英语访谈对话 470 Computers

 　　Computers are an amazing thing, you know they have really improved people's lives over the past 15 or 20 years. You know you can do word processing. You can access libraries of information. You can communicate with your friends 24 hours a day across the globe. You can do art. You can watch movies. You can play music. All sorts of interesting and cool stuff, that makes life more pleasurable, or makes life easier, you know, it's really an amenity¹ that's been a big part of most people's lives for a long time now, and they always seem to be improving and getting bigger and better. Well, actually, they're getting smaller and better, but why is it that over this time, that computers never seem to run smoothly² all the time. There's always little glitches³ and problems. You know, computers are getting better but so are viruses. Programs are getting easier and better, but they're also getting more expensive and you always have to upgrade because what you want to get doesn't work necessarily with what you have on your computer, you know.

　　Internet connections are always speeding up, but there's always a slow internet connection, at least 20 or 25 percent of the time. You know, if you want to run something you always need to download this or download this. This program is incompatible⁴ with this program. When you are on the internet, there is always strange pop-up ads and things like that. E-mail! Ah, your e-mail box is full, too much memory, yeah, printers, printers are the worst of all. You know after all this time, why is it that printers always break down when you need to print something on time. Hey, there's my little ramble⁵ about computers, but all in all, they're good, cause without computers there wouldn't be such a wonderful site lke ELLLO.

1 amenity   

n.pl.生活福利设施，文娱康乐场所；（不可数）愉快，适意

参考例句：

• The amenity of his manners won him many friends.他和悦的态度替他赢得很多朋友。
• Teachers' good amenity and culture have important educational value.教师良好的礼仪修养具有重要的教育价值。

2 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

3 glitches   

n.小过失，差错( glitch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Manufacturing glitches have limited the factory's output. 生产中的故障影响了该厂的产量。 来自辞典例句
• Another kind of period variation,\"Glitches,\" are seen in several pulsars. 在几个脉冲星中还看到了周期的另一种变化，即“自转突快”现象。 来自辞典例句

4 incompatible   

adj.不相容的，不协调的，不相配的

参考例句：

• His plan is incompatible with my intent.他的计划与我的意图不相符。
• Speed and safety are not necessarily incompatible.速度和安全未必不相容。

5 ramble   

v.漫步，漫谈，漫游；n.漫步，闲谈，蔓延

参考例句：

• This is the best season for a ramble in the suburbs.这是去郊区漫游的最好季节。
• I like to ramble about the street after work.我下班后在街上漫步。