Text 1

The Internet

by Robert Snedden

    One of the major inventions of our time is the computer. Computer networks have developed to such a degree that they could hardly be imagined a century ago. The Internet, which joins millions of computers throughout the world, has become part of our modern life. Can you explain what the Internet is? What do you think we can do on the Internet? The following passage will give you some idea of the fascinating Internet.

    Where on earth is the Internet?

    We often hear or read about people using the Internet, or the "Net" as it is often called. You may even have used it yourself, perhaps at home or at school. If you have, you will know it has something to do with computers, for you will have used your PC (personal computer) to have access to the Internet. But what exactly is the Internet?

    Computers can be linked together in networks which allow them to share information. The Internet is a super-network of networks. It joins millions of computers all over the world. There is no single master computer "running the Internet". No one is in charge of this world-wide network.

    We could say that the Internet is an endless flow of information from place to place and from person to person. Whenever you access the Internet you can be linked to tens of millions of other computer users. Some of them will have things of interest to share with you and will want to hear what you have to say.

    Most of the Internet is about people. It is a world-wide, twenty-four-hour-a-day meeting place where anyone can join in. It does not matter who you are, what you look like, what you wear or where you are. Most often you will find that people are friendly and helpful on the Internet. So you should also be kind and polite to them.

    What exactly is a network? In the world of computers, a network simply means two or more computers linked together in some way. This allows people in different places to communicate with each other and to share data and resources. For example, a school or an office might have a big central computer, called a server. It stores various programs and files. If someone on the network, using another computer, wants to use one of the files on the server, his or her computer would retrieve that file from the server.

    Having important files in a central location allows many different users to have easy access to them. The Internet works in the same way. A Web browser, such as Netscape, is used on the Internet. Netscape is run from your computer to get information from another computer acting as the server. On the Internet you have access to millions of servers all over the world.

    One of the most exciting developments on the Internet is the World Wide Web (WWW or the "Web"). The Web connects thousands of computers and millions of files all over the world. It is made up of a vast collection of sites, which could be businesses, universities, government organizations or individuals.

    In the early 1980s, more and more information was becoming available to the growing number of scientists who had access to the Internet. However, finding the information they wanted was not always an easy task. Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, wanted to find an easy way for people to get at the information on computer networks. In 1989, he put forward a project which he called the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web program first appeared in December 1990. By the summer of the following year it was available on the Internet. The Web made accessing the Internet easy. Computer users simply need to point and click at things on their screens.

    Exploring the Web is real fun, and it could not be simpler. Sometimes you do not know where you are going to end up from one click to the next. You may begin by getting in touch with a computer in Britain, but the next click could take you to Canada, the USA, Australia, Denmark or who knows where?

    There is no risk of getting lost in the Web. Your browser will remember where you have been. Every time you find a site that you like and would like to come back to, you can keep a record of it using your browser's "bookmark", "hotlist" or "favourites" option, depending on the browser you are using. This lets you keep a list of the addresses of your favourite sites for easy access so you do not have to type the address each time you want to go back there.

    The Internet is changing the way people do business with each other, particularly when that business involves processing information. A lot of office work, for instance, can be done at a distance. It makes no difference whether you connect to the company server from the next room or the next country.

    Many companies already make their goods and services available online and the number can only become bigger as time goes on. It is now possible to check train and plane timetables and book tickets online, to order flowers, books, food and clothes and many more items.

    If you know what you want, then this is a very handy way to order goods without having to visit a shop, although there will always be those who prefer to see and touch something in "real life" before buying it. Using the Internet, people can place an order with a company and pay for the goods using a credit card. The company can take the order without having to employ people to take the call.

    What will the Internet be like in a few years' time? It is hard to say. It is amazing to think that a few years ago only a few people had heard of it.

    It is possible to receive sound broadcasts on the Internet by using a program that turns your computer into a radio. Already, whole pop concerts have been sent over the Internet. It opens up the possibility for other music events, as well as sports events, theatre and talk shows to be broadcast live to the Internet. Computer programs also offer a video link between computers. As long as both you and the person at the other end each have a video camera linked to your computers, you will be able to see each other.

    There can be no doubt that the way we communicate with each other is changing. We now have ready access to more information than at any time in the past. The Internet helps ordinary people to get in touch with others in a way that would never have been thought possible even fifty years ago.

    Perhaps here we should have just a small word of caution. Every month more and more people sign up to the Internet, looking for information and entertainment, or simply because they do not want to be left behind. The Internet can indeed provide a great deal of entertainment and valuable information. It gives us the ability to send our ideas out to thousands, perhaps millions of other people, and it gives them the chance to send their ideas out to us.

    So think about what you are saying before you say it. Think about what you are reading on your screen. All of the personalized filters in the world cannot replace the best information filter you have—your brain.

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课文一

国际互联网

罗伯特·斯奈登

    电脑是我们这个时代最重要的发明之一。电脑网络已经发展到了一百年前的人们根本无法想象的程度。它将全世界数以百万计的电脑连接起来，成为我们现代生活的一部分。你能解释什么是国际互联网吗？你认为我们在国际互联网上能做些什么？下面的文章将帮助你了解这个令人着迷的国际互联网。

    国际互联网究竟在哪里呢？

    我们经常听说或读到人们使用国际互联网，它也经常被称为“网络”。很可能，你在家里或学校里已经用过它。如果已经用过，你就会知道它与电脑有关，因为你是用你的个人电脑来登陆国际互联网的。然而，到底什么才是国际互联网呢？

    电脑可以连成网以达到资源共享。国际互联网则是一种将诸多网络链接起来的超网络。它连接了全世界数以百万计的电脑。并没有某一台主机在“操纵着国际互联网”，也没有某一个人在控制着这个世界性的网络。

    我们可以说国际互联网是一种永不停歇、由此及彼的信息流动。无论何时，只要你登陆国际互联网，你就能与千百万的其他电脑用户联接起来。他们中的一些人会想与你分享有趣的事，并愿意听听你的故事。

    国际互联网上的大部分内容和人有关。它是一个世界性的、24小时供人加入的会所。你是何人、长相如何、穿着如何、身处何处，这些都无关紧要。你会经常发现互联网上的人都很友好，并且乐于助人。因此，你对他们也应和善有礼。

    到底什么是网络系统呢？在电脑的世界中，网络系统指的就是将两台或两台以上的电脑用某种方式连接起来。这样，身处不同地域的人就能互相沟通，共享数据与资料。举例来说，学校或办公室里有一台大型中央电脑，也就是服务器。它储存了各种各样的程序和文件。使用网络系统的人，如果想使用服务器上的某个文件，可以通过自己的电脑把所需文件从服务器上调出来。 

    把重要文件放在中央位置，不同的用户就可以轻而易举地使用它们。国际互联网起着相同的作用。国际互联网采用网页浏览器，例如“Netscape”。它在你的电脑上运行，同时从另一台作为服务器的电脑上获取信息。通过国际互联网，你能利用全世界数以百万计的服务器。

    国际互联网最令人激动的成就之一是万维网（WWW或the “Web”）。万维网连接全世界成千上万的电脑和文件。它由众多网站组成，包括商业网站，大学网站，政府机构网站和个人网站。

    在八十年代早期，使用国际互联网的科学家越来越多，而网上提供的信息也日益增加。然而，要找到他们想要的某种特定信息却不是件容易的事。提姆·伯纳斯·李——一位英国电脑科学家——想为人们找到一种从电脑网络中提取信息的简单方法。1989年，他提出了一个他自称为万维网的方案。这个万维网程序在1990年12月首次出现。第二年夏季，万维网在国际互联网上投入使用。有了万维网，上国际互联网变得简单。电脑用户只需在屏幕上点击即可。

    探索万维网极其有趣而又无比简单。有时你甚至不知道，点击一下之后你会停到哪里。一开始你也许在与英国的一台电脑联接，但紧接着的一次点击就会把你带到加拿大、美国、澳大利亚、丹麦，谁知道还会是什么地方？

    在万维网中你绝不会迷失方向。浏览器会记得你读过的网页。每当你发现一个喜欢的网站并想日后能重新上这个网站时，你可以根据不同的浏览器选择使用“书签”、“热目录”或“最爱”命令，将这个网址记录下来。这样，你就建立起了一份“最喜爱的网址”清单。日后浏览这些网站时你可以很方便地登陆，而不必每次都输入一遍网址。

    国际互联网正在改变人们进行商业活动的方式，尤其是买卖牵涉到信息处理的时候。举例来说，许多办公室工作可以在远离办公室的地方完成。如果你要登陆公司的服务器，无论你近在隔壁还是远在邻国，都没有任何影响。

    已经有许多公司在网上出售商品、提供服务了。随着时间的推移，采取这种做法的公司将会有增无减。如今，在网上可以查看火车和飞机时刻表、订票、订花、订书籍、食品、衣服及许多其他物品。

    如果你知道自己想买什么，那么这会是一种无需跑商店、极为便利的购物方式，尽管总有些人还是愿意在买东西前先看看、摸摸，真切地感受一下商品。人们可以通过国际互联网向公司订货并用信用卡付款。公司也能在不专门雇人接听电话的情况下收到定单。

    再过几年，国际互联网会变成什么样？这很难说。让人吃惊的是：短短几年前，只有极少数的人听说过它。

    安装一个将电脑变成收音机的程序，你就可以在国际互联网上接收广播。已经有整台整台的流行音乐会在国际互联网上播送。这使得体育运动、戏剧演出、脱口秀及其他音乐活动在国际互联网上现场转播成为可能。通过某些电脑程序，电脑之间还能实现视频连接。只要你和对方都有一台与电脑相连的摄像头，你们就能看见对方。

    毫无疑问，我们相互交流的方式正在变化。如今我们能获得的信息比以往任何时候都多。国际互联网帮助普通人互相联系，而这种联系方式是人们在五十年前想都想不到的。

    在这里，我们要建议大家稍稍谨慎些。每月，越来越多的人注册国际互联网。有的是为了获取信息和娱乐，有的只是不想落在别人后头。国际互联网确实能提供大量的娱乐与有价值的信息。它赋予我们将自己的想法公之于众的能力，并给予他人将想法反馈给我们的机会。

    说话之前先想想你要说的话。对在屏幕上看到的东西要加以思考。世界上没有一台人格化过滤器能取代你所拥有的最好的信息过滤器——你的大脑。

（钱洁雯译）        返回

Text 2

E-mail

by Robert Snedden

    Imagine being able to send a letter to someone, anywhere in the world, that included pictures and sounds as well as written words, and not even have to put a stamp on it. With e-mail you can do just that. E-mail allows you to send messages quickly and easily to other people using computers rather than the postal service. To the Internet user, the ordinary post is known as "snail mail" because it is so much slower than e-mail, which can deliver its message to the other side of the world in seconds.

    In some ways, e-mail is like a cross between a letter and a telephone call. You type a note or a letter on your screen and then you send it down the telephone line to another person for as little as it costs you to call your service provider. Whether your message is going to Calgary in Canada or to Copenhagen in Denmark, it will cost the same. You can even attach a file from your computer, whether it be a sound, an image or a text, to your e-mail message.

    E-mail addresses are made up of two distinct parts, separated by the "@" sign. The first part of the address identifies the specific user. Many people use their names, or their initials or a nickname. After the @ sign comes the host address or node name, which is the actual place where the user's electronic mailbox is situated. Here is an example. My e-mail address is "november@dircon.co.uk." I picked "November" because that was the month in which I was born, and "dircon" is the Direct Connection, my service provider, a commercial company based in the UK. Easy, isn't it?

    When a new user joins the Internet for the first time, he or she will get an e-mail address that allows the user both to send and receive messages. Just as you need to put the correct address on an envelope to make sure it gets to the right place, so you must also put the correct e-mail address on your electronic correspondence. Computers are not as understanding as postmen and women, who can sometimes work out where a wrongly addressed letter is meant to go. If you make a slight mistake with your address, your message will simply be bounced right back to you.

    How do you find out what someone's e-mail address is? Naturally, the easiest and best way is simply to ask them. Because there is no one in charge of the whole Internet and because it is expanding so rapidly, there is no complete record anywhere of everyone who is connected.

    When someone sends you a message via e-mail, it will be stored on the computer at your service provider, or if your school has its own connection to the Internet, on the main server. Once you have logged on to the Net you can launch your e-mail program. Eudora is one of the most popular and easy-to-use programs and is available for both Macintosh and IBM compatibles. There is a version that you can download free of charge from the Internet. Many programs will automatically search for new messages when they are first launched.

    E-mail has obvious advantages for schools and businesses that want to keep track of their messages. For example, it allows you to quote all or part of the message you are replying to, without having to type it all out again. The handy thing about this feature is that if you are answering questions, you can keep them in your reply. This saves the other person having to refer back to the original document when he or she gets your reply.

    Another thing e-mail allows you to do is to forward a message on to someone else. If someone sends you a piece of information that you feel would be of interest to another person, you can send a copy of the message to him.

    Again this is invaluable for large organizations that might have offices all over the world. For example, someone in the London office might send a query6 or a new idea to someone else in New York in the USA. He, realizing that this is something that another person in Sydney in Australia has been working on, passes the message on almost instantly.

    If you want to send a graphics file (one containing a picture), a sound file, a document or a video clip with your e-mail, you can do that too. Most e-mail readers have a menu item that allows you to attach a file using an instruction, or command, called "attach file" or something similar. To do this the e-mail program uses MultiPurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) to attach the file and process it into the chunks of the right size for sending via e-mail.

    If the Internet has any lasting effect on our lives it may well be through the use of e-mail. As we have seen, there are many advantages that e-mail enjoys over snail mail in terms of speed and usefulness. It also has a big advantage over a message taken over the telephone－you cannot print out a telephone call. Probably more people join the Internet to get access to e-mail than for any other reason.

    E-mail is easy to use and it saves time and money. The differences in time in different parts of the world do not matter when sending e-mail. It is a twenty-four-hour service that allows you to send information at any time of the day or night. If you want to know what it is like to live in the Arctic, send a message to a school in Alaska and find out. If a company wants to know how much it costs to print a book in the Far East, it can e-mail some printers in Singapore or Hong Kong. The message will be there the next time someone at the other end switches on his or her computer and logs on. No one has to be there to answer the telephone. It does not matter if they are in bed when you send the message, or you are watching a film at the cinema when they send a reply.

    If you want to make friends on the Internet, it is just as well to have good manners. One of the most important rules to follow is, DON'T TYPE ALL OF YOUR MESSAGES IN CAPITAL LETTERS. It is the Internet equivalent of shouting down the telephone. Be careful how you say things. Because it is so fast and easy to send e-mail messages, people often do not bother to check what they have written before pressing the "send" button. Write your e-mail with the same care and attention you would use for other forms of communication. Reply to your messages promptly. If someone has taken the trouble to write to you, take the trouble to write back. It is only polite.

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课文二

电子邮件

罗伯特·斯奈登

    试想一下，你甚至不用贴上邮票，就能把一封图文并茂、还录有声音的信件寄到世界任何地方。电子邮件就能帮你实现这一切。有了它，你就可以用计算机取代传统邮政方式，快速而简单地传送信息。对于国际互联网的用户来说，通过邮局传递的信件是“蜗牛邮件”，因为它的速度远远不及电子邮件，后者能在数秒之内将信息传达到世界另一端。

    从某种角度上说，电子邮件就像是信件和电话的综合体。在屏幕上输入一张便条或一封信，然后通过电话线把它传给另一个人，这样就能将通讯费用减到最低程度。无论你的信息是要传到加拿大的卡加立，还是丹麦的哥本哈根，费用都是相同的。你还可以从计算机上剪贴一个文件作为你的电子邮件信息，而这个文件可以是一段声音、一个图象，也可以是一个文本。

    电子邮件的地址由两大部分组成，中间用符号@隔开。地址的前一部分用来识别用户。许多人都使用自己的名字、名字的缩写或者昵称。在符号@后面紧跟着主机地址或网络节点的名称，也就是用户电子邮箱实际所处位置。比如说，我的电子邮件地址是november@dircon.co.uk。我选择“november”（十一月）是因为这是我出生的月份，“dircon”是“the Direct Connection”的缩写，它是一家英国的商业公司，也是这项服务的提供商。非常简单，不是吗？

    当一个新用户第一次登陆国际互联网时，他会得到一个供他收发信息的电子邮件地址。要把正确的地址写在信封上才能确保信被收到。同样，你必须把正确的收件人地址写在你的电子邮件上。邮递员有时能猜到写错地址的信要寄往何处，计算机可不会那样随机应变。如果你在地址上犯了一点小小的错误，你的邮件就会被立即发回到你的信箱里。

    怎样查出一个人的电子邮件地址呢？当然，最简单的、也是最好的方法，是直接问那个人。因为没有人在管理整个国际互联网，而且它发展得特别迅速，所以根本没有一份包含所有用户的记录。

    通过电子邮件传送给你的信息会被储存在你的服务提供商的计算机中。如果你的学校与国际互联网有链接站点的话，那么信息就会储存在主服务器中。登陆网络后，你就可以启动你的电子邮件程序了。Eudora是最普及、最简单易用的程序之一，在Macintosh和IBM兼容机上都能使用。这个程序有一个版本可以免费从国际互联网上下载。许多电子邮件程序首次启动就会自动搜索新的邮件信息。

    对于学校和商业界来说，电子邮件有着显著的优势——它可以高效地管理往来信息。例如，在回复信件时，它可以帮你摘录来函的全部或部分内容，而不必全都重打一遍。这项特色服务的好处是：如果你是在回答问题，就可以把问题保留在你的回函中，而对方在收到回函时也不必再去查询自己的原件。

    电子邮件的另一个作用就是让你能够把信息转发给别人。如果有人传送来一条信息，而你觉得某个人也会对此感兴趣，你就可以抄送一份给他。

    对于那些在世界各地都有分部的大机构来说，这很有价值。例如，伦敦分部的人传送了一份查询文件或一个新的创意给美国纽约分部的人。而纽约的这个人知道在澳大利亚悉尼的另一个人一直在从事这项工作。他就可以立即把这份文件转发给那个人。

    你也可以用电子邮件传送图文文件（包含图像的文件）、声音文件、文档文件，甚至视频片段。大多数电子邮件阅读器都有一个菜单项，它会指导你使用“附件”命令（或类似的命令）在电子邮件上粘贴文件。为了实现这种功能，电子邮件程序采用多用途网际邮件扩充协议（MIME）来粘贴文件并将它处理成便于电子邮件传送的、大小适当的数据块。

    如果说网络对我们的生活会产生某种持久作用，那么它肯定是通过电子邮件来达到这一效果的。正如我们看到的，与蜗牛邮件相比，电子邮件在速度和作用方面有着众多明显的优势。而相对于电话接收信息，它也有一大优势——你不能把电话的内容打印出来，电子邮件却可以做到这一点。很有可能，更多的人是为了使用电子邮件才加入网络的。

    

    电子邮件使用方便，而且省时省钱。在传送邮件时，地区和时区的差异简直可以忽略不计。它24小时全天服务，你可以在白天或晚上的任何时间传送信息。如果你想知道在北极的生活情况，你就可以发送信息到阿拉斯加的一所学校查询。如果一个公司想知道在远东地区出版一本书的费用，它就可以发邮件给新加坡或香港的出版商。对方下一次开机、登陆后就会看到这个信息。所以根本不需要人等在那里接电话。你发送信息时，他们在睡觉；或者他们回复信息时，你却在电影院里看电影，这些都不会影响信息的接收。

    如果你想在网上交朋友，最好还是要保持礼貌。你要遵循的最重要的一条规则是：千万不要把信息全部用大写字母输入。在网络世界里，这就相当于在电话里大吼大叫。而且要注意你的说话方式。发送电子邮件是如此快捷、简单，人们往往不等核查好信息就按下了“发送”键。你应该像通过其他方式交流一样细心写电子邮件，并且尽快回复别人的信息。如果别人费时费力写信给你，你也应该花点时间回信给他。这才称得上有礼貌。

（周 兰译）                      返回