Lesson 04 Weird Inventions

미래엔 영어I Reading_4과.hwp

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There are lots of strange inventions around us. Many of them were probably considered weird when they first came out. The bicycle, post-it notes, and even potato chips might have seemed a little unusual until people got used to each idea. With millions of patents granted annually in the world, there are bound to be a few that make us scratch our head.

Cool Shoes

Imagine that it’s a hot summer day and you have been walking up and down the street while window shopping. You may wish there were something to make your feet feel better. These shoes were invented for just that. They have a network of heat exchange coils located in their heels. Every time you take a step, you make a compressor start its function, forcing cool air up into the shoe. This means that the more you walk, the cooler your feet can be. But just be careful. Someone wearing these shoes walked so fast that he got injured by cool air.

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Snowboarder Bumper

Learning to snowboard can be difficult. Falling down is all part of the learning experience, even for skilled boarders. So how do you keep from hurting yourself while you're still in the beginner’s stage of training? The Snowboarder Bumper!

This handy device is worn like a vest, but it's bigger ― much bigger. When you start to fall down, the Snowboarder Bumper will keep you upright enough to recover your balance quickly and easily. (At least that's the theory.) Is there a tree in your way? No problem. You'll just bounce right off. Please don’t forget to remove your bumper before attempting to enter the lodge.

Clocky

This is an alarm clock, called Clocky, which runs away and hides if you don’t get out of bed on time. Clocky allows its owner to snooze just once. If you still don’t wake up, Clocky will jump off the night table and wheel away while bumping into objects until it finds a spot to rest. The only option is to get out of bed and to silence the alarm. Clocky is said to find new hiding spots every morning.

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Subway Sleeper

Have you ever fallen asleep on the subway and missed your stop? A Japanese inventor made an innovative and weird invention to solve this problem. A Subway Sleeper is a specially made helmet that looks like one found at a construction site with a plunger attached to it. The plunger is used to attach the helmet to the windows on the train. A text board is placed in front of the helmet so that other passengers will know when to wake you up. However, you have to ask yourself if relying on the kindness of strangers is really such a good idea.

The Umbrella Tie

As people who live on an island nation which has lots of rain, the Japanese are almost as concerned about the weather as the British. It‘s no wonder then that they have invented so many different types of umbrellas. From shoe umbrellas to umbrella hats, they've done it all. Then how about this umbrella tie? Its dual function convenience means that you will no longer have to worry about leaving your umbrella on the bus. However, as a fashion statement, it does leave something to be desired.

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Eyedrop Funnel Glasses

Never miss your eyeballs again! If you have ever tried putting drops into your own eyes, you will truly appreciate the beauty and simplicity of these eyedrop funnel glasses. In the past, most of the drops would end up on the side of your face, on your forehead, or up your nose, but now you can hit the bull's-eye every single time. There will be no more wasted medication as the funnels will guide the drops directly onto your eyeballs. However, if you blink when you put drops into your eyes, the funnel glasses would be of no use. Maybe a device that would keep you from blinking would be more useful.

Some of these inventions may be a little peculiar, but they are certainly interesting and innovative. Some of them have been used as necessary tools for our lives. Some have disappeared. Even if these ideas are never actually used, it's just good to think outside the box.