Extensive Reading Lesson 21

揭秘上海世博会“隐身”科技看点

在上海世博会充满异国风情的展馆和园区背后，有许多不为人注目的高科技看点作为支持；正是这些“隐身”的科技确保了游客们安全便捷地参与这场千载难逢的盛事。

“心”在门票里跳动

上海世博会主办方预测，世博园区的日均客流量可能达到80万人次；传统的人工检票方式无法应付这样庞大的参观人群。为了应对如此庞大的客流量，同时做好防伪工作，主办方将采用“射频识别技术”，在0.5毫米厚的世博门票中安装微型芯片，依靠自动检票门来识别门票。该技术于上世纪90年代在日本兴起，属于一种非接触式的自动识别技术。

类似的技术在超市及物流配送公司也有所应用；然而专家表示，上海世博会将是有史以来最大规模的射频识别技术应用案例，这次盛会将大大推动我国在该技术领域的创新和发展。

垃圾在地底飞奔

人们在世博园中游览的时候，就在他们的脚下，无数垃圾将以20米/秒的速度在地底飞奔。一套由地下管道、涡轮机和真空管组成的垃圾输送系统能够自动将垃圾箱中的废弃物吸入输送管道并运送到垃圾站。

当垃圾箱中的废弃物达到一定的临界值时，中央控制系统会启动涡轮抽气装置，产生负压气流，将垃圾箱中的垃圾吸入输送管道内。所有废弃物最终将被传送至垃圾站，经过分离、压缩、过滤、净化、除臭等过程后排到户外。

水雾在脚下升腾

本届世博会将经历上海夏季最炎热的时候，因此主办者想方设法为园区降温，通过世博园区局地气候调控工程，确保游览者的舒适。

重要的展区和展馆周围都安置了亮丽的白色伞篷，连绵一片，为游客们遮挡烈日。

园区内的建筑物广泛地应用了绿色环保建筑材料。地面铺设材料则经过特别改良，可以让雨水迅速渗透进地下滋养树木，还能将地表温度向地下散发，而非反射到大气中。

水体降温是世博园区主要的温控技术。园内的喷泉、水幕、水池和小河都能通过水分的蒸发带走空气中的热量。在露天广场，小型喷头将水雾化成细小的颗粒散布在空气中，起到良好的降温效果。

Invisible high-tech wonders of the Shanghai Expo

The exotic pavilions and parks of the Shanghai Expo are supported by invisible high technologies that will ensure visitors enjoy the experience of a lifetime in safety and convenience.

Tickets with hearts

The organizers expect 800,000 people to visit the Expo every day – a number that traditional, manual ticket checking cannot handle. To cope with the huge numbers and filter out fake tickets, tiny microchips in the 0.5 mm thin tickets will use a technology called "radio frequency identification," developed in Japan in the 1990s, to allow turnstiles to validate tickets without touching.

Similar technology is used in supermarkets and by delivery and logistics firms, but experts say the Shanghai Expo will be the largest ever application of the technology and will boost innovation in the field.

Trash flies underground

While people walk around the Expo Park, beneath their feet trash will be flying underground at a speed of 20 meters per second. A system of tunnels, turbines and vacuum tubes has been devised to automatically suck trash from dustbins and deliver it to trash stations.

When the amount of trash in dustbins passes a defined threshold, a central control system will switch on turbines to cut air pressure in the tunnels and suck in the trash, which is then separated, compressed, filtered, purified, deodorized and ejected at a trash station.

Cool, clear water

As the Expo will take place at the height of Shanghai's sweltering summer, the organizers have made great efforts to keep the park cool. The Expo's weather adjustment project will ensure people enjoy their visit in comfort.

Stretches of beautiful white parasols in every major exhibition area and around pavilions will shield visitors from the burning sun.

Environmentally-friendly building materials have been used throughout. Specially modified road surface materials will let rainwater pass through to tree roots, and transmit heat underground instead of reflecting it back into the atmosphere.

The Expo's temperature reduction technology relies mainly on water. Springs, water curtains, pools and brooks in the park will cool the air by evaporation. And in open spaces, ultra-fine water particles will be sprayed into the air to cool visitors down.

(China.org.cn translated by Ren Zhongxi, May 10, 2010)