6分鐘英語：連結偏遠社區：英語精讀講義

Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

BBC英語教學的六分鐘英語。

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

大家好，這是BBC英語教學的六分鐘英語。

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

現在，如果你年紀夠大，還記得撥接上網的早期時代，

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

那麼你一定會記得那令人難忘的握手音。

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

你的電腦在努力連線時發出的滴答聲和吱吱聲

to connect to the internet through the telephone line. 用詞

試圖透過電話線連接到網際網路。

Yes, I remember that strange noise.

是的，我記得那個奇怪的聲音。

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

撥接上網很慢，網站載入需要漫長的時間。

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

因為你不能同時使用網際網路和電話，

this was usually followed by someone shouting,

所以通常接下來會有人大喊，

"Get off the computer, 片語動詞

"別用電腦了，

I'm making a phone call." 片語搭配

我要打電話。"

In the 30 years since then, 文法

在之後的30年裡，

the internet has changed dramatically.

網際網路發生了翻天覆地的變化。

Fiber optics and broadband have created superfast internet speeds 用詞

光纖和寬頻創造了超快的網速

and an interconnected online world

以及一個互聯的線上世界

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

在那裡，人們之間的物理距離不再是交流的障礙，

a situation expressed in the phrase

這種情形可以用一個短語來表達，

"the global village". 慣用語

"地球村"。

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

但仔細觀察，你仍然會發現世界上有些人網路連線很慢

or no internet at all. 文法

甚至完全沒有網際網路。

In this program,

在今天的節目中，

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

我們將了解一些社區是如何齊心協力解決他們的網路連線問題

for the benefit of local people. 片語搭配

從而造福當地民眾的。

And of course,

當然，

we'll be learning some new vocabulary too.

我們也會學習一些新詞彙。

But before I have a question for you, Sam.

但在這之前，我有一個問題要問你，Sam。

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

我們一直在談論網際網路的早期時代，

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

但是你知道世界上第一個網際網路瀏覽器的名字嗎，

the engine for searching websites? 用詞

也就是用來搜尋網站的引擎？

Was it A,

是A，

Ask Jeeves,

Ask Jeeves，

B,

B，

World Wide Web,

全球資訊網（World Wide Web），

or C,

還是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.

我們稍後會揭曉答案。

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

你可能會認為，生活在最偏遠和孤立的地方的人上網最困難，

but that's not always true.

但這並不總是真的。

Even here in the UK,

即使在英國這裡，

people struggle to connect, 片語搭配

人們也面臨連線困難，

including BBC Radio listener Katie,

包括BBC廣播聽眾Katie，

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

她向BBC世界服務頻道的《數位星球》節目講述了她的問題。

Hi, I'm Katie.

大家好，我是Katie。

I live in Dorset in England.

我住在英格蘭的多塞特郡。

Our internet can be quite spasmodic here, 用詞

我們這裡的網路有時會斷斷續續的，

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

我認為這是因為我們大部分的地下電纜非常古老，有些靠不住，

tatty,

破舊，

and needs replacing. 文法

並且需要更換。

Katie lives in Dorset,

Katie住在多塞特郡，

a rural part of Southwest England.

英格蘭西南部的一個鄉村地區。

She describes her internet connection as spasmodic, 片語搭配

她把她的網路連線形容為斷斷續續的（spasmodic），

suddenly working,

也就是突然連上了，

but only for a short time,

但只持續很短的時間，

and not in a regular way.

而且非常不規律。

She thinks this is because her internet cables are dodgy,

她認為這是因為她的網路線靠不住（dodgy），

slang for bad or untrustworthy. 用詞

這是一個俚語，意思是糟糕的或不可靠的。

A dodgy internet connection might be irritating, 表達脈絡

糟糕的網路連線可能會讓人惱火，

but in other parts of the world,

但在世界其他地區，

the consequences can be more serious.

後果可能會更嚴重。

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農民，

one of the country's most fertile regions, 文法

這是該國最肥沃的地區之一，

but also one of the least connected. 文法

但也是網路連線最差的地區之一。

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

他的村莊距離最近的城鎮有3小時的車程，

and he can't make a phone call,

他甚至連電話都打不了，

even with 2G. 表達脈絡

即使用2G網路也不行。

For Aamer,

對Aamer來說，

basic weather information like knowing when rain is coming 文法

諸如知道什麼時候下雨這樣的基本天氣資訊

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

可能決定了他的莊稼是豐收還是歉收。

Without the internet,

沒有網際網路，

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

他就沒有可靠的天氣預報。

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

所以村民們決定建造他們自己50公尺高的電話發射塔

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

將由五個村莊組成的網路連接到網際網路。

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

以下是Aamer在BBC世界服務頻道《數位星球》節目中的講話。

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

我們過去常做傳統農業，比如僅透過口耳相傳來獲取資訊。

Now,

現在，

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

我正在利用最新技術，把小工具帶在身邊

and taking information right from the horse's mouth,

並且直接從最可靠的來源獲取資訊，

you can say, 語氣意圖

你可以這樣說，

through internet and the technology we have in our hands. 慣用語

透過網際網路和我們手中的技術。

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

這就是我在農業實踐中所做的事情。

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

在社區建造的訊號塔將網際網路帶到他的村莊之前，

Aamer got his weather report by word of mouth,

Aamer透過口耳相傳（word of mouth）獲取天氣報告，

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

也就是人們互相告訴傳遞的資訊。

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

現在有了穩定可用的網際網路，

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

這要歸功於一座足夠高以接收電話訊號的發射塔，

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

然後它透過太陽能接收器將訊號發送到村莊裡，

a type of gadget, 用詞

這是一種小工具（gadget），

meaning a small electronic device which does something useful.

意思是有用的小型電子設備。

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

這意味著Aamer現在可以直接從可靠來源獲取天氣預報，

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

直接從馬嘴裡說出來（straight from the horse's mouth）是一個習語，意思是來自可靠的來源或知道內情的人。

The internet brings reliable climatic information, 用詞

網際網路帶來了可靠的氣候資訊，

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

這意味著不僅Aamer和他的家人能獲得好收成，

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

這5個聯網村莊的所有家庭都能獲得好收成。

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

這是社區行動和人們互相關照的一個偉大例證。

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

這可能是自早期充滿理想主義的網際網路時代以來所遺失的東西。

And speaking of the early internet, 表達脈絡

說到早期的網際網路，

it's time to answer my question.

是時候回答我的問題了。

Remember,

還記得嗎，

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

我問你世界上第一個網際網路瀏覽器叫什麼名字？

I guessed it was C,

我猜是C，

Yahoo.

雅虎。

So was I right?

那我猜對了嗎？

You were wrong,

你猜錯了，

I'm afraid, 語氣意圖

恐怕是這樣，

Sam.

Sam。

Way back before Google, 表達脈絡

早在Google出現之前，

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

第一個網際網路瀏覽器被稱為全球資訊網（World Wide Web），

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

正是由網路傳奇人物提姆·柏內茲-李爵士發明的，

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

我想他聽到Aamer的社區網路一定會很高興。

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

讓我們回顧一下今天學到的詞彙，這些詞彙是關於在這個被稱為"地球村"的現代世界中，

in the modern world,

處於物理距離的人們之間的網路連線，

something described as "the global village".

。

If your internet is spasmodic,

如果你的網路斷斷續續的（spasmodic），

it's irregular,

它就是不規律的，

stopping then suddenly working for a short time.

停止然後突然短暫工作。

In other words, 表達脈絡

換句話說，

it's dodgy,

它是靠不住的（dodgy），

a slang word meaning bad or unreliable.

一個意思是糟糕或不可靠的俚語。

If you know something by word of mouth,

如果你透過口耳相傳（word of mouth）知道某事，

it's been passed verbally from person to person.

它是人與人之間口頭傳遞的。

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

而如果你從可靠來源（from the horse's mouth）聽到，

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

它是直接來自可靠的資訊來源。

And finally,

最後，

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

小工具（gadget）是一個有實用目的的小型電子設備。

Once again, 慣用語

又一次，

our 6 minutes are up.

我們的6分鐘到了。

Bye for now.

暫時再見。

Bye.

再見。

Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

BBC英語教學的六分鐘英語。