3-D Printing: No Factory Required!

This magical technology turns 3-D designs into 3-D objects
3D印刷：自己來就行！ - 這項神奇的技術把3D設計變成三 度空間的立體實物.

Printing images is easy: Select an image of a purple robot on your PC, for example, and then press print. Your home printer precisely shoots drops of ink onto a flat piece of paper, creating the robot's 2-D image. "Printing" 3-D objects is something altogether different. Take the purple robot. First select a file of the 3-D model of the robot and send it to your special 3-D printer. Immediately, the printer begins making noise, and a nozzle releases plastic material in thin layers, over and over again. In two to three hours, a 3-D purple robot is standing before you!

3-D printing: then and now
3-D printing technology first appeared in the 1980s. At that time, it was used as an inexpensive way for companies to make prototypes before creating final products. But 3-D printing technology has matured to the point where printers can now create high-quality objects using a variety of materials, including metals. That means 3-D printers can now make final products that meet high industrial standards. 3-D printers are already being used to make parts for race-cars and jets as well as artificial limbs and hearing aids.

The future of 3-D printing
One startling ability 3-D printers have is that they can print parts of themselves. This ability could come in handy for future space missions, like building a base on Mars Instead of transporting heavy equipment to Mars, engineers could send one 3_D printer that could "print" multiple printers. Each one could be used to make certain objects - from doors to windows - for astronauts to assemble.

An even more incredible application of 3-D printing technology is being tested in the medical field. A company called Organovo has developed a type of 3-D printer that can take a human's cells and use them to create organic tissues. Organovo successfully printed their first blood vessels in 2010, and they are looking ahead to the day when they can print entire replacement organs.

Making an impact
Last year, analysts at the Atlantic Council released a report titled "Could 3-D printing Change the World? The authors predict that 3-D printing will be a game changer on many levels. They believe that 3-D printing could have "as profound an impact on the manufacturing world as the PC and the Internet on the information world.

Grammar Gym:
"Take the purple robot" - "take" usually means "use hands to reach the subject and hold it".
"Take the purple robot" - "take"  here means "take for example".
Robert has so many crazy stories about his travels; take the time when he was stuck in Mexico City without his passport.
Mrs. Jensen's students are very creative; take Timothy and his artwork.

Vocabulary Tips:
precisely - exactly.精确地，准确地。
*No one knows precisely how many people survived the train crash.生还
precise (adj)- 精确的，准确的。
*The precise location of the stolen car has not been determined yet.
nozzle - the narrow end of the tube, which may dispensing liquid.喷嘴。
*The nozzle of the fire extinguisher was jammed.堵住了。
*The gas nozzle automatically stops adding gasoline when the tank is full.
prototype - a sample which is just designed.新发明出来设备或机械的样本，样品，原型，原模型。 "prot" -“第一个”之意 "type"-典型。
*The prototype of the new car was built by a group of Japanese engineers.
mature - has change and develop gradually. 成长，成熟。
*Teenage girls usually mature faster than teenage boys.
mature -趋于完善。
*Her acting skills mature rapidly over the years.
maturity (n)-成熟。
*The girls delayed maturity was caused by a hormonal imbalance. 落后发育成熟，过缓成熟。。荷尔蒙失调。
then - refer to the pass, back then.
startle - startling 使震惊，使惊吓。使吓一跳。
*Ray's sudden resignation startled everyone in the company.
startling (adj) -unexpected, take you by surprise.令人惊讶的。
*The girl's startling looks made her a rising star in modeling.
incredible -hard to believe.不能置信的，令人无法相信的，不可思议的。惊人的。 "in" -有‘否定’之意。 , "credible" -可信的。
*The boy has an incredible memory.
*The incredible voice of the singer captured the attention of the entire audience.
replacement-take place of the original one.代替者，替代。 replace -替代，替换。
*Our computers are too old and too slow and require replacement.
*The quarterback was seriously wounded, and the team needs a replacement quickly.补空缺。补位。替代。
profound -very deep and far in influence..深远，深奥的。
*George's tragic childhood has had a profound impact on his character. 对他性格。。影响深远。
profound -知识渊博
*Professor Frasier's profound knowledge of ancient Egypt amazed us.
transport - from one place to another.
assemble - put things or parts together.
looking ahead to - looking forward to it. not happen yet but we expect it to happen.
a game changer - changing the way of lifestyle and the way the things have done in the world or in the society.
"game" - refer to the way the things have done in the world or in the society.
game - something we play for fun.
profound impact - influence or effective far and deep.


Language Tips:
quotation mark - " "引号。简称“quote"
irony -反讽。不认同，有嘲讽之意。
"Printing" 3-D objects is something altogether different.
printing - is in the quotation, which means the writer is not total agree that machine is doing is called "printing"
air quotes -raise your hands in the air, the pointer and the middle fingers are curved.
the word in the quotation, the meaning of the words usually has opposite meaning.用括号来标示，通常是并不认同括号里的话的意思。
he says he is "busy" -用括号，代表你不认为他真的很 "busy".
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handy -与手有关的，手很巧的。
My brother is handy with electronic devices.对电子器材操作自如。
handy-手头的，手边的，离手很近的。
keep a pen handy 将笔放在离自己很近处，随手可得。
handy-容易操作的。好使用的。
a handy reference book.很好使用的参考书。
handyman-a person who is very capable in fixing things.家中若有一个handyman，什么东西坏了，修理就不担心了。
print themselves -印出自己的零件。
come in handy -派上用场。




Taking notes of study "StudioClassroom"