摘要：每个人都有属于自己的一番小天地，不喜欢外人的入侵。但是现代科学技术，网络技术的发展，使得人们的隐私轻易就暴露在公众面前。如何保护自己的隐私，已成为当今社会的一个热门话题。
英语听力原文：
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it's important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple goolge search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
心理学家告诉我们和别人保持界限是健康的，而且在适当的时机逐步地向你的朋友、家人和恋人透露你的个人情况很重要。但是现在已经没有多少界限存在了。你处处留下的“数字面包碎屑”很容易让陌生人推向出你是谁，你在哪里，你对什么感兴趣。在有些情况下，一次简单的Google搜索就可以暴露你的想法。无论我们喜欢与否，我们越来越生活在一个无法保密的世界里。
The key question is: Does that matter?
问题的关键是：这很重要吗？
For many Americans, the answer apparently is "no".
对于许多美国人来说，答案很显然是“不重要”。
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found an overwhelming pessimism about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is "slipping away, and that bothers me."
在一次关于隐私的美国民意调查时，大部分人很担心失去它。有一项调查发现，人们对于隐私的安全性非常地悲观，60%的被调查者说他们感觉“隐私正离他们远去，这让他们烦恼不已。”
But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquits has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon.
但是人们言行不一。只有一小部分美国人改变自己的行为，以保护自己的隐私。很少有人会拒绝收费站的打折，本来若是拒绝的话就可以避免使用能跟踪汽车行踪的EZ-Pass系统。很少有人会拒绝超市的会员优惠卡（积分卡）。隐私经济学家压力山德罗·奎斯蒂进行了一系列的测试，表明人们会透露像社保卡号这样的个人信息，就只是为了能拿到微不足道的便宜50美分的优惠券。
But privacy does matter — at least sometimes. It's like health: when you have it, you don't notice it. Only when it's gone do you wish you'd done more to protect it.
但是隐私的确很重要——至少有些时候是这样。它就如同健康：当你拥有它时，你没有注意它，当你失去它后，你才后悔你没有尽力保护好它。
英语词汇整理：
1. crumb n. 碎屑，面包（或糕饼）屑
eg: I stood up, brushing crumbs from my trousers.
我站起来，掸去裤子上的食物碎屑。
短语：
to a crumb 精细地；精确地
crumb rubber 废胶末
bread crumb 面包心；面包碎屑
2. apparently adv. 显然地
eg: He sat at a different table, apparently without noticing her.
他在另一张桌边坐下，显然没有注意到她。
短语：
aim apparently 明显地以......为目标
apparently drowned 溺水假死
3. respondent n. 应答者，被告
eg: The court holds the respondent responsible for the losses.
仲裁庭认为被告应当对损失负责。
短语：
respondent post 回贴
respondent will 答辩会
respondent bank 代理银行
4. fraction n. 小部分
eg: Their economy is still a fraction of ours.
他们的经济仍然是我们的一部分。
短语：
a fraction of a second 顷刻，转瞬间
not by a fraction 一点也不
to a fraction [口语]完全地；地地道道地
5. preserve v. 保护，保存
eg: We will do everything to preserve peace.
我们将竭尽全力维护和平。
短语：
(Heaven) preserve us! （表示沮丧、反对等）我的天啊!
poach (trespass) on someone's preserves 侵犯某人的利益（或活动范围）
6. tollbooth n. 过路收费亭
eg: I looked at the tollbooth. Inside it, the man was dancing.
我朝收费亭里望去，有个人在里边跳舞。
7. loyalty n. 忠诚，忠心
eg: His loyalty is above suspicion.
他的忠诚无可置疑。
短语：
out of loyalty to 出于对......的忠诚
loyalty to 对......的忠诚
8. surrender v. 交出，放弃
eg: He had to surrender the watches to the police in which the heroin was hidden.
他被迫向警察交出了那些藏有海洛因的手表。
短语：
surrender to 向...交出...；向......让步/屈服
surrender at discretion 无条件投降
9. coupon n. 礼券，（购物）优惠券
eg: Tear off this coupon and use it to get 25p off your next jar of coffee.
撕下这张优待券,用它再买一瓶咖啡可省25便士。
短语：
coupon rate 票面利率
coupon bond 附息票债券
coupon code 优惠码
佳句采摘：
It's like health: when you have it, you don't notice it. Only when it's gone do you wish you'd done more to protect it.
它就如同健康：当你拥有它时，你没有注意它，当你失去它后，你才后悔你没有尽力保护好它。 |