VOA慢速英语2016 比特币的未来（在线收听）

AS IT IS 2016-01-16 The Future of Bitcoins 比特币的未来

Bitcoin is a digital currency used by terrorists and drug dealers, as well as major companies like Microsoft and Overstock.com.       

比特币是一种电子货币，除了微软和Overstock.com等大公司在使用外，恐怖分子和毒品交易上也在使用比特币。

In other words, everyone from private individuals who order pizza to terrorists who order weapons.

也就是说，不管是订购披萨的个人还是订购武器的恐怖分子都在使用比特币。

With bitcoins, you can buy webcasting services, pizza or even manicures, reports Money.com.  

Money.com网站报道称，有了比特币，你就可以购买网络广播服务、披萨甚至是美甲服务。

Bitcoin was a currency created in 2009 by a mysterious software developer. He calls himself Satoshi Nakamoto. No one has ever met him, and it is not clear if he is one person or several people.

比特币是2009年由一名神秘的软件开发者创造的货币，他自称是中本聪，没有人见过他，也不清楚他是一个人还是几个人。

Bitcoin does not use printed money. It is digital only. The currency is created on computers by a community of people across the globe. Anyone can join that network, or group, according to Coindesk.com.

比特币并不适用印刷的钱币，它只是电子货币，这种货币是由全球各地一个社区的人们用计算机创造的，Coindesk.com称任何人都可以加入这个网络或组织。

This network processes transactions made with the digital currency. Bitcoins are stored in a “digital wallet” over the Internet or on the user’s computer.

这个网络用比特币这种电子货币进行交易，比特币被储藏在互联网上的一个“电子钱包”里或用户的计算机里。

There is not an unlimited amount of bitcoins. Nakamoto set up rules to limit the currency to 21 million bitcoins, reports Coindesk.

Coindesk称，比特币并不是无限量的，中本聪设定了规则，将比特币的货币量限定为2100万比特币。

With bitcoins, there are no banks or fees. Users do not register with their real names. Merchandise can be bought without the user showing her or his identity. Bitcoins are not taxed or regulated anywhere in the world. 

使用比特币无需银行或费用，用户并不用真名注册，购买商品时无需用户出示身份，全世界任何地方都不能对比特币征税或进行管制。

Bitcoins are a favorite of criminals

Bitcoins have become “the currency of choice for people online buying drugs or other illicit activities,” reports Money.com.

Money.com称，比特币已经成为“人们网购毒品或进行其他非法活动所使用的货币”。

For example, Silk Road was a major online market that used bitcoins to sell illegal drugs. It was shut down in 2014 by U.S. regulators.

比如，Silk Road是一家使用比特币来出售非法毒品的大型在线市场，美国监管部门2014年将之关闭。

Bitcoins are also being used by ISIS terrorists to fund operations, according to Ghost Security Group. It is a counter-terrorism network that focuses on the Internet and social media. 

比特币还被伊斯兰国恐怖分子用来资助各种活动，“鬼兵团”组织如是说，这是一个关注互联网和社交媒体的反恐网络。

Morgan Wright is a cybersecurity expert and senior fellow at the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies.

摩根·怀特是一名就职于数字化政府中心的一名网络安全专家，这是一个致力于信息技术政策的国家研究和咨询研究所。

He told Fox News that terrorists are increasingly using 21st century technology to transfer assets and finance their operations.

在接受福克斯采访时他说，恐怖分子越来越多地使用21世纪的技术来转移资产和资助恐怖活动。

“Terrorists need anonymity,” Wright told Fox News. “Countries have gotten very good at tracking terror financing in the years since 9/11. Networks have looked for new ways to do it, and it appears they’ve found it in bitcoin.”    

“恐怖分子需要匿名，911以来各国在追踪恐怖金融方面做得很好，恐怖网络寻找新的金融途径，他们似乎发现比特币很好。”

Bitcoins growing among businesses    

Despite this dark side of the new currency, bitcoins have their supporters. More and more merchants are beginning to accept bitcoins.

尽管比特币有这样的黑暗面，它仍有自己的支持者，越来越多的商家开始接受比特币。

Some people buy bitcoins as an investment, hoping they’ll increase in value. There are many online marketplaces that allow people to buy and sell bitcoins using different currencies. Coinbase, in San Francisco, runs the world’s largest bitcoin exchange, and operates 2.8 million bitcoin wallets globally, according to Wired. You can also buy and sell bitcoins on Bitquick, Xapo, and CoinCorner, among other exchanges. 

有的人购买比特币是为了投资，希望未来能够升值。有些网络市场可以让人们使用各种货币购买和出售比特币。Wired公司称，旧金山的Coinbase是全世界最大的比特币交易中心，在全球范围内运营着280玩个比特币钱包。你还可以在Bitquick，Xapo和CoinCorner等交易中心交易。

It is possible to do complex financial trades with bitcoins, such as futures, options and swaps. The price of bitcoins on online exchanges has fluctuated widely, which has led to speculation in the digital currency.

还可以使用比特币来进行复杂的金融交易，比如期货、期权和掉期交易。在线交易中心的比特币价格波动很大，这就导致对这种电子货币的投机行为。

In 2009 and early 2010, bitcoins had “no value at all,” said Wired. Then in late 2013, it reached a high of $1,216. As of January 6, 2016, the price of one bitcoin was about $434.

Wired说，2009年和2010年年初时，比特币还“没有任何价值”，然后到了2013年年底，它就达到1215美元。截至2016年1月6日，一枚比特币的价格大约为434美元。

Wired wrote that bitcoin usage “has hit a record high.”     

Wired撰文称，比特币的使用“达到创纪录的高点”。

You can also send bitcoins using mobile apps. This is similar to sending cash online. It is fast and convenient. And you can set up a bitcoin address in seconds, with no fees and no questions asked. 

你还可以使用移动应用来发送比特币，这类似于在线汇款，快捷又方便，你还可以在几秒内设置比特币地址，无需费用和回答问题。

Some people like bitcoins because they are not controlled by one central authority. Traditional currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, are controlled by the government’s central bank. The bank can print more money as part of government policy.

有的人喜欢比特币是因为它不受中央当局的控制，美元等传统货币要受政府央行的控制，央行根据政府政策来印刷货币。

Bitcoins, in contrast, are controlled by the people who use them and are viewed as more democratic by their supporters.

比特币与之相反，是由使用者来控制的，支持者们认为比特币很民主。

The Washington Post said bitcoins were one of the six technologies in 2015 that would change the world. The newspaper wrote that the technology behind Bitcoins, called blockchain, is “an almost incorruptible digital ledger that can be used to record practically anything that can be digitized …”

华盛顿邮报称比特币2015年将改变世界的六大科技之一，该报纸撰文称，比特币背后的技术——块环链——是“一种清廉的数字帐薄，可以用来记录任何可以数字化的东西”。

“It has the potential to transform the lives of billions of people who lack bank accounts and access to the legal and administrative infrastructure that we take for granted,” wrote the Post.  

“它可以彻底改变数十亿没有银行账户的人的生活，让他们进入我们视为理所当然的合法行政部门。”

Regulators step in

There is a move to regulate bitcoins. In 2014, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service said bitcoins could be taxed. In addition, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates the sale of stocks and bonds, warned investors that bitcoin users may be targeted for fraud in risky investment schemes.   

目前有了管制比特币的措施，2014年，美国国内收入署称可以对比特币征税，另外，管制股票和债券的美国证券与交易委员会警告投资者，比特币用户可能因为风险投资项目中的诈骗行为而受到管制。

There are also efforts to regulate bitcoins globally. The European Commission is expected to release regulations by 2017 that would affect European Union nations. “Governments are concerned about taxation and their lack of control over the currency,” writes Money.com.

全球范围内也开始管制比特币，欧洲委员会有望在2017年之前公布可能会影响到欧盟国家的规定。Money.com称，“各国政府对征税和自己对比特币缺乏控制感到担忧。”

Despite the critics, bitcoins continue to grow in popularity worldwide. Juniper Research said there were 1.3 million bitcoin users last year, and it estimates there will be 4.7 million users by the end of 2017.

尽管存在批评的声音，比特币在全球范围内越发受欢迎。Juniper研究中心称去年有130万比特币用户，并估计到2017年年底将有470万用户。

Wired said bitcoins are “thriving like never before. And some say this is the year it finally reaches the mainstream.” 

Wired称比特币“从未像现在这么繁荣，有人说今年比特币终于进入了主流。”

Words in This Story

digital – n.  using or characterized by computer technology

currency – n. something that is used as money

software – n. the programs that run on a computer and perform certain functions

transaction – n. a business deal; an occurrence in which goods, services or money are passed from one person, account, etc., to another

merchandise – n. goods that are bought and sold

illicit – adj.  not allowed by law; unlawful or illegal

asset – n. something that is owned by a person, company, etc.

anonymity – n. the quality or state of being unknown to most people

fluctuate – v.  to change level, strength or value frequently

speculation – n. activity in which someone buys and sells things (such as stocks or pieces of property) in the hope of making a large profit but with the risk of a large loss

incorruptible – adj. very honest; incapable of being corrupted

ledger – n. a book that a company uses to record information about the money it has paid and received

infrastructure – n.  the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region or organization to function properly