智慧化。舉例來說，當你回到家，正在用鑰匙開門時，你的手機會告訴你的房子你回來了。所以，甚至在你到達沙發前，檯燈已經打開，電視也設定在你最喜歡的節目了。物聯網讓我們的日常生活更容易。
越來越多的公司在設計物聯網產品。很快地，這些現代化產品將到處都是，而我們甚至不會知道它們的存在。沒有人可以確保物聯網將會如何塑造我們的生活。反正船到橋頭自然直，我們現在再怎麼擔心也沒有用。
- shopkeeper [ˋʃɑp͵kipɚ] n.
店主
My aunt is the shopkeeper of a coffee shop.
我的姑姑是間咖啡廳的店長。 - cellphone [ˋsɛl͵fon] n.
手機
Chloe didn't know where or when she lost her cellphone.
Chloe 不知她在何時、何處弄丟了她的手機。 - collect [kəˋlɛkt] v.
收集
Dad's interest is collecting stamps.
爸爸的興趣是收集郵票。 - outside [͵aʊtˋsaɪd] adv.; n.; adj.; prep.
在外面；外面（的）
The music was so loud that I could even hear it outside the room.
音樂大聲到我甚至在房間外面就可以聽到了。 - wallet [ˋwɑlɪt] n.
錢包
Daniel took out his wallet to pay for the meal.
Daniel 拿出他的皮夾付餐費。 - couch [kaʊtʃ] n.
沙發
This couch was designed by a famous designer.
這張沙發是由一位知名設計師所設計的。 - lamp [læmp] n.
檯燈
You should turn on the lamp when you read.
你應該在你閱讀時打開檯燈。 - program [ˋprogræm] n.
節目
Dad always gets home before 7:30 p.m. because his favorite TV program is on at 8 p.m.
爸爸總是在七點半前到家，因為他最喜愛的電視節目八點開播。 - modern [ˋmɑdɚn] adj.
現代的
Taipei is a modern city in Taiwan.
臺北是臺灣的一座現代城市。 - set [sɛt] v.
設定
Could you tell me how to set this coffee machine?
你可以告訴我要如何設定這臺咖啡機嗎？ - shape [ʃep] v.
塑造
These cookies are shaped like hearts.
這些餅乾被塑形成像愛心。 - cross that bridge when one comes to it [͵krɔs ðæt brɪdʒ hwɛn wʌn ˋkʌmz tə ɪt]
船到橋頭自然直；到時候再說
A: Have you booked the hotel room for your trip tomorrow?
B: Well, I forgot about it. I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it.
A：你已經為你明天的行程訂好旅館了嗎？
B：嗯，我忘記了。船到橋頭自然直，我就只好到時候再說了。 - stand for
代表
I don't know what the circle and lines stand for in this painting.
我不知道這幅畫中的圓圈和線條代表什麼。
