Unit 18 IT Industry 信息产业
人类社会到底进化到了什么程度？在各个国际都市、金融中心、购物天堂里，最引人注目的变化，莫过于各种高科技产品。难道你没有发现，iPhone已经成为年轻人追逐的狂潮？平板电脑、psp手掌机、魔兽世界都已经进入了你的生活？难道你没有发现，连父母、一二年级的小学生都已经玩起了QQ，每天忙着“偷菜”？到底信息产业如何渗透到了我们的生活，让我们一起来整理！
闪亮句型
1. The joint venture made Lenovo the third-largest PC (Personal Computer) maker in the world after Dell and Hewlett-Packard.
联想并购（国际商业机器公司的个人电脑业务）后，就成为了仅次于戴尔和惠普的世界第三大个人电脑制造商。
2. The new features contain ultra-thin LED backlit screen, improved graphics structure, and high tactility chocolate-colored keyboard, etc.
这些新品特性包括超薄液晶背光屏、改进的图形架构，和高触感巧克力键盘等等。
3. Kodak’s filing for bankruptcy protection!
柯达要申请破产保护了！
4. The developers have created a compatible version of the Android operating system for Nokia’s internet tablets.
开发者创造了一款兼容诺基亚移动互联终端的安卓操作系统。
5. Don’t you spend so much time twittering while you’re still at work, twittering bird!
工作的时候不要老是想着“织围脖”，“围脖控”！
快问快答
1. What does IT technology consist of?
IT技术有哪几部分组成？
—Computer technology, which is an extension of people’s brain function.
计算机技术，这是人的大脑功能的延伸。
2. What benefits can groupon websites offer to people?
团购网站能给人们带来什么好处？
—It has great bargains by buying in quantities.
通过批量购买，团购节省了很多钱。
3. What functions do social networking sites have?
社交网站有什么功能？
—It can help you build your relationships with colleagues and alumni.
它可以帮助你建造同事与校友的关系网。
情境重现
1. You Haven’t Heard of iPhone? How Nerdy Are You!
连iPhone都没听过？你是要有多宅啊！
Dialogue:
A: My brother’s recently got himself an iPhone.
A: 我哥最近买了个苹果手机。
B: Yeah, what about it? Is it good?
B: 嗯，用着怎么样啊？好用不？
A: Not my call. Anyway, it’s the hottest mobile terminal, like ever. You haven’t heard of it? How nerdy are you! I thought if you’re an expert, I’d be able to get some advice from you.
A: 这可不是我说了算。不过不管怎么说，这貌似是有史以来最红的移动终端吧。你都没听过？你是有多宅啊！我以为如果你是专家的话，我还能问些你的意见呢。
（旁注）① not my call不是我说了算
（旁注）② mobile terminal移动终端
B: Well, I wouldn’t call myself expert, but science geek, yeah. To be frank, iPhone 4S is not that fascinating, but it does have Siri.
B: 呃，我倒不会叫自己专家啦，科学怪人倒更符合。说实话，iPhone 4S不是那么好啦，不过它倒是有语言控制功能。
（旁注）③ science geek科学怪人
A: Well, elaborate.
A: 多说点来着。
B: Siri is an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done. All you have to do is ask. Just talk to Siri as you would to a person. It figures out the right apps to use to find the right answer. And, just like a personal assistant, it answers you.
B: 语言控制指的是帮你完成事情的智能助手。你只要开口问就行了，就像平时跟人说话一样跟它说话，它就会帮你找到能帮助你的应用。然后，它就像一个个人助理一样，还会回答你。
（旁注）④ intelligent assistant智能助手
A: Already sounds attractive for me.
A: 这对我来说已经够有吸引力了。
B: Yeah, hold that thought. For example, you can set reminders like“Remind me to pick up Ally”, or send a text to Eric with the sentence “Be there in 30 minutes”.
B: 慢着，还有呢。比如，你可以设置提醒——“提醒我去接艾丽”，或者给埃里克发短信——“30分钟后就到”。
（旁注）⑤ reminder提醒
A: How about hardware support?
A: 硬件支持方面怎么样？
B: Dual-core A5 chip doubles the operating speed. Behind every photo shot, you’ve got 8-megapixel resolution. Not to mention an improved backside illumination sensor.
B: 双核A5芯片，运行速率是原来的2倍。每张照片的分辨率都达到800万像素，而且还有后置照明传感器。
（旁注）⑥ dual-core A5 chip双核A5芯片
（旁注）⑦ 8-megapixel resolution 800万像素
（旁注）⑧ backside illumination sensor后置照明传感器
A: That’s cool! By the way, talking about game apps, I love Plants vs. Zombies! I really dig those games of tower defense style! You know your money is counted on your “sun points”. There’re various plants. Some can slow opponents; some can blow up grenade style. Anyway, it’s really fun!
A: 太酷了，不过说到游戏应用，我大爱“植物大战僵尸”！我特喜欢那种塔防类型的游戏！你的钱币是靠收集的“太阳”个数来算的。那里有很多种植物，有些可以拖慢僵尸的速度，一些可以炸掉手榴弹。不管怎么说啦，那太好玩了！
（旁注）⑨ Plants vs. Zombies植物大战僵尸
B: More than that, there’re other apps like “The Need for Speed”,“Angry Birds”, and “Skype”, and those can perform the functions as weather forecast.
B: 绝对不止那些，还有很多呢，比如“极品飞车”，“愤怒的小鸟”，“网络电话”，还有其他应用有诸多功能，比如天气预报功能。
（旁注）⑩ The Need for Speed极品飞车
高频词汇速记
1. not sb’s call 不是由某人说了算
［例］ I never guarantee that because it’s not my call here.
我真的无法保证这点，这不是我说了算。
2. geek 怪人
［例］ A geek refers to a highly intelligent person, or more specifically nerd in some particular areas.
极客指的是特别聪明的人，或者更具体地说，是精通某些领域的书呆子。
2. Lenovo—the Pride of the Chinese!
联想——中国人的骄傲！
Dialogue:
A: Who is that?
A: 咦，这是谁啊？
B: No kidding, that’s Liu Chuanzhi, the former chairman of the board of Lenovo Group. It’s he that realized more than 2 decades ago that personal computer would one day totally change people’s work and life forever. And it did!
B: 不是吧，这都不认识，这是柳传志啊，联想集团的前任董事会主席。就是他在二十多年前就想到，个人电脑终有一天会彻底地永远地改变人们的工作和生活。这已经实现了！
（旁注）① Lenovo Group联想集团
A: Ah, no biggie. I’ve always known him, OK? I just have no idea how he looks like. He’s the guy who rented a reception office in Beijing with 10 other scientists and engineers, aiming to transform their research results into successful products with initial capital of$25,000. The then young enterprise was named “Legend”.
A: 别激动嘛。我一直都知道他好吧？我只是不知道他长什么样儿而已。柳传志带领10名中国计算机科技人员在北京一处租来的传达室中开始创业，启动资金只有2.5万美元，当时这个年轻的公司命名为“联想”。
（旁注）② initial capital启动资金
B: And in 1986, they devoted into market the smallest full function personal computer—PC Convertible, weighing less than 13 pounds.
B: 1986年，他们推出了最小的全功能个人电脑——重量小于13磅的便携式个人电脑。
（旁注）③ PC Convertible个人电脑
A: Right, that’s phenomenal.
A: 是啊，那可是有里程碑意义的。
（旁注）④ phenomenal里程碑意义
B: Nowadays, there’re 3 product lines, idea, think, and inter net mobile products. The Y Series is the most popular among college students. The new features contain ultra-thin LED backlit screen, improved graphics structure, and high tactility chocolate-colored keyboard, etc.
B: 时至今日，联想有3条产品线，idea、think、和移动互联产品。Y系列是大学生中最受欢迎的系列。这些新品特性包括超薄液晶背光屏、改进的图形架构，和高触感巧克力键盘等等。
（旁注）⑤ ultra-thin LED backlit screen超薄液晶背光屏
（旁注）⑥ high tactility高触感
（旁注）⑦ took a minority stake在股份中只占小头
A: Agreed. That’s right after IBM (International Business Machine) sold its PC division to China-based Lenovo Group and took a minority stake in the former rival in a deal valued at $1.75 billion.
A: 没错。国际商业机器公司把他们的个人电脑业务以17亿5千万美元卖给中国联想后，联想发展就一直不错。国际商业机器公司自己在股份中只占小头。
B: Totally. The joint venture made Lenovo the third-largest PC maker in the world after Dell and Hewlett-Packard.
B: 是啊，联想并购国际商业机器公司的个人电脑业务后，就成为了仅次于戴尔和惠普的世界第三大个人电脑制造商。
（旁注）⑧ joint venture合资企业
A: Lenovo did do a good job. However, the problem is, maintaining good relations with IBM’s customers will be another concern for the new owner.
A: 联想真的做得不错，然而问题是，与国际商业机器公司的原来客户保持良好的合作关系是这个新老板面临的又一大顾虑。
B: That problem has already beentaken care of. IBM Global Financing has become Lenovo’s preferred provider for leasing and financing services.
B: 哈，那个问题倒是早解决了。国际商业机器公司全球金融部门会一直给联想提供融资租赁服务。
（旁注）⑨ financing services金融部门
A: Glad to hear that. Lenovo is real ego-boost for Chinese.
A: 不错嘛，联想倒真是我们中国人的信心增强剂。
高频词汇速记
1. phenomenal 显著的，有里程碑意义的
［例］ Japan’s economy has undergone 2 decades of phenomenal growth and low employment.
日本的经济已经经历了二十年惊人的增长，失业率也很低。
2. stake 棍子，棒；奖金；股本，股份；把……押下赌注；拿……冒险
［例］ Let’s play some real game—real money, high stakes.
让我们来玩些真格的——押真钱，高投注。
3. How Long It Needs to Take Down Nokia—A Global 500?
全球500强企业——诺基亚，花多长时间才能扳倒?
Dialogue:
A: Gosh, Kodak’s filing for bankruptcy protection! It used to occupy a large proportion of my childhood memories!
A: 天哪，柯达要申请破产保护了！我小时候的记忆里大部分可都是由柯达相片组成的啊！
（旁注）① bankruptcy protection破产保护
B: Yep, like mine didn’t. There isn’t really any need to make a fuss about it. Global 500 like Nokia is going down, too. You can never grasp how fast time changes.
B: 哈，说得跟我的记忆里没柯达似的。真没必要大惊小怪，像诺基亚这样的全球500强都快没了。形势变得可比你反应得要快啊。
（旁注）② make a fuss大惊小怪
A: That’d be ridiculous. I am still using Symbian myself. Nokia has been occupying first place in mobile market share for more than 10 years.
A: 开玩笑，我自己还在用塞班呢。诺基亚连续十多年占据手机市场份额第一的位置呢。
（旁注）③ Symbian塞班
（旁注）④ market share市场份额
B: Yep. But not anymore. Do you have any problem remembering what has happened to Motorola, despite its successful Blur? Nokia only leads the world in mobile phone sales, never in smartphone sales! Instead, Samsung is now the number 1 smartphone manufacturer.
B: 曾经是，现在站不住脚了。难道你忘了摩托罗拉的下场？尽管它推出了非常成功的摩托Blur社交功能，还不是被收购？诺基亚领先的是整体手机销量，不是智能手机销量！三星现在是世界第一的智能手机制造商。
（旁注）⑤ smartphone智能手机
A: That’s, eh, I’d say, enlightening.
A: 呃，现在确实有点茅塞顿开的感觉。
B: In terms of operating systems, Android went from just 25.3% in Q3 in 2010 to an astonishing 52.5% in 2011, while Symbian dropped from 36.3% to 16.9%. Nokia has already publicly refused to enter the Android group, and its executive leaders’ reluctance to purchase Palm cost them the critical opportunity to catch up.
B: 提到操作系统，安卓系统在2010年第三季度占市场份额为25.3%，到2011年上升到了惊人的52.5%。与之形成鲜明对比的是，塞班的市场份额从36.3%下降到了16.9%。诺基亚已经公开拒绝采用安卓系统，公司高层在决定是否收购“胖马”的问题上唯唯诺诺，最终失去了赶上竞争对手的机会。
（旁注）⑥ operating systems操作系统
（旁注）⑦ executive leader公司高层
A: I wouldn’t say that what you said is really persuasive, but wow.
A: 我不觉得你说的话真的很有说服力，不过，着实挺有道理。
B: That’s not persuasive? Well, consider NIT Droid. The developers have created a compatible version of the Android operating system for Nokia’s internet tablets.
B: 还不够有说服力？那我给你讲讲诺卓。发烧友开发者创造了一款兼容诺基亚移动互联终端的安卓操作系统。
（旁注）⑧ compatible兼容的
A: You mean they love Nokia hardware but wish for a better operating system?
A: 你的意思是他们喜欢诺基亚的硬件，但却想要个更好的操作系统？
B: Yep, face it. Symbian’s dead.
B: 正是如此，直面现实吧。塞班没戏了。
高频词汇速记
1. bankruptcy protection 破产保护
［例］ Lehman filed for bankruptcy protection, which is pathetic because it used to be one of the most successful investment banks.
雷曼申请破产保护了，这实在是非常可悲的事件，因为它一直以来都是最成功的投资银行之一。
2. make a fuss 大惊小怪，小题大做，吵吵闹闹
［例］ Be good, and stop making a fuss!
听话，别再吵了！
4. Facebook or Twitter?
“脸谱”还是“推特”?
Dialogue:
A: Don’t you spend so much time twittering while you’re still at work, twittering bird!
A: 工作的时候不要老是想着“织围脖”，“围脖控”！
（旁注）① twittering bird“围脖”控
B: Too bad you’re not the boss!
B: 你又不是老板，没你说话的份儿。
A: Too bad I’m a facebook fan!
A: 怎么就轮不到我说话了，我就是个“脸谱控”！
B: Facebook is out of date, OK? Twitter is an on line social networking service and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, known as “tweets”. Jack Dorsey created it in March 2006, and the service rapidly gained worldwide popularity.
B: “脸谱”早就不兴了好不好？“推特”不止提供互联网社交服务，还提供微博服务。我们通过“推特”可以发送或阅读140字以内的微博。“推特”是杰克·多尔西在2006年3月创建的，从那时起，这项服务就在全世界范围内迅速积累了人气。
（旁注）② social networking service互联网社交服务
（旁注）③ microblogging微博
A: Drop it. Facebook’s had more than 800 million active users in March, 2011. Users add other users as friends, and exchange messages, including automatic notifications when they update their profile.
A: 少提了。2011年3月的时候，“脸谱”就有了超过8亿活跃用户。用户可以加其他用户为好友，互相交换信息，当他们更新他们的资料时，他们的好友就会收到自动通知。
（旁注）④ active user活跃用户
（旁注）⑤ automatic notification自动通知
B: Well, how about this? Though Twitter has only 300 million users as of 2011, they generate over 300 million tweets and handling over 1.6 billion search queries per day. It has been described as “the SMS of the Internet.”
B: 哼，这个怎么样？尽管“推特”到2011年为止只有3亿用户。但是他们每天“织的围脖”超过3亿条，而且每天会发出16亿个搜索请求。“推特”被描述为“互联网中的短信息”。
（旁注）⑥ search query搜索请求
A: Well, for Facebook users, they may join common-interest user groups, organized by workplace, school or college, or other characteristics, and categorize their friends into lists such as “People from Work” or “Close Friends”.
A: 这样啊，“脸谱”用户可以参加他们感兴趣的小组，不管是公司、学校或是社团或其他组织的。他们也可以把他们的“朋友”分入诸如“工作伙伴”或“亲密朋友”的小组。
B: That’s not strength. Twitter users can tweet via the Twitter website, compatible external applications such as smartphones, or by Short Message Service in some countries, of course if this kind of service is provided by the mobile network operators.And what’s the most fascinating is that users may subscribe to other users’ tweets, which is referred to as “following” and the subscribers are known as“followers” and tweeps.
B: 那又不算强项。“推特”用户可以通过“推特”网站发微博，或通过像智能手机这样的可兼容外部应用，或者在一些国家也可以用短信息发微博，如果网络运营商提供这类服务的话。当然，最有意思的是，用户可以关注别人的微博，这样就成了其他用户的“粉丝”。
（旁注）⑦ external application外部应用
（旁注）⑧ subscribe订购
A: Shush, boss’s here!
A: 轻点儿声！老板来了！
高频词汇速记
1. social networking service 互联网社交服务
［例］ It’s a free social networking service, aiming to enhance people’s communication with each other.
这社交网络服务是免费的，目的是为了增强人们之间的交流。
2. search query 搜索请求
［例］ You have to type in the search query in the search column in order to get what you want.
你必须在搜索栏里打入搜索请求，这样才能搜到你要的东西。
5. Groupon—A New Way to Shop!
团购——新的消费方式！
Dialogue:
A: Hey, check out this dress I bought at Parkson yesterday.
A: 嗨，看看我昨天在百盛买的这条裙子怎么样！
B: Pretty cool, but honestly, sweetie, how lame are you?
B: 不错嘛，不过，说实话，亲爱的，你是要有多落伍啊？
（旁注）① lame落伍
A: Funny. How so?
A: 有意思，为什么这么说？
B: It means that people, as long as they are normal, buy stuff from deal-of-the-day website. I know you’re gonna ask more, so I will go on explaining here. It’s a website that features discounted gift certificates, which can be used at local or national companies.
B: 这就是说，这年头，只要是正常人，就都通过团购网站买东西。我知道你还会问啦，我就接着解释了。团购网站卖的东西呢，都有打折券，是可以在当地或者全国范围内的公司使用的。
（旁注）② deal-of-the-day团购
（旁注）③ discounted gift certificates打折券
A: But, I still wonder that what’s the difference?
A: 不过，我还是不明白到底有什么区别？
B: Can’t believe you’re asking that question. Groupon negotiates huge discounts—usually 50-90% off—with popular businesses. For example, you only have to pay $15 for manicure and pedicure, which originally costs $30.
B: 真不敢相信你还会问这个问题。团购网站带来的折扣可大了，一般的降价都能达到50%或90%。比如说，原价30美元的修甲，你现在只需付15美元。
（旁注）④ manicure修甲
A: But I still don’t understand how it works. How does it get such a huge bargain for customers?
A: 但我还是不懂它怎么运作的。它是如何给顾客带来这么大折扣的呢？
B: That’s pretty easy. Users have to register with their email address, and type in information like gender and age to help Groupon to personalize their deals, which are achieved by emails notifying the users of daily deals on cool local businesses on a regular basis.
B: 这很简单。用户注册时要提供电子邮箱地址，然后输入诸如性别和年龄的信息，这是为了帮助团购网站为用户选择个人化折扣产品。而团购网站会定期向用户发送有关当地吃食住行折扣的邮件，这邮件当然是为用户个性化定制的。
（旁注）⑤ Groupon团购
（旁注）⑥ personalize their deals个性化定制
A: Yeah, but that still doesn’t explain why the food, or the massage’s so cheap.
A: 这样啊，但这还是没讲清楚为什么这些食物、身体按摩这么便宜？
（旁注）⑦ massage身体按摩
B: Be patient! I’m going to cover that. A Dior perfume might be expensive, but not the case if you buy in quantities, say like 2,000 at a time. Every user makes his or her contribution to this 2,000. After you successfully pay for your deal on-line, you can print the voucher or bring it up on your mobile device, and then present it at the business to get your deal.
B: 耐着点性子嘛！我马上要提到这个呢。单独买一瓶迪奥香水可能很贵，但如果你大量地买，比如一次买2 000瓶，那就不一样了。每个订购用户都是这2 000人中的一份子。当你成功在线支付后，你可以把代金券打印出来，或者就用你手机上的短信，出示给企业或商店来换取你的这次团购。
（旁注）⑧ voucher代金券
A: Wow, that is fascinating! I should definitely try it sometime!
A: 天哪，这还真是有趣！哪天我真得试一下！
高频词汇速记
1. lame 不跟潮流的，土包子的；跛足的
［例］ It’s totally lame to eat McDonald’s while you can enjoy the world’s delicate cuisine.
明明可以选择全世界的美食，却去吃麦当劳，这实在太跟不上时代了。
2. personalize 个性化，制定
［例］ This switch enables people to personalize their computer screens with photos or designs.
这种变换能够让人们用自己的个人照片或其他设计来定制自己的电脑屏幕。
替换扩展
百宝箱
信息技术已经渗透到了人们生活的方方面面，电脑、智能手机、网络游戏等等，都是IT科技的体现。正是有了IT技术的飞速发展，我们的日常词汇也因此得到了丰富。到底有哪些相关词汇呢？
1. 电脑：hardware 硬件；keyboard 键盘；LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 液晶显示屏；main board 主板；RAM (Random Access Memory) 随机存储器；driver 驱动程序、驱动器；scanner 扫描仪；adapter 适配器；PnP (plug and play) 即插即用
2. IT：agents 代理；analog signals 模拟信号；bus 总线；bluetooth 蓝牙；bandwidth带宽；demodulation 解调；hyperlink 超链接；semi-conductor 半导体；server 服务器 思维导图
