Spam Wars: The Invisible Battles of Cyberspace 垃圾邮件大战：虚拟世界的隐形战争
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2004年4月12日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2011年6月25日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：390
课文朗读
课文讲解
Every night, clandestine spam gangs fire billions of spam messages across cyberspace into the e-mail inboxes of unsuspecting victims. In response, an army of self-appointed anti-spam advocates has arisen to combat this nightly assault. Both sides are willing and able to act ruthlessly: the “spam wars” have begun.
每夜暗地里，垃圾信地下集团把上亿封垃圾邮件经由网络传送到未察觉受害者的电子信箱里。为了反击，一队自封为倡议反制垃圾信的义勇军已经揭竿起义，对抗这股夜袭。双方都有意放手一搏，毫不留情：一场「垃圾邮件大战」已然展开。
A pivotal aspect of this war hinges on the establishment of Spam Prevention Early Warning Systems (SPEWS) by anti-spam advocates. SPEWS, which block e-mail from IP addresses used by spammers, function as Internet “blacklists.” Most commercial e-mail marketers are vehemently opposed to SPEWS. They see the anti-spammers as “cyberspace vigilantes” who arbitrarily decide who are and are not spammers.
这场大战的一项决战点在于，反垃圾信阵营所建立的垃圾信早期预警系统（SPEWS）。垃圾信早期预警系统会阻挡垃圾信差所用IP地址发出来的信件，作用类似因特网「黑名单」。大多数商业电子信营销业者强烈反对垃圾信早期预警系统；而这些业者则把反制垃圾信的阵营视为「虚拟世界的保安队」，自以为是地决定谁是垃圾信差、谁不是垃圾信差。
One network administrator and anti-spam activist, known only as “The Man in the Wilderness,” caught spammer Rodona Garst illegally forging domain names from his network. This individual hacked into Garst’s computer and posted information about her illegal activities, as well, as partially nude photos of her, on a website under the heading, “Let’s Get Brutal.”
一位网络管理员、同时也是反制垃圾信的行动人士、被称做「荒野侠客」的家伙，就逮到垃圾信差萝度娜卡斯特在他的网络架构上捏造域名。他还入侵去卡斯特的计算机，抓到卡斯特胡做非为的资料，包括卡斯特的半裸照片，一并放到网站以「妳不仁，我不义」的标题公布出来。
Spammers, who often consider themselves legitimate businesspeople, take such actions quite seriously. Ronnie Scelson of Slidell, Louisiana, known as the “Cajun Spammer,” sees his fight against anti-spammers as a mission to defend the free enterprise system. “I’m willing to die for what I believe in,” he said.
垃圾信差则常常认为自己是正当生意人，对反制者严阵以待。美路易斯安那州史利德市的罗尼赛尔逊，人称他为「法裔路州信差」，把自己与反制垃圾信阵营间的对抗视为防卫自由企业的圣战。他说：「为维护信念，我不惜一死。」
Vocabulary
单词发音
spam [spæm] n. 垃圾邮件
cyberspace [ˋsaɪbɚ͵spes] n.【电脑】网际空间
clandestine [klænˋdɛstɪn] adj. 秘密的；暗中的
unsuspecting [͵ʌnsəˋspɛktɪŋ] adj. 不怀疑的﹐无疑心的
self-appointed [͵sɛlfəˋpɔɪntɪd] adj. 自命的﹐自封的
pivotal [ˋpɪvət!] adj. 重要的
hinge on 取决于, 视…而定 depend on, rest on
hinge [hɪndʒ] v. 决定于[（+on/upon）]
vehemently [ˋviəməntlɪ] adv. 激烈地；强烈地
vigilante [͵vɪdʒəˋlæntɪ] n.〔非官方的〕治安维持会成员
arbitrarily [͵ɑrbəˋtrɛrəlɪ] adv. 独断独行地
forge [fɔrdʒ] v. 伪造
domain name【电脑】区域名称，域名
brutal [ˋbrut!] adj. 不讲情面的﹐不顾他人感情的
Cajun [ˋkedʒən] n. 移居美国刘易斯安纳州的法人后裔
Sentence of the Day
Anti-spam groups are trying to stem the tide of unsolicited e-mail.
反垃圾邮件团体试着阻止大批不请自来的电子邮件。
stem the tide 力挽狂澜；抑制住
stem [stɛm] v. 逆……而行；顶着……而上
unsolicited [͵ʌnsəˋlɪsɪtɪd] adj. 未经请求的；主动提供的
课文讲解
Steve and Brenda are MBA students who have just attended a lecture about spam in their business ethic class: 史提夫和布兰达是企管系的学生，两人才刚刚参加了企业伦理课程一场有关垃圾邮件的演讲：
S: Commercial e-mail marketing is capitalism at its best: using advanced technology to access markets at a minimal cost.
商业电子信营销真是资本主义发挥的极致：运用高科技以最少的成本来开拓市场。
B: I disagree! The massive amount of spam sent over the Internet costs ISPs millions to process – and they get nothing for their efforts. Because it’s sent without their consent, it’s plain theft.
我反对！大批垃圾邮件传播在因特网上必须耗费网络服务供货商几百万元的成本来处理──而且他们无法从中收到一毛钱，因为垃圾邮件的发送未征得供货商的同意，无异是小偷行径。
S: E-mail marketers are simply minimizing their advertising costs.
用电子信做广告营销只是想尽量降低成本。
B: That’s ludicrous, Steve. What if consumers don’t want to receive spam messages?
那太扯了，史提夫。如果说消费者并不想接受垃圾邮件呢？
S: Does anyone want the junk mail they get in their mailboxes every day? If you don’t want it, toss it out.
有谁喜欢每天寄到他信箱里的垃圾邮件呢？如果不想要，就把它丢掉呀。
B: In order to be deemed spam, an email message must be unsolicited. It’s the fact that it’s unsolicited that makes it wrong.
被认定是垃圾邮件的先决条件是不请自来，因为不请自来就是不对的。
S: Not necessarily. Commercial e-mail marketers believe that a message is spam only if the message, product or service being peddled is either fraudulent or deceptive.
未必吧。商业电子信营销人相信，电子信促销的商品或服务意在诈欺才是垃圾邮件。
B: It would be impossible to regulate every product or service on the Internet!
在因特网上不可能去规范每一项商品或服务！
S: Hey, caveat emptor.
嘿，小心货物出门概不退换哦。
B: You’re incorrigible. By the way, what do you plan to do with your MBA degree?
你真是无可救药。嘿，你拿到企管学位后有什么打算？
S: Start my own commercial e-mail marketing business. I could offer you an entry-level position.
开创我自己的商业电子信营销事业啊。我可以赏妳一个低阶工作去做。
B: Stuff it, Steve!
去你的，史提夫！
－by William F. Levings
Vocabulary
单词发音
ethic [ˋɛθɪk] adj. 伦理（学）的；道德的; n. 伦理; 道德体系
capitalism [ˋkæpət!͵ɪzəm] n. 资本主义（制度）
at one’s best 最佳情形, 全盛状态
consent [kənˋsɛnt] n. 同意，答应
ludicrous [ˋludɪkrəs] adj. 滑稽的；荒唐可笑的
junk [dʒʌŋk] n. 废物；垃圾
toss out 丢弃；扔掉
deem [dim] v. 认为，以为；视作
peddle [ˋpɛd!] v. 叫卖，挨户兜售
fraudulent [ˋfrɔdʒələnt] adj.〔行动或言语〕骗人的﹐欺诈性的
caveat emptor [ˈɛmpˌtɔr]【拉】顾客留心（意为货物出门概不退换）
caveat [ˋkevɪ͵æt] n.【正式】〔做决定或行动前必须注意的〕警告﹐提醒
incorrigible [ɪnˋkɔrɪdʒəb!] adj. 屡教不改的，不可救药的
stuff it（英，非正式）[表示冷漠、无奈或拒绝] 够了！别说了！; 闭嘴 take back something. This idiom is used, often as an interjection, to express contempt or defiance
Sentence of the Day
He’s hoping to take liberties with e-mail.
他希望能随意地使用电子邮件。
take liberty with 不正经, 随便