Unit 1 Future of Net Economy.doc

Unit 2 Future of Net Economy1 As we have entered the new century, human society is beginning its move from the industrial economy into the knowledge-based economy. In more specific terms, the application of information to the economy is best exemplified in the networking of communication, or the so-called Net economy. This Net refers to the computer network of satellites, optic fibers, cables and telephone lines that connect the whole world. With the click of a mouse, information from the other end of the globe will be transported to your computer screen at the dizzying speed of seven-and-a-half times around the earth per second. Generally, there are two aspects of the Net. One is the networking between businesses and their customers. The other is the networking between individual businesses, or the regional and even global networking between industrial production and scientific research. Internet shopping belongs to the first aspect.2 From a long-term perspective, Internet shopping is but a low-level aspect of the Net, and it is not likely to become the most important trend. After all, most merchandise is unsuitable for Internet shopping. Besides, if everyone shops on the Net, what will happen to the hundreds and thousands of shopping malls? Therefore, the second aspect of the Net will be more important. Its significance goes beyond that of connecting businesses. There have been reports of simultaneous consultation of doctors from all over the world on the Internet. These are early examples of high-level networking.3 It is estimated that the new interaction between computers and Net technology will have significant influence on the industry of the future. The sheer power of electronic commerce (e-commerce) will change the face of trade dramatically. Sporting goods company Puma was on the verge of bankruptcy back in 1992. From 1993, Puma began to diffuse its production, logistics and marketing divisions to 80 Net enterprises worldwide, and the results were spectacular. Puma was transformed from a sickly feline into a magnificent beast. The reason for this transformation is that intra and inter-business electronic links greatly increase the efficiency of production, planning, the collecting of information and data exchange. As the business is rapidly being rationalized, production figures go up while costs come down.4 The development of e-commerce may well bring the world into a brand new era of electronic currency. With the emergence of a phantom electronic currency, everyone of us would be affected. At the moment, developed areas in Europe, the United States and Asia have already started studying the possibility of an electronic currency. Electronic currency is not only about currency. It refers to an entire finance system on the Net. It includes a virtual numeric currency, an electronic system of withdrawals, transfers and loans, and Smartcards (electronic purses) of all shapes and sizes. The appearance of an electronic currency system implies the emergence of virtual banks and virtual enterprises. Actually, the rudimentary beginnings of a virtual bank appeared in the US in 1995 as the Security First Network Bank, the worlds first Internet bank. Although it is a small and insignificant bank, it represents the trend of the future. In time to come, we may even have to abandon the familiar paper currency.5 As the Net pushes the economy ahead rapidly, the economy is also bringing the Net market forward, resulting in the Internet itself becoming the worlds largest emerging market. Of course, this is just the beginning. Although there are many companies which made huge profits investing in the Internet market, they tend to be small companies, like Yahoo. To date, most companies are making losses. The Net and e-commerce will foster a large number of free-lancers, and this will affect social structure in a big way. The competition for technological superiority in the era of the knowledge-based economy will also be more intense. This will definitely promote greater (even global) and more efficient cooperation to maintain competitiveness. The highly efficient research and development work conducted on the worldwide Net are best suited for small and medium enterprises to band together and break the monopolies of the giants.ExercisesI. Reading comprehension1. Internet shopping belongs to _. A. the networking between individual businesses B. the regional and global networking between industrial production and scientific research C. the networking between businesses and their customers D. the networking between big enterprises and small ones2. _ is the more important aspect as to the Net economy. A. Internet shopping B. Shopping malls C. ConnectingD. Simultaneous consultation on the Internet3. Electronic currency does not include _. A. a virtual numeric currency B. electronic purses C. an electronic system of withdrawals, transfers and loans D. paper currency transfer on the Internet4. The worlds first Internet bank _. A. is a small and insignificant one B. appeared in the developed areas in Europe C. is an international bank D. is the First Network Bank5. According to the authors opinion, most companies which invest in the Internet market _. A. are giant companiesB. are making losses C. have made huge profitsD. have broken the monopoliesII. Getting Information1. What does the Net refer to?2. What is the reason for Pumas transformation?3. What does electronic currency mean?4. What does the appearance of an electronic currency system imply?5. How can small and medium enterprises break the monopolies of the “giant”?III. Vocabulary and Structure emergence perspectivemediumintensesuperiority promoteon the verge ofto datefostertrend1. Frequent cultural exchange will certainly help _ friendly relations between our two universities.2. The competition among these companies at the printing market has become very _ in this city.3. _, we have not received any replies from them.4. In this competitive world, it is better for any firm to gain technology _.5. The organization works to _ friendship between nations.6. It is reported that the Far East area is now _ war again.7. There is an obvious _ that young people like less formal clothing.8. We should look at these events which happened two hundred years ago from their historical _.9. The outstanding businessman agreed that the last decade was favorable for the _ of new and promising enterprises IT field.10. The witness proved that the killer of the student was a man of _ height.IV. Translation1. 今晚她很可能给我打电话。(likely)2. 我看不懂这篇文章。(beyond)3. 新刷的一层油漆可使房间焕然一新。(transform)4. 做事不先考虑总会导致失败。(result in)5. 他估计那项工作需要三个月。(estimate)6. 我们相信这项协议将会积极地促进两国之间的贸易。(promote)7. 新机场必将推动这个地区的旅游业。(push ahead)8. 网络经济将对人们的生活产生重要的影响。(have significant influence on)9. 在昨天的会议上，他提出了一个新的经济发展计划。(bring forward)10. 到目前为止，他们还没有找到遇难的渔船。(to date, wrecked)1当我们步入新世纪的时候，人类社会正开始由工业经济向知识型经济转变。具体地说，经济中信息的应用主要是反映在通讯的网络化，也就是所谓的网络经济。该网络就是指由卫星、光纤、电缆和电话线路将世界各个角落连接在一起的电脑网络。只要用鼠标一点，在地球另一端的信息马上就会以每秒钟绕地球七周半的惊人速度传输到你的电脑屏幕上。网络化大致可分成两个方面：其一是企业与客户之间的网络化。另外一个则是企业间的网络化，或者是工业生产和科学研究之间的地区性甚至全球性的网络化。网上购物就属于第一个方面。从长远来看，网上购物仅仅是低层次的网络化，未必会成为最主要的趋向。毕竟大多数商品并不适合于网上购物。此外，如果大家都在网上购物，那么成千上万的购物中心该怎么办呢？所以说，网络化的第二个方面将更加重要。它的重要性远远超过了商务联络。媒体曾报道过世界各地的医生利用国际互联网同时会诊。这些是高层次网络化的初期例子。有人预测，新的电脑和网络技术的结合将会对未来工业产生巨大的影响。电子商务的惊人威力会使贸易发生巨变。彪马体育用品公司在1992年已濒临破产。1993年起，彪马公司开始把生产、后勤和销售分散到全世界80个电脑联网企业，结果业绩斐然。彪马从一只病猫变成一头真正的猛兽。其原因就是企业内部和企业之间的电子网络极大地提高了生产、规划、信息收集以及数据交换的效率。由于业务迅速合理化，生产数量得到了提高，而同时成本也随之降低。电子商务的发展很可能会把世界带进一个电子货币的崭新时代。幽灵般的电子货币的出现会影响我们每一个人。目前欧美和亚洲的发达地区都已经开始了对电子货币可行性的研究。电子货币不单指钱币，而是泛指网上一个完整的金融系统。它包括一种虚拟的数字钱币、一套电子出纳转帐借贷系统以及各种形状和大小的智能卡（电子钱包）。电子货币系统的出现意味着虚拟银行和虚拟企业的出现。其实，这种虚拟银行的雏形早在1995年就已经在美国出现。它的名称是安全第一网络银行，堪称世界第一家国际互联网银行。虽然它只是一家微不足道的银行，但是它却代表了未来的趋势。到了那个时候，我们也许真的不得不告别我们已经习惯了的纸币。当网络化高速地推动经济的时候，经济也反过来促进网络市场的发展。其结果是国际互联网本身将成为全球最大的新兴市场。当然这还仅仅是个开始。尽管在国际互联网市场上投资的许多公司都赚了大钱，但它们通常是小公司，比如雅虎。迄今为止，多数公司还是赔钱的。网络化和电子商务的发展将会造就大批的自由职业者，从而将对社会结构产生深远影响。在知识型经济的时代，科技领先的竞争也会变得更激烈。这必定会促进更大（甚至是全球范围内）更卓有成效的合作，以保持竞争力。全球网络化的高效率研究及开发工作对中小型企业联合起来打破巨人的垄断是最适合不过的了。New Words1. commodity: n. (1) 商品, 货物 The prices of the commodities are quite stable this year. 今年各种物价相当稳定。 The government took measures to roll commodity prices back. 政府采取措施，把物价压回到原来的水平。 In Thailand rice is an important commodity for export. 米是泰国的一项重要出口商品。(2) 有用的东西2. mall: n. 购物中心, 商场 There is a large mall on the street. 在这条街上有一家大商场。 Where is the biggest shopping mall in this town? 这市镇最大的购物中心在哪里？3. consultation: n. 磋商(会议), 咨询, 专家会诊 The difficulty among them should be resolved by consultation. 他们之间存在的分歧应通过协商解决。 The doctors held a consultation to decide whether an operation was necessary. 医生们会诊以决定是否需要动手术。习惯用语:in consultation with 经在与.磋商诊疗4. perspective: n. (1) 观点, 想法 Being patient will help you to keep your perspective. 富有耐心会有助于你保持对事物的洞察力。(2) 远景, 景 You can get a perspective of the whole city from here. 从这里你可以看到城市的全景。from a long-term perspective: From a long-term perspective, Internet shopping is but a low-level aspect of the Net, and it is not likely to become the most important trend. 从长远看，网上购物仅仅是低层次的网络化，未必会成为主要趋向。5. scatter: vt. & vi.(使)散开, (使)分散; 驱散 The birds scattered at the sound of the gun. 枪声一响, 群鸟受惊飞散。 Dont scatter your strength . 不要分散精力。vt. 撒 The farmers were scattering seeds on the fields. 农夫把种子撒在田里。6. logistics: n. (1) 后勤学，后勤 The general logistics department organizes and leads the armys logistics work. 总后勤部负责组织领导全军后勤工作。(2) 物流 Logistics is the management of the flow of goods, information and other resources, including energy and people, between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet the requirements of consumers (frequently, and originally, military organizations). Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material-handling, and packaging, and occasionally security. Logistics is a channel of the supply chain which adds the value of time and place utility.7. rationalize: vt. 使合理化 Life has been rationalized by science. 科学已将生活合理化。 We must rationalize prices and accelerate the reform. 理顺物价，加速改革。 The rail company is trying to rationalize its freight service. 铁路运输公司正在努力使其货运服务合理化。8. virtual: (1) 事实上的，实际上的，实质上的 Our deputy manager is the virtual head of the business. 我们的副经理是公司的实际负责人。 He is in a state of virtual slavery. 他实际上处于一种被奴役的状态。(2) 【物】虚的(3) 【电脑】虚拟的 For example, in a Virtual space, Students can dissect a human body, visit ancient battlefields, or talk with Shakespeare. 如，在虚拟的空间中，学生们可以“解剖”人体，“参观”古战场，与莎士比亚“对话”等等。9. withdrawal: n. 收回, 取回, 撤回; 撤退, 撤走 He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 He ordered us to cover the other comrades withdrawal. 他下令让我们掩护其他同志撤退。10. original: adj. (1) 起初的; 原来的 The original settlers are the Indians. 最早在这里定居的是印第安人。(2) 独创的; 新颖的 The inventor had an original mind. 那个发明家具有创新的头脑。(3) 原版的; 原作的 The original picture is worth 1000 dollars. 这幅画的原作值1000美元。n. 原文, 原稿 This is a translation; the original is in French. 这是译文, 原文是法文。11. emergence: n. appearance出来; 现出; 出现; 暴露 With the emergence of a phantom electronic currency, everyone of us would be affected. 电子货币这个幽灵的出现，实实在在会冲击到我们每一个人。 The last few years have seen the emergence of some undesirable phenomena in this area. 当然，在这些方面，这几年有些损伤。12. superiority: n. 优越(性)，优等 We believe in the superiority of this method over that one. 我们相信这种方法比那种方法优越。superioir: adj. (1) (级别、地位)较高的；(品质、程度)优良的，较好的 Youre a very superior young woman. 你是一个非常优秀的年轻女性。(2) 上等的，优秀的 The test showed he was the superior player. 这次测试显示出他比较优秀。 This machine is superior in many respects to that. 这台机器在很多方面比那台好。13. abandon: vt. (1) 离弃, 丢弃 Jackson has abandoned his old car. 杰克逊把他那辆旧车扔了。(2) 遗弃, 抛弃 Im sorry I abandoned you like that. 很抱歉我那样突然抛下你走了。 He abandoned his wife and child. 他遗弃了他的妻子和孩子。(3) 放弃 We will never abandon our principles. 我们应该坚持原则。习惯用语: abandon oneself to 沉缅于, 陷入 They abandon themselves to drinking. 他们沉湎于饮酒。 Do not abandon yourself to despair. 不要悲观失望。14. intense: adj. (1) 强烈的, 剧烈的; 极端的 intense heat 酷热 intense pain 剧痛(2) 热情的, 热切的 an intense person 感情丰富的人 Susan was an intense young lady. 苏珊是一个热情的年轻姑娘。 The patient has an intense will to recover. 那个病人热切地希望恢复健康。(3) 紧张的, 认真的 intense life 紧张的生活 intense study 认真的研究15. maintain: vt. (1) 保持; 继续 The two countries have maintained friendly relations for many years. 两国多年来一直保持着友好的关系。(2) 保养, 维护 China play an important role in maintain world peace. 中国在维护世界和平中起着重要作用。(3) 坚持; 主张 She maintains that the accusation is groundless. 她坚持该指控是毫无根据的。(4) 供给; 赡养 He has to maintain his wife and two children. 他必须养活妻子和两个孩子。16. foster: vt. 培养, 促进 Frequent cultural exchange will certainly help foster friendly relations between our two universities. 经常的文化交流肯定有助于发展我们两校之间的友好关系。vt. & vi. 收养, 养育 Nowadays young couple sometimes foster. 现今年轻夫妇有时领养别人的孩子。 So my husband and I applied to be foster parents. 所以我和我丈夫阿尔决定申请做寄养家庭。17. efficient: (1) 效率高的；有能力的，能胜任的(+in) He is an efficient manager. 他是一位办事效率高的经理。 (2) (直接)生效的；有效的；收效大的 It is not efficient to hire poorly trained workers. 雇用未经严格训练的工人会妨碍工作效率。 We are always happy to offer you efficient services. 很高兴为你方提供有效的服务。18. medium: adj.中等的, 适中的 He has a medium body. 他有一副中等的身材。n. 媒介, 手段, 方法, 工具 This is an effective medium. 这是一种有效手段。19. enterprise: n. (1) 企事业单位, 公司 Our economy is made up of three sectors, state enterprise, co-operative enterprise and private enterprise. 现在我们的国民经济，是由国营企业、合作社企业和私人企业这三方面组成的。 An indecisive manager brought the enterprise to a standstill. 优柔寡断的经理使企业陷入停滞状态。(2) 事业, 计划 They are determined to carry forward the enterprise. 他们决心把事业进行下去。(3) 事业心, 进取心 He is a man of great enterprise. 他很有进取心。20. monopoly: n. 垄断, 专卖 monopoly capital 垄断资本, 独占资本 His monopoly of shipbuilding in that country has been established. 他对那个国家造船业的垄断已经建立起来。(2) 垄断权, 专利权 In many countries tobacco is a government monopoly. 在许多国家, 烟草由政府专营。Phrases21. in more specific terms: to be more specific 具体地说 In more specific terms, the application of information to the economy is best exemplified in the networking of communication, or the so-called Net economy. 具体说，信息化主要是反映在沟通手段的网络化，也就是所谓的网络经济。22. after all: 毕竟; 究竟 Dont get discouraged by setbacks, we are new to the work after all. 别因挫折而灰心, 这工作对我们来说毕竟还是陌生的。23. on the verge of: adv. on the brink of接近于，濒临于 on the verge of bankruptcy 濒于破产 I was on the verge of accepting. 我差点儿接受。 Large numbers of people had to struggle on the verge of starvation. 那时许多人不得不在饥饿的边缘上挣扎。24. push ahead: push forward 推动，推进 Whatever happens, we must push ahead with our plans to increase production. 无论发生什么情况, 我们都必须推行我们的增产计划。25. bring forward: (1) 提出Can you bring forward any proof? 你能提出证据吗?(2) 提前 They decided to bring forward the date of the next meeting. 他们决定将下一次会议的日期提前。26. to date: up to now到目前为止，迄今To date, we have not received any replies. 我们至今还未接到答覆。up to date: (1) 最新式的, 现代化的 The car is a beauty and quite up to date. 那辆车子很漂亮是最新款的。 She wears clothes that are right up to date. 她穿着最时新的衣服。(2) 至今, 到目前为止 I have not received news from him up to date. 直到如今我还没有接到他的消息。27. make a loss: lose money亏损，赔钱 No wonder the firm makes a loss; the office is terribly overstaffed. 难怪公司亏损, 办公室严重超编。 You say that we shall be making a loss for the next three years. Well, how do you make that out? 你说我们今后3年要亏损，那么，你是怎样得出这个结论的呢？make up a loss: 补足,补偿 Well do all we can to make up the economic losses. 我们要尽一切力量弥补这些经济损失。Text28. In more specific terms, the application of information to the economy is best exemplified in the networking of communication, or the so-called Net economy. 具体说，信息化主要是反映在沟通手段的网络化，也就是所谓的网络经济。In terms of: 就而言, 从方面说来 In terms of money (or In money terms) were quite rich, but not in terms of happiness. 就钱来说我们很富有，但论及幸福就不然了。29. unsuitable: adj. 不合适的 The dress is unsuitable for summer. 那件衣服不适合夏季穿。 We find the quality suitable(unsuitable) for our market. 产品质量适合（不适合）我们的市场。suit: vt. 适合于(某人) That song doesnt suit her voice. 那首歌不适合她的嗓子。 Ive found a job that suits me down to the ground. 我找到了一份工作，对我再合适不过了。30. go beyond: 超出, 超载 You have gone beyond your power. 你的行为已经超出了你的权力范围。 We must go beyond imitation and promote innovation. 我们必须跨越模仿的阶段，鼓励创新。31. spectacular: 引人入胜的, 轰动一时的, 惊人的; 激动人心的 a spectacular achievement in science 科学上的一项惊人成就 The banquet was spectacular, with all manner of exotic dishes. 宴会真是真壮观，有各种各样异国风味的菜肴。I. Reading Comprehension1. C2. D3. D4. A5. BII. Getting Information:1. This Net refers to the computer network of satellites, optic fibers, cables and telephone lines that connect the whole world.2. The reason for this transformation is that intra and inter-business electronic links greatly increase the efficiency of production, planning, the collecting of information and data exchange.3. It refers to an entire finance system on the Net.4. It implies the emergence of “virtual banks” and “virtual enterprises”.5. The highly efficient research and development work conducted on the worldwide Net are best sui