寧兒小二，拿到一篇標題為「I Love Taiwan」的文章，介紹台灣種種面貌。文章分為六個主題，Population and Languages、Social Customs and Etiquette、Food and Drink、Taipei City、Chinese New Year、Discover Taiwan - Hot Spring，每位小朋友上台前，抽籤確定朗讀的Topic。
The number of people in Taiwan is over 23 million. Because the island is so mountainous, this means that most of the population has to live on the flat western plains. The result is that Taiwan is the second most crowded area in the world after Bangladesh. There are about 1,500 people per square mile on Taiwan.
The first people to live in Taiwan were the aborigines. They have been in Taiwan for a very long time. Some scientists think that they first came to the island 15,000 to 20,000 years ago from south China. There is a very interesting fact about them. It is believed that after they arrived in Taiwan, some of them left in their small boats and traveled from one island to another along the Pacific Ocean. So the wide area of Austronesia with its different ways of life on each island there developed from just a few Taiwanese aborigines who left Taiwan thousands of years ago.
Today, the population is made up of Taiwanese, mainland Chinese and aborigines. There is also a group of Chinese called the Hakka. They are Chinese but have managed to keep their own language and customs.
They were the first Chinese to come to Taiwan followed by people from Fujian whose language became Taiwanese. Most of the mainland Chinese came to Taiwan in 1948. This was because of political problems in China. Today the Taiwanese make up about 70% of the population, the Hakka about 14%, the mainlanders about 14%, and the aborigines 2%.
There are several languages spoken in Taiwan. Taiwanese (also known as Minnanhua) is spoken by 80% of the people. However, the only official one is Mandarin Chinese.
Social Customs and Etiquette
Like many countries, Taiwanese have their own customs, many of which come from China.
In many ways, “Face” is possibly the most important social idea in Taiwan. Of course, throughout the world, people do not like to lose face, but in eastern countries it is particularly important not to embarrass people. If someone does something silly, it is important that others try to protect the person’s feelings.
Taiwan is a place where people often give gifts. They can be given on many different occasions, not just birthdays. In Chinese New Year, children are given gifts of money. In weddings, the happy couple is also given money. Money is given in red envelopes, as red is thought of as the color of good fortune.
When visiting a Taiwanese home, it is usual to bring a gift. This can be fruit, chocolates or wine. When you give a gift you should give it with both hands. The person receiving it will put it to one side to open later. Taiwanese do not open the gift in front of the person giving it. And another thing to remember is that it is considered respectful to greet the eldest person first when you come into Taiwanese’ house.
Food and Drink
Food and drink have always been important in Chinese culture and it is the same in Taiwan. In fact, people will often say hello by asking you if you have already eaten. They may even do this in English! A visitor to Taiwan will soon notice how many restaurants and snack bars there are. Not only that, but there are also many tasty opportunities to eat at stalls on the streets and at traditional night markets.
Chinese food of course, is famous throughout the world. The two basic foods of China and Taiwan are rice and noodles. In fact when the Taiwanese ask you if you have eaten, it actually means, “Have you eaten rice?” They use rice a great deal and in situations which may seem strange to a foreigner. For example, at breakfast, they often make a kind of watery rice porridge and put pickles vegetables in it. There is also sticky rice which is served on special occasions.
Another food often eaten on special occasions is noodles. Noodles became popular in China because they were easy to carry and to store. For a long time, scientists were not sure who invented noodles first. It now seems likely it was the Chinese, because noodles 4000 years old have been found there. Nowadays there are many different kinds of noodle dishes. One type that a foreigner will not be so familiar with is “soup noodles” which are very common in the night markets. Beef noodles, a Taiwanese food developed from Chinese cuisine, are very popular.
In general, much Taiwanese cooking is based on rice, seafood and vegetables. This is because there was not enough farmland in Taiwan to produce much meat. Therefore it had to be used for growing vegetables. Because of this, and because of Buddhism, it is easy to find vegetarian restaurants in Taiwan. However, Taiwan’s own native cuisine has also become known around the world, and if you try it just once, you will remember it forever.
Taipei City
Taipei City is the most modern and the largest city in Taiwan. In Taipei, there are more then 3 million people, but more than half of the 3 million people are from the southern or central Taiwan who came to work and live in this city. There are several famous tourist spots. Taipei 101, three major night markets and Tamshui Fisherman’s Wharf.
First of all, Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world, is located in Xin-Yi District – one of the most prosperous areas in Taipei – and it is not only a business building but a shopping mall; consequently, it attracts many tourists to visit and utilize it as a background in their pictures. In addition, the seven colors of the rainbow of the lighting bars on the outside of the building change everyday to represent each day of the week: Monday through Sunday.
Secondly, night markets can best represent nightlife in Taipei. The three major night markets, Gongguan night Market, Raohe Street Night market, Shilin night Market, in Taipei are very popular. There are varieties of foods in each night market, with pricing of the food sold there lower than those in stores.
The last one is the Fisherman’s Wharf. Many singers often hold a vocal recital here. Of course, many couples date here; thus, it is a good place for couples or tourists to date or visit. It also offers many entertainments for people to relax. How do we get there? Besides driving a car, you can also choose to ride a bicycle or go there by bus after you exit the Tamshui Station of MRT. In addition to these activities, Lover’s Bridge is another beautiful spot we must visit because the bridge not only crosses the sea, but also has lighting on the surface of the bridge. If you stay there at night, you are going to see a beautiful scene.
To sum up, there are many popular places where it is worth a visit. Wherever you want to visit Taipei, I believe that you will enjoy visiting these places because they will give you a deep impression and fall on love with them.
Chinese New Year
People celebrate many festivals in Taiwan. A visitor can find them very enjoyable and colorful. The traditional festivals also help to keep Taiwanese culture alive in the modern world. Because they are set by the lunar calendar, the date changes every year in the western calendar.
Chinese New Year is the big event of the Chinese year. It is a time when families, no matter how far away they live, come together to eat and talk. Traditionally, the mother and daughters will prepare special foods such as sticky cakes and rice and special dumplings.
Although there is special food, some people do not eat meat on New Year’s Day. This is to bring them long and happy lives. On other new Year’s days, they will visit other relatives, give respect to parents-in-law and welcome the God of Wealth. Because farming used to be so important, farmers also have some special celebrations and make traditional drinks. From the 10th to the 12th days, relatives are invited for dinner.
The house is specially decorated with flowers and short poems written on red paper. As we have seen above, red is considered lucky. Children and elderly people are given money in red envelopes. The floor is not swept in case good fortune is swept out the door, too. Firecrackers are set off and traditional folk activities, such as lion dancing, are enjoyed in the streets.
Today, perhaps not many people believe in the old ideas about good and bad fortune. However they often like to follow the old traditions to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Discover Taiwan – Hot Spring
Hot springs, the hot tears of the earth, are one of the most precious gifts that the earth has given to us. Ever since ancient times, people have recognized the rejuvenating and therapeutic properties of these natural resources. Taiwan is ranked among the world’s top 15 hot spring sites, harboring a great variety of springs, including hot springs, cold springs, mud springs, and seabed hot springs. The island can proudly regard itself as one of the regions with the highest concentration and greatest variety of hot springs in the world.
More than one hundred hot springs have been discovered in Taiwan, located in different geological areas including plains, mountains, valleys, and oceans, The highest concentration of hot springs can be found in northern Taiwan, where the Tatun Volcano is located. Along both sides of the central mountain range, covering an area that to the north is bordered by Yilan and to the south by Pingtung, the largest number of hot springs can be found. Hot springs found here make up more than 80% of all hot springs in Taiwan.
As hot springs generally come from deep below the surface of the earth, when they emerge they bring along a high concentration and great variety of minerals that are mostly foreign to the human body and benefit our general health. Specific properties of hot springs vary, depending on chemical composition, mineral concentration and water temperature. Taiwan has a great variety of springs, both cold and hot.
Because most of Taiwan’s hot springs are located in beautiful scenic areas, when going to soak in one of the numerous hot springs you will not only be able to get away from the hectic life in the city but will also be given the opportunity to enjoy gorgeous scenery while listening to the voices of nature, thus adding a new dimension to recreation and health. Therefore, coming to Taiwan on a hot spring tour will definitely pay off!
德國著名哲學家雅斯培（Karl Theodor Jaspers）在其著作《（納粹德國）罪過問題》（Die Schuldfrage）中為德國人思考歷史和歷史影響提供了一套公共語言和概念工具。而且，他還特別把清晰的道德立場與政治建議結合在一起。他認為，德國人幫助納粹掌權，犯下的是「政治罪過」，德國人幫助形成新的極權政治文化，需要擔負的是集體的「道德責任」。在德國知識分子的討論中，有人提出「行政責任」，也就是說，即便當事人強調當時的做法是服從命令或者當時國家的法律，屬於行政範圍，也並不能改變做這些事情本身的犯罪性質，以及身在其中所要承擔的罪責。
寶潔公司（Procter & Gamble）旗下的吉列公司是率先推出五刀片剃須刀的生產商。吉列的Fusion Power MVP──這款剃須刀的早期型號於2006年上市──帶有五個彈簧式刀片和電動微脈沖以減少摩擦﹐“因此您幾乎感覺不到刀片”。吉列公司的網站上有一段視頻﹐視頻中﹐一位拿著巨型剃須刀刀片的機械師站在一架汽車升降機上。
所以我會繼續使用CVS的剃須刀﹐直到我找到更便宜的剃須刀為止。 ************************************************** A Penny Shaved Is A Penny Earned
For years, I've felt like a sap whenever I bought razors.
It killed me to spend $2.50 to $3 a blade for my Gillette Mach 3. Yet the few times when I used cheap disposable razors, it was like shaving with a file.
Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I bought a serviceable store-brand razor that costs about half the price of the premier brands.
It shouldn't have come to this. I've used Gillette razors for decades, and I like them. The rub is the cost. In my book, a fair price for refills would be about a buck.
I'm a believer in markets, but it doesn't seem like the razor-blade market gives me what I want. Instead of competing on price, Gillette and Schick largely seem to be engaged in a silly arms race to improve a product that already works perfectly well. Two blades, three blades, four blades -- when will it stop?
Not anytime soon, apparently. Schick will soon launch its own five-blade razor, and says that prices for it should be 10% to 20% above the Quattro, its four-blade razor that was introduced in 2003.
Gillette, a unit of Procter & Gamble, got there first. Its Fusion Power MVP -- an early version of which went on sale in 2006 -- has five spring-mounted blades and battery-powered micropulses to reduce friction 'so you barely feel the blades.' The Gillette Web site has a video of a mechanic with a giant razor blade on a car lift.
Razor makers, I have news for you. A razor is not a sports car. It won't make us feel young again or turn women's heads. We don't like shaving, and no matter what you do, we never will. All we want is a razor that will do the job without nicking us, either literally or figuratively.
But Gillette and Schick have a different view. Gillette is constantly doing research and development to create the perfect shave, says Mike Norton, a spokesman. 'It's not the number of blades, it's the science behind the blades that gives you a better shave.'
Jackie Burwitz of Energizer Holdings, which owns Schick, says, 'If you look at the sales data, consumers are willing to pay up for a better-performing razor.'
There you have it. There's more money to be made developing fancier and fancier razors than in keeping the same razors and engaging in a price war. In other words, we American males have only ourselves to blame for the five-blade razor.
Over the years, I've compensated for the rising prices of razor blades by using less of them. Whereas I once might have changed blades every week or so, I now go two or three weeks before popping in a new one.
A colleague of mine is married to a thrifty Frenchman who waits at least two months before changing razor blades. He has gone as long as six months. When he does change blades, it feels 'like a warm knife through butter,' says Jean-Philippe Masson, 36 years old. 'If you changed every week, you would not appreciate that pleasure.'
That's the French way. The American way, of course, rarely involves denying ourselves something. Instead, we look for a way to get it cheaper.
Maybe that's why there's a thriving market out there for after-market razors.
There are people still selling blades for Gillette Trac II, the two-blade razor I used as a young man. A Web site advertised a 100-pack of after-market refills for $49.99. Alas, I haven't owned a Trac II for many years.
Instead, I went to my local CVS pharmacy, where the chain was pitching its 'three-blade shaving system.' I paid $12.50 for a razor and 10 blades, bringing my per-blade cost to $1.25.
I've been trying out the CVS razor for the past couple of weeks. It was just as comfortable as the three-blade Gillette I've used for several years.
The Gillette might have given me a slightly closer shave than the CVS razor. I really can't say for sure. I can't tell the difference between a great shave and good one. But I can tell the difference between paying $2.50 and $1.25.
To be fair to Gillette, I agreed to try out its latest, greatest razor. So Gillette sent me a Fusion ProGlide Power razor, a five-blade razor that hits the market in June. It will have a suggested retail price of $12.99 for a razor and two cartridges. A four-pack of refills will cost $17.99.
I used the new razor over the weekend before sending it back to Gillette. It was a closer shave. But when I finished, the smooth face I saw peering back in the mirror was still my own, not George Clooney's. And I'd still feel like a sap spending $4.50 each time I changed blades.
So I'm sticking with the CVS razor. Until I find something cheaper.
Go Daddy是一家提供域名注册和互联网主机服务的美国公司，是目前全球最大的域名注册商。GODADDY总部位于美国亚利桑那州，据多家监测机构显示，放置在Go Daddy上的网站数量已经越居全球第一位。Go Daddy同时提供独立IP，SSL证书，帮助客户打造自己的电子商务网站。该公司从2005年4月开始提供.CN的顶级域名。
『 荒山之夜 A Night on the Bare Mountain』是國民樂派大師穆索斯基所創作的交響詩，乃根據民間傳說所編曲，描寫「六月二十四日聖約翰節前夜，妖魔鬼怪們聚集到基輔附近荒山上，歡宴、戲鬧、狂舞的情景」。 **************************************** 莫傑斯特·彼得羅維奇·穆索斯基（俄文：Модест Петрович Мусоргский，1839年3月21日－1881年3月28日），俄羅斯作曲家。他以歌劇《鮑里斯·戈東諾夫》、歌曲和鋼琴組曲《展覽會之畫》著名。他與鮑羅丁、里姆斯基-科薩科夫、居伊以及巴拉基列夫組成「強力集團」或稱「五人團」，被認為是19世紀典型的俄羅斯本土作曲家。穆索斯基早逝，其身後留下很多未完成或未配器的作品，由里姆斯基-科薩科夫、格拉祖諾夫或拉威爾等人補充完成。 **************************************** 感謝Disney 古典樂動畫系列創作者天馬行空的想像力，將音樂作了如此動人的詮釋！
在谷歌官方博客（http://googleblog.blogspot.com/），谷歌高级副总裁、公司发展兼首席法律顾问大卫•多姆德（David Drummond）于美国东部时间22日中午12点零3分发表文章，标题为：“对待中国的新策略：更新”（A new approach to China: an update）。
大卫•多姆德说：今天我们终止了谷歌中国（Google.cn）的服务（包括Google Search, Google News, and Google Images），登录Google.cn将直接转到Google.com.hk。在谷歌香港网站，我们将提供未受审查过滤的中文简体的搜索结果，这是为中国大陆用户特别设立的服务。
Google高级副总裁、公司发展兼首席法律顾问大卫•多姆德（David Drummond）美国东部时间22日中午12点零3分在其官方博客（http://googleblog.blogspot.com/）上发表题为： “对待中国的新策略：更新”（A new approach to China: an update）的文章中称，“此举是完全合法的，且将显著提升中国内地人民对信息的获取。尽管我们清楚地意识到，中国政府可以在任何时候封堵对我们服务的访问，但我们还是非常希望中国政府尊重我们的决定。”
柴可夫斯基性格內向而且脆弱，感情豐富，他被認為有同性戀傾向，並且在當時的社會環境中一直試圖壓制，因此有意見認為這是婚姻破裂的原因。在與崇拜自己的女學生的婚姻破裂後，企圖自殺，他的朋友把他送到外國療養。這期間開始和一個熱愛音樂的俄國鐵路大亨富孀梅克夫人（Nadezhda von Meck)通信。後來梅克夫人成為他的資助人，他後階段的許多作品都是獻給這位夫人的。但奇妙的是兩個人從來沒有見過面。當他們十四年的書信往來因為這位夫人宣布公司破產而終止時，柴可夫斯基受到了很大的打擊，在獨自度過憂鬱的三年後於莫斯科去世。他的死疑點重重，官方說法是他喝了帶有霍亂病毒的水而染病身亡。但是據後來學者的考證，很有可能是自己服用砒霜而自殺。但是，這都只限於猜測，真的原因直到現在還是一個謎。
在音樂創作上，柴可夫斯基很崇拜莫扎特，甚至模仿他的風格創作了一部管弦樂組曲（Suite No. 4 in G major, "Mozartiana", Op. 61）。對於華格納音樂中的一些特性他卻很反感，認為華格納過於重視管弦樂隊而忽略了聲樂，柴可夫斯基主張用現實主義手法來表現歌劇，主導動機只用以描寫心理感情等內在方面。 **************************************** 感謝Disney 古典樂動畫系列創作者天馬行空的想像力，將音樂作了如此動人的詮釋！
史特拉汶斯基(Igor Stravinsky)的《春之祭 The Rite of Spring, Le sacred du printemp》1913年在巴黎香榭麗舍劇院首演時，即以前衛之姿，造成轟動。史特拉汶斯基找來俄國著名芭蕾舞家尼金斯基（Vaslav Nijinsky，1889-1950）合作，整合了音樂和舞蹈，展現出與古典芭蕾迥異的服裝，以及藝術家革命與叛逆性格的舞步。首演當日觀眾褒貶不一，不僅發生口角衝突，最後在劇院中攘臂相爭，造成暴動，成為現代音樂、舞蹈與表演藝術史上，最騷動人心的一段紀錄。美國學者Richard Taruskin甚至直指，《春之祭》的藝術成就可說是史氏的《英雄交響曲》，可以媲美貝多芬在交響曲歷史奠下的里程碑。 **************************************** 史特拉汶斯基 (Igor Stravinsky) 年代：1882~1971 國籍：俄國 定位：音樂變色龍
洗去塵囂，一個人，聽著Clair de lune（月光），心是平靜的，思緒卻總是翻騰。四周空氣經月色浸潤，讓人沁涼、舒暢。環視靜謐的大地隨月色輕撫，也卸下了白天的渾濁、沈重。我彷彿看得見皎潔光芒漫步輕移，經過都市叢林，籠罩著川流不息或寂寥的街；經過起伏的山巒，蜿蜒小溪歌唱；經過流淌著微光的沙灘，望著細沙漸漸投入波光粼粼的大海的懷抱，一片銀白的世界…
月光這首小品是Debussy寫於1890年的貝加馬斯克組曲(Suite Bergamasque)第三部份。組曲包含四個部份，分別是前奏曲（Prelude）、小步舞曲（Menuet）、月光（Clair de lune）、與巴瑟比埃舞曲（Passepied），其中最著名的便是『月光 Clair de lune』。
當覺得靜謐、或孤寂、或傷心的時候，準備一杯酒，聽幾回Clair de lune，原來「享受」可以就麼輕易…
此前，《華爾街日報》曾援引知情人士的話稱，Google總部派出包括Google亞太區政府事務負責人Ross La Jeunesse在內的代表與中國監管部門會談。在此次會談中，Google方面提及了“最後期限”，表示在3月底的“最後期限”之後，Google將不再對“Google中國”的搜索結果進行過濾。而這個時間，也恰是中國互聯網ICP牌照年檢的最後時間。
总之，在当时的社会，这个事业不仅凝聚着政治家的期待，也寄托着普通人的希望。纯朴的劳动者，把世代劳作的微薄收入奉献给庙堂，既是为社会作贡献，也是对自身灵魂的安置与救赎。世俗贵族把寺院当作接济对象，除了普通人的诉求外，还可以利用宗教组织制造舆论的功能维护其地位和统治。而社会的资源越是流向此地，此地必会愈加繁华、热闹，这就必然在无形中扼杀了其他品种的文化、社会的萌芽与发展的可能性。20世纪初期，十三世达赖的改革之所以破产，最大的阻力就是来自寺院。（见本书第十一章）根据Pierre Antoine Donnet的报告，1959年时，西藏的总人口是二百万，但其中僧人便占有十一万四千人，拥有寺庙二千七百座。比较起1949年时，这还是一个大大缩小了的数字，根据姜安的著作，那时，西藏地区拥有百名以上僧人的寺院，就有三千六百余座。这样一种畸形的人口结构，显然是不利于西藏的生产力发展的。
无可否认，在藏汉民族交往的一千多年历史中，其缘分不仅是“联姻”所缔结的，而且是打出来的。而事实上，整个中华民族形成的过程，战争原本就是其不可缺少的“奏鸣曲”。这也是世界上任何一个伟大民族形成和融合的必然过程。其中许多伟大的民族英雄，换一个角度说，或许是抗拒融合的顽固分子，但即便如此，也丝毫不减其夺目的光辉！因为正是他们的存在，才使得一个民族的精神历史充满阳刚之气。欢迎、接纳和容忍这种阳刚之气，才是一个海纳百川的伟大民族所应具有的胸襟。这，正是2001年我在美国南北战争纪念碑前，看到那尊题为“friend to friend”的雕塑所发出的感叹！
美国威凯平和而德律师事务所(Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr)驻北京的执行合伙人罗斯(Lester Ross)说，谷歌事件已经产生了日益明确的影响。他说，此事使政府、企业董事会以及其他利益相关者群体意识到在中国做生意的困难。外国投资者一直在抱怨中国不规范的法律体系和监管环境。当中国还是一个新兴市场时，这些仅仅是可厌之事。而今天，巨大的中国市场对西方大型跨国企业的健康发展已经起着重要作用。西方企业的管理人士说，如果跨国公司在中国市场失利，它们的全球地位将受到削弱。
有些人则更为乐观。美中贸易全国委员会(U.S.-China Business Council)去年对其会员进行的一项调查显示，93%的受访者对其未来五年的在华前景持“乐观”或“某种程度的乐观”态度。该委员会中国负责人普尔 (Robert Poole)说，中国的某些政策确实令人担心，但继续改革开放依然是中国的普遍主题。
The faster the internet becomes, the slower it loads pages 网速越高网页加载速度反而越慢
Feb 12th 2010 | From The Economist print edition
EVER noticed how long it takes for web pages to load these days? You click on a link and wait and wait, and then wait some more, for the content to trickle in. If nothing has happened after ten seconds or so, your impatient correspondent hits the browser’s stop button followed by the reload key. In desperation, he sometimes loads the link into a second or even a third browser tab as well, and bombards the website’s server with multiple requests for the page. If that fails, he gives up in disgust and reads a newspaper instead. 你是否留意过，如今打开网页需要多长时间？点击某个链接，你就开始等待，等了好久。看看，不行，还得再等一会，等着网页的内容姗姗来迟。如果等了10秒左右，仍然什么都没有，不耐烦的用户就会点击“刷新”键后面的“关闭”按钮。有时用户感觉十分不爽，“唰唰唰”，一下把这个链接点开两三个窗口，同时发出多个网页请求，对网站服务器进行“轰炸”。如果还是打不开，用户就会一脸厌恶地走开，转而去读报纸了。
Back in the early days of the internet, when most web users relied on dial-up connections, browsers were crude and web graphics were clumsy GIF files, eight seconds was considered the maximum people would stick around for a page to load. To increase “stickiness”, web designers pared their HTML code to the bone, collated their style-sheet data and JavaScripts into single files for more efficient caching elsewhere on the web, used fewer graphics and embraced the PNG and JPEG picture formats, with their smaller file sizes, as soon as they became available. Compared with text, pictures really were the equivalent of 1,000 words, at least when it came to the time taken to transmit them. 在因特网发展初期，大多数用户使用拨号连接，浏览器功能简单，网页图像都是粗糙的GIF文件。8秒，被视作用户打开网页的最大等待时间。为了让用户们不轻易关掉网页，网页设计人员将HTML编码大幅精简，将网页样式表和Java脚本文件整合成单个文件，以求浏览其它网页时有更高效的预读缓存技术。此外尽量少使用图像，而PNG和JPEG图形格式一经问世，就因其较小的文件规模而受到设计人员的青睐。同文字相比，图形就相当于1000个单字（至少在传输时间上如此）。
When your correspondent hand-coded The Economist’s first website back in 1994, a typical web page was about 50 kilobytes in size and dial-up modems could transfer no more than three kilobytes a second. To stay under the “eight-second rule”, pictures were kept to a minimum, so no page took more than three or four seconds to begin loading and never longer than 20 seconds to complete. The irony is that, with broadband nowadays more or less everywhere, overall connection speeds have gone up by leaps and bounds, yet the time taken to load web pages seems only to have got longer. 1994年设计人员手工编码完成了经济学人的第一个网站，当时的网页一般都大约50KB，而拨号调制解调器的传输速率不过3KB/s。为遵循“八秒准则”，图片都压至最少，所以网页不到三四秒就能开始加载，完成不超过20秒。具有讽刺意味的是，如今宽带基本实现普及，整体连接速率的提高更是一日千里，然而打开网页的等待时间却不减反增。
Your correspondent is admittedly near the end of the road for a digital subscriber line (DSL) connection. But even at three miles (5km) from the local telephone exchange, the speed of his broadband connection has inched up over the past few years from 65 kilobytes a second to more than 90 kilobytes a second—as the local line has been tweaked and legacy equipment like echo-cancelling coils removed from its junction boxes. 一般而言，客户都靠近数字用户线路（DSL）的末端。经过当地电信局信号转换后，即使再传输到3英里（5千米）之外，得益于当地线路微调，以及分线箱中回音消除器等陈旧设备的淘汰，宽带连接速度仍能从原来的65KB/s小幅增加到90KB/s。
Sure, he could get 650 kilobytes a second or more from a cable connection. But that would mean ditching his otherwise excellent satellite-TV service. Besides, optical fibre is slowly working its way up his hillside. He could soon have access to the internet at more than six megabytes a second—providing he is prepared to pay $140 a month instead of $21 for his existing DSL connection. 当然客户如果家里装了有线电视，速度会达到650KB/s甚至更高，那样家里原有的卫星电视也就形同虚设，用不上了。更何况，光纤正慢慢地向客户家所在的小山铺设，很快客户将能用上带宽高于6MB/s的因特网——前提是他放弃当前每月费用21美元的DSL连接，而每月交纳140美元享受这高带宽。
A 70-fold increase in speed for a sevenfold increase in price would seem a bargain. But your correspondent is not sure that more raw speed will solve the glacial loading problem. Even with his wimpy DSL connection, pages are rendered quickly enough once the website’s servers (and all the other computers along the route, plus those used to host adverts, graphics and miscellaneous layout bits) start giving his browser’s request some attention. The trouble is getting their attention in the first place. 速度增加70倍，价格才涨了7倍，似乎很划得来。可是客户心里没底儿：单纯的提速能否解决网页加载慢这个大问题？虽然DSL的速度很窝囊，一旦浏览器请求信息被服务器（也包括传输路线上的其它计算机，以及提供广告、图片以及页面上各种小版块的主机）受理，网页仍可以很快打开。问题就在于，如果让它们快速受理。
Before two computers can exchange information, they have to agree to talk to one another. Under normal conditions, this requires the user’s computer to send a request to the host computer, which then sends a response back to the user. Only after this “handshaking” is complete can the exchange of data commence. The time taken for this round-trip of request and acknowledgment determines the network’s latency. 两台计算机进行信息交换，首先他们要达成协议。一般而言，用户向主机发送请求信息，主机收到后向用户回复。只有经过这样一个“握手”后，数据交换才能开始。这个过程中请求信息和确认信息来回所花费的时间决定了当前网络的延时。
The latency cannot be less than the distance the electromagnetic signal has to travel divided by the speed of light. For instance, your correspondent’s home in Los Angeles is 400 miles from a colleague’s in San Francisco. In theory, then, the shortest round-trip between the two locations is 4.3 milliseconds. But if you “ping” the other computer, you’ll get a round-trip time of typically 700 milliseconds. That is still pretty quick, but it shows just how much time is spent waiting around for the various servers involved to handle the request. 延时势必大于等于电磁波以光速在这段距离上传输所需的时长。举个例子，客户家住洛杉矶，距旧金山一个同事400英里。理论上讲，电磁波在两个地点往返最短时间是4.3毫秒。而如果你使用ping命令测试网络连接，得到的延时一般都是700毫秒。尽管延时已经很小，这表明了信息传输时，在各个处理请求信息的相关服务器上等待所花费的时间。
There are many places along the way where the message can get bogged down. Queues can build up at routing servers that switch data packages along different routes to their destinations depending on the traffic. Worst of all, the DNS (Domain Name Server) computers used by your ISP can be overwhelmed as they try to translate the names of all the websites subscribers want to visit (say, www.economist.com) into their actual internet addresses (216.35.68.215). If you know it, try using the website’s numerical address rather than its verbose URL (Universal Resource Locator) name. That can sometimes halve the response time. 信息在传输线路中很多地方都会发生拥堵。路由服务器依据信息拥塞情况，为数据包选择不同的路径，最终都能到达目的地址。这样一来，路由器可能会有数据包大排长龙等待处理。客户的网络提供商使用的域名服务器（DNS）主机把用户访问的网站名（比如ww.economist.com）解析成实际的网络地址（216.35.68.215）。最坏情况下，解析信息过多会使解析服务器主机发生拥塞。如果你了解了这一点，以后上网时可以使用网站的数字地址，不要再罗罗嗦嗦地敲URL（统一资源定位器）名了。这样可能节省一半的响应时间。
The bottlenecks—whether at the DNS translators, the routing computers or the host’s own servers—stem largely from the way the mix of internet traffic has changed faster than the infrastructure used to carry it. Websites that were once just 50 kilobytes of text and tiny pictures now come with music, video and animated graphics. YouTube, Hulu, iTunes and BitTorrent have much to answer for. 不论是DNS解析器，路由选择主机抑或是主机自带的服务器，其瓶颈不在于信息传输的网络基础设施，而皆在于，当前网络传输信息组合方式的变动步伐日益加快。曾经只有50KB的文本外加一丁点图片的网站如今已是音乐、视频、动画，样样俱全。youtube，Hulu，iTunes和比特流等大型网站花样更多。
It is even worse on the mobile phone companies’ proprietary networks. Carriers are struggling to keep up with demand as subscribers use their smart-phones to check Facebook, stream videos from YouTube and play interactive games. Where a mid-range smart-phone would consume about 100 megabytes of data a month, more advanced models like the Apple iPhone or Motorola Droid, with fully fledged browsers and access to thousands of downloadable applications, tend to consume over 500 megabytes a month. With the imminent arrival of tablet computers like the iPad, which come with wireless modems, the appetite for downloadable data could hit a gigabyte a month (see the lead story in this week’s Business section). 移动电话公司的专用网络情况更差。用户们通过智能手机上Facebook，在youtube上看视频，玩在线游戏等，公司则尽力满足客户们的网络需求。一个中等的智能机每月使用流量约100M，而更高级的智能机，比如苹果的iPhone和摩托罗拉的Droid，配备有功能完备的浏览器和数千个应用程序的下载链接，这样一来，每月浪费的流量将超过500M。随着iPod等平板电脑以及无线调制解调器呼之欲出，每月下载的数据量将突破1G大关（详见本周商业板头条）。
And this is just the beginning. On the internet, the average latency for corporate websites in America is currently around 350ms, according to the Network Weather Report operated by the University of California, Los Angeles. Google’s latency is 150ms, Facebook’s 285ms and YouTube’s 515ms. Such latencies will have to come down considerably if the next generation of internet applications, such as telepresence, high-definition video streaming and remote surgery, are to fulfil their promise. 这还仅仅是问题的开始。根据洛杉矶加利福尼亚大学的网络情况报告，在因特网上，美国的企业网站目前平均延时约350毫秒，谷歌为150毫秒，facebook为285毫秒，youtube为515毫秒。如果网真技术，高清视频，远程手术等下一代因特网应用真能做到“名符其实”，那么还应该进一步大幅降低这些网络延时。
The future is beckoning. Netflix has just announced an on-demand video-streaming service offering full high-definition picture quality (so-called 1080p, which has 1,080 lines in its picture) with 5.1-channel surround sound. Each stream being watched will require a megabyte a second of bandwidth and a latency of less than 60ms if it is to deliver crisp, pin-sharp video and pristine sound. 未来在向我们招手。Netflix公司最近宣布提供一项按需订制的视频流服务，提供高清画质（即1080p，显像行有1080行 ）和5.1声道环绕声。每个放映的视频流要求带宽1M/s，延时60毫秒以下，才能提供流畅清晰、音质纯正的视频。
For the internet service providers, that means stepping up investment substantially. But adding a lot more routers to the internet would complicate matters hugely and do little to solve the latency problem. If anything, it would actually increase the number of potential bottlenecks. 对因特网服务提供商而言，那意味着增加大量的投资。通过增加路由器的方式只能使网络结构更加复杂，对解决延时问题于事无补。这样做只能增加潜在瓶颈的数量。
A better solution might be to light up more of the “dark fibre” installed during the heady days of the dotcom boom, but left lying unused beneath the streets since the bubble burst nearly a decade ago. That is what a number of securities firms have been quietly doing. When shaving a millisecond off the time needed to execute automated trades can increase revenue by $100m, there is plenty of incentive to build private optical networks with latencies approaching zero. 更好的解决方案或许是，重新利用过去铺设的直驳光纤。近十年前，网络迅速发展，当时铺设了大量的直驳光纤，却一直弃在街道下面无人问津。一些证券公司就在暗中利用这些光纤。执行股票自动交易时每减少一毫秒的延时，公司收入就能增加一亿美元，所以铺设延时近乎零的私人光纤网络，不乏动力。
Indeed, Google said this week that it was not going to hang around waiting for the telecoms industry to build the new optical web. The company is planning a low-latency fibre network that will be capable of delivering speeds of over 100 megabytes a second for communities of 50,000-500,000 people. With luck, other internet service providers everywhere will get the message. 事实上，谷歌这周表示将不再等待电信公司铺设新的光纤网络，而是打算自己铺设低延时的光纤网络，届时能为5万到50万的用户提供超过100M/s的带宽。一切顺利的话，其它的因特网服务提供商都会心领神会的。
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