Along came the wireless network. For 50, you could get the Internet sprayed across the house and never be confined by a cord to the wall. It was slow in those early days, very unreliable, and open to interruption if you couldn't bother with setting up the encoded passwords.
But it caught on. According to estimates made by Parks Associates, a market research firm based in Dallas, about 12.5 million homes now have wireless networks; another 10 million homes, mostly newer ones, have Ethernet(以太网).
Cheap and prevalent is a hard combination to beat. However, technology companies continued to work on the idea. A version for power lines called HomePlug came out in 2002, and while it hardly affected sales of wireless network equipment, it sold enough that major companies like Intel, Cisco, Sony, Sharp and Comcast created the HomePlug Alliance to push for next-generation products, with the first to come out later this year.
Some companies are not waiting. Panasonic, Netgear, Marantz are already offering products that will move data through home electrical lines faster than routers(刻纹机) using the current Wi-Fi standard for wireless networking.
Panasonic started selling its HD-PLC Ethernet adapters for power lines last month. One adapter is attached to a router with a short Ethernet cable and plugged into a nearby wall socket. The second device is plugged into a socket elsewhere in the house. When a computer is linked to it with an Ethernet cable, data is transmitted through the home's electrical wiring at speeds of up to 190 megabits(兆位) a second.
Netgear will be selling a similar system next month for about $300. It moves data at a slightly faster rate.
Marantz says its ZR6001SP receiver will send music to special speakers in another room over power lines. The system includes both devices. The music listener controls the receiver and the CD players connected to it from a control pad on the speakers.
These products seem hopeless candidates. Who would like to pay two or three times expensive than wireless network? The answer lies in simplicity. "It's why most people need us", Robert said, noting the complexity of installing a wireless network is evident by the fact that return rates on wireless networking devices drop to nearly zero. The three products' makers said that people who cannot get whole-house coverage with a wireless system or those plagued by dead zones might find it appealing.
The promising idea mentioned in the first paragraph ______.
A. has mature technology to support it
B. has a stable early application—the X10 system
C. is to transmit data by power lines within the house
D. fostered products which affected wireless network
A.All sharks have teeth to cut prey.B.It is sure that sharks like to attack humans.C.T
All sharks have teeth to cut prey.
B. It is sure that sharks like to attack humans.
C. The largest types of sharks are known to be aggressive.
D. Tiger shark is one of those that have the worst records.
听力原文: Pulling heavy suitcases all day in the summer is hard work, especially when you are a thin 14-year-old. That was me in 1940—the youngest and smallest baggage boy at New York City's Pennsylvania Railway Station.
After just a few days on the job, I began noticing that the other fellows were overcharging passengers. I'd like to join them, think, "Everyone else is doing it." When I got home that night, I told my father what I wanted to do. "You give an honest day's work," he said, looking at me straight in my eyes. "They are paying you. If they want to do that, you let them do that." I followed my father's advice for the rest of that summer and have lived by his words ever since.
Of all my jobs I've had, it was my experience at Pennsylvania Railway Station that struck with me. Now I teach my players to have respect for other people and their possessions. Being a member of a team is a totally shared experience. If one person steals, it destroys trust and hurts everyone. I can put up with many things, but not with the people who steals. If one of my players was caught stealing, he'd be gone.
Whether you are on a sports team, in an office or a member of a family, if you can't trust one another, there's going to be trouble.
(33)
A. They could earn much, but they must work hard.
B. Many of them earned their money in a dishonest way.
C. They were all from poor families.
D. They were all thin, young boys.
A.Food served in canteens is expensive.B.The number of dishes served in canteens is la
A. Food served in canteens is expensive.
B. The number of dishes served in canteens is large
C. Employees in canteens get dishes from the counter by themselves.
D. There are no waiters or waitresses in 'all cafes.