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Fiber Optics Advances 光纤技术大跃进

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Intel’s new fiber-optic cables promise speed boost  英特尔最新研发的光纤电缆将大幅提升数据传输速度

Envisioning a data traffic jam looming as consumers shuttle increasing amounts of information among their home PCs, televisions and other gadgets, Intel plans to introduce new technology in a few months that could keep everything racing along for years.

由于消费者透过家用个人电脑、电视及其他小型电子装置之间往来传送的信息愈来愈大，英特尔预见到数据流通阻塞现象已然浮现，所以计划在几个月内推出新技术，可以让一切信息在多年内都能畅行无阻。

What is in development  研发成果

The California chip-maker says the Light Peak system it is developing with other companies would connect home electronic equipment with fiber-optic cables, which initially could send data at 10 gigabits per second, speedy enough to transfer a full-length Blu-ray movie from one gadget to another in about 30 seconds.

加州芯片制造商英特尔表示，该公司和其他公司合作开发的「光峰系统」可以将家用电子设备连接上光纤电缆，初期能以每秒一百亿位的速度传输数据，快到足以在约三十秒内传输完一部完整的蓝光电影。

That’s 20 times faster than is possible with the USB connectors ubiquitous on PCs today, and the company says a more advanced version of Light Peak that it eventually will offer would be able to transfer the same movie in just three seconds. Moreover, Intel says the fiber-optic system will allow laptops and other electronic gear to be made thinner, while enabling consumers to hook up their gadgets at much greater distances and without cluttering their homes with the confusing array of cable types and sizes they are forced to use now.

这个速度可是比时下个人电脑普遍使用的USB连接器的传输速度快上二十倍之多！英特尔还表示，该公司将推出更先进版本的「光峰系统」，最终可望在三秒内就将上述同样的蓝光电影传送完毕。此外，英特尔宣称，使用光纤系统，可以让笔记本电脑及其他电子设备变得更薄，同时也能让消费者隔着更远的距离来接通自己的电子装置，而不会再像现在这样，被迫使用一大堆弄不清楚种类及规格大小的缆线，让家中零乱不堪。

“Our goal and expectation is that it’s the beginning of a new generation” of cable connections, said Jason Ziller, an Intel director working on the concept. He added that the advantages the technology offers will be something “everybody is going to want and need over the next 10 to 20 years.”

「我们的目标与期望是开展新一代」的电缆线连接技术，英特尔负责研发此概念的主管杰森．齐勒说。他补充说，这个新技术带来的好处将是「未来十到二十年间，每个人都很想要也很需要的。」

Why there is a need for this  需求面

The impetus for Light Peak stems largely from the proliferation of electronic consumer products – from PCs, printers and scanners to smartphones, digital cameras and HDTVs. Because of the growing amount of video and other data being sent back and forth by these devices, the cables connecting them require faster and faster bandwidth. But Intel says today’s electrical cables are approaching speed limits due to electromagnetic interference, which can disrupt what’s being transmitted.

研发「光峰系统」的动机主要来自于消费性电子产品的大量问世──从个人电脑、打印机、扫描机到智能型手机、数字相机、高画质电视等等都是。由于利用这些配备互相传送的影片及其他数据的数量日益增加，所以用来连接这类配备的电缆带宽速度就必须愈来愈快才行。但根据英特尔的说法，由于电磁的干扰可能会中断信息的传输，所以今日电缆的速度已接近极限。

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envision [ɪnˋvɪʒən] v. 想象，展望

loom [lum] v. 隐约地出现

shuttle [ˋʃʌt!] n.（车辆、飞机等在两地间的）短程穿梭运行

race along 快速前进

gigabit [ˈɡiɡəbit] n. 千兆位 a measurement of information in a computer equal to one billion bits

hook up〔仪器的〕临时连接 to connect a mechanism and a source of power

proliferation [prə͵lɪfəˋreʃən] n.【生】增殖；激增；扩散

bandwidth [ˋbænd͵wɪdθ] n.【计算机】带宽; 【无】带宽 the amount of data that can be sent through a network in a given period of time

electromagnetic [ɪˋlɛktromægˋnɛtɪk] adj. 电磁（体）的 having magnetic and electrical parts

disrupt [dɪsˋrʌpt] v. 使混乱，使中断

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Because such interference often worsens as data is sent over longer distances, some cables now must be under 10 feet, which limits flexibility in hooking up gadgets. By contrast, fiber-optic cables are unhindered by electromagnetic interference, allowing those used in homes to be stretched more than 300 feet.

由于数据传送的距离较远时，电磁干扰往往更形严重，所以有些电缆的长度如今就必须限制在十呎以下，也使得连接电子装置的弹性受到局限。相反地，光纤电缆不会受到电磁干扰所影响，所以在家中使用可以延伸到超过三百呎也没问题。

Fiber-optic cables and their connectors also can be made extremely thin. Intel says that would let companies make much skinnier laptops or other gizmos that currently can’t be reduced because of the size of their cable connectors.

光纤电缆及其连接器还可望变得超薄；英特尔表示，厂商因此可以制造更轻薄的笔记本电脑或其他小机件，而目前无法做到的原因是因为受限于电缆连接器的体积大小所致。

A single Light Peak cable in some cases could do the job of several cables in use today, eliminating what has become a bewildering jumble of cable types.

在某些情况下，单单一条「光峰」电缆就可以取代今日好几条电缆的功能，可以避免一堆杂乱无章的电缆线缠在一起的混乱现象。

Their challenge  面临的挑战

But to generate significant business, Light Peak would have to be adopted by companies that make computers, printers and other gadgets, because those machines would have to be built to accommodate the fiber-optic connections. Ziller acknowledged that it could take several years for the concept to win widespread acceptance, but he said some devices incorporating Light Peak will be on the market next year.

然而，「光峰系统」如要产生实质商机，也需要那些制造电脑、打印机及其他电子装置的厂商愿意采用，才能让这些机器配置光纤连接功能。齐勒承认，可能要花上好几年的时间，才能让这个概念被广泛接纳，不过他也表示，有些纳入「光峰系统」的设备明年就会上市了。

Ziller was vague about how much the fiber-optic cables might cost, saying only that the price would exceed that for existing cables. That makes some analysts question how well Light Peak would sell, since they say most consumers might not need its blinding speed.

齐勒对光纤电缆的价格含糊其词，仅说会比目前电缆线的价钱高。这也让一些分析师质疑「光峰系统」的销路，因为他们认为大多数消费者可能不需要这么炫的速度。

That may be true now, but home gadgets are sure to require increasing bandwidth in the future, said Martin Reynolds of the research firm Gartner. Also, if gadgets inside homes get linked with fiber-optic cable, he said, Internet service companies would be encouraged to link those homes to the web via fiber, which would result in even quicker downloads and uploads.

顾能市场研究公司的马丁．雷诺表示，这个看法目前可能是对的，但家用装置未来的确会需要更大的带宽；而且如果家用装置能与光纤电缆连接，网络服务公司就会倾向于透过光纤来让那些家庭连接上网，结果将能以更快的速度下载与上传信息。

−by Steve Johnson

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skinny [ˋskɪnɪ] adj. 极瘦的

gizmo [`gɪzmo] n.【非正式】小玩意儿; 小东西; 小发明 any small device with a particular purpose

jumble [ˋdʒʌmb!] n. 混乱；杂乱的一堆

accommodate [əˋkɑmə͵det] v. 能容纳; 使适应；使相符

vague [veg] adj. 含糊的﹐不明确的﹐不清楚的

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gadget [ˋgædʒɪt] n. 小巧﹐设计精巧的机械[装置 a small device or machine with a particular purpose

clutter [ˋklʌtɚ] v. 使凌乱；乱堆在，塞满 to fill something in an untidy or badly organized way

impetus [ˋɪmpətəs] n. 推动; 促进; 推动力; 刺激 something which encourages a particular activity or make that activity more energetic or effective

unhindered [ʌnˋhɪndɚd] adj. 未受阻挠的；未受妨碍的 not limiting the development of something

bewildering [bɪ`wɪldərɪŋ] adj. 令人困惑的, 使人混乱的 confusing and difficult to understand

incorporate [ɪnˋkɔrpə͵ret] v. 把〔某物〕并入﹐包含 to include something as part of something larger

blinding [ˋblaɪndɪŋ] adj. （痛苦）强烈的，巨大的 extremely bright

Intel Light Peak Interconnect Technology Update