走遍全世界17: 信息高速公路——世界尽在你掌中

摘要：信息高速公路就是将信息的快速传输比喻为“高速公路”，它将永远改变人们的生活、工作和相互沟通的方式，所产生的影响远远比巴拿马运河、州际公路更为深远。本文短短二百余字将带着我们重回互联网的过去。

英语听力原文：

Some historians say that the most important contribution of Dwight Eisenhower's presidency(总统任期) in the 1950s was the U.S. interstate highway system. It was a massive project, easily surpassing the scale of such previous human endeavors as the Panama Canal. Eisenhower's interstate highways bound the nation together in new ways and facilitated major economic growth by making commerce less expensive. Today, an information superhighway has been built - an electronic network that connects libraries, corporations, government agencies and individuals. This electronic superhighway is called the Internet, and it is the backbone¹(主干) of the World Wide Web.
一些历史学家说，德怀特·艾森豪威尔总统在20世纪50年代最重要的贡献就是建立了美国的洲际公路系统。这是一个巨大的项目，轻易就超过了先前人们所努力修剪的巴拿马运河的规模。艾森豪威尔的洲际公路使整个国家以新的方式连接在一起，并且通过减少贸易费用推动了主要经济的增长。现如今，信息高速公路已经建成——即一种电子网络，它将图书馆、公司、政府机构和个人连接在了一起。这种电子高速公路被称为互联网，它也是万维网的支柱。

The Internet had its origins in a 1969 U.S. Defense² Department computer network alled ARPAnet, which stood for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. The Pentagon built the network for military contractors⁴ and universities doing military research to exchange information. In 1983 the National Science Foundation (NSF), whose mission is to promote science, took over.
互联网起源于1969年美国国防部被称为阿帕网的计算机网络，阿帕网代表的是高级研究计划网络。美国国防部建立这个网络是为了军事承包商和大学里的军事研究院进行信息交流。1983年，以促进科学发展为使命的国家科学基金会（NSF）接管了过来。

This new NSF network attracted more and more institutional users, many of which had their own internal networks. For example, most universities that joined the NSF network had intracampus computer networks. The NSF network then bacame a connector for thousands of other networks. As a backbone system that interconnects networks, internet was a name that fit.
这种新的国家科学基金会网络吸引了越来越多的机关用户，其中许多都有自己的内部网络。例如，大多数加入美国国家科学基金会网络的大学都有校内计算机网络。于是NSF的网络连接起了成千上万的其他网络。作为连接网络的支柱系统，互联网这个名称最为合适。

So we can see that the Internet is the wired infrastructure(基础设施) on which web messages move. It began sa a military communication system, which expand into a government-funded civilian⁵ research network.
因此，我们可以看到，互联网是承载信息的有线基础设施。它是作为军事通讯系统开始的，而后扩展成为政府资助的民用科研网络。

Today, the Internet is a user-financed system tying institutions of many sorts together into an "information superhighway".
如今，互联网是一个将各式各样的机构捆绑在一起成为“信息高速公路”的用户融资系统。

英语词汇整理：

1. interstate adj. 洲际的

eg: They are planning to build an interstate bridge.
他们计划建一座州际大桥。

短语：
interstate commerce 州际贸易，州际商业
interstate commerce commission 美国政府州际商务委员会

2. surpass v. 超越；胜过

eg: To be in love is to surpass oneself.
人在爱中超越自我。

短语：
surpass in 在…方面超过
surpass sb by sth 以…超过某人
surpass one's expectation 超出某人的预料

3. previous adj. 先前的

eg: He said he had arrived on the previous night.
他说他是在前一天夜里到达的。

短语：
previous year 前一年
previous generation 前代；当代
previous period 前期
previous page 上一页，前一页；返回上一级菜单
previous question（国会议事程序中作为动议提出的）先决问题
previous to 在…以前；在…之前
previous to sb's arrival 在某人到达之前

4. endeavor n. 努力

eg: Our endeavor was valuable.
我们的努力是有价值的！

短语：
endeavor in 致力于
endeavor to 尽力

5. bound v. 结合，绑定

eg: He was bound by his promise.
他受到自己诺言的约束。

短语：
be boun up with 与…紧密相连，与…息息相关，与…有密切关系；与…结合在一起
I dare bound.=I'll be bound. [口语]我敢肯定。
in duty bound 义不容辞，有责任
in honor bound 在道义上必须；无论如何要
bound for开往…
be bound by受…约束；由…联系起来

6. facilitate v. 促进

eg: Friendly contacts between different peoples facilitate the cultural and economic interchange.
各国人民的友好接触促进文化和经济交流。

短语：
facilitate communication 促进沟通；方便联系；沟通
facilitate with 使变得容易用

7. contractor³ n. 承包商

eg: The system will be operated by contractor personnel.
该系统将由承包商工作人员操作。

短语：
building contractor 建筑承包商
prime contractor 总承包人；主要承包商

8. institutional adj. 机构的

eg: NATO remains⁶ the United States' chief institutional anchor in Europe.
北大西洋公约组织仍然是美国在欧洲的主要支柱机构。

短语：
institutional economics 制度经济学
institutional factor制度因素
institutional shareholders⁷ 法人股东
institutional sales 机构式销售；公共饮食业

9. civilian adj. 民用的，公民的

eg: Holding his ground, he told them they could not insulate themselves from significant changes in civilian society. 
坚守他的地产,他告诉孩子们不能使自己从平民的显著改变社会。

短语：
civilian worker 民工；农民工
civilian population 平民；平均人口
civilian construction民用建筑

佳句采摘：
Today, the Internet is a user-financed system tying institutions of many sorts together into an "information superhighway".
如今，互联网是一个将各式各样的机构捆绑在一起成为“信息高速公路”的用户融资系统。

1 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

4 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任