Powering this market are advancementsadvancement n.前进， 进步 in design and in fabricembedded electronics. Over the last two years， DuPont （DD ） created new fibers called Aracon， made of Kevlar， that are superstrong， can conduct electricity， and can be woven into ordinarylooking clothes. And chipmaker Infineon （IFX ） developed chip packaging allowing wearable computers to be washed， even in the heavyduty cycle.
Unlike their predecessorspredecessor n.前辈， 前任， （被取代的）原有事物， these new wearable computers also make economic sense. When her bag becomes commercially availableavailable adj.可用到的， 可利用的， 有用的， 有空的， 接受探访的 in two to three years， Nanda expects it will cost around 150， which is the price of an average leather purse.
Indeed， many more people will want to cross that bridge in the coming years - making for a booming market for wearable computers that don，t look like something out of an old Star Trek episode.
可穿着电脑
你能否想像一台仅仅4英寸大小的电脑？用户可以方便地随身携带，重量与一件普通的皮夹克差不多。它，就是“可穿着式电脑”。最新型的可穿着电脑产品在外观方面与普通衣物几乎没有什么两样，而售价的降低和功能的丰富也许会使它成为未来人类不可或缺的工具之一。
这种“小家伙”可以帮助用户通过无线方式与主人的其他财物保持联系，并随时随地提醒用户一些生活细节。当用户离开房间的时候，它会乖巧地提醒主人不要忘记携带钱包；在主人出行时，它会自动查询天气预报，帮助主人做到未雨绸缪；它甚至还可以在主人穿着的围脖中加入喜欢的歌曲。
的确，这些高科技的电脑更多情况下只能出现在科幻小说的情节当中。不过，根据市场调查机构IDC提供的预测数据，下一代“可穿着式电脑”产品在未来几年中将成为市场上的常见商品。IDC预测，这种高科技产品的销量，包括电脑钱包、电脑手表、电脑T恤，将从去年的26万台提高到2008年的139万台。
高科技电脑产品的背后都有着坚实的技术支柱。过去两年中，美国杜邦公司发明了一种新型的纤维材质，名为Aracon。这种材料具有超高强度并可导电，最重要的是，它可以被任意地折叠并制作成衣服。芯片制造商英飞凌（Infineon）公司也开发了一款专门用于可穿着电脑产品的芯片包，这种芯片包可以在衣物电脑被水洗的过程中保护芯片的安全。
与上一代昂贵的可穿着电脑不同，新型产品在售价方面更加廉价。IDC预计，在未来两到三年内，可穿着电脑的平均售价将降至每台150美元。这个价格已接近普通皮夹克的售价，为产品的普及奠定了坚实的基础。
随着可穿着电脑产品的广泛应用，也许再过几年电影《星球大战》中描述的那种科学世界将真正来临。
Sport Utility Vehicles
“It，s like putting a submarinesubmarine n.潜水艇， 潜艇 adj.水下的， 海底的 in a swimming pool，” says one Brisbane driver as she，s hemmed in on both sides by giganticgigantic adj.巨人般的， 巨大的 sport utility vehicles. “These things are just too big for the road.”
How big are they？ The largest SUVs weigh more than five times as much as a compact carcompact car n.小型汽车， and are nearly half as long as a city bus. That kind of size makes them a favorite of nervous drivers - if an SUV hits another car， the SUV driver is much more likely to survive. However， the other driver is also much more likely to be seriously hurt， which explains why most drivers give these cars a wide berth.
SUVs are also a favorite targettarget n.目标， 对象， 靶子 for environmentalists. On average， they create 47 percent more pollution than standardsized cars， and they suck up gasoline like it，s going out of style. According to the Sierra Club， switching from a normal car to an SUV for one year would waste more energy than leaving your refrigerator door open for six years.
So， what，s the attraction？ Why do people buy cars that are bigger and more expensive than many people，s apartmentsapartment n.(美)公寓住宅， 单元住宅， 房间？ SUVs are sold on their ability to go anywhere - they can roll over mountains， up rivers and through deserts that the average car could simply never handle. Many SUV buyers apparently picture themselves leading an adventurousadventurous adj.喜欢冒险的， 敢做敢为的， 充满危险的 lifestyle at the wheel of their cars but， in fact， few SUVs ever leave the road. A senior marketing executive at Ford admitted， “The only time most SUVs are going to be off road is when they miss the driveway and crush a flowerbedflowerbed n.花床， 花圃 at 3 a.m.”
But with oil prices at record highs， some SUV owners are thinking about downsizing to something a little smaller. “You know you，re in trouble when your monthly gas bill is nearly as much as your car payment，” said one driver. “Driving this monster makes me feel safe， but I just can，t afford to do it any more.”
运动多功能车
“就像把一艘潜艇放进游泳池一样。”一位布里斯班市的驾驶者在她被两辆巨大的SUV包围时这样说，“这东西就是太大，不适合开上路。”
它们有多大？最大的SUV的重量是小型车的5倍以上，而且几乎跟市区的巴士一样长。对于害怕驾驶的人而言，那种大小是他们的最爱，如果SUV撞上别的车，SUV的驾驶者生还的可能性高很多。但是其他的驾驶者受重伤的可能性也高出许多，这就是大多数驾驶者对这些车子敬而远之的原因。
SUV也是环保主义者最爱攻击的目标。这些车比标准尺寸的车平均多产生47%的污染，它们耗油的速度很快。据山岳协会﹙国际性生态保护团体﹚表示，把一般车子换成SUV一年，比让你的冰箱门打开六年浪费更多的能源。
那么，它的吸引力在哪里？为什么人们要买比大多数人的公寓更大更贵的车？SUV以其无所不达的能力销售出去，它们可以登山、溯流而上、横越沙漠，做这些一般车子无法应付的事。很多SUV的买主显然想像自己开着他们的车过冒险生活，但事实上，少有SUV离开过马路。福特公司的一位资深营销主管承认：“多数SUV唯一离开路面的时候，是它在清晨三点错过车道压坏花坛的时候。”
但随着油价创新高，有些SUV的车主正考虑把大车换成小一点的车。“当你每个月的油钱账单几乎和你的车款一样多时，你就知道自己有麻烦了。”一位驾驶这样说，“开这种超级大车让我觉得很安全，但我实在没办法继续养车。”
“Perfect Hair Wash” Devised
Experts have devised a formulaformula n.公式， 规则， 客套语 for what they believe is the perfect hair wash.
Tests were carried out over sixmonths on more than 500 volunteersvolunteer
n.志愿者， 志愿兵 adj.志愿的， 义务的， 无偿的 v.自愿 to examine different methods of wetting， lathering and rinsing hair.
According to its scientists， only running water at a temperature of 36.7℃ should be used. People with short hair should use no more than 6ml of shampooshampoo n.洗发精， 洗发香波， 洗发 vt.洗头， 洗发， medium length 8ml， and long 10ml. Lathering should last 28 seconds and involve 20 rubs. Hair should then be rinsed for at least 22 seconds and repeated once to ensure cleanliness from the root to the tip.
The experts say conditionerconditioner n.调节者， 调节装置 is essential to complete the perfect wash. Again， the amount recommended depends on the length of hair - 2ml for short， 4ml for medium， and 6ml for long. The conditioner should be applied with a widetoothed comb and left for 57 seconds before rinsing with water at 36.7℃. Finally， hair should be patted with a towel to absorb excess water， then left to dry naturally.
“完美洗发”方式
英国默西塞德郡德芙美容产品研究中心的专家们通过一项长达6个月的研究发明了一种“完美洗发”方式。这种方式是专家们研究了500多名志愿者湿发、洗发和过水的方法后得出的。
研究的结果显示，用于洗发的水的最佳温度是36.7摄氏度，而头发的长度不同，“完美洗发”的方式也不一样。短发的人使用的洗发香波不应超过6毫升；头发中等长度的人不应超过8毫升；而长发的人不应超过10毫升。使用香波擦头发的时间应持续28秒，包括20下按摩。过水应持续22秒，并且重复一次，确保从发根到发梢都清洗干净。
