VOA常速英语2015--奥巴马希望通过改善互联网来促进经济（在线收听）

Obama Promotes Better Broadband Access to Boost Economy 奥巴马希望通过改善互联网来促进经济

WASHINGTON—

Ahead of his annual State of the Union address on January 20, President Barack Obama is promoting ideas on how to boost the U.S. economy and improve the standard of living for more Americans. This week, his speeches have focused on the importance of digital technology for consumers and businesses, and on ways to protect confidential information in cyberspace.

Speaking to an audience in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Wednesday, President Obama said the U.S. economy is growing stronger, and he wants more Americans to feel that resurgence in their daily lives.

周三，奥巴马总统在爱荷华州瀑布市发表讲话，他对听众说美国经济正在走强，他希望更多的美国人能在日常生活上感受到这种复苏。

"And in the 21st century, in this age of innovation and technology so much of the prosperity that we are striving for, so many of the jobs that we want to create depend on our digital economy, depend on our ability to connect and to shop, and to do business and discover, and learn online in cyberspace," said Obama. 

“在21世纪，在这个创新和科技的时代，我们所追求的繁荣，我们希望创造的就业，都在很大程度在依赖于数码经济，依赖于我们联网购物、做生意和在互联网上探索、学习的能力。”

In order to succeed, the president said Americans in many communities needed faster and cheaper access to broadband.

总统说要想成功，很多社区的美国人都需要更快和更廉价的宽带。

"It's about giving the entrepreneur, the small businessperson on Main Street, a chance to compete with folks out in Silicon Valley or across the globe. It's about helping a student access the online courses and employment opportunities that can help her pursue her dreams," he said.

“也就是给大街上的企业家、小经营主与硅谷甚至全世界的人进行竞争的机会，就是帮助学生获得网络课程和就业机会，从而帮助他或她追求梦想。”

On Monday, the president unveiled plans to strengthen laws against identity theft by requiring businesses to inform consumers within 30 days if their information has been hacked. The plan also would criminalize companies selling consumers' data overseas.

周一，总统宣布了加强反身份盗用法律的计划，要求企业在消费者信息被盗用的30天内通知消费者。该计划还会将那些出售消费者数据到海外的公司定罪。

"This is a matter of public safety and of public health. And most of this infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector. So neither government nor the private sector can defend the nation alone. It's going to have to be a shared mission, government and industry working hand-in-hand as partners,” said Obama.

“这是一个涉及公共安全和公共健康的问题，大多数互联网基础设施是由企业拥有和运营的，所以无论是政府还是企业都无法独立捍卫这个国家，这将是个共同任务，政府和企业要携手做合作伙伴来努力解决。”

Privacy advocates have criticized the idea of data-sharing between companies and the government, following the discovery of U.S. government surveillance and bulk-data collection. But some analysts note that many companies share customers' personal data without their knowledge or consent.

隐私倡导者批评了公司和政府共享数据这一理念，因为此前美国政府被曝光监控和大规模收集数据。但一些分析人士认为，有很多公司在客户不知情或不同意的情况下就分享了客户个人数据。

"There are no real privacy laws regarding online browsing, regarding an awful lot of other information like health information, like financial - that data is often passed on to advertisers to insurance companies in an unlimited way. You and I don't actually know what data exist. We don't know what information about us these companies and the data brokers have," said Klaus Larres of the University of North Carolina.

“目前没有在线浏览方面的隐私法，对于很多像健康信息、财务等大量其他信息，这些数据通常会无限地传给广告商或保险公司。我们都并不知道都有什么数据存在着，我们不知道这些公司和数据中介都拥有我们的哪些信息。”克劳斯·拉列斯就职于北卡罗来纳大学。

Larres noted that Obama's plans may encounter opposition from some lawmakers.

拉列斯指出，奥巴马的计划可能会遭到一些议员的反对。

"Considering the majority [Republican] balance in the new Congress, I think the likelihood that the bill is not going to pass is fairly high," said Larres.

“考虑到共和党在新国会的多数席位，我想该法案不能通过的可能性很高。”

President Obama expressed confidence Tuesday after meeting with a group of lawmakers that a compromise will be reached as it is in everyone's interest to protect U.S. economy from cyberattacks.

奥巴马总统周二在会见了一群议员后表示自信，他相信会达成妥协，因为保护美国经济免受网络攻击关系到每个人的利益。