Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. replica (n.) – a copy of something, usually smaller than the original
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. replica (n.) – a copy of something, usually smaller than the original
Example: Usually, souvenirs from a foreign
country are keychain replicas of
famous landmarks.
2. convenient (adj.) – suitable
to one’s comfort or needs
Example: It is convenient to buy food from fast food chains when in a hurry.
3. avail (v.) – to use
to one’s advantage
Example: Elderly people can avail “senior discounts” in some establishments.
4. simulate (v.) – to
copy a condition or appearance of something
Example: Astronauts train under conditions that simulate those in space.
5. challenge (n.) – a
test of one’s abilities to accomplish something
Example: He is up for the challenge of making new cures to newly discovered diseases.
Article
Read the text below.
Using
a system created by a company called Bodymetrics, it is now possible to try
on clothes without actually wearing them.
Combined
with technology from Microsoft’s Kinect camera, the new virtual fitting
system creates 3D replicas of
customers that show not only customers’ body measurements but also their movements.
Through their 3D versions, customers can see how a selection of clothes will
look on them in real life.
This
technology could prove to be very useful to online shoppers. According to
Bodymetrics CEO Suran Goonatilake, even though many people shop online, 90%
of them still prefer to buy clothes in actual stores. With Bodymetrics’
system, online shoppers can check if the clothes “fit” before buying them,
just like in real-world stores. In the
future, similar systems could be used in shopping sites like Amazon or
installed in Smart TVs, and people can enjoy convenient shopping anywhere, anytime.
In
the meantime, real-world stores Selfridges and New Look in the UK are already
using this body-mapping system, and some US-based stores are also planning to
adopt it by summer this year. However, Goonatilake will still not reveal
which stores will avail it.
But
even if virtual fitting lets customers see how clothes look on them, simulating what the clothes feel like
when worn may be the next big challenge
for system developers.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
Do
you think that online shopping is better than traditional way of shopping? Why
or why not?
·
What
do you think will be the effect of online shopping to real-world stores?
Discussion B
·
Has
the Internet made people’s lives simpler or more complicated? Please explain
your answer.
·
If
you can invent a technology that will make people’s lives easier, what would
that be like?