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The Spam Crisis: Will E-mail Survive? 垃圾邮件危机：电子信活得了吗？

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Imagine how you would feel if an impossible-to-identify stranger dumped a truckload of junk mail on your doorstep every day. As outrageous as this scenario sounds, something very much like it is happening daily, even hourly on the internet. The e-mail equivalent of junk mail, known as “spam,” is out of control.

想想你会有什么感觉，如果一位难以辨认的陌生人每天倒一大卡车的垃圾邮件在你家门口。这种令人气愤填膺的事情实际上每天甚至每小时都在网络上发生。电子邮件中的垃圾，一般称之为「垃圾邮件Spam」，如今已然泛滥成灾。

Fourteen billion spam messages are sent each day, and this number is expected to climb to 30 billion by 2005. Considering that spam will cost business US$20.5 billion in 2003, a crisis seems imminent. In fact, many digerati are predicting that unless spam is stopped, the legitimate uses of e-mail as we know them could cease to exist.

每天有一百四十亿封的垃圾邮件被发送，而这个数字到2005年将会增加到三百亿。鉴于2003年垃圾邮件耗费了企业界二百零五亿的经费，一场危机似乎即将发生。事实上有很多计算机知识分子预告，除非垃圾邮件停止，否则如今我们所熟悉的电子邮件正当用途将可能全面停止。

Ironically, this crisis has come about because spammers exploit those aspects of e-mail that everyone loves: anyone can send e-mail directly to anyone anywhere in the world, and may do so anonymously if they so choose. Moreover, spam, unlike bulk “snail” mail, costs nothing to send.

嘲讽的是，这个危机之所以会出现，是因为垃圾邮件发送者利用电子信中人人都喜欢的那些特点：任何人都能直接发送电子信给全世界任何地方的任何一个人，如果他们想匿名寄信的话也可以。再者，电子垃圾邮件不像成堆的蜗牛邮件，寄信不用花钱。

“Joe-jobbing” is a particular insidious technique used by spammers. This term is Internet jargon for such tactics as sending spam from fictitious e-mail locations or illegally using someone else’s e-mail address. As long as spammers can readily exploit Joe-jobbing and other shifty tactics, e-mail remains threatened.

「隔空点穴」是垃圾邮件发送者常用的一种诡计。这个词是网络用语，专指利用虚构的电子信地址、或非法使用别人的邮件账号寄信。只要垃圾邮件发送者还能轻易地使用隔空点穴手法或其他诡计，电子邮件就仍是备受威胁。

Vocabulary

单词发音

spam [spæm] n. 【计算机】垃圾邮件（在用户网络或新闻组中，一大堆未经筛选的广告或对收件者来说根本无用的邮件）

outrageous [aʊtˋredʒəs] adj. 可憎的

scenario [sɪˋnɛrɪ͵o] n. 可能发生的事﹐可能出现的情况

imminent [ˋɪmənənt] adj.（危险等）逼近的；即将发生的

digerati [ˌdɪdʒəˈrɑti] n. 数位菁英；计算机奇才（由digital（数字的，数字的）和 literati（知识分子）拼缀而成，即计算机知识分子）

come about 发生; 产生 to take place; happen.

exploit [ɪkˋsplɔɪt] v. 利用；利用……而自肥

anonymously [əˋnɑnəməslɪ] adv. 不具名地；化名地

insidious [ɪnˋsɪdɪəs] adj. 〔危险或问题〕暗中为害的

jargon [ˋdʒɑrgən] n. 行话；黑话

fictitious [fɪkˋtɪʃəs] adj. 虚构的；非真实的

shifty [ˋʃɪftɪ] adj. 惯耍花招的；诡诈的

Sentence of the Day

Until spam is eliminated, e-mail users will have to grin and bear it.

除非垃圾邮件停止，否则电子信用户只能逆来顺受。

grin and bear it 逆来顺受

课文讲解

Chuck and Janice, computer professionals, are leaving a seminar on spam prevention system:   查克和贾尼丝都是计算机专业人员，刚参加完一场垃圾邮件防止系统的座谈会要离开会场：

J: I learned something very important today: “Viagra” is the most popular word ever used by spammers. Just kidding.

我今天学到了非常重要的内容：「威而钢」是最常用的垃圾邮件关键词。开玩笑的啦。

C: All kidding aside, do you mean keyword filtering systems that screen for unwanted e-mails most commonly found the word “Viagra” in spam?

讲正经的，妳说过滤垃圾邮件的筛选装置系统，在垃圾邮件中最常发现的关键词是「威而钢」？

J: Right. But to circumvent the filter, spammers simply stopped using words like “Viagra. Are you blushing, Chuck?

是的，不过为了避开筛选，垃圾邮件自然就停止使用像「威而钢」这些字。查克，你脸红了吗？

C: You’re imagining things. But seriously, do you think the new Bayesian filtering systems will be an improvement on the older keyword systems?

是妳看走了眼。不过说正经的，妳真认为新开发的百夜劲过滤系统，比旧的关键词过滤系统进步吗？

J: A massive improvement. Its inventors analyzed thousands of spam messages and identified their fifteen most common features, which included much more than just keywords.

进步多了。新型过滤系统的研发者分析成千上万封的垃圾邮件，归纳出垃圾邮件15项特色，不仅只是关键词而已。

C: Another spam-busting technology that shows promise is the trusted-sender system.

另一个颇具潜力的垃圾邮件搜捕技术是发送者认证系统。

J: Agreed again. Like Bayesian filtering, computers would distinguish “wanted” e-mail from “unwanted” e-mail, but e-mail senders would first need to sign up with ISPs legitimate e-mailers.

我也同意。就像百夜劲过滤器，计算机会区分「被接受的」和「不被接受的」信件，不过，发送单位必须先向网络服务供货商署名，成为合法的发送单位。

C: Trusted-sender systems would go a long way towards eliminating Joe-jobbing, but then we get into the issue of “legitimate” versus “illegitimate” e-mailing. That’s a tough distinction to make.

发送者认证系统对消除垃圾邮件会大有裨益，不过届时我们要面对「合法邮件」对抗「非法邮件」的议题，要去区分很困难。

J: True. Nevertheless, it won’t be as easy to fool e-mail filters with a word like “Viagra.” Blushing again?

的确。就像要用威而钢这个字骗过邮件过滤系统一样困难。你又脸红了？

C: No; but need you keep saying that?

没有；不过妳一定要一直重复说它吗？

J: Viagra. Viagra. Viagra.

威而钢、威而钢、威而钢。

－by William F. Levings

Vocabulary

单词发音

seminar [ˋsɛmə͵nɑr] n.【主美】专家讨论会

circumvent [͵sɝkəmˋvɛnt] v. 以智取胜；规避

blush [blʌʃ] v.（因害羞，尴尬等而）脸红

inventor [ɪnˋvɛntɚ] n. 发明家，发明者

ISP【计算机】因特网服务提供商= Internet Services Provider

legitimate [lɪˋdʒɪtəmɪt] adj. 合法的

go a long way  大有帮助

Sentence of the Day

He’s red as a beet.

他脸红了。

beet [bit] n.【美】甜菜根