【外研社Unipus】新探索（基础级）读写U6课文.pptx

Reading 1 Academic exploration 1 Products of the future 1 Every so often, a material or a product emerges that transforms the world. From the engine, to the discovery of electricity, to the development of the Internet, each has transformed societies and changed lives. Many people now perceive the next big game changer as graphene, which is derived from graphite. This material exhibits many unique qualities. It can withstand strong force because it is around 200 times stronger than steel. It conducts electricity more efficiently than copper, and is more flexible than rubber. In the ten years since it was isolated and studied, more than 7,000 patents for its use have been registered. So, what are some of the potential uses of this revolutionary product and how likely are they to happen? Reading 1 Academic exploration 1 2 After their investigations, researchers at Georgia Tech believe it will be possible to make an ultra-thin antenna for cell phones that would allow a terabit of data to transfer in just one second, or in other words, download around 100 high-definition movies in just a few minutes. While this technology works in theory, the manufacturing process is still some way from being developed. Furthermore, all of the other components need to be made to work with the new antenna. Not only could data speeds be much more rapid, but the speed to charge a battery could increase at an incredible rate. Researchers at UCLA have developed a method to produce graphene batteries that charge in seconds. Measurements show that an iPhone could be fully charged in just five seconds and most laptops in just 30 seconds. Not only are they fast, they are also better for the environment because they are biodegradable. Unlike speeding up data transfer, these batteries may not be too far from production as researchers at Rice University have developed a process to make these on an industrial scale. Reading 1 Academic exploration 1 3 Arguably, the world doesn’t need another product t