Dialogue—Authentic Real English

Netbook上網本

Diarmuid: Hi, everybody and welcome to Authentic Real English from the BBC. I’m Diarmuid.

Feifei: And I’m Feifei.

(Typing sounds)

Feifei: Diarmuid今天又拿來一個新玩意兒！What’s that gadget you are playing with, Diarmuid?

Diarmuid: It’s my latest toy—a netbook.

Feifei: A netbook?

Diarmuid: Yes, a netbook. N.E.T.B.O.O.K. It’s like a laptop computer only even smaller.

Feifei: What a cute little computer! 這個筆記本電腦比一般的要小一些，主要是來滿足一般的上網功能，也就是我們現在常說的上網本。I like your netbook, but I have a question about the name. Why is a computer called a book?

Diarmuid: That’s a very good question. I suppose it’s because there are lots of names for different types of computers.

Feifei: And those names can be different between Britain and America, can’t they?

Diarmuid: To an extent, yes. For example, in British English we use the word laptop.

Feifei: Laptop筆記本電腦。

Diarmuid: But in American English they call the same thing a notebook.

Feifei: Notebook美式英語中的筆記本電腦。英國人通常用laptop, 而美國人會說notebook.

Diarmuid: So I think that the name “netbook” is a mix of two words—internet and notebook.

Example

A: Did you buy anything in the January sales?

B: Yes, I bought a little netbook computer. It’s really handy.

Feifei: So a netbook then is a small computer that is used mostly for surfing the internet. 因為上網本很小，所以它所能提供給我們的功能也就比不上臺式機和筆記本電腦了，那么大家也就用它上上網罷了。

Diarmuid: I use it mostly for surfing the web and checking E-mail—things like that.

Feifei: It’s incredible how small computers are these days, isn’t it?

Diarmuid: It certainly is and it looks like we will soon see more tablet computers, too.

Feifei: Tablet computers平板電腦。這種電腦使用的是最新的觸摸屏技術touch-screen technology.

Diarmuid: It’s all very different from the computers I grew up with—3k of RAM and a tape player for saving files!

Feifei: You’re getting old, Diarmuid.

Diarmuid: I suppose so. And on that depressing note it’s time for us to go.

Feifei: Bye for now.

Diarmuid: Goodbye.