UNIT 4 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
LESSON 1 AVATARS 虚拟形象 (P 8-9)
The avatar you choose says a lot about you. The article will help you understand your choice of avatars better.
你选择的虚拟形象能透露出你的很多信息。这篇文章将帮助你更好地理解关于虚拟形象的选择。
When you are online, you can be anyone or anything. You can create your own image and a new personality. These digital identities, known as avatars, are a key part of how people use the Internet to communicate and express themselves.
当你上网时，你可以是任何人或任何事物。你可以创设自己的形象，并且拥有新的个性。这些数字身份，被称作“虚拟形象”，这是人们利用互联网进行交流和表达自己的关键部分。
The first simple 2D avatars appeared in role-playing computer games in the 1980s. Yet, very few people knew that future avatars would have such a wide variety of forms and uses. By the late1990s, they had been used in web chats like instant messenger.
二维虚拟形象最早出现在20世纪80年代的角扮演电脑游戏中，当时，很少有人知道虚拟形象后来会有如此广泛的形式和用途。20世纪90年代末，虚拟形象被用于网络聊天，如即时通讯。
When people started creating their own avatars, they discovered that they were going to have the power to create new identities that did not look or act like their real selves at all. They could dress their avatars in fancy clothes, or they could try being someone of the opposite sex, and call themselves “Andy” instead of “Anna”! When Internet users realised that their avatars would be seen by many people, not just their friends, they started having more than one avatar: a sensible one for work; a friendly, good-looking one for meeting people; and a silly one for having fun. Avatars let you express yourself and they give you lots of room for creativity.
人们开始创设自己的虚拟形象时，他们发现自己将有能力创设一种新的身份，这种身份在相貌和行为上可以与真正的自我完全不同。他们可以给自己的虚拟形象穿上华丽的衣服，或者尝试换个性别，可以给自己取名为“安迪”，而不是“安娜”。当互联网用户意识到很多人会看到他们的虚拟形象，而不仅仅是他们的朋友时，他们开始使用不止一个虚拟形象：一个朴素实用的虚拟形象用于工作；一个友好的、好看的虚拟形象用于交友；一个傻乎乎的虚拟形象用于取乐。虚拟形象让你可以表达自己，还给你很多创造空间。
Of course, the avatar you choose says a lot about your personality. If your blog avatar is a picture of a cute cat, your message is “I like relaxing and having fun”. Well-known cartoon characters or laughing monkeys say “I’m a really funny person”. Most people create avatars that have similar features to their personalities and that look more or less like them and act like them. However, nearly all avatars are tall, young and nice-looking, so people obviously make their avatars look better than they do in real life. They also experiment with things like different hairstyles—which says a lot, perhaps, about what they want to look like.
less is more 翻译
当然，你所选择的虚拟形象会在很大程度上显露你的个性。如果你的博客头像是一只可爱的
猫，你传递的信息是“我喜欢放松和享受”。知名的卡通角或微笑的猴子传递的信息是“我是个很有趣的人”。大多数人创设的虚拟形象与他们的个性有着相似的特征，看起来或多或少像他们，在行为上也像他们。然而，几乎所有的虚拟形象都个头高挑、样貌年轻、面容较好，所以人们显然想让他们的虚拟形象看起来比现实生活中更好。人们还进行新的尝试，例如换上不同的发型，这可能从很大程度上透露了他们希望自己看起来是什么样子。
Nowadays, avatars are everywhere. In most web chats, people choose an avatar from a selection of ready-made images, or create their own images. You can also use avatars that move around and talk when you type in your message. The avatars in online worlds can talk, walk and fly around, meet people, go shopping and attend classes.
现在，虚拟形象无处不在。在大多数网络聊天中，人们都是从现成的图片中选择一个作为虚拟形象，或者创建自己的图片。当你输入信息时，你也可以让虚拟形象活动起来或说话。网络世界中的虚拟形象可以交谈、走路、飞行，还可以结识他人、购物和上课。
The use of avatars has also caused a few concerns. Some users worry that they are spending so much time in virtual worlds that they are becoming afraid of meeting people in
the real world. The use of several avatars can also be a risk, as people can use avatars to cheat others online. However, other users view avatars in a more positive light. They look forward to a time when their avatar will act like a real person and travel around bigger, more exciting virtual worlds.
虚拟形象的使用也引起了一些担忧。一些用户担心他们在虚拟世界中花费了太多时间，以至于开始害怕在现实世界中与人见面。使用多个虚拟形象也可能会带来风险，因为有人可能会在网上使用虚拟形象来欺骗他人。但是，其他用户则以更为积极的态度看待虚拟形象。他们期待着有朝一日，自己的虚拟形象会像真人一样去环游更广阔、更精彩的虚拟世界。
LESSON 3 INTERNET AND FRIENDSHIPS
The Internet Harms Friendships 互联网对友谊有害 (P 15)
While the Internet can bring people closer together, it can also harm friendships.
虽然互联网可以让人们更亲近，但它也会损害友谊。
Firstly, talking online is no replacement for face-to-face Robert contact—images really cannot replace a real-life smile or hug. According to a parenting expert, Denise Daniels, communicating through a screen makes it more difficult for children to concentrate or show kindness to others. As we know, important social skills are developed through direct contact with other people. It is these skills that enable us to develop lifelong friendships.
首先，在网上聊天并不能代替面对面的交流——图片当然无法代替现实生活中的微笑或拥抱。根据育儿专家丹尼斯·丹尼尔斯的说法，通过屏幕交流会使儿童更难集中注意力或对他人表示善意。众所周知，重要的社交技能是通过直接与他人接触培养的，正是这些技能使我们发展终生的友谊。

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