自考英语二教材英文翻译第十一课：Text B

Text B The Impact of the Internet on Society

The Internet has had a profound effect on society over the last two decades. Although it began as a government operation, over time(随着时间的转移，逐步)this innovative technology eventually evolved into a public novelty. Looking at society today, one may find that the situation has certainly evolved. For many, the Internet has become an essential for daily living, no longer the fun novelty it was 10 years ago. Even a decade ago if you were to think about whether or not the Internet had significant impact on society, the answer would likely have been probably not. While the Net may have been considered a neat innovation(绝妙的革新，neat意为很棒的，绝妙的), it was not like anyone “needed“ it.

网络对社会的影响

在过去20年的时间里，网络对社会产生了巨大的影响。尽管网络最开始的时候还只是由政府运作，不过随着时间的推移，这项创新科技最终变成了大众的新鲜事物。看看当今社会，我们会发现这种情况也早已大为不同。对于很多人来说，网络已变成了日常生活的必需品，而不再是10年前的新鲜事物。即使是十年前要你想网络对社会是不是有巨大的影响，你很可能会回答不是。尽管网络已经被看作是一项革新，但不是每个人都需要它。

However, over time this perception has changed for many individuals in society. The Internet has become, for the most part(总体上), an absolute necessity, either by requirement or by desire. Going online has become as natural as doing other daily tasks people have traditionally done.(承上启下句)People take it for granted that the Internet will be available, and dependency on being connected has become the norm. Both businesses and individuals alike depend upon the routine availability of the Internet. Due to the fact that many businesses, government agencies and other organizations have navigated to the online environment, generally people require consistent access, or 24/7 (24hours a day, 7 days a week) access, if you will.

然而，对社会上大多数人而言，这个观念在一段时间以来已经发生了变化。在极大程度上来说，网络已经彻头彻尾地变成了必需品，不管是客观上要求，还是主观上需求都是这样。上网变成了自然而然的事情，就像是人们习惯做的其他的日常工作一样。对于网络的存在，人们都习以为常;对它的依赖也变成了一种常态。商业人士和普通人都要依赖网络来完成日常的活动。许多公司、政府机关以及其他组织都已经实现网上办公，人们一般要求随时能够访问他们的网站，或者，全天都能够访问他们的网站，如果你愿意的话。

In many ways the Internet has had a very positive effect on society.(主题句) It has improved communication, simplified handling tasks and errands, offered huge convenience, enabled faster processing, and provided more options, all of which have freed more time to do other things.

网络在很多方面对社会起到了积极作用。它提高了沟通的效率，简化了处理工作的任务，提供了方便，加快了数据处理的速度，也提供了更多的选择，所有这些都可以节省出更多的时间去做别的事情。

Yet, interestingly enough the Internet has, in some ways, had negative effects.(主题句)The quality of communication has declined; people are impatient because they have become accustomed to instant gratification, and using the Internet also takes up a lot of time. As websites such as Facebook and other socially based interactions increase in usage, many hours a day are consumed as people keep up with their various networks, taking away from other activities.

然而，有意思的是，网络在很多方面也有消极的影响。沟通的质量下降了，另外由于习惯了网络上的瞬时反应速度，人们变得没有耐心了，同时网络也耗费了我们大量的时间。随着比如脸谱和其他社交网站的使用量的增加，人们每天耗费数个小时忙于各种网络联系，占用了其他活动的时间。

When looking at it from the latter perspective, one may wonder whether or not the Internet has truly benefited society. Realistically, as with(正如) anything else, the Internet has its pros and cons. Tools such as e-mail and instant messaging have become the standard; social networks are quickly evolving into the next level of communication, and people enjoy their constant access. In this respect the benefits of the Internet are tremendous.(承上启下句)This is not only evidenced by the many activities people engage in when they connect to the Internet, but also by the continuous progression and development of mobile devices such as smartphones.

从网络消极的影响上来看，人们可能会想网络到底对社会有没有益处。实际上，所有的事情都是这样，网络也有它的正反面。电子邮件和即时消息这样的工具成了普遍的事物，社交网络正在迅速地演变成下一个层次的沟通方式，人们享受的是时时刻刻的联系。在这一点上，网络的好处是巨大的。人们利用互联网所从事的种种活动，以及诸如智能手机等移动设备的持续进步和发展都能证明这一点。

Society has evolved to the point where people expect and rely on readily available information. People also expect to receive rapid responses when doing business and personal tasks. The Internet makes this possible.(承上启下句)Many of the things that society takes for granted nowadays are all made possible by the development of the Internet

社会已经发展到这样一个阶段，人们希望得到并且依赖即时的信息，人们也希望在处理生意和私人事务时能够得到快速的反馈。网络使这些都成为可能。许多当今社会习以为常的事情其实都是因为网络的发展才变成可能的。

What kind of an impact has the Internet had on society? Wrapped up in the advantages and disadvantages one thing is for certain: the Internet has had a significant effect on society. To imagine the impact all one has to do is try to envision the consequences if the Internet was suddenly removed from society. Imagine a world where the Internet was unavailable. (承上启下句) How would it affect you? Looking at it from this respect, for many it likely brings to light just how reliant and dependent society has become on the Internet and it would be extremely hard to turn back the clock(时光逆转).

那网络到底对社会产生了什么样的影响呢?优点也好，缺点也罢，有一点是肯定的：网络已经对社会产生了巨大的影响。想知道影响到底有多大，我们仅需要想象一下把网络从社会中突然剥离后的结果就可以了。想象一下一个没有网络的世界吧。它会影响你什么呢?从这个角度上考虑的话，很多人就会明白我们的社会是多么依赖网络，要是真回到过去的话该是多么艰难的事情。