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Sensational Sites for 2010 2010酷夯网站报你知

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Every day, the online world continues to change at a breakneck pace. If you don’t keep on top of things, you may soon find yourself out of the loop. So, here’s an update on the hottest websites to emerge in 2010.

每一天，在线世界以惊人的速度不断改变。如果你没有掌握信息，不久就会发现自己身处于状况之外，所以我们在这里为你介绍2010年最夯的网站。

Groupon

Groupon is a deal-of-the-day site which is tailored to local markets in cities across the U.S. and Canada. It allows individual buyers to join together and maximize their purchasing power. Each day, buyers are offered one deal. Deals are usually the best things to do, see, or eat in a particular city. If enough people register for the deal, buyers can snatch it up at a steep discount. However, if the minimum order requirement isn’t met, the deal is off. This reduces the risk for sellers, ensuring they don’t lose money by giving big discounts on small quantities. Some people are calling Groupon the next Google – and they might have a point. In less than two years, the company has grown from a small startup with six workers to a one-billion dollar behemoth with hundreds of employees.

Groupon是专为美国与加拿大当地市场量身订作的当日特价网站。它让个别买家能够一起揪团，使购买力大增。该网站每一天都会提供买家当日好康，通常都是在某一城市里最值得去作、看或吃的东西。如果某一特价品达到足够的注册人数，买家就能以低价狂扫商品。然而，如果未达最低注册人数之要求，交易则取消，使卖家不至因为在少量商品上给予廉价折扣而失去大把银子，因而减低卖家风险。有些人说Groupon是下一个Google，而他们的话也许极有道理。仅在短短两年之内，Groupon就从六名员工的小公司晋升为市值数十亿、拥有数百名员工的大公司。

Foursquare

Foursquare is a popular site that turns everyday trips and activities into a game. In less than a year, the site has attracted almost 725,000 users worldwide. Foursquare works by letting users update and share their current location with friends. In addition, users get digital badges and awards each time they check into a new venue. Although the point system is just for fun for the time being, in the future, having a high score may translate into real-world rewards.

Foursquare是个把每日行程与活动变成游戏的网站。不到一年内，该网站已吸引全球近乎725,000位使用者。Foursquare让用户把所在位置更新，并将其与朋友分享。此外，每次使用者在新地点报到时，他们可以拿到数字徽章与数字奖品。即使这个集点系统此时只是好玩用，但未来高分者也许能将分数换成实质奖品。

Vocabulary

单词发音

out of the loop 不知情 not having knowledge of or involvement in something

update [ˋʌpdet] n. 最新消息

tailor [ˋtelɚ] v. 根据特定需要制作…

purchase [ˋpɝtʃəs] v. 买，购买

register [ˋrɛdʒɪstɚ] v. 登记，注册

snatch [snætʃ] something up 攫夺；抓住 to collect or acquire as many of something as possible

discount [ˋdɪskaʊnt] n. 折扣

minimum [ˋmɪnəməm] adj. 最少的，最低的

requirement [rɪˋkwaɪrmənt] n. 要求；必要条件

ensure [ɪnˋʃʊr] v. 保证；确保

have a point 有道理 be correct

digital [ˋdɪdʒɪt!] adj. 数字的; 数位的

More Information

单词发音

breakneck [ˋbrek͵nɛk] adj. 非常危险的；极快的

on top of (things) 熟练掌握, 在...之上, 完全控制着 in control of a situation and aware of changes

steep [stip] adj. 过分的，夸张的; 急剧升降的

startup ['stɑrt'ʌp] n. 新兴公司

behemoth [bɪˋhiməθ] n. 巨大的东西; 巨兽

badge [bædʒ] n. 徽章

reward [rɪˋwɔrd] n. 报答；报偿；奖赏

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Chatroulette

If you’re looking for new social connections and feeling lucky, you may want to head to Chatroulette. This website pairs random strangers together for spontaneous webcam conversations. But don’t worry. If you get bored with the conversation, you can click a button and move on to another partner. Chatroulette was created by Andrey Ternovskiy, a 17-year-old high school student from Russia. Shortly after the site was launched, it was receiving 500 visitors each day. A month later, this number soared to 50,000 and it continues to rise.

如果你正找寻新的社交连结，而自认手气不错，你可能想前往Chatroulette。这个网站随机配对陌生人以进行实时视讯。但别担心，如果觉得对话很无聊，你可以按下按钮来与下一个搭档聊天。Chatroulette是由一位来自俄国的17岁高中生安德烈．特诺夫斯基建置。这个网站启用后不久，每日上站人数就高达500人，一个月后，人数激增至50,000人，且人数持续不断上升。

Facebook

And if it’s answers you want, your old friend Facebook has the perfect application for you. In July, it launched a new service called Facebook Questions. The service allows users to quickly tap into the vast knowledge base of the 500 million registered members on Facebook. And best of all, it’s easy to use. You simply click on the “Ask Question” button on your Facebook homepage. Next, type in your query and attach a photo or any other pertinent details that will help others to answer your question. You can even include a poll if you want to check the public’s opinion on a topic. Once you have submitted your question, get ready. Within minutes, you’ll start receiving responses from all over the world – probably more information than you’ll ever need.

而如果你想找寻答案，你的老朋友Facebook刚好有你所需要的应用程序。于今年七月推出的新服务──Facebook Questions──能让使用者立刻从五亿名Facebook注册者组成的广大知识库中求得答案。最棒的是，使用这项功能极为容易。你仅需点击Facebook首页的Ask Questions钮，之后输入你的问题、附上照片与其它能帮助别人回答问题的相关细节。如果你要了解别人对某主题的意见，也可加入投票功能。一旦你将问题提交出去，准备好，几分钟之内，你将会开始接到来自世界的响应，且得到的响应可能远超过你所需要的信息。

So, jump online and give these sites a try. With great discounts, location-based games, and plenty of random conversations available, you’ll have plenty to do. And if you have any questions, just ask Facebook.

所以赶快上线、并试试这些网站吧。网上的廉价折扣、定点为主的游戏、与许多随时可获得的随机性交谈，能让你有好多事做。如果你还有问题，问Facebook就好啦！

－by Jamie Blackler

Vocabulary

单词发音

random [ˋrændəm] adj. 随机的

spontaneous [spɑnˋtenɪəs] adj. 自发的; 自动的

launch [lɔntʃ] v. 开办；发起

soar [sor] v. 猛增；暴涨

application [͵æpləˋkeʃən] n. 应用软件; 应用程序

tap into 利用，开发 to take advantage of

vast [væst] adj. 广阔的，浩瀚的

query [ˋkwɪrɪ] n. 询问；疑问

pertinent [ˋpɝtnənt] adj. 有关的

submit [səbˋmɪt] v. 提交，呈递

give something a try 试试看

available [əˋveləb!] adj. 可用的

Reading Questions 

1.   Who would most likely benefit from using Groupon?

A.  Someone who wants to save money.

B.  Someone who wants to play a game.      

C.  Someone who needs the answer to a question.

D.  Someone who wants to chat with strangers.

2.   Which of the following is NOT true of Foursquare?

A.  It has been around for less than a year.

B.  It has over a million users.

C.  A user will be able to translate a high score into real-world rewards.

D.  It involves people’s real-world activities.

3.   According to the article, what happens on Chatroulette?

A.  People who don’t know each other chat.

B.  Friends share information with each other.

C.  Old friends keep in touch.

D.  Businesspeople share ideas.

4.   What is the main purpose of this article?

A.  To tell people what sites to avoid.

B.  To talk about Web safety.

C.  To share some great websites.

D.  To show people how to build websites.

Learn How Groupon Works!

Answer