美国农夫装宽带 运营商报价38万美元

 　　One rural farmer found out exactly how much it would cost for his local Internet service provider to extend their network outside of the service area, and it was a pretty scary number. To be exact, Windstream Communications was going to charge Nelson Schneider $383,500 to give him fiber¹ internet service.

　　一个农村的农民发现了他到底要为当地的互联网服务提供商花多少钱来扩展他们的服务区域之外的网络，这是一个非常可怕的数字。确切地说， Windstream通信将收取纳尔逊·施耐德383500美元为他提供光纤互联网服务。

　　Getting an ISP to extend their network can cost upwards² of tens of thousands of dollars, but what drove the price tag up in this situation was construction costs. After getting the first estimate, Nelson Schneider, CTO of the Norman R. Schneider Family Trust Farm in Ceresco, Nebraska, went looking for other options. He found another company, Northeast Nebraska Telephone Company, willing to do the same work for $41,915.88, even though he’s farther outside their area.

　　让ISP扩展他们的网络，成本高达数万美元，但是在这种情况下，推动价格标签的是建设成本。在得到第一个报价后，纳尔逊·施耐德，内布拉斯加州赛瑞斯克的诺曼·R施耐德家族信托农场的首席技术官，去寻找其他的选择。他发现另一家公司，内布拉斯加东北部电话公司，愿意以41915.88美元的价格做同样的工作，尽管他离他们的服务区更远。

　　美国农夫装宽带 运营商报价38万美元

　　Almost $42,000 isn’t cheap, but it’s a more reasonable offer and it's a one-time investment that Schneider says will increase the quality of life on the farm after living with extremely slow Internet.

　　将近42000美元并不便宜,但这是一个更合理的报价，施耐德说，这是一次性投资，将会改善极其缓慢的互联网，提高农场的生活质量。

　　You might be questioning why there is such a huge discrepancy³ between the two prices -- Windstream’s price is about nine times as expensive as NNTC’s. Unfortunately you, along with the rest of us, will have to keep wondering. According to Ars Technica, Windstream confirmed the price, although they wouldn’t explain how it added up, and said “the total quoted was for 36 months of dedicated⁴ Internet service.”

　　你也许会质疑，为什么这两种价格之间存在如此巨大的差异—Windstream的价格大约是NNTC的九倍。不幸的是，你和我们其余的人一样,，将不得不继续猜想。根据Ars Technica的说法，Windstream证实了价格，尽管他们不会解释这是如何累计的，并表示“这是36个月的互联网专线服务的总报价。”

　　That doesn’t exactly clear up the confusion, but at least Schneider, unlike others in rural areas, had other options to consider and didn’t get stuck with the huge bill.

　　这并不能完全消除疑惑，但至少施耐德，不像其他农村人，他可以考虑其他的选择，没有被巨额的账单困住。

1 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

2 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

3 discrepancy   

n.不同；不符；差异；矛盾

参考例句：

• The discrepancy in their ages seemed not to matter.他们之间年龄的差异似乎没有多大关系。
• There was a discrepancy in the two reports of the accident.关于那次事故的两则报道有不一致之处。

4 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。