美国高技术学生

Remember the Stone Age days of research back in elementary school and middle school? We would spend countless hours digesting1 the information we could find on index cards. Do you recall using those ancient computers that ran with the Gopher program or some generic2 database whose name connoted3 a marmot4 that could take half an hour to find Moby Dick?

　　Well, all I have to say can be summed up5 in five words: Thank God For The Internet! Screw6 going to the library! I have access to dozens of databases, journals, and collections of literature right at my fingertips. I can complete all of my research at home and no longer must run amok7 in the library, stressing out while trying to find Shakespeare's8 The Tempest9 or some other book, all the while trying to block out the noisy study groups who have forgotten what the “ silence policy of libraries” means.

　　If you recall the flood epidemic10 that hit Colorado State University just a couple summers ago, that natural disaster wreaked11 havoc12 all over campus. A large portion of journals and texts were located in our libraries' basement which completely filled up with about 10 feet of rain water in a matter of hours.

The Lory Student Center's basement was also flooded and that was where the university bookstore was located. This forced almost every professor to order new textbooks and that really put a dent13 in our wallets. Many students here, myself included, still have to face the disappointment of searching for a particular book or journal for a last minute paper, only to find out that the certain item was a casualty14 of the flood.

　　Thanks to the Internet, the university implemented15 the Inter-Library Loan system. Several universities around Colorado have generously aided us in our research endeavors by loaning any resource we need for at least two to three weeks. All we have to do is type in a request and five other university libraries automatically search for that information.

　　Without this program, I may have failed several papers and projects. I would have had to spend my nights running from public library to public library around the state just to find a certain article or novel. The World Wide Web has also given us the capability to order any textbook at a much lower price than the university bookstores charge. Hey, we're all college students and we're usually broke16,so anytime we can find a deal or discount that will save us a few bucks17, we will gladly take it.

And last but not least18, for those of us who are constantly homesick, have a special someone far away, or still want to keep in touch with pals, we have e-mail. Like most of you, I moved away from home to go to school and my high school friends spread out across the globe. Instead of wasting money on stationery and envelopes and stamps (which seem to increase in price about every year), I can chat with everyone through the Internet. Plus, scanning19 has allowed us to send pictures to our sweethearts, friends, and family who have forgotten what we look like. So, I'm asking everyone to get on their hands and knees and to pay homage20 to the tele- communications god, the Internet.




还记得上小学和中学时那种石器时代的研究方法吗？我们得花数不清的时间去整理我们在索引卡片上所能找到的信息。你还记得使用那些古老的计算机，靠运行黄鼠工具程序，或者是一种名字意味着土拨鼠的某种数据库，要花上半个小时的时间才能找到《大白鲨》这本小说吗？

　　我所说的一切可以归结为五个字：感谢互联网！别了图书馆！我的手指一动，就可以轻而易举地进入很多数据库，找到大量期刊和文学作品。我在家就能完成我的所有研究，而不用再去图书馆紧张地去寻找莎士比亚的《暴风雨》或其他的书，也不必去忍受那些吵闹的学习研究小组，他们常忘了“在图书馆要保持安静”的规定。

　　你是否还记得几年前袭击科罗拉多州立大学的那场洪水，这场自然灾害使整个校园遭殃。我们学校的图书馆地下室存放着大量期刊和教材，在几个小时里都完全泡在深达10英尺的雨水里。

　　洛里学生中心的地下室也被洪水淹了，那里是大学的书店所在地。这使几乎所有教授都要定购新的教科书，当然是我们学生掏腰包。许多学生包括我自己，仍然要面对令人沮丧的现实：在要完成一篇论文的最后一分钟去查找某本书或某本期刊，结果发现这本书或期刊已成为洪水的牺牲品。

　　幸亏有了互联网，大学得以使用图书馆际租借系统。科罗拉多州的几个大学已经为我们的研究工作提供了很大的帮助，他们可以借给我们所需的任何资料至少两三个星期。我们所要做的只是将查询内容敲进计算机，其他五所大学的图书馆会自动地搜索这个信息。

　　如果没有这个程序，我可能就无法完成我的数篇论文和课题项目。仅仅为了找到一篇文章或小说，我就不得不利用晚上的时间从州内一个公共图书馆跑到另一个公共图书馆。万维网使我们能够以比大学书店定价低得多的价格定购任何课本。嘿，我们这些大学生常常是不名一文的，因此只要有这种能节省我们几元钱的买卖和折扣，我们都乐意接受它。

最后但却是很重要的一点，对于我们这些常犯思乡病的人来说，不是想远方那位特别的人，就是想与哥们儿朋友保持联系，电子邮件可以满足我们的愿望。就像你们大多数人一样，我也是远离家乡来上大学，我中学时的朋友遍布全球。不愿在信笺、信封和邮票（其价格似乎每年都在上涨）上浪费钱财，我可以通过因特网与每个人聊天。而且，我们可以用扫描仪把自己的照片传给那些已经忘记了我们模样的心上人、朋友和家人。因此，我要让每个人对互联网这个电子通信的上帝诚心诚意地表达敬意。


1.digest[di5dVest]vt.整理，把…分类

2.generic[dVi5nerik]adj.类的，通用的

3.connote[kC5nEut]vt.包含，意味着

4.marmot[5mB:mEt]n.[动]旱獭，土拨鼠

5.sumup总结，概括

6.screw[skru:]vt.[粗]别了，让…见鬼去

7.runamok[E5mCk]失去控制，狂热追求

8.Shakespeare[5Fei7spi[]，William莎士比亚(1564～1616)英国剧作家，诗人

9.tempest[5tempist]n.暴风雨

10.epidemic[7epi5demik]adj.流行的

11.wreak[ri:k]vt.造成(破坏等)

12.havoc[5hAvEk]n.(天灾)大破坏，大毁坏

13.dent[dent]n.损害，削减

14.casualty[5kAVjuElti]n.损失(或毁坏)的东西

15.implement[5implimEnt]vt.实施，使生效

16.broke[brEuk]adj.[口]不名一文的，破了产的

17.buck[bQk]n.[美俚](一)元，(一笔)钱

18.notleast相当重要地，特别，尤其

19.scanning[5skAniN]n.扫描仪

20.homage[5hCmidV]n.崇敬，敬意