The Invisibility Cloak or the Smart Glasses?--你選智慧眼鏡或隱形斗篷？

http://udn.com/NEWS/OPINION/X1/8003753.shtml

你選智慧眼鏡或隱形斗篷？

【聯合報╱蘇盟雅／大學生（台北市）】

2013.07.03 02:04 am

今年指考的英文作文，顛覆了大家對於「學測考創意，指考考實力」的印象，出了一道極其新穎的題目，要考生由智慧眼鏡與隱形斗篷當中選擇一項，第一段寫選擇那一項的原因，第二段寫不選擇另一項的原因。

My comments: The writing task:

提示：以下有兩項即將上市之新科技產品：

產品一：隱形披風 （invisibility cloak）穿上後頓時隱形，旁人看不到你的存 在；同時，隱形披風會保護你，讓你 水火不侵。

產品二：智慧型眼鏡 （smart glasses）具有掃瞄透視功能，戴上後即能看到 障礙物後方的生物；同時能完整紀錄 你所經歷過的場景。

如果你有機會獲贈其中一項產品，你會選擇哪一項？請以此為主題，寫一篇至少120 個單詞的英文作文。文分兩段，第一段說明你的選擇及理由，並舉例說明你將如何使用 這項產品。第二段說明你不選擇另一項產品的理由及該項產品可能衍生的問題。

Last year, I had my seniors write about an invention they would like to produce if they could invent anything. A few students wrote about the invisibility cloak, and one or two proposed smart glasses. One student would like to invient smart glasses with which he could see through people's mind and know if they were telling the truth. The other wrote about glasses with which people could take pictures or videotape what they saw anytime so that they don't need to carry cameras anymore. And now we have Google Glasses.

智慧眼鏡可以讓人透過一樣物件來看到它背後的東西，還可以記錄透過這副眼鏡所看到的所有事物。隱形斗篷則可以讓人隱身不被任何人發現，並且讓穿著它的人不會受到任何傷害。

第一眼看覺得滿是創意，不料細細思索，覺得其間滿是深意。

這兩個選擇背後，隱藏的是面對同一個課題的兩個相反的面。我想起同樣藏有深意的一道選擇題：「Would you like having no pain？Or  dancing in the rain？」從中細細品味，當面對生命的困厄和苦痛的時候，如果可以選擇，會希望自己感受不到痛苦呢？還是可以享受其中的滋味？

如果having no pain or dancing in the  rain背後藏有的共同課題，是面對苦痛時的生命態度，那麼智慧眼鏡與隱形斗篷的問題背後的課題是什麼？

隱形斗篷提供的是絕對的祕密空間，可以讓人無處不入而不顯其形，只要用斗篷罩著，你在那裡，做什麼，沒有人可以看見。絕對的祕密，絕對的安全，可是也很孤獨。感覺很刺激，自由自在，但是只要披上斗篷，就與外界隔離；有一個地方，祕密，安全，但是永遠無法被了解。

智慧型眼鏡的功能則是隱形斗篷的反面，表面上看起來是對於人類求知慾的滿足，卻隱隱含著對於他人隱私和自我界線的侵犯。

似乎這就是人性脆弱又矛盾的地方，需要自我保護，但對他人領域中無法得知的那一塊，似乎又不免貪婪的窺探。

智慧眼鏡與隱形斗篷，看似不存在，但隨著人類的能力所及越來越廣，我們現在不也用網路做著同樣的事嗎？

只要打著關鍵字，看似可以博覽所有的知識，但把搜尋方向轉向個資，許多願意或不願意被知曉的事情，也就這樣被窺探、記錄，無所遁形。打著匿名，似乎就可以隨意胡作非為，散播謠言或恣意謾罵，只要匿名，在現實生活中就祕密、安全，但背後卻是同樣孤獨而空虛的幻象。

My comments: Wow! A good association.

我想起許久以前的指考英文考題「a world with no  electricity」，要是世界沒有電會是什麼樣子？這樣的世界是好是壞？不管是電、網路，甚或智慧眼鏡與隱形斗篷，背後的好與壞，不都是反映著人類聰慧卻又脆弱而無法自制的矛盾嗎？

智慧眼鏡與隱形斗篷，你會選那個？這是個深深的問題。選了之後要如何使用，這又是個更深的課題了。

全文網址: 你選智慧眼鏡或隱形斗篷？ | 民意論壇 | 意見評論 | 聯合新聞網 http://udn.com/NEWS/OPINION/X1/8003753.shtml#ixzz2XzWLQBgh Power By udn.com

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The following is an essay on the UEE topic provided by today's UDN, of which the writer is anonymous, perhaps some teacher(s) from a cram school:

Invisibility Cloak vs. Smart Glasses

If I were given the opportunity to choose between a magic fireproof and waterproof invisibility cloak and a pair of smart glasses, I would definitely pick the former over the latter. Why? First of all, such a cloak could keep me safe. Protection from water, for example, would certainly come in handy during a typhoon! Secondly, the ability to become invisible would allow me to sneak around unseen and anywhere I like. I could explore all kinds of places that I can't normally go and perhaps learn some interesting secrets. Though I might be tempted to use this power to commit crimes like stealing, I would try to only use it for fun or to escape dangerous situations. Speaking of fun, I sure would be able to play some hilarious pranks on my friends with an invisibility cloak!

The second choice, smart glasses, does not appeal to me quite so much. For one thing, I think I would be pretty embarrassed if I had to look at everyone naked all the time! I don't think I would be able to face my friends and teachers without blushing or breaking out in laughter! What's more, such an ability is not really all that useful for any average guy like me. I don't need to see through walls. Lastly, as far as the ability to record my experiences goes, that would be nice, but I can already do so with the smartphone in my pocket! So all in all, the invisibility cloak seems to me to be the obvious choice!

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The English test of the 2013 UEE

http://www.ceec.edu.tw/AppointExam/AppointExamPaper/102Drse_Paper/02-102指考英文試題(定稿).pdf