一本教会你“做对”题的6级阅读书 day6 passage4
Passage 4 London Shopping Too Stressful? Try Virtual Oxford Street 109
伦敦西区 《时代周刊》
London's West End is one of the world's great shopping districts. Its two main arteries,
Regent and Oxford streets, and its capillary-like maze of side streets,
are crammed with some of the biggest and trendiest names in retailing.
But shopping in the West End can be downright exhausting:
sidewalks heaving with humanity; the constant din of noise; traffic fumes; foul weather.
That's why the creators behind Near London are betting
that they can coax crowd-weary bargain hunters into the district via virtual reality.
Near London is a 3D cyber-version of the West End that its developers say is the most realistic
[01:07]and accurate virtual recreation of a city center ever produced. Launched Nov. 30,
[01:17]it is indeed impressive-looking, thanks to a laser-scanning technology
[01:24]that picks up details down to one fifth of an inch and faithfully depicts every brick
[01:34]and slab of concrete. Once users download the software, they can stroll -
[01:42]or teleport - themselves around the district to one store after another,
[01:49]no matter where in the world they really are.
[01:54]Most of the West End's major retailers have signed on, including department stores
[02:02]Marks and Spencer and Liberty, as well as chains like Jaeger,
[02:09]French Connection and American Apparel.
[02:14]See something in a store window that you like the look of, say a red cashmere sweater?
[02:21]Click on it, and if the retailer is a Near London client,
[02:27]you'll open the appropriate page on that store's website.
[02:33]If you click on a retailer that's not part of Near, you'll open up that shop's generic website.
[02:43]Either way, you've got the opportunity to make a purchase. "For us,
[02:51]it's an opportunity to reach a new, slightly younger customer base,
[02:57]" says Melissa Neill, Jaeger's e-commerce marketing executive.
[03:04]It may also face some competition.
[03:08]Popular virtual world Second Life has let gamers visit reproductions of parts of London
[03:17]for several years. And German cyber-tourism site Twinty,
[03:23]which lets people visit a virtual Berlin and Singapore, is also preparing a London launch.
[03:32]But, unlike Near London, shopping isn't the prime focus of those sites.
[03:40]Instead they're about setting up a cyber-life for your virtual alter ego,
[03:48]or avatar, complete with its own apartment and wardrobe.
[03:54]Near London shuns humanoid avatars; visitors are instead represented
[04:01]by a colored shaft of light. You can also access Near London through Facebook,
[04:09]which means friends can browse and shop together in real time.