Vision of the Future（在线收听）

Vision of the Future

For nearly all of his 86 years, architect Jacque Fresco has been designing cities of the future. Fresco’s structures all derived from a simple form that ¹⁾fascinated him as a boy.

Fresco: When I was about 12 years old I was looking at a ²⁾gear on a table. And I saw the cities of the future. I think all my inventions are based upon experiences like that, I don’t think they come out of nowhere.

Fresco believes that ³⁾civilization will be forced to ⁴⁾colonize the sea if land becomes ⁵⁾uninhabitable.

Fresco: The earth can only support so many people, comfortably, and if the population exceeds the capacity of the land, we’re going to have to move seaward and build cities through out the sea.

Working from his Florida studio, Fresco has spent decades making detailed drawings of his futuristic ocean cities. He also builds ⁶⁾prototypes, experimenting continually with new materials; he even lives in one.

Fresco’s even developed plans for transporting the structures out to sea. They’ll be constructed out of ⁷⁾modular sections, ⁸⁾assembled on land by robots and then towed to their final ocean destinations.

Other structures will be made from high tech materials called memory metals.

Fresco: These memory metals can be ⁹⁾distorted, ¹⁰⁾twisted, pulled out of shape and then when a certain temperature is provided that memory metal goes right back to its original shape.

So buildings made from memory metals can be compressed into small cubes for towing and then snapped back to size upon arrival.

Fresco: And almost ¹¹⁾instantaneously you will see a building ¹²⁾erected before your eyes, and no humans working on it all.

Fresco’s vision goes beyond architecture; he sees his cities as tools for ¹³⁾fostering humanistic values.

Fresco: I feel that environment shapes our values, the people we know, the people we identify with. What will drive people in the future? A world without war, without hatred, without ¹⁴⁾bigotry, without ¹⁵⁾prejudice. The future must extend an invitation for all people to join in because the problems effect everybody.

注释：

1) fascinate [5fAsineit ] v. 迷住

2) gear [^iE] n. 齿轮

3) civilization [sivEli5zeiFEn] n. 文明, 文明社会

4) colonize [5kRlEnaiz] v. 开拓殖民地

5) uninhabitable [Qnin5hAbitEbl] a. 不适合人类居住的

6) prototype [5prEutEutaip] n. 模型；模型

7) modular [5mCdjulE] a. 组件的

8) assemble [E5sembl] v. 装配

9) distort [di5stC:t] v. 歪曲，扭曲

10) twist [twist] v. 扭曲，拧, 扭

11) instantaneously [7instEn5teinjEsli] ad. 瞬间的

12) erect [i5rekt] v. 建起, 建立

13) foster [5fRstE] v. 培养, 促进

14) bigotry [5bi^Etri] n. 顽固, 执拗

15) prejudice [5predVudis] n. 偏见