1 Do you have a special card you show each time you shop at a certain store? A loyalty card or shopping card? If you do, then you are part of the Big Data revolution. You may think that by swiping your loyalty or shopping card, you’re just getting discounts. But behind the scenes, a whole bunch of information about you is being stored. 

2 This collection of information is so big that it wouldn’t fit on most regular computers. When there is that much information involved, we call it Big Data. 

3 You may have heard about Big Data in the news, but what is it? Well, you already know what big means. Data is another word for information in the form of numbers or words. 

4 Let’s say a woman named Jane swipes her loyalty store card at the grocery store. When the card is swiped, it tells the computer running the cash register to unlock special sale prices for some items. Hooray for Jane! However, the card can also collect a lot of other stuff that helps the business. From that one swipe, the computer system knows Jane’s name, address, and other personal information. It can then keep track of everything she buys. 

5 Wait. How does the system know so much about this shopper? It’s simple. Back when Jane first got her card, she was asked to fill out a form with her name, address, and other personal information. Everything she wrote down was entered into the system. Each piece of information is one more data point in the computer system. Over time, this data adds up. 

6 Big Data isn’t a place or a company or an organization. It’s the idea that it’s now possible, with the help of technology, to gather up tiny bits of information almost at the speed of light, often without people realizing it’s happening. Big Data doesn’t just appear. It is assembled over time. As you learned earlier, a single swipe of a grocery store shopping card has the power to send data in a lot of different directions. Anytime there is a digital device that can capture movements, keystrokes, mouse clicks, or even sounds, it becomes possible for computers and other machines to collect data much faster than it could ever be collected by humans. 

7 But Big Data isn’t just a jumbled collection of information. Complex computer programs use math formulas known as algorithms to sort out the information, find patterns, and make decisions.

 (409 words)

1. Do you have a special card you show each time you shop at a certain store? 

你每次在某家店购物，会不会出示一张特别的卡？ you show是定语从句，修饰a special card；而each time you shop at a certain store是状语从句。each time和下文中的 anytime一样，都可以用来引导状语从句。 

2. You may think that by swiping your loyalty or shopping card, you’re just getting discounts. 

你也许会以为刷积分卡或购物卡只是拿了个折扣。by swiping your loyalty or shopping card意思是“通过刷一下积分卡或购物卡”，作宾语从句的方式状语。 

3. You may have heard about Big Data in the news, but what is it? 

你也许在新闻中听说过大数据，但它究竟是何物？may have done sth. 意思是“也许做过某事”，用来猜测可能发生过的事情。 

4. Let’s say a woman named Jane swipes her loyalty store card at the grocery store. 

假设一位叫简的女士在杂货店刷了她的积分卡。 Let’s say 用于举例或假设。named Jane 是过去分词短语作woman的后置定语，named Jane = who is named Jane。 

5. When the card is swiped, it tells the computer running the cash register to unlock special sale prices for some items. 

刷卡时，这张卡就通知控制收银机的电脑解锁某些商品的特价。running the cash register是现在分词短语作computer的后置定语。 

6. Hooray for Jane! 

这对简来说可就太好了！ 

7. It’s the idea that it’s now possible, with the help of technology, to gather up tiny bits of information almost at the speed of light, often without people realizing it’s happening. 

它是这样的理念：在技术的支持下，现在能够差不多以光速来收集各种微小信息，而且常常是在人们不知觉的情况下进行的。 that it’s now possible…... happening是idea的同位语从句，主干部分是it’s now possible to gather up tiny bits of information almost at the speed of light，而with the help of technology则是一个插入的修饰成分。

8. Anytime there is a digital device that can capture movements, keystrokes, mouse clicks, or even sounds, it becomes possible for computers and other machines to collect data much faster than it could ever be collected by humans. 

无论何时，只要有能捕捉到物体移动、敲键盘、点击鼠标甚至声音的数字设备，计算机和其他机器就可以收集数据，其速度要比人工收集快得多。Anytime引导一个状语从句，其中的 that can capture movements, keystrokes, mouse clicks, or even sounds则是定语从句， 修饰a digital device。