【明報專訊】Japanese noodle company has created a noise-cancelling fork to mask the sound made by slurping noodles.
Inspired by Japanese toilets, which can be programmed to play an artificial flushing noise to cover embarrassing sounds, Nissin (日清) Food Products looked at creating something similar for noodles. The result was a giant fork which is 4.4 cm wide and 15.2 cm long equipped with a sensitive microphone to detect offending slurps. The fork will then send a signal to the user's smartphone. A range of customised sounds will be played to mask the noise.
The Japanese have a reputation for being polite and restrained. The tradition of noodle slurping is supposed to show the diner's appreciation for the food, but some people are becoming bothered by the noise and even call it "noodle harassment".
Nissin will only sell the gadget if it receives 5,000 pre-orders by mid-December. The price is set at 14,800 yen (about HKD 1,012).
(Source: Ming Pao, Daily Mail)
■English highway﹕be supposed to
The phrase is used to say that the subject is to be generally believed or expected to be/do something.
e.g. This brand's cookers are supposed to be durable.
■Photo Story
Nissin has created what it claims a world-first noise-cancelling fork to mask the noises made by slurping noodles.
■Quiz
Answer the following questions.
(Answers on next text)
1. Is the following sentence true or false?
The noise-cancelling fork is now available on the market.
True/False
2. What was the inspiration of the fork?
_________________________________________
3. Find in paragraph one a word that is similar in meaning to "hide". ____________
4. In paragraph four, "gadget" refers to:
a. Nissin
c. the noise-cancelling fork
b. noodles
d. None of the above
■Glossary
slurp (v) 出聲地吃或喝
offending (adj) 冒犯的
reputation (n) 名聲
harassment (n) 騷擾
[Smarties' Power English 第197期]
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