你的簡訊去哪了？：英語精讀講義

200 years ago,

200年前，

it took 12 days to deliver a message from New York City to London. 文法

從紐約市送一則訊息到倫敦需要12天。

150 years ago,

150年前，

the first transatlantic cable transmission was sent from the Queen of England to the US president,

英國女王透過跨大西洋電纜，向美國總統傳送了第一則訊息，

taking 17 hours. 文法

花了17個小時。

85 years ago,

85年前，

telephones became common household fixtures

電話成了家家戶戶常見的設備

and 30 years ago,

而30年前，

the first cell phone was invented,

第一支手機問世，

which weighed as much as an iron, 文法

重得跟熨斗差不多，

took 10 hours to charge for a 35-minute conversation,

充電10小時卻只能通話35分鐘，

and cost almost $4,000.

售價還將近4,000美元。

20 years ago,

20年前，

the first text message was sent.

第一則簡訊被傳送出去。

a simple Merry Christmas.

內容只是簡單的一句「聖誕快樂」。

And today,

而今天，

more people have mobile phones than toilets,

有手機可用的人比有廁所可用的人還多，

with around 23 billion text messages being sent every day. 文法

每天大約有230億則簡訊被送出。

But how the hell do text messages even work? 語氣意圖

但簡訊到底是怎麼運作的？

When you tune a radio to a station, 片語搭配

當你把收音機調到某個電台時，

you pick up the information that is being sent out via electromagnetic waves 片語動詞

你接收到的是透過電磁波傳送的資訊，

at a particular frequency.

而這些電磁波有特定的頻率。

In this case,

在這個例子中，

they are radio waves.

它們就是無線電波。

These waves mostly just pass through our bodies without interacting at all,

這些波大多只是直接穿過我們的身體，完全不產生交互作用，

but they're on the same spectrum as the visible light we see,

但它們和我們看得見的可見光位於同一個電磁波譜上，

just different in size.

只是波長不同。

Photons with wavelengths between 400 to 700 nanometers 文法

波長介於400到700奈米的光子

have the perfect level of energy to excite the rods and cones in your eyes,

能量恰到好處，足以刺激眼睛裡的視桿細胞與視錐細胞，

which then transmit signals to your brain that you interpret as different colors.

接著這些細胞會把訊號傳到大腦，讓你解讀成不同的顏色。

But radio waves,

但無線電波

which have wavelengths ranging from 100 microns to 100 kilometers, 片語搭配

的波長範圍從100微米到100公里，

are much lower energy and can't excite your eyes,

能量低得多，無法刺激你的眼睛，

so they're invisible to us.

所以我們看不見它們。

Similar to a radio,

就像收音機一樣，

your cell phone receives signals at specific frequencies,

你的手機會接收特定頻率的訊號，

but it can also transmit its own radio waves back to a network at the same time.

同時也能把自己的無線電波傳回網路。

The network is a system of towers, antennas, and transmitters,

這個網路由基地台、天線和發射器組成，

which divide a geographical area into cells, 片語搭配

它們會把一個地理區域劃分成許多小區，

hence the term cell phone. 表達脈絡

「蜂巢式行動電話」一詞也因此而來。

These cells determine which areas are served by which towers,

這些小區決定各地由哪些基地台提供服務，

though they generally overlap so that your phone always has a tower to communicate with. 文法

不過它們通常彼此重疊，確保你的手機隨時都有基地台可與之通訊。

Feel like your phone battery's losing power faster than normal? 語氣意圖

覺得手機電量掉得比平常快嗎？

Phones transmit at higher levels indoors due to building materials,

受到建築材料影響，手機在室內會用更高功率傳送訊號，

in rural areas, due to greater distances the network antennas,

在鄉村地區，因為離網路天線更遠，也是如此，

and when moving at high speeds, like in a car, 文法

而高速移動時，例如坐在車裡，

due to the frequent handover between network antennas. 用詞

也會因為要在網路天線之間頻繁切換而提高功率。

Whenever someone sends you a text,

每當有人傳簡訊給你時，

their phone transmits radio signals,

對方的手機會發射無線電訊號，

which convey the identity of both their phone and yours,

其中包含對方手機和你手機的身分資訊，

along with the content of the message.

以及訊息內容。

These signals are then picked up by the tower closest to them,

接著，離對方最近的基地台會接收到這些訊號，

which converts the radio waves 片語搭配

並將無線電波

into a digital electrical impulse

轉換成數位電脈衝，

and passes it along to a hub of the network called a mobile switching center. 片語動詞

再傳到一個稱為行動交換中心的網路樞紐。

If you're out of range or your phone is off, 片語搭配

如果你不在訊號範圍內，或手機關機了，

the message is stored by the mobile switching center

行動交換中心會把這則訊息儲存

for a short time until you can be located by the network.

一小段時間，直到網路能找到你。

The network then figures out which tower you're closest to 講解

接著，網路會找出離你最近的基地台

and passes the signal there.

並把訊號傳到那裡。

Once at the tower nearest you, 文法

訊號抵達離你最近的基地台後，

it's converted back to a radio signal that can be picked up by the antenna in your phone.

會再轉換回無線電訊號，讓手機裡的天線接收。

This all happens in seconds.

這一切都在幾秒內完成。

Interestingly, traditional SMS text traffic actually peaked in 2011. 用詞

有趣的是，傳統SMS簡訊的流量其實在2011年就達到高峰。

Now,

現在，

most people send messages via internet services.

大多數人都透過網路服務傳送訊息。

In fact,

事實上，

last year WhatsApp overtook traditional SMS 用詞

去年WhatsApp超越了傳統SMS，

as the number one handler of text messaging,

成為處理文字訊息最多的平台，

managing 30 billion messages sent every day 用詞

每天處理300億則訊息，

all around the world.

遍及世界各地。

And if you're sending those messages across the world,

如果你要把這些訊息傳到世界另一端，

it's actually sent via a giant cable that runs across the ocean floor. 用詞

它們其實會透過一條橫越海床的巨型電纜傳送。

In fact,

事實上，

99% of all international data is sent via undersea cables.

所有國際資料中，有99%是透過海底電纜傳送的。

So,

那麼，

what does the future of messaging look like? 慣用語

未來的訊息傳遞會是什麼模樣？

We're currently in the fourth generation of mobile communication networks with 5G on the horizon, 慣用語

我們目前正處於第四代行動通訊網路時代，而5G也即將到來，

and it's actually been projected that the technology for phones embedded in our bodies 文法

而且據預測，將手機嵌入人體的技術

can be available as soon as 2023. 用詞

最快在2023年就能實現。

While only a few decades ago, 表達脈絡

就在幾十年前，

it may have taken months to send a love letter, 文法

寄一封情書可能還要花上好幾個月，

in just a few years,

但再過短短幾年，

you may be able to simply think of your loved one 講解

你或許只要在腦中想起心愛的人，

and send them a message to let them know you care. 片語搭配

就能傳訊息給對方，讓對方知道你在乎。

We tackle humanity's new forms of communication

我們探討了人類的新型溝通方式，

in the science of emojis over on AsapTHOUGHT,

相關內容就在AsapTHOUGHT的《表情符號的科學》中，

how they're often misinterpreted,

包括表情符號為何常遭誤解，

and how to use them properly.

以及該如何正確使用。

Check it out with the link in the description.

點開說明欄中的連結去看看吧。

And subscribe for more weekly science videos.

記得訂閱，每週收看更多科學影片。