3.Internet （英特网）
A:Are you a netizen?
B:What do you mean by netizen?
A:It is a compound word composed of net and citizen.It is the result of the development of the Internet technology.A netizen is a person who takes great interest in the Internet and makes full use of it.
B:In this sense,I am not up to a netizen,because I don't often get on-line although I am interested in it.Besides netizen,what words have emerged along with the Internet?
A:E-mail,e-commerce,cyberspace,chatroom,website,dotcom and so on.
B:Would you like to tell me something about the Internet?
A:We have discussed some mass media such as radio and TV,which are basically "one-way" communications,while the Internet is inherently a "two-way" medium.
B:Why?
A:The ease with which a computer user can communicate with the rest of the world has created a sense of "global community",which is found almost nowhere else.People around the world post websites,exchange e-mails,and participate in online chats.
B:The world appears as a village because of the Internet.
A:You are right.Nowadays people get an Internet-is-the-world mood.
B:The Internet is used for e-mail and online chats?
A:It goes beyond that.In fact,the access to the Internet feels more and more like the utility of sorts like the phone line,the electricity,and the cooking gas.You pay for it as the daily necessities.These days,of course,no more self-respecting people would live without accessing to the Internet.The Internet access gives us our e-mail address,our capability of buying a book or a vacation online,even though the more traditional distribution channels are never less convenient and always more reliable.The Internet undoubtedly enriches our lives in many a way.The instant reach of the e-mail makes keeping-in-touch so rewarding and so excuse-proof.
B:You mentioned "dotcom" just now.What does it mean?
A:"Dotcom" is used to describe a company which is related to the Internet.The 1990s was the golden age for Internet for it was heralded as another new earth-shaking technological revolution that would lead us to a very different kind of advanced world.Any dotcom company was warmly welcomed.The American stock market took off and went up.
B:I have seen two interesting cartoon pictures which may describe the situation you mentioned.Two beggars are begging in the street side by side.One of them is hanging a sign with a word "beggar",while the other hanging a sign with "dotcom".The latter obviously gets more money.
A:It is the "dotcom" that makes difference.It seems as if any dotcom company would automatically become the company of the future equivalent of today's Microsoft.Any traditional company and business would be sneered at as passé.But the dream didn't last long and the Internet bubble finally burst and as a result,the American stock market went down,and many people lost much money.
B:But we should take advantage of the new technology to make our life more convenient.
A:Yes.Many companies have set up their own websites and put their information on-line so that it can be available to most people.For example,I can buy jeans directly from the factory without leaving home.First I go to a scanning studio where computerized 3D images of my body and my measurements are stored in a computer database.Then I get on line,open up the Just Jeans web pages,place orders,which will be delivered to my home.
B:Our life is greatly changed by the Internet.
A:Yes.Traditional business tends to find a way by combining with the Internet.For example,AOL "bought" Time-Warner.I put quotes around "bought" because I'd rather think AOL was smart enough to realize it couldn't survive by being AOL alone.It was ingenious for AOL to hitch onto the traditional entertainment giant Time-Warner and become part of the "new" old business,establish and secure a future for itself.
B:What is its future like?
A:In the next few years,you can expect a more dynamic Internet experience,faster connection speeds and freedom from a few of the hassles that accompany existing technology.
B:Can you name some of them?
A:Here are a few of the highlights:broadband connections,which increase the speed at which data is transmitted,should multiply quickly.VoIP technology,short form for Video-over-IP,which moves analog voice traffic into the Internet,will explode in popularity because of its great cost savings over traditional long-distance phone calls.Unified messaging—which ties your voice mails,faxes,e-mails and pager messages together so that you can retrieve any type of the message through any of the channels—will become more popular because of its potential time savings.
Notes
1.netizen网民
2.compound复合的
3.In this sense，I am not up to a netizen.在这个意义上，我算不上一个网民。
4.emerged出现
5.e-mail，e-commerce，cyberspace，chatroom，website，dotcom电子邮件、电子商务、互联网空间、聊天室、网站、公司域名
6.The Internet is inherently a “two-way” medium.互联网就是一种内在的“双向”媒体。
7.The ease with which a computer user can communicate with the rest of the world has created a sense of “global community” which is found almost nowhere else.计算机用户轻松地与外界交流，产生一种“地球社区”的感觉，这种感觉在其他地方找不到。
8.online chats网上聊天
9.an Internet-is-the-world mood网络就是世界的情结
10.In fact，the access to the Internet feels more and more like the utility of sorts like the phone line，the electricity，and the cooking gas.实际上，使用互联网越来越感觉像使用电话线、电、做饭用的天然气这样的日常用品。
11.These days，of course，no more self-respecting people would live without accessing to the Internet.当然，现在任何自重的人如果离开互联网都难以生存。
12.The Internet undoubtedly enriches our lives in many a way.毫无疑问，互联网在很多方面丰富了我们的生活。
13.The instant reach of the e-mail makes keeping-in-touch so rewarding and so excuse-proof.电子邮件的及时传递使得保持联系变得那么有益，因此就没有不保持联络的托辞了。
14.It was heralded as another earth-shaking new technological revolution.它预示着另一次震撼世界的新技术革命的到来。
15.stock market takes off股市飙升
16.cartoon pictures卡通漫画
17.It seems as if any dotcom company would automatically become the company of the future equivalent of today's Microsoft.好像任何一个网络公司都会在将来自动地变成今天的微软公司。
18.Any traditional company and business would be sneered at as passé.任何一个传统的公司或行业都可能被嘲笑为落伍。
19.bubble泡沫
20.a scanning studio扫描室
21.computerized 3D images经计算机处理的三维图像
22.AOL was smart enough to realize it couldn't survive by being AOL alone.美国在线很聪明地意识到只靠自己是难以生存下去的。
23.It was ingenious for AOL to hitch onto the traditional entertainment giant Time-Warner and become part of the “new” old business，establish and secure a future for itself.美国在线机灵地傍上传统娱乐巨头时代华纳，变成这个“新”的旧行业的一部分，建立和保证了自己的未来。
24.In the next few years，you can expect a more dynamic Internet experience，faster connection speeds and freedom from a few of the hassles that accompany existing technology.未来几年，你有希望得到更有活力的因特网体验，更快捷的连接速度，也不会出现现有的技术带来的烦恼。
25.Here are a few of the highlights.这是几个最突出的部分。
26.broadband connections宽带接入
27.VoIP technology，short form for Video-over-IP，which moves analog voice traffic into the Internet，will explode in popularity because of its great cost savings over traditional long-distance phone calls.IP视频技术（Video-over-IP的缩写形式）将模拟声音输入因特网，比起传统的长途电话，它大大地节省了钱，将会大受欢迎。
28.Unified messaging—which ties your voice mails，faxes，e-mails and pager messages together so that you can retrieve any type of the messages through any of the channels—will become more popular because of its potential time savings.统一信息传递技术将你的声音、传真、电子邮件和传呼信息结合在一起，你可以通过任何渠道重新收到任何种类的信息，由于节省时间的潜力，它将更受欢迎。