美國最糟糕的身份證系統：英語精讀講義

Americans love their independence.

美國人熱愛他們的獨立。

A nation of pioneers living out from under the eye of government, 慣用語

這是一個由先驅者組成的國家，他們生活在政府的視線之外，

except for all the government.

除非涉及到所有政府部門。

As such, 表達脈絡

因此，

unlike many other countries,

與許多其他國家不同，

Americans don't have a national ID card

美國人沒有國家身分證，

and even the idea of creating one is a political hot topic every election cycle. 片語搭配

甚至建立身分證的想法在每個選舉週期都是一個政治熱點話題。

The results are always the same.

結果總是一樣的。

We don't need no ID card.

我們不需要身分證。

But suspiciously,

但令人懷疑的是，

US citizens do already have this,

美國公民其實已經有這個了，

a card with a unique number that many places will ask for to prove who you are.

一張帶有唯一編號的卡片，很多地方都會要求你出示它來證明你的身分。

This is the Social Security card and number,

這就是社會安全卡和號碼，

and it has become a quasi-ID stroke unique password to identify citizens, 用詞

並且它已經成為一種準身分證、識別公民的唯一密碼，

though that was never its intended use.

儘管這從來不是它的預期用途。

For Americans,

對美國人來說，

keeping this number secret is super important

對這個號碼保密超級重要，

because it's the key to the government and banks identifying you as you. 片語搭配

因為它是政府和銀行確認你就是你的關鍵。

And losing control of it is the worst kind of identity theft that can happen.

失去對它的控制是可能發生的最糟糕的身分盜竊。

So how did Americans end up with a national ID number that isn't one 片語動詞

那麼美國人是怎麼落得一個名不副實的國家身分號碼，

and a card terribly unfit to identify?

以及一張極其不適合用來證明身分的卡片的呢？

It all started in the Great Depression of long, long ago, 文化背景

這一切都始於很久很久以前的大蕭條時期，

when the government created the Social Security program,

當時政府建立了社會安全計畫（Social Security），

a kind of mandatory pension.

這是一種強制性的養老金。

Citizens would be required to pay in during their working lives 用詞

公民將被要求在工作期間繳納，

and withdraw in their retirement,

並在退休時提取，

the idea being that even if past you didn't save for the sunset years of future you, 文法

其理念是，即使過去的你沒有為未來的你的晚年存錢，

the eventually old current you would still have something to live on. 片語動詞

最終老去的現在的你，仍然有東西可以賴以為生。

Now, if you want to think of Social Security as a benefit the government provides

現在，無論你是把社會安全計畫看作政府提供的一項福利，

or as a bank account that's yours is controversial,

還是你自己的銀行帳戶，這都存在爭議，

but either way this number was created to track what you put in 表達脈絡

但無論如何，建立這個號碼是為了追蹤你投入了多少，

and what you take out.

以及你提取了多少。

Now because this was just one government program related only to your working life,

現在，因為這只是一個只與你工作生涯相關的政府計畫，

you only needed to apply for a Social Security card when you actually started working.

你只需要在真正開始工作時申請一張社會安全卡。

But over time,

但隨著時間的推移，

that changed and the younger you are, 文法

這種情況發生了變化，你越年輕，

the more likely you've had one from the moment of your birth,

你就越有可能從出生那一刻起就擁有一張，

despite babies' worthlessness as child laborers.

儘管嬰兒作為童工毫無價值。

So why?

那麼為什麼呢？

Well,

嗯，

it goes back to Americans having no national identity card with a national number, 片語動詞

這要追溯到美國人沒有帶有國家號碼的國家身分證，

which makes it harder for institutions to keep track of people over their lives.

這使得機構更難在一生中追蹤人們。

With hundreds of millions of citizens' names and birthdays aren't unique,

因為數以億計的公民姓名和生日並不是唯一的，

people move,

人們會搬家，

people marry,

人們會結婚，

people change names.

人們會改名。

And if you're trying to keep track of everyone

如果你試圖追蹤所有人，

as say the United States tax department might want to do,

比如像美國稅務部門想要做的那樣，

it can be a real problem,

這可能是一個真正的問題，

particularly in the pre-computer days.

特別是在前電腦時代。

Hey, wait a minute.

嘿，等一下。

Look at this number just lying around,

看看這個現成的數字，

the tax department said.

稅務部門說。

It's not supposed to be used as an ID number,

它不應該被用作身分號碼，

said the Social Security department.

社會安全部門說。

There are security reasons you shouldn't-- yoink.

出於安全原因，你不應該——拿來吧你。

Thus the tax department piggybacked off of the work the Social Security department did, 慣用語

因此，稅務部門順風車式地利用了社會安全部門所做的工作，

assigning working adults a number,

給有工作的成年人分配一個號碼，

which made tracking taxes easier,

這使得追蹤稅收變得更容易，

and they highly encouraged parents to get a Social Security number for their children

他們還大力鼓勵父母為他們的孩子申請一個社會安全號碼，

by tying it to a tax discount. 片語搭配

做法是將它與稅收折扣掛鉤。

Crazily, counting children for tax rebates used to run on the honor system. 片語搭配

瘋狂的是，過去為了退稅而計算孩子數量時，靠的是誠信系統。

The US tax department told people,

美國稅務局告訴人們，

one, we will give you a discount on your taxes for each child you have,

第一，你每有一個孩子，我們就會在你的稅上給你一個折扣，

and two, write down your number of children.

第二，寫下你孩子的數量。

Please be honest, we don't have a way to check.

請誠實，我們沒有辦法核查。

Which was just asking, 表達脈絡

這簡直就是要求，

nay, begging people to lie,

不，是求著人們撒謊，

which they did,

他們也確實這麼做了，

birthing on paper millions of phantom children. 慣用語

在紙上生出了數百萬個幻影兒童。

But after requiring each kid to have a Social Security account number

但在要求每個孩子都必須有一個社會安全帳號，

connected to a birth certificate

並與出生證明相連，

before the parents could get the tax discount,

父母才能獲得稅收折扣之後，

all those phantoms faded away.

所有這些幻影都消失了。

This turned the Social Security number into a unique number

這把社會安全號碼變成了一個獨特的號碼，

that all citizens had right from the start,

所有公民從一開始就有了，

and that made it easy for lots of other places

這使得許多其他地方很容易，

like banks and schools and companies and landlords

比如銀行、學校、公司和房東，

to also piggyback on the number

也可以順理成章地使用這個號碼，

as an easy way to keep track of people

作為一種追蹤人們的簡單方法，

without having to come up with their own systems 片語動詞

而不需要想出自己的系統，

and to be able to exchange information about people between institutions.

並且能夠在機構之間交換關於人們的資訊。

This is super useful for institutions,

這對機構來說超級有用，

so the desire of Americans to not have a national identity card

所以美國人不想擁有國家身分證的願望，

led somewhat inevitably to the nearest thing available 文法

多少有些不可避免地導致了現有的最接近的東西，

being used as a substitute,

被用作替代品，

which ended up being worse

結果反而更糟，

because the Social Security number was never designed to be used this way

因為社會安全號碼從來就不是為了這種用法而設計的，

in the long, long ago,

在很久很久以前，

and you can tell because it has no security built into it.

你可以看出，因為它裡面沒有內建安全措施。

Okay, so there's this neat trick that most ID numbers use

好了，大多數身分號碼都使用這個巧妙的技巧，

where they can check themselves to see if they're invalid.

它們可以自我檢查，看看它們是否無效。

The simplest way is to have the last couple digits match the sum of the others.

最簡單的方法是讓最後幾位數字與其餘數字的總和相匹配。

All kinds of ID cards and barcodes do this

各種身分證和條碼都這麼做，

because it makes it impossible to enter an incorrect number in a computer 文法

因為這使得在電腦中輸入錯誤的號碼變得不可能，

and makes it harder for fraudsters to guess valid numbers.

並使詐欺者更難猜出有效的號碼。

This is why if you try to buy something online by guessing a credit card number,

這就是為什麼如果你試圖透過猜測信用卡號在網上買東西，

the website knows it's invalid before you even click buy.

網站甚至在你點擊購買之前就知道它是無效的。

But because the Social Security number started life in the long, long ago,

但因為社會安全號碼誕生在很久很久以前，

it's just a number with no self-checking security built in.

它只是一個數字，沒有內建自我檢查的安全功能。

Worse, if you were born pre-2011,

更糟糕的是，如果你出生在2011年以前，

it's not that hard to just guess most of the number.

猜出大部分號碼並不難。

The first three digits are the state where the parents applied for the card

前三位數字是父母申請卡片的州，

and the last four digits just count up in order,

最後四位數字只是按順序遞增，

and the middle digits follow a regular pattern.

中間的數字遵循規律的模式。

So you can take your number,

所以你可以拿你的號碼，

subtract one,

減去一，

and that's a valid number

這是一個有效的號碼，

of someone who was probably born in the same hospital as you

屬於可能和你同時，

around the same time.

在同一家醫院出生的人。

Thus, a fraudster who knows your time and location of birth can probably get the first five digits

因此，一個知道你的出生時間和地點的詐欺者可能可以拿到前五位數字，

by just looking them up on a chart. 片語動詞

只需要在圖表上尋找。

Institutions ask for the last four digits as a code to identify you as you,

機構要求輸入最後四位數字作為代碼，來確認你就是你，

which means it's not that hard to put together your number 慣用語

這意味著把你的號碼拼湊起來並不難，

from a security leak anywhere or just by connecting a few puzzle pieces.

可以從任何安全外洩中，或者只是把幾塊拼圖連接起來。

The physical card itself is no help either,

實體卡本身也沒有任何幫助，

just a literal piece of cardboard,

這就是一塊字面意義上的紙板，

depending on when it was issued,

取決於它簽發的時間，

not even laminated.

甚至沒有護貝。

The Social Security department used to print not to be used for identification on the cards

社會安全局曾經在卡片上印著「不可用於身分證明」，

as a futile attempt to stop institutions from asking for them as IDs 片語搭配

試圖徒勞地阻止機構將它們作為身分證來要求，

because there's nothing identifying a person on the card,

因為卡上沒有任何識別個人的資訊，

but eventually they gave up and removed these words

但最終他們放棄了並刪除了這些字眼，

because unlike passports or driver's licenses,

因為不像護照或駕駛執照，

you can assume all Americans will have this one card.

你可以假設所有美國人都會有這一張卡。

All this means your Social Security card and number probably have less security than your library card 文法

所有這一切意味著你的社會安全卡和號碼可能比你的圖書館卡安全性還低，

while being vastly more important.

雖然它的重要性要高得多。

So it fails at being a secure number, 表達脈絡

所以作為安全號碼它是失敗的，

it fails at being a good ID card,

作為一張好的身分證它也是失敗的，

but at least it is universal,

但至少它是普遍的，

which is why people use it.

這就是人們使用它的原因。

Oh, hello asterisk, my old friend. 文化背景

噢，你好星號，我的老朋友。

No, of course not.

不，當然不是。

This program isn't actually universal.

這個計畫實際上並不是普遍的。

Not everyone has a Social Security account number,

並不是每個人都有社會安全帳號，

and not everyone pays into the program.

也不是每個人都在為這個計畫繳費。

If you want to get out of paying, 片語動詞

如果你想不用付錢，

you'll just need to first never have received any Social Security benefits

你只需要首先從未接受過任何社會安全福利，

and give up your rights to getting any in the future,

並放棄你將來獲得任何福利的權利，

which seems fair. 語氣意圖

這似乎很公平。

In addition,

此外，

you must also be a member of a religion opposed to the idea of Social Security,

你還必須是一個反對社會安全理念的宗教成員，

usually because it's a kind of insurance

通常是因為它是一種保險，

and insurance is a kind of gambling.

而保險是一種賭博。

That's harder,

這很難，

but you could always just start your own religion 語氣意圖

但你總是可以創立你自己的宗教，

if you were really serious about avoiding taxes.

如果你真的對逃稅很認真的話。

But your new religion must also provide for its elderly and dependent members,

但你的新宗教也必須撫養它的長者和受撫養成員，

which means you have to recreate a Social Security program of sorts in your religion 用詞

這意味著你必須在你的宗教中重新建立某種社會安全計畫，

while also being against Social Security.

同時又反對社會安全計畫。

But if creating a contradictory religion doesn't daunt you,

但如果建立一個自相矛盾的宗教沒有嚇倒你，

lastly,

最後，

it must have existed continuously since 1950,

它必須從1950年起持續存在，

which is a giveaway that this exception was written

這是一個明顯的訊號，這個例外是寫給，

pretty much exclusively for the Amish and Mennonites 文化背景

幾乎完全是給阿米什人和門諾派教徒的，

and kills dead your plans 慣用語

這將徹底扼殺你的計畫，

unless you're willing to undergo a serious change in lifestyle.

除非你願意在生活方式上經歷一次巨大的改變。

It doesn't stop there. 表達脈絡

事情並沒有就此停止。

Keep digging and you'll find all sorts of other weird, weird exceptions,

繼續挖掘，你會發現各種其他奇怪的，奇怪的例外，

including some railroad workers or firefighters

包括一些鐵路工人或消防員，

or police or teachers,

或者警察或老師，

but only in Chicago.

但僅限在芝加哥。

Usually,

通常，

these are groups that in the long, long ago

這些群體是在很久很久以前，

were able to get out of the program at its creation date.

能夠在計畫創立之初退出的。

So nothing's ever straightforward.

所以沒有什麼是簡單的。

And that's the deal with this Social Security card,

這就是這張社會安全卡的情況，

containing a national number for citizens that don't want one

包含了一個公民不想要的國家號碼，

on an identification card that fails at identification,

在一張沒法證明身分的身分證上，

given to all citizens except when it isn't, 表達脈絡

發給所有公民，除了不發的時候，

for a program that's universal except when it's not.

屬於一個普遍的計畫，除了不普遍的時候。