6分钟英语：连接偏远社区：英语精读讲义

Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

BBC英语教学的六分钟英语。

Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，这是BBC英语教学的六分钟英语。

I'm Neil.

我是Neil。

And I'm Sam.

我是Sam。

Now, if you're old enough to remember the early days of dial-up internet, 講解

现在，如果你年纪够大，还记得拨号上网的早期时代，

then you'll know the unforgettable sound of the handshake. 用詞

那么你一定会记得那令人难忘的握手音。

The clicks and squeaks your computer made as it struggled 短語搭配

你的电脑在努力连接时发出的滴答声和吱吱声

to connect to the internet through the telephone line. 用詞

试图通过电话线连接到互联网。

Yes, I remember that strange noise.

是的，我记得那个奇怪的声音。

Dial-up internet was slow and websites took forever to load. 習語

拨号上网很慢，网站加载需要漫长的时间。

And because you couldn't use both the internet and the telephone at the same time, 語法

因为你不能同时使用互联网和电话，

this was usually followed by someone shouting,

所以通常接下来会有人大喊，

"Get off the computer, 短語動詞

"别用电脑了，

I'm making a phone call." 短語搭配

我要打电话。"

In the 30 years since then, 語法

在之后的30年里，

the internet has changed dramatically.

互联网发生了翻天覆地的变化。

Fiber optics and broadband have created superfast internet speeds 用詞

光纤和宽带创造了超快的网速

and an interconnected online world

以及一个互联的在线世界

where physical distances between people are no longer a barrier to communication, 短語搭配

在那里，人们之间的物理距离不再是交流的障碍，

a situation expressed in the phrase

这种情形可以用一个短语来表达，

"the global village". 習語

"地球村"。

But take a closer look and you'll still find people around the world with a slow connection 短語搭配

但仔细观察，你仍然会发现世界上有些人网络连接很慢

or no internet at all. 語法

甚至完全没有互联网。

In this program,

在今天的节目中，

we'll be finding out about how some communities are working together to fix their internet connection problems 講解

我们将了解一些社区是如何齐心协力解决他们的互联网连接问题

for the benefit of local people. 短語搭配

从而造福当地民众的。

And of course,

当然，

we'll be learning some new vocabulary too.

我们也会学习一些新词汇。

But before I have a question for you, Sam.

但在这之前，我有一个问题要问你，Sam。

We've been talking about the early days of the internet,

我们一直在谈论互联网的早期时代，

but do you know the name of the first ever internet browser, 短語搭配

但是你知道世界上第一个互联网浏览器的名字吗，

the engine for searching websites? 用詞

也就是用来搜索网站的引擎？

Was it A,

是A，

Ask Jeeves,

Ask Jeeves，

B,

B，

World Wide Web,

万维网（World Wide Web），

or C,

还是C，

Yahoo?

雅虎（Yahoo）？

Hmm.

嗯。

I'll guess it was C,

我猜是C，

Yahoo.

雅虎。

Okay, Sam.

好的，Sam。

We'll find out the answer later.

我们稍后会揭晓答案。

You might think it's people living in the most remote and isolated places with the greatest difficulty getting online, 講解

你可能会认为，生活在最偏远和孤立的地方的人上网最困难，

but that's not always true.

但这并不总是真的。

Even here in the UK,

即使在英国这里，

people struggle to connect, 短語搭配

人们也面临连接困难，

including BBC Radio listener Katie,

包括BBC广播听众Katie，

who explained her problem to BBC World Service program Digital Planet. 文化背景

她向BBC世界服务频道的《数字星球》节目讲述了她的问题。

Hi, I'm Katie.

大家好，我是Katie。

I live in Dorset in England.

我住在英格兰的多塞特郡。

Our internet can be quite spasmodic here, 用詞

我们这里的网络有时会断断续续的，

and I think that that's due to most of our underground cabling is very old and somewhat dodgy, 講解

我认为这是因为我们大部分的地下电缆非常古老，有些靠不住，

tatty,

破旧，

and needs replacing. 語法

并且需要更换。

Katie lives in Dorset,

Katie住在多塞特郡，

a rural part of Southwest England.

英格兰西南部的一个乡村地区。

She describes her internet connection as spasmodic, 短語搭配

她把她的网络连接形容为断断续续的（spasmodic），

suddenly working,

也就是突然连上了，

but only for a short time,

但只持续很短的时间，

and not in a regular way.

而且非常不规律。

She thinks this is because her internet cables are dodgy,

她认为这是因为她的网线靠不住（dodgy），

slang for bad or untrustworthy. 用詞

这是一个俚语，意思是糟糕的或不可靠的。

A dodgy internet connection might be irritating, 表達脈絡

糟糕的网络连接可能会让人恼火，

but in other parts of the world,

但在世界其他地区，

the consequences can be more serious.

后果可能会更严重。

Aamer Hayat is a farmer who lives in the Pakistani Punjab, 文化背景

Aamer Hayat是一位生活在巴基斯坦旁遮普邦的农民，

one of the country's most fertile regions, 語法

这是该国最肥沃的地区之一，

but also one of the least connected. 語法

但也是网络连接最差的地区之一。

His village is a 3-hour drive from the nearest town, 短語搭配

他的村庄距离最近的城镇有3小时的车程，

and he can't make a phone call,

他甚至连电话都打不了，

even with 2G. 表達脈絡

即使用2G网络也不行。

For Aamer,

对Aamer来说，

basic weather information like knowing when rain is coming 語法

诸如知道什么时候下雨这样的基本天气信息

can mean the difference between his crops succeeding or failing. 短語搭配

可能决定了他的庄稼是丰收还是歉收。

Without the internet,

没有互联网，

he doesn't have a reliable weather report. 短語搭配

他就没有可靠的天气预报。

So the villagers decided to build their own 50-m high telephone transmission tower 用詞

所以村民们决定建造他们自己50米高的电话发射塔

linking a network of five villages to the internet. 短語搭配

将由五个村庄组成的网络连接到互联网。

Here is Aamer talking to BBC World Service program Digital Planet.

以下是Aamer在BBC世界服务频道《数字星球》节目中的讲话。

We used to do the conventional farming like just getting information from the word of mouth. 講解

我们过去常做传统农业，比如仅通过口口相传来获取信息。

Now,

现在，

I'm using the latest technologies to have gadgets available with us 用詞

我正在利用最新技术，把小工具带在身边

and taking information right from the horse's mouth,

并且直接从最可靠的来源获取信息，

you can say, 語氣意圖

你可以这样说，

through internet and the technology we have in our hands. 習語

通过互联网和我们手中的技术。

So this is what I'm doing in my farm practices. 用詞

这就是我在农业实践中所做的事情。

Before the community-built tower brought the internet to his village, 講解

在社区建造的信号塔将互联网带到他的村庄之前，

Aamer got his weather report by word of mouth,

Aamer通过口口相传（word of mouth）获取天气报告，

information passed on by people telling each other. 短語動詞

也就是人们互相告诉传递的信息。

Now there's stable internet that works, 短語搭配

现在有了稳定可用的互联网，

thanks to a tower high enough to pick up a telephone signal, 講解

这要归功于一座足够高以接收电话信号的发射塔，

which it then sends into the villages via solar-powered receivers, 用詞

然后它通过太阳能接收器将信号发送到村庄里，

a type of gadget, 用詞

这是一种小工具（gadget），

meaning a small electronic device which does something useful.

意思是有用的小型电子设备。

This means Aamer now gets his weather reports straight from the horse's mouth, 習語

这意味着Aamer现在可以直接从可靠来源获取天气预报，

an idiom meaning from a reliable source or from someone who knows what they're talking about.

直接从马嘴里说出来（straight from the horse's mouth）是一个习语，意思是来自可靠的来源或知道内情的人。

The internet brings reliable climatic information, 用詞

互联网带来了可靠的气候信息，

which means a good harvest not just for Aamer and his family, 語法

这意味着不仅Aamer和他的家人能获得好收成，

but for all the families living in the five connected villages.

这5个联网村庄的所有家庭都能获得好收成。

It's a great example of community action and of people looking after each other. 講解

这是社区行动和人们互相关照的一个伟大例证。

Something which may have been lost since the early idealistic days of the internet. 講解

这可能是自早期充满理想主义的互联网时代以来所遗失的东西。

And speaking of the early internet, 表達脈絡

说到早期的互联网，

it's time to answer my question.

是时候回答我的问题了。

Remember,

还记得吗，

I asked you for the name of the very first internet browser?

我问你世界上第一个互联网浏览器叫什么名字？

I guessed it was C,

我猜是C，

Yahoo.

雅虎。

So was I right?

那我猜对了吗？

You were wrong,

你猜错了，

I'm afraid, 語氣意圖

恐怕是这样，

Sam.

Sam。

Way back before Google, 表達脈絡

早在谷歌出现之前，

the first internet browser was called the World Wide Web, 文化背景

第一个互联网浏览器被称为万维网（World Wide Web），

invented by none other than cyber legend Sir Tim Berners-Lee, 講解

正是由网络传奇人物蒂姆·伯纳斯-李爵士发明的，

who I think would be pleased to hear about Aamer’s community internet. 語法

我想他听到Aamer的社区网络一定会很高兴。

Yes.

是的。

Right,

好了，

let's recap the vocabulary we've learned about internet connections between people living at a physical distance 講解

让我们回顾一下今天学到的词汇，这些词汇是关于在这个被称为"地球村"的现代世界中，

in the modern world,

处于物理距离的人们之间的网络连接，

something described as "the global village".

。

If your internet is spasmodic,

如果你的网络断断续续的（spasmodic），

it's irregular,

它就是不规律的，

stopping then suddenly working for a short time.

停止然后突然短暂工作。

In other words, 表達脈絡

换句话说，

it's dodgy,

它是靠不住的（dodgy），

a slang word meaning bad or unreliable.

一个意思是糟糕或不可靠的俚语。

If you know something by word of mouth,

如果你通过口口相传（word of mouth）知道某事，

it's been passed verbally from person to person.

它是人与人之间口头传递的。

Whereas if you hear it from the horse's mouth, 表達脈絡

而如果你从可靠来源（from the horse's mouth）听到，

it's come directly from a reliable source of information.

它是直接来自可靠的信息来源。

And finally,

最后，

a gadget is a small electronic device with a useful purpose.

小工具（gadget）是一个有实用目的的小型电子设备。

Once again, 習語

又一次，

our 6 minutes are up.

我们的6分钟到了。

Bye for now.

暂时再见。

Bye.

再见。

Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

BBC英语教学的六分钟英语。