世界节假日博览 第52期:信息自由日

 　　Freedom of Information Day is celebrated¹ every year on March 16. This is the day on which the 4th United States President James Madison was born. He was behind America’s Bill of Rights, which encourages government to be open and honest with its people. James Madison died in 1836 and it took 130 years following his death for the Freedom of Information Act to pass into law in 1966. The Act changed the way the people had access to government information from a need to know basis to a right to know basis. It meant government became more transparent² and less corrupt³. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed a resolution that made March 16 Freedom of Information Day.

　　信息自由日会在每年的3月16日庆祝。这一天是美国第四任总统詹姆斯·麦迪逊的诞辰日。他推动了美国的人权法案，并鼓励政府对公民更加公开，更加诚实。麦迪逊去世于1836年，而130年之后（即1966年），信息自由法案才被通过。这项法案改变了人们了解政府信息的方式，从需要了解到有权了解。这就意味着政府变得更加透明，腐败现象减少。1986年，总统罗纳德·里根签署决议，将每年的3月16日定为信息自由日。

　　What information is it exactly that people should have free access to? Freedom of information is many things. It is the accessibility of information held by governments. This is never total freedom. Ronald Reagan said that some privacy and secrecy⁴ was necessary to protect national interests. There is also the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology. This is often called digital rights. These are so new there are many issues that are difficult to resolve. Freedom of information also concerns censorship on the Web, another minefield for legislators to deal with. In an age where information gives people power, it is more and more important to be aware of this day.

　　人们能够自由了解的到底是什么样的信息呢？信息自由包含许多东西。即了解政府信息。它永远不可能完全自由。罗纳德·里根称为了保卫国家利益，一些机密是必要的。就互联网和信息技术而言，我们有保护自由表达的权力。这通常也被叫作“数字权益”。我们也有许多很难解决的问题。信息自由还会牵涉到对网络的审查制度，这又是一个让立法者头疼的雷区。在这个时代，信息给予我们力量，提高对信息的意识至关重要。

　　1.necessary to 对…来说是必要的

　　例句：It will be necessary to pare this budget down considerably⁵.

　　有必要大大地削减这笔预算。

　　2.information technology 信息技术

　　例句：Nowadays, business and information technology can be viewed as two cogs of the same wheel.

　　现今，业务和信息技术可以看作是同一个车轮上的两个齿轮。

　　3.honest with 对..人诚实

　　例句：When we are honest with children, we also validate⁶ their intuition.

　　我们对孩子们诚实的同时，也验证他们的直觉。

　　4.national interests 国家利益

　　例句：The consequences of their success directly threaten our national interests in the region and our safety here at home.

　　这些恐怖分子的胜利直接威胁我们在这一地区的国家利益和我们的国内安全。

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

3 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

4 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

5 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

6 validate   

vt.（法律）使有效，使生效

参考例句：

• You need an official signature to validate the order.你要有正式的签字，这张汇票才能生效。
• In order to validate the agreement,both parties sign it.为使协议有效，双方在上面签了字。