The farms of the future won't need fences because the animals will keep themselves on the farm. They will wear battery powered collars which will send electronic signals, Australian scientists have said.
"It's like an electric fence, except it's invisible," Andrew Fisher, a researcher with the government's CSIRO research organization, told The Sydney Morning Herald.
The collars will be linked to a global positioning system (GPS). Farmers will use a computer to set the boundaries of where they want their livestock to be.
PHOTO: AP
The computer-chipped collars will make a buzzing sound if a cow or sheep gets too close to the virtual fence. If the animal keeps walking, a very mild electric shock would make it go back.
Fisher said cattle that had worn the hi-tech collars in a field trial learned to obey the sensory messages in less than an hour.
澳洲科學家表示，未來的農場將不再需要圍籬，透過佩戴一種靠電池供電並可發送電子訊號的項圈，動物便會安分地待在農場內。
澳洲聯邦科學暨工業研究院研究員安德魯．費雪告訴《雪梨晨鋒報》說：「它就像個電子柵欄，只不過肉眼看不見。」
這種項圈可連接全球衛星定位系統，農民可利用電腦來設定牲畜活動的範圍。
當牛羊快闖越虛擬柵欄的範圍時，內置電腦晶片的項圈就會發出警告聲，如果牠們繼續前進，項圈便會發出微弱的電擊迫使牠們後退。
費雪表示，實地測驗中，佩戴這種高科技項圈的牛隻不到一小時就學會服從感應到的訊息。（德通社／翻譯：林倩如）
1. electronic adj.
電子的 (dian4 zi3 de5)
例: Televisions are electronic devices.
(電視機是電子設備。)
2. livestock n.
家畜 (jia1 chu4)
例: Farmer Smith has a lot of livestock. He keeps geese, sheep, pigs, cows and goats.
(農夫史密斯養了一大群家畜，有鵝、綿羊、豬、乳牛和山羊。)
3. virtual adj.
虛擬的 (xu1 ni3 de5)
例: Lots of people enjoy playing computer games where they can pretend that they live in a virtual world.
(許多人愛玩電玩遊戲，因為可以假裝活在虛擬世界裡。)
With the international COVID-19 pandemic increasing in severity, tighter border restrictions mean that only a small number of Taiwanese will be able to travel abroad during this year’s Lunar New Year holiday period. As a result, hotels are doing a roaring trade in family reunion dinners this year, with several well-known five-star hotels becoming booked out as early as December last year. Two months ago, the Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel had sold nearly 200 preorders, while places for Lunar New Year dinners at the Okura Taipei and the Fullon Hotel also sold out last year. The pandemic has given a
I certainly won’t miss the commute! (5/5) 我對通勤是絕對不會想念的！（五） A: With global telecommunications, wireless connectivity and the death of the office, it will be possible to work from anywhere. B: So you think you could just take off to a beach or a beautiful, sun-soaked spot in an idyllic part of the world and do your work from there? A: If we could do it, many others could, too. There wouldn’t be an idyllic place left on Earth. They’d all be crowded with people shouting into their mobile devices or tapping away on their keyboards. A: 有了全球電信系統、無線網路，再加上辦公室的消失，以後要在哪裡工作都可以。 B: 所以你想這樣就可以到海邊，或者世界上某個詩情畫意、陽光普照的地方去，在那裡工作？ A: 如果我們可以這樣，很多人也可以呀！這樣地球上就不會有什麼詩情畫意的地方了。因為這些地方都會擠滿人，大家都大聲講手機，或是在鍵盤上劈哩啪啦打字。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯） English 英文:
I certainly won’t miss the commute! (4/5) 我對通勤是絕對不會想念的！（四） B: Urban planners are going to have to massively rethink how cities are designed. Business districts will go out of the window. Office buildings will have to be repurposed. Commuter routes will become a thing of the past. A: They will be able to make open, green spaces for people to work in, which will be easier now with all this wireless connectivity. It’s going to be great! B: Careful what you wish for. We might not be tethered to the office, but we’ll still be tied to our mobile devices. We’ll still need to be contactable 24/7, slaves
I certainly won’t miss the commute! (3/5) 我對通勤是絕對不會想念的！（三） A: Many companies want to have their employees work from home on a permanent basis, even after the pandemic gets under control. B: Social media and office productivity software are so capable now, this shift in how we do work has been on the cards for years. The pandemic and the lockdowns have just expedited the process. A: Personally, I prefer the work/home separation, but I certainly won’t miss the commute! B: Good point. I hate being squashed up against strangers in a crowded train twice a day during rush hour. A: 很多公司要求員工固定在家工作，即便是在疫情控制下來以後。 B: 現在社群媒體和辦公室生產力軟體都很強大，我們的工作型態醞釀要轉變已經好幾年了。疫情和封城只不過是加快了這個進程。 A: 我自己是比較喜歡把工作和居家生活區分開來啦，不過我對通勤是絕對不會想念的！ B: 說得好。我痛恨一天兩次要在尖峰時間擁擠的車廂跟陌生人擠在一起。 （Paul
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