VOA慢速英语2011--India on Way to Topping US in Internet Users

Technology Report - India on Way to Topping US in Internet Users¹

 

This is the VOA Special English Technology Report.

India could pass the United States in the number of Internet users in less than two years. A new report says India reached one hundred twelve million users in September. That makes India the third largest Internet market after China and the United States.

China reported four hundred eighty-five million Internet users in June, and there are more than two hundred seventy million Internet users in the United States.

The Internet and Mobile² Association³ of India says Internet growth was especially strong among people in smaller towns and cities.

There was also a large increase in Internet use among school-aged children and college students. This is partly because of the growing number of e-learning services and educational websites.

Subho Roy is president of the Internet and Mobile Association of India. He says another big change this year is that more and more people are using the Internet from home.

A man sends a text message from his mobile phone at an Internet cafe in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata

SUBHO ROY: "Last year the old pattern was still there -- cyber cafes being top, then office, and then home. So this dramatic⁴ change has come about this year -- a very, very great movement in the home-use segment⁵. People are probably buying their own broadband connections and accessing it from their own devices⁶ rather than going to common service points."This growth in Internet use has also led to an increase in online businesses.

Deepinder Goyal owns Zomato.com. His website provides information about restaurants and nightlife activities across India. Mr. Goyal got the idea for Zomato while working at a consulting firm three years ago. He and his coworkers kept restaurant menus in their office so they could order lunch from different places.

DEEPINDER GOYAL: "We scanned⁷ these menu cards and put them online. So starting an Internet venture⁸ was actually an experiment and it worked out really well and currently⁹ we are getting around two million people just looking up menu cards on our website every month." Zomato now provides information on more than seventeen thousand restaurants across India. It covers areas from the Dehli national capital region¹⁰ to Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.

Deepinder Goyal says the growth in Internet use at home has been good for business. Zomato used to depend mostly on business people -- or "corporates" -- going online at work.

DEEPINDER GOYAL: "So earlier we used to see that around fifty to sixty percent of our traffic used to spike¹¹ at lunches on weekdays. That was due to corporates accessing our website when they used to order lunch. And right now, weekends are also very heavy traffic for us."

In a separate report, GSMA, the global trade group for the mobile industry, says Africa is the world's fastest growing mobile phone market. Africa has the second largest number of mobile phone connections after Asia.

And that's the VOA Special English Technology Report, written by June Simms. Transcripts¹², MP3s and podcasts are at voanews.cn. I'm June Simms.
___

Contributing: Anjana Pasricha

1 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。

2 mobile   

adj.可移动的，易变的，机动的；n.运动物体

参考例句：

• The old lady sits on a mobile chair every morning.那位老妇人每天上午坐在一把可携带使用的椅子上。
• She's much more mobile now that she's bought a car.自从她买了汽车后，活动量就大多了。

3 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

4 dramatic   

adj.引人注目的；戏剧的；演戏的

参考例句：

• She plays a very dramatic woman with flashing eyes.她饰演一位双眼闪光的引人注目的妇人。
• His speech was dramatic.他的演说激动人心。

5 segment   

n.切片，部分，段，节

参考例句：

• The company dominates this segment of the market.这家公司控制着这一部分市场。
• Give me a segment of a tangerine to taste.给我一瓣柑橘尝一尝。

6 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

7 scanned   

经（擦伤仪）仔细检查的

参考例句：

• He scanned the horizon for any sign of land. 他仔细眺望地平线，找寻陆地的踪影。
• She scanned his face to see if he was telling the truth. 她审视着他的脸，看他讲的是否是真话。

8 venture   

v.敢于，大胆表示；冒险，拼，闯；n.冒险

参考例句：

• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。
• Don't venture into the jungle without a guide.没有向导，不要冒险到丛林里去。

9 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

10 region   

n.地区，地带，区域；范围，幅度

参考例句：

• The students went to study the geology of that region.学生们去研究那个地区的地质情况。
• It is unusual to see snow in this region.这个地区难得见到雪。

11 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

12 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句