精美英文欣赏:因特网的魅力何在?(上)

（单词翻译）

What Makes the Internet Attractive?

因特网的魅力何在？

Cyberspace¹ communications, including email discussion groups, chatrooms, bulletin boards and blogs, offer people an opportunity to experience a form of social contact, with no real social presence.

网络通信，包括电子邮件讨论组、聊天室、布告栏和博客，让人们有机会体验社交的一种形式，没有真实的相见。

Some people find it so attractive that they do not know when to stop.

有人觉得这样很有吸引力，但是不知道什么时候结束。

Others might think the Net a cold place, and yet it need not be.

有些人可能认为网络是个冷酷的地方，没有必要。

In the cold isolation² of our large cities, where people often live separated from kin³ or lonely in the crowds, the Net can become a surrogate social-life—a vital source of interpersonal contact.

大城市人与人之间是冷漠的，人们和亲人们分开，孤独地在人群中，网络给社交生活建立了平台——人际交往的重要资源。

An on-line communication is an easy way to meet new people.

在线交流是认识新朋友的简单方法。

Certainly it is very low-risk due to the essential informality of on-line conversation.

当然由于在线交流关键的非正式性，风险非常小。

Rather than being required to keep a single conversation with one or more people, relationships usually form out of numerous, often short exchanges.

与保持和一个人或者多个人对话相反的是，人际关系的形式多样，通常是简短的交流。

In a way, it reminds us of commuters who take the bus.

从某种程度上说，它像是每天乘坐公交车往返上班的人之间的关系。

They see each other frequently but each meet is fairly short.

他们经常看到对方，但是每次见面都相当地短暂。

In situations like this the pressure is minimal⁴. If you'd rather read the paper than chat then you just do it and don't worry about it.

在这种情况下压力是最小的。如果你更想看报纸而不是聊天的话，你就可以这么做，不用担心什么。

But, over time, many people form lasting⁵ relationships this way.

但是，随着时间的推移，很多人凭借这种方式建立了长久的关系。

In the on-line environment, just like any other social situation, the basic element is human attention.

如同其他社会环境一样，在网络环境中，基本元素是人类的关注。

In the public forums⁶, you communicate with groups that may have as many as several hundred people involved—even if they don't all make comments.

在公共论坛，你会在多达几百人参与的小组中与人交流——即使不是每个人都会发表评论。