Imagine having an idea, drawing it on paper, bringing it to a store and seeing it turned into an object. This is now possible with the help of 3D printers. Such machines were once used just by universities and big companies, but now, stores with 3D printing services are appearing around the United States.
Bryan Jaycox and his wife opened The Build Shop LLC in Los Angeles two years ago. The Jaycoxs offer 3D printing classes and services for anyone who is interested.
“I think 3D printing is going to be huge. It’s going to have a huge influence on society as a whole.” says KiChong Tran, one of the students in a recent class. He plans to open a 3D printing business in Cambodia (柬埔寨).
3D printing services are coming into American people’s life. The UPS Store is a nationwide retailer (零售商) that provides copying and other services. The UPS Store recently put 3D printers in three of its independently-owned stores. Burke Jones owns one of the stores in San Diego.
“The demand has been amazing. There has been a lot of interest from people. It’s been much more than I would have imagined.”
The UPS Store plans to add 3D printers in three more stores.
For $11, someone used a 3D printer to produce two small plastic parts as part of a knuckle (指节) for a hand. He works for the company which is testing finger prosthetics (假肢). He says the same–day or next-day printing services will speed up testing of parts and get them to patients faster.
Staples, an American store, is selling 3D printers on its website for as low as about $1,300. As with any technology - experts expect the printing speed to increase and the price to go down.
Bryan Jaycox requires $15 an hour to print an object. He also sets the price depending on the size of the object and up to $50 an hour for design and labor services.
Mr Jaycox thinks that within five years,
3D printing technology could become more user friendly. But KiChong Tran says even today’s technology can make a difference in a developing country like Cambodia.
“With 3D printing you can give them tools, so they are responsible more for their own development and they learn skills beyond just like learning English and becoming a tour guide or something like that. You can actually create things that give value to the world.”
He says it’s not just Cambodia but anywhere where there is a 3D printer, it can turn a good idea into reality.
小题1:What can 3D printers do according to the passage?
| A．Come up with an idea. |
| B．Draw on a piece of paper. |
| C．Help users to spend less money. |
| D．Turn an idea into a physical object. |
小题2:What does the underlined part mean in this passage?
| A．Make users’ life better. |
| B．Make friends with users. |
| C．Make 3D printers easier to use. |
| D．Use 3D printers to make money. |
小题3:What can we infer from the passage?
| A．3D printing is becoming popular in the world. |
| B．There is no 3D printing business in Cambodia. |
| C．The UPS Store is the biggest 3D printing company. |
| D．3D printing plays the most important role in daily life. |
小题4:What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．The future of 3D printing in the world. |
| B．The 3D printing business in Cambodia. |
| C．The development and growth of 3D printing business. |
| D．The 3D printing classes and services in different places. |