But critics say the record companies are risking a backlash as music fans take offense at the heavyhanded treatment. Rather than treat downloader as criminals， they say， record companies need to treat them as potentialpotential adj.潜在的， 可能的， 势的， 位的 n.潜能， 潜力， 电压 customers. Otherwise， the pirates will just come up with ever more clever ways of getting around the law.
音乐文件分享
梅根·迪金森就像多数15岁的孩子一样：她喜欢音乐和计算机。因此当她接触到文件分享软件，她很快地就在自己的硬盘上汇编出一个拥有一千多首歌曲的个人图书馆。
然而，不像其他15岁孩子的是，梅根被起诉了。唱片公司通过网络服务商追踪到她，而且说她必须为她所下载的歌曲，每一首各支付750美元的罚款。结果，包括律师费在内，赔偿金总额可能接近100万美元。
多年来，由于数字盗版使销售业绩下滑，唱片公司正在发起反击。它们不只追踪创造文件分享软件的人，同时也向未经许可就从网络下载歌曲的个人施压。虽然法律诉讼的案件数量还很少，而且美国以外的使用者还没被盯上，但罚款数百万美元的威胁，已经让乐迷下载最新歌曲前会再考虑一下。
唱片公司也试着破坏它们无法关闭的文件分享服务。如果下载小甜甜布兰妮最新的歌曲，很有可能你最后只下载到3分钟的噪音，这些权充“诱饵”的文件是唱片公司放上去的，目的是让真正的版本不容易找到。这个想法的初衷是，如果找歌太花时间，大家就可能愿意回到唱片商店去花钱买音乐。
但是评论家说，唱片公司正冒着引发强烈反对的风险，因为乐迷会因遭受强制手段的对待而感到生气。他们说，与其将下载的人视为罪犯，唱片公司不如将他们视为潜在的顾客。不然的话，盗版者只会想出更聪明的办法规避法律制裁。
The Indoor Plants
Common indoor plants may prove to be a valuablevaluable adj.贵重的， 有价值的， 颇有价值的 weapon in the fight against rising levels of indoor air pollution. Those plants in your office or home are not only decorativedecorative adj.装饰的， but NASA scientists are finding them to be surprisingly useful in absorbing potentially harmful gases and cleaning the air inside modern buildings.
NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America （ALCA） have announced the findings of a 2year study that suggest the common indoor plant may provide a natural way of helping combat “Sick Building Syndrome.”
Research into the use of biologicalbiological adj.生物学的 processes as a means of solving environmental environmental adj.周围的， 环境的 n.环境论problems， both on Earth and in space habitats， has been carried out for many years by Dr. Bill Wolverton， formerly a senior research scientist at NASA，s John C. Stennis Space Center， Bay St. Louis， Miss.
Based on preliminarypreliminary adj.预备的， 初步的 evaluationsevaluation n.估价， 评价， 赋值 of the use of common indoor plants for indoor air purification and revitalizationrevitalization n.新生 复兴， ALCA joined NASA to fund a study using about a dozen popular varieties of ornamental plants to determine their effectiveness in removing several key pollutants associated with indoor air pollution. NASA research on indoor plants has found that living plants are so efficient at absorbing contaminantscontaminant n.致污物，污染物 in the air that some will be launched into space as part of the biological life support system aboard future orbiting space stations.
While more research is needed， Wolverton says the study has shown that common indoor landscaping plants can remove certain pollutantspollutant n.污染物质 from the indoor environment. “We feel that future results will provide an even stronger argument that common indoor landscapinglandscaping n.景观美化 plants can be a very effective part of a system used to provide pollution free homes and work places，” he concludes.
“Plants take substances out of the air through the tiny openings in their leaves，” Wolverton said. “But research in our laboratories has determined that plant leaves， roots and soil bacteriabacteria n.细菌 are all important in removing trace levels of toxic vapors.”
“Combining nature with technology can increase the effectivenesseffectiveness n.效力 of plants in removing air pollutants，” he said. “A living air cleaner is created by combining activatedactivated adj.有活性的 carbon with a potted plant. The roots of the plant grow right in the carbon and slowly degradedegrade v.（使）降级， （使）堕落， （使）退化 the chemicals absorbed there，” Wolverton explains.
NASA research has consistently shown that living， green and flowering plants can remove several toxic chemicalstoxic chemicals 毒性化学药品， 有毒化学物质 from the air in building interiors. You can use plants in your home or office to improve the quality of the air to make it a more pleasant place to live and work - where people feel better， perform better， and enjoy life more.
室内植物
普通室内盆栽植物可能是很有价值的武器，可以用来对付日益严重的室内空气污染。那些摆放在你办公室或家中的植物不仅是装饰品，而且美国国家航空航天局发现，它们在吸收潜在有害气体和净化现代建筑内的空气方面还能起到令人惊异的作用。
美国国家航空航天局和美国园林产业联合会发布了他们研究两年后的发现：普通室内植物可能提供一种帮助防治 “大楼综合症”的自然方式。
比尔·沃尔弗顿博士同时在地球上和太空站里，对使用生物方法作为一种解决环境污染问题的手段，进行了多年的研究。沃尔弗顿博士先前是美国国家航空航天局位于密西西比州贝圣路易斯的约翰·斯坦尼斯航天中心的高级研究员。
基于对使用普通室内植物净化室内空气和再生新鲜空气的初步评估，美国园林产业联合会与美国国家航空航天局共同赞助了一项研究。该研究用约12种常见的观赏植物，测定它们清除与室内空气污染相关的几种主要污染物的效力。 美国国家航空航天局的室内植物研究发现：活的植物吸收空气中的污染物非常有效。一些植物将会被送上太空，作为未来轨道空间站上生物生命保障系统的一部分。
虽然还需要进一步的研究，但是沃尔弗顿说：这项研究已经表明，普通室内观赏植物能够清除室内环境中的某些污染物。他的结论是：“我们认为，未来的研究成果将会更有力地证明，普通室内观赏植物可以作为一个系统的一部分发挥效力，营造无污染的住所和工作场所。”
“植物通过叶片上的小孔吸收空气中的有害物质，” 沃尔弗顿说。“但是，我们的实验室研究已得出结论：植物叶片、根部以及土壤细菌在清除微量有害气体方面都起着非常重要的作用。”
“把自然和技术结合起来能够增强植物清除空气污染物的效力，”他说。“把活性炭和盆栽植物结合在一起，一个活的空气清洁器就诞生了。植物的根就长在活性炭中，在那儿慢慢地将吸收的化学物质降解，”沃尔弗顿解释说。
美国国家航空航天局的研究一再表明，活的、绿色以及开花的植物，能够清除建筑物内空气中多种有害化学物质。你可以在家中或办公室里摆放植物，用它们来改善空气质量，使这些地方成为更舒适的生活与工作场所——人们在这儿感觉更好，办事效率更高，更多地享受生活。
A Wearable Computer
Gauri Nanda sees a wearable computer as a handbag - one that，s built out of fourinch squares and trianglestriangle n.［数］三角形， 三人一组， 三角关系 of fabricfabric n.织品， 织物， 布， 结构， 建筑物， 构造， with tiny computer chips embedded in it.
Assembled together with Velcro that conducts electricity， these pieces form a bag that looks， feels， and weighs like your typicaltypical adj.典型的， 象征性的 leather purse.
That，s where the similarities end： this bag can wirelessly keep tabs on your belongings and remind you， just as you，re about to leave the house， to take your wallet. It can review the weather report and suggest that you grab an umbrella - or your sunshades. This purse can even upload your favorite songs onto your scarfscarf n.围巾， 头巾领巾， 嵌接， 嵌接处， 切口 v.围（围巾）， 披（头巾）嵌接.
Sure， a computing purse and scarf set may seem like the stuff of science fiction. But these devices， part of next generation of wearable computers， could become commonplace within a few years. Unit shipments of such wearable computers - purses， watches， shirts - should rise from 261，000 last year to 1.39 million in 2008， according to the tech research firm IDC.