缤纷前沿 第2期

Is Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak Finally A Reality？

哈利·波特的隐形斗篷终成真？

Ever since J. K. Rowling planted the idea of an invisibility cloak in her Harry Potter book series， scientists have been falling all over themselves to create a material that can not only camouflage （使隐蔽） people， but also， buildings. Now a Canadian company claims to have won that race with a magical textile that calls "Quantum Stealth". British Columbia based Hyperstealth Technology Corporation asserts that the material renders （使得） its wearer completely invisible， even to people with night vision goggles （夜视镜）. Also， just like the young wizard's cloak， it is lightweight and does not need cameras， batteries， lights or mirrors to operate. But best of all， it is cheap to manufacture！

这么先进的隐形技术如果用在军事上简直所向披靡，但要是所有人都能人手一件隐形斗篷，会不会有点儿恐怖？

Boy Sends Robot to School in His Place

机器人帮你来上课

A seven-year-old boy who is too ill to go to school has sent a robot to class? in his place. Devon Carrow， from New York in America， uses the ? 3000 "robo-swot" to answer his teachers' questions and take part in group discussions， all from the comfort of his home. The robot uses cameras to show Devon his classroom， and he can signal when he wants to give an answer with a flashing light. Devon has lots of allergies （过敏症）， which means it is dangerous for him to be around other children. His mum says that the equipment helps him feel included and realize that he still has to go to school the same as anyone else.

有了这个机器人真方便，即使生病在家也不用担心会耽误课程了。

Dinosaur Era Lizard Gets Named After President Obama

史前蜥蜴：我叫“奥巴马”

President Obama already has bragging （夸耀） rights to a fish （Ethiostoma Obama） and lichen （地衣） （Caloplaca obamae）. Now， he can add one more exotic animal species to this list—a lizard that inhabited the earth 65 million years ago， during the era of the mighty dinosaur. Nicholas Longrich， the Yale paleontologist （古生物学家） whose team was responsible for naming the lizard said they did consider other political names like Romneydon and Clintondon. However in the end they all agreed that Obamadon gracilis seemed to be the most appropriate name for this pre-historic creature. Literally translated as "Obama's teeth" （Obamadon） and "slender" （gracilis）， the name pays tribute to the US President's great smile and slender physique.

据说这个名字在美国总统选举结束之前就定好了，真有“先见之明”呀！