VOA慢速英语2021--万维网发明家出售“源代码”

The inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, is selling the first lines of computer code that he used to create it.

The code will be part of an NFT sold later this month in an auction¹ by international seller Sotheby's.

The digital NFT, or non-fungible token, includes 9,555 lines of code Berners-Lee used to begin the World Wide Web. The British-born computer scientist created the code between October 1990 and August 1991, Sotheby's says in a description on its website.

In addition, the NFT will include an animation² of the code being written. It will also contain a letter written by Berners-Lee in which he gives his thoughts on the code and his process for creating it. The buyer will also receive a digital poster of the full code that includes a representation of Berners-Lee's signature.

Berners-Lee is credited with inventing, in 1989, what would become the World Wide Web. The idea came while he was working at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. He proposed a way to link the computers of scientists from all over the world to CERN's computers so they could more easily share information.

The World Wide Web officially launched in August 1991.

Berners-Lee spoke³ about the upcoming sale in a statement. "Why an NFT? Well, it's a natural thing to do...when you're a computer scientist and when you write code and have been for many years," he said. "It feels right to digitally sign my autograph on a completely digital artifact."

The popularity of NFTs has risen this year. In March, a digital piece of artwork by American artist Mike Winkelmann, also known as Beeple, sold for nearly $70 million.

The Sotheby's auction, called "This Changed Everything," will run from June 23 to 30. The price of the NFT will start at $1,000.

Cassandra Hatton, head of science and popular culture at Sotheby's, said the NFT represents the internet creator's historic influence on the world. "...Tim's invention created a new world, democratizing the sharing of information, creating new ways of thinking and interacting, and staying connected to one another," she said.

Words in This Story

code – n. written instructions for a computer

auction – n. a public sale at which things are sold to the people who offer to pay the most

digital – adj. using or characterized by computer technology

animation – n. a way of making a video or movie by using a series of drawings, computer graphics⁴, or photographs of objects

poster – n. a large, printed picture that is usually attached to the wall

autograph – n. a person's name, written by that person

artifact – n. an object, especially something very old that has historical interest

1 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

2 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 graphics   

n.制图法，制图学；图形显示

参考例句：

• You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
• Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。