字神帝國英語天地

谷歌正推出一個熱氣球計畫，很有意思，快來一起練聽力哦。
今日主題：The Outernet 外聯網

派老師推薦：雅思聽力最好的課外教材：BBC
康康精選雅思會考的主題，堅持每天精聽一定會進步的哦!!

建議方法：
1. 先聽兩三遍 (不看文稿)
2. 再一句一句聽寫 (每句都要聽寫數遍，直到寫出85%以上的字)
3. 最後check文稿，看哪聽不出來，單字沒背過，還是發音不熟。
4. 堅持天天聽，就能每天進步哦。

MP3音檔：喜歡的同學，幫忙推或按讚哦~~
http://static.iyuba.com/sounds/minutes/189.mp3

只有音檔怎夠，聽不懂地方，不用怕，康康幫你準備好中英文稿了：

中英文稿：
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil…
大家好，歡迎收聽六分鐘英語。我是尼爾。
… and I'm Catherine. Hello.
大家好，我是凱瑟琳。
Hello, Catherine!Now, how was your holiday?
你好，凱瑟琳。假期過得怎麼樣？
My holiday was lovely, Neil. I was staying on a beautiful island. It was very remote and there was actually no internet access.So, I did feel quite cut off actually.
假期很美好。我待在一座美麗的小島上。小島很偏僻，也沒有網絡。真的有一種與世隔絕的感覺。
And cut off means isolated. How did you survive, Catherine?
隔絕也就是孤遠偏僻。你怎麼能堅持下來呢？
Well, it wasn't easy.But I had my e-reader - that's an electronic device which lets you store and read lots of books from the internet.And I read a lot of Harry Potter...
是不太容易。我帶了電子閱讀器，一種電子設備，可以從網上儲存很多書以供閱讀。我讀了《哈利波特》。
Harry Potter? I know you like wizards, Catherine, but shouldn't you have downloaded some classic literature?How about Shakespeare's The Tempest?That's got a wizard in it too.
《哈利波特》？我知道你喜歡巫師之類的，但是你不是應該下載一些經典文學作品來讀嗎？像莎士比亞的《暴風雨》，裡面也有巫師。
Well, yes indeed.But Shakespeare on the beach isn't quite right for me, Neil.
確實。但是在沙灘上讀莎士比亞實在不適合我。
Right. Well, today we're talking about how the poorer and more remote - or distant - parts of the world can get access to learning.
好吧。今天我們要談論世界上貧窮遙遠的地方是怎麼學習的。
That's right.But before we start, Neil, I believe you have a quiz question for us.
好的。開始前，相信你已經準備好了今天的問題。
Yes, I do.I would like to know what the proportion of the world's population that still has no internet access is.Is it...a) a quarter?b) half?or c) two thirds?
沒錯。我想知道世界上多少人口接觸不到網絡？a) 四分之一?b) 二分之一?還是 c) 三分之二?
I'm going to go for c) two thirds.
我選c) 三分之二。
Well, we'll find out if you're right or wrong later on in the programme.So Catherine, how can these people get connected to the internet and start surfing?
節目最後我們再看你回答的是否正確。凱瑟琳，這些人是怎麼連接網絡上網的呢？
By using the Outernet.
通過外聯網。
The Outer what?
外聯什麼？
The Outernet. That's the idea of entrepreneur Syed Karim and its goal is to give people in unconnected communities access to information without having to use expensive mobile phones or two-way satellite networks.
外聯網。這是企業家卡里姆的想法，目的在於讓與外界隔離的群體不需要使用昂貴的電話和雙向衛星網絡，就可以獲取信息。
I see.And an entrepreneur, by the way, is a person who makes money by starting their own business that typically involves some financial risk.
我明白了。企業家，就是通過經營自己的生意賺錢的人，生意中通常涉及一些財務風險。
Yes, I've always fancied myself as a bit of an entrepreneur.
是的，我經常想像自己也是一名企業家。
Well, you'll need money and ideas, Catherine.Have you got either of those?
那你需要錢和想法。你有任意一個嗎？
I've got ideas.
我有好點子。
Right. OK. I get it.
好吧，我明白了。
So, can you tell us how the Outernet works, Neil?
你能解釋一下外聯網是怎麼運作的嗎？
Yes, I can. The Outernet uses existing communications satellites to store and broadcast data- broadcast means to send out signals or programmes.Special equipment on the ground picks up - or receives - the data, and this can be copied to phones and computers.
可以。外聯網利用現有的通信衛星，儲存並廣播數據，廣播意思是發送信號或節目。地上的特殊設備會接收到數據，將其複製到手機或電腦上。
But the Outernet broadcasts data offline - which means it's not connected to the Internet. There's no communication with the internet for user - so, no emails, no chat forums.And that can be a big drawback - or disadvantage.
但是外聯網廣播離線數據，也就是說不聯網。用戶無法用網絡交流，所以沒有郵件，也沒有聊天論壇。這是一大缺點或者說不足。
Yes. The Outernet doesn't provide two-way communication. But let's hear Syed Karim discussing why one-way access has some advantages.And see if you can spot another word meaning 』two-way'.
是的。外聯網不提供雙向通信。讓我們聽聽卡里姆所說的單向通信的好處。看你是否能聽出一個詞，表示「雙向」的含義。
Anything that is related to bi-directional communications, the internet, to be able to provide that to the entire world,those are billion dollar projects, multi-billion dollar projects with huge time horizons and enormous complexity.And, you know, our solution that we are offering is instantaneous, I mean, it exists right now.
與雙向通信有關的技術，如互聯網，可以將信息傳至整個世界。那些都是好幾十億元的項目，需要花費大量時間，很複雜。我們的解決辦法是提供即時的信息，也就是已經存在的信息。
Did you get it?Another way of saying two-way is bi-directional.So what are the advantages of one-way communication, Catherine?
你聽出那個詞了嗎？表達雙向的另一種方式就是雙指向性的。那單向通信有什麼好處呢？
It's significantly cheaper.Bi-directional communications are multi-billion dollar projects.But the Outernet allows poorer communities to benefit from access to information.
單向通信非常便宜。雙向通信是花費好幾十億的項目。但是外聯網使得貧窮區域的人們也能夠得到信息。
Yes, it does.And the other big problem is the time it would take to establish two-way access.Syed says these projects have huge time horizons- and this means the length of time it takes to complete a project - they're huge, so very big.
確實如此。還有一個問題就是時間，建立雙向通信的時間很長。卡里姆說這些項目時間跨度很大，意思說要完成這個項目需要花費很長的時間，項目非常龐大。
But the Outernet is already providing access to some of the world's most valuable knowledge.
外聯網提供了接觸世界最重要知識的方式。
That's right.The project aims to create a library of information taken from websites including Wikipedia and Project Gutenberg, which is a collection of copyright-free e-books.Copyright-free means the right to use material without paying any fees.
沒錯。該項目致力於建立一個信息庫，從維基百科、古騰堡項目這些網站中提取信息，古騰堡項目的電子書都是免版權的。免版權就是說有權使用某材料，而不需要支付任何費用。
That sounds good.But let's go back to the internet and hear from a BBC reporter talking about another project which aims to get people connected.
這聽起來很棒。我們回到互聯網，聽一聽BBC記者談論的另一個將人們聯繫起來的項目。
Google for example is working on Project Loon, a network of high-altitude helium balloons,which will boost Internet connections across much wider areas beyond coverage from conventional masts.
谷歌正推出一個熱氣球計畫，利用高空氫氣球，而不是侷限於傳統的天線桿，促進網絡連接覆蓋到更偏遠地區。
It's called Project Loon - meaning crazy - because Google thought it was such a crazy idea, and loon sounds like balloon!
這就是所謂的熱氣球計畫，意思是瘋狂，因為谷歌認為這是一個瘋狂地想法，發音聽起來很像氣球。
The idea is that users will connect to the balloon network - or group of interconnected balloons - using an antenna attached to their building.The signal travels through the balloon network from balloon to balloon, and then to a station on the ground that's connected to the Internet.
用戶連接到氣球網絡，或一組互相連接的氣球，使用天線連至他們的家。信號通過氣球網絡從一個氣球傳至另一個氣球，然後到達地面接收站，與互聯網相連。
The balloons will boost - or increase - the number of people who will be able to access the Internet.
這些氣球會促進也就是說增加使用互聯網的人數。
Yes, it will. And that's because there will be lots of them - compared to the number of masts - or tall metal towers that send and receive signals - that are currently used.
會的。相比如今使用的天線桿，也就是接受信息的金屬高塔，未來會使用越來越多的氣球來發送和接收信號。
OK, let's have the answer to the quiz question I asked:What proportion of the world's population still has no internet access? Is it ... a) a quarter? b) half? or c) two thirds?
好的，我們來看看今天問題的答案。世界上多少人口接觸不到網絡？a) 四分之一?b) 二分之一?還是 c) 三分之二?
And I said c) two thirds.
我選的是c) 三分之二。
And you were right!The answer is two thirds.Well done, Catherine.
回答正確！答案就是三分之二。做的不錯，凱瑟琳！
Thank you.
謝謝。
Now just time to listen to today's words once again. Catherine.
現在我們再回憶一下今天的單詞。
OK. We heard:
好的，我們今天聽到的單詞有：
e-reader
電子閱讀器
Remote
遙遠的
Entrepreneur
企業家
Broadcast
廣播
picks up
接收
Drawback
缺點
bi-directional
雙向的
one-way
單向的
time horizons
時間範圍
copyright-free
免版權
balloon network
氣球網絡
Boost
促進
masts
天線桿