2006年VOA标准英语-San Francisco Bay Area Well Positioned to Maint

During Period of Accelerating Change
By Barry Wood
San Francisco, California
04 December 2006
 
watch High Tech Leadership

 
Screenshot from hotzone.yahoo.com
  
The Internet, as we know it, is only 15 years old (the World Wide Web invented in 1991), but already it has transformed the way people work, communicate and even shop. Still, experts believe the pace of technological¹ innovation is set to advance at an even faster pace.   VOA's Barry Wood reports and narrates² from San Francisco for Producer Zulima Palacio.

High tech entrepreneur Kevin Jernigan is convinced that the pace of technological innovation is taking off. A Harvard computer science graduate, Jernigan says there are computers in unexpected places.

"How many computers are in your car? There are several hundred little computers, chips, everywhere. Managing your engine, the brakes, the airbags. Ten years ago there were probably a dozen, maybe less. Twenty years ago there were none. That's an exponential curve."

 
Bambi Francisco
Bambi Francisco, Internet Editor at Dow Jones Market Watch, says new interactive³ Web sites (like Facebook and My Space) are changing the way young people use the Internet. Users are finding that communication can efficiently⁴ take place on a single page instead of with a string of emails. "I think the next generation -- those growing up with the Internet -- will find that far more useful than email. They'll find email very cumbersome⁵."

Kevin Jernigan says email is already losing popularity with young people. "Email is for old people. Not only don't they use it, it's got this negative cachet. Who would use email? It's so obsolete⁶, almost."

 
Sabrina Ellis
Yahoo, with 250 million email users, sees things differently.  Sabrina Ellis is project director at Yahoo Mail. "Email is something that is fundamental to the Internet. An email address is something everyone has."

As people increasingly turn to the Internet for information, advertisers are following prospective⁷ customers on-line.

Francisco adds, "Advertising⁸ is very different now. It isn't just slapping a sign up on an outdoor bill board. It's about creating a community of very passionate⁹ fans and letting the fans do your selling."

Kevin Jernigan says as the pace of technical change accelerates,  the San Francisco Bay Area is well positioned to retain leadership. The infrastructure¹⁰ is in place, the corporate¹¹ culture welcomes innovation, and the money is here.

"The cluster of venture capital firms that are in the Valley, they won't invest in a company they can't get to in a 20 to 30 minute drive. So if you're a really smart guy looking for venture capital and you live in Iowa, they may be interested but they're going to tell you to move to the Bay area."

And those smart guys looking to start a business probably have emerged from Stanford or Berkley, the research universities that anchor the Silicon¹² Valley.

1 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

2 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

3 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

4 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。

5 cumbersome   

adj.笨重的，不便携带的

参考例句：

• Although the machine looks cumbersome,it is actually easy to use.尽管这台机器看上去很笨重，操作起来却很容易。
• The furniture is too cumbersome to move.家具太笨，搬起来很不方便。

6 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

7 prospective   

adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的

参考例句：

• The story should act as a warning to other prospective buyers.这篇报道应该对其他潜在的购买者起到警示作用。
• They have all these great activities for prospective freshmen.这会举办各种各样的活动来招待未来的新人。

8 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

9 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

10 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

11 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

12 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。