08 Track 8

Review unit 3

Fluency Strategy: Dealing with Unknown Words

Page 118

Amazing Machines!

The deepest diving submarine

The Japanese research submarine Shinkai 6500 can dive deeper than any other submarine. On August 11, 1989, it went down to a depth of 6,526 meters beneath the ocean’s surface.

The submarine is 9.5 meters long, about the size of a bus and can take up to three people. It is used for ocean research all over the world.

The world’s most intelligent vacuum cleaner

The iRobot vacuum cleaner can clean your floor by itself. It has computers to help it see and hear, so it can detect walls and stairs. It even knows which part of the floor is dirtiest.

It cleans the floor in three stages. First, it picks up dirt and pet hair, then it puts them into a special bin. Finally, the machine cleans the air, making the room fresher and healthier!

The most useful television

The Vieira is the name of the world’s only digital entertainment device that can go underwater. It is made and sold in Japan. You can listen to your favorite music, or even watch a movie, all from the comfort of your bathtub.

And the battery lasts over five hours if you’re planning to spend a long time bathing. You can even use headphones with it-all you’ll need is to find a pair that is waterproof!

The smartest monitor

The Japanese company Eizo Nanao has invented a very special computer monitor, called the FlexScan monitor. The FlexScan monitor can stand up to 23 centimeters high and it can turn almost 180 degree left or right.

It weighs only 4.3 kilograms. What’s more, it can help save electricity. It senses when you have left your computer and turns itself off when you’ve been gone for more than 40 seconds. When you come back, it knows to turn itself back on!

The smallest motorcycle

A Swedish man named Tom Wiberg built the world’s smallest motorcycle that can be ridden by a person. He calls it the Small Toe. The front wheel is only 1.6 centimeters wide, and the back wheel is 2.2 centimeters wide.

The rider sits barely 7 centimeters above the ground. In 2003, Wiberg rode his machine for more than ten meters and set a new Guinness World Record for the smallest rideable motorcycle ever built.