英语听力精选进阶版 6034

Every week millions of Britons use computers to access the internet but how many of them actually know their ipods from their IMs? Not many it seems.

A recent survey from Nielsen/ NetRatings – a global internet, media and market research company - shows that while the British are crazy about buying and owning new technology they're not so keen to keep up with the ever-changing jargon¹ of 21st century technology.

According to Nielsen/NetRatings, people love having cutting-edge technology but often don't understand the terms that describe what their devices actually do.

For example, 40% of online Britons receive news feeds but 67% don't know that the official term for this service is Really Simple Syndication.

Terms like WiFi and PDA are still meaningless to more than 30% of the British public who regularly work or surf online.

Acronyms³ in particular bamboozle⁴ users. 75% of online Britons don't know that VOD stands for video-on-demand, while 68% are unaware⁵ that personal video recorders are more commonly referred to as PVRs.

Millions of people keep in touch via Instant Messaging but 57% of online Brits said they didn't know that the acronym² for it was IM.

Alex Burmaster, an internet analyst⁶ with Nielsen/NetRatings commented "The technology industry is perhaps the most guilty of all industries when it comes to love of acronyms. There is a certain level of knowledge snobbery⁷. If you talk in acronyms you sound like you really know what you are talking about and if others don't understand then they are seen in some way as inferior."

This study shows that many people don't completely understand much of the new technological⁸ jargon but things are slowly changing. Words such as "blogging" and "podcasting" are now used and understood by enough people for these terms to have made it into the most recently published dictionaries in Britain.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

know their ipods from their IMs 区分数码音乐播放器和即时通讯

are crazy about 疯狂追求 

keen to keep up with 热衷紧跟

jargon 术语 

cutting-edge technology 超新技术

what their devices actually do 他们的器材到底有何功能  

news feeds 新闻消息更新

WiFi 无线传输规格  

PDA 掌上电脑  

meaningless 没有意义的 

surf online 网上游览 

acronyms 首字母缩写  

bamboozle 迷惑  

keep in touch 保持联系  

the most guilty 最有负疚感的（最喜欢用缩写的） 

knowledge snobbery （技术）知识势力眼

sound 听上去

inferior 低人一等

know what you are talking about 对话题了如指掌

made it 成功了

1 jargon   

n.术语，行话

参考例句：

• They will not hear critics with their horrible jargon.他们不愿意听到评论家们那些可怕的行话。
• It is important not to be overawed by the mathematical jargon.要紧的是不要被数学的术语所吓倒.

2 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

3 acronyms   

n.首字母缩略词( acronym的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Scratch the subject of defence and acronyms, abbreviations, and buzzwords fly out. 话题触及国防，缩合字，缩写字和行话就满天飞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some acronyms as scientific terminology are used as a lexical item. 一些科学术语缩写用作词汇项目。 来自互联网

4 bamboozle   

v.欺骗，隐瞒

参考例句：

• He was bamboozled by con men.他被骗子骗了。
• He bamboozled Mercer into defeat.他骗得默瑟认了输。

5 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 snobbery   

n. 充绅士气派, 俗不可耐的性格

参考例句：

• Jocelyn accused Dexter of snobbery. 乔斯琳指责德克斯特势力。
• Snobbery is not so common in English today as it was said fifty years ago. 如今＂Snobbery＂在英语中已不象50年前那么普遍使用。

8 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。