2006年VOA标准英语-Experts Urge Narrowing Technology Divide B

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
17 May 2006

An African-wide conference of policy makers¹, engineers, industry leaders, scientists, and experts in the information and communications technology field, known as ICT, has opened in Kenya.

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Kenyans surf the web at an Internet cafe 
  

Organizers say the conference is an attempt to bridge, what they call, the information and communications technology gap between Africa and the West.

The experts at this conference and associated meetings want to improve Internet connectivity and rural telephony, learn about new generation networks, and discuss other ways to develop the information and communications technology sector² in Africa.

Kenya's Permanent Secretary for the Ministry³ of Information and Communications, Bitange Ndemo, described to delegates some aspects of this technological⁴ gap.

"Africa has only 1.5 percent of its citizens who are connected to ICT," he noted⁵.  "Compare that to Hong Kong, where 70 percent of its citizens are connected.  The cost of internet in Africa is extremely high.  Just an example: one gigabite of bandwidth in the U.S. costs $20 a month.  One gigabite of bandwidth in Kenya costs $1,800.  I do not need to tell you the income per capita in the U.S. compared to Kenya."

Ndemo said the situation does not have to remain as it is, because there are ways for Africa to narrow the technological gap as it happened elsewhere.

"We need to cut costs by 1000 percent," he added.  "We can cut the cost as a continent by working harder to bring in fiber⁶ connectivity for Africa to be competitive.  We can achieve it because we have seen the numbers; the rest of the world is going that way.  The people we need to compete with - India, Philippines - they are getting their bandwidth at $80."

He urged African governments to make information and communications technology investment a priority, and said many African countries are looking to South Africa and Kenya to lead the way because of their relatively⁷ large economies.

The main organizer of the four-day conference is a council that supports the New Partnership⁸ for Africa's Development, a continent-wide plan under the direction of the African Union.

Within NEPAD is an ICT commission that, among other things, seeks to increase the number of scientists and engineers in Africa and to develop the continent's information and communications technologies.

According to the commission, a few industrialized countries carry out 80 percent of the world's research and development activities.

Africa pays about $400 million a year to route intercontinental voice and data through Europe and North America.

Another NEPAD commission is looking at projects to lay a submarine cable in East Africa and to connect landlocked African countries with fiber and other high-bandwidth links.

Bandwidth refers to the size of the pipeline⁹ through which data is transmitted.  The larger the bandwidth, the faster the information travels.  

1 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 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。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 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。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

8 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

9 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。