【原版杂志阅读】Day 16：《The economist》Cyber-security

Day 16:Cyber-security

讲义

Cyber-security

The internet of stings

An electronic tsunami crashes down on a solitary journalist

TO A layman, the phrase “Internet of Things” (IoT) probably conjures up a half-fantastic future in which refrigerators monitor their own contents and send orders direct to the grocer when the butter is running out, while tired commuters order baths to be drawn automatically using their smartphones as they approach their houses in their self-driving cars. Actually, though, a version of the IoT is already here. Wi-Fi hubs, smart televisions, digital video-recorders and the like are all part of a network of devices run by microprocessors that, just as much as desktop, laptop and tablet computers, form part of the internet—but with one crucial distinction. Unlike things immediately recognisable as computers, these devices are often designed with poor security, or even none at all. They are wide open to malicious hackers who might wish to misuse them. And there are already around 5 billion of them, according to Cisco, the world’s largest computer-networking company, with billions more to come in the years ahead.

One favourite trick of such hackers is the distributed denial of service attack, or DDoS. This temporarily enslaves a number of internet-enabled devices into an arrangement known as a botnet, and then directs this net to send simultaneous requests for attention to a single machine or cluster of machines, thus overwhelming it and making it unusable. Such attacks may be carried out by organised criminals, to hold a firm to ransom; by cyber-savvy countries, as a tool of low-level warfare—or, as in the case of one of the latest attacks, for revenge.

一、 词汇部分

1.solitary /ˈsɑː.lə.ter.i/ adj. 单独的

英文释义：A solitary person or thing is the only person or thing in a place:

• 词汇助记：

1）词根：sol- 单独；

2）词根：-it 走

3）后缀：-ary 形容词后缀

4）扩展：solar 太阳的（solar system/energy）

5）扩展：solitude n.孤独

2.crucial distinction n. 关键区别

• 词汇助记：

1）词根：cruc- 十字，交叉

2）词根：stinct- 刺

3）扩展：instinct 本能

3.malicious /məˈlɪʃ.əs/ adj. 恶意的

英文释义：intended to cause damage to a computer system, or to steal private information from a computer system;

• 词汇助记：

1)前缀：mal- 坏

2)后缀：ice 名词后缀： 

3)后缀：-ous 形容词后缀

4.simultaneous /ˌsaɪ.məlˈteɪ.ni.əs/ adj.同时的

英文释义：happening or being done at exactly the same time:

• 词汇助记：

1）词根:simul- 相同，类似

2）词素：tane- 表示time 时间

3）后缀：-ous 形容词后缀

5. revenge  /rɪˈvendʒ/ n. 复仇

英文释义： harm done to someone as a punishment for harm that they have done to someone else:

• 词汇助记：

1）前缀：re-往回

2）词根：venge- 惩罚

3）扩展：vengeful adj. 复仇心重的

二、 句子理解

1. Wi-Fi hubs, smart televisions, digital video-recorders and the like are all part of a network of devices run by microprocessors that, just as much as desktop, laptop and tablet computers, form part of the internet—but with one crucial distinction.

1）知识点－后置定语

概念：形容词后置

结构：名词 ＋ 过去分词

原句：Wi-Fi hubs, smart televisions, digital video-recorders and the like are all part of a network of devices run by microprocessors

2）知识点－插入语部分

并列结构，并列成分在最后一个并列成分前加and

分析时候：暂时去掉

原句：just as much as desktop, laptop and tablet computers

3）知识点－定语从句

结构条件1：名词 ＋ that

结构条件2:  that 在后面从句做主语或者宾语。

原句：part of a network of devices （穿插一个后置定语） that form part of the internet

参考翻译：WiFi集线器，智能电视，数字录像机等已经构成一个由微处理器运行的设备网络，道理就跟台式电脑、笔记本和平板电脑是互联网的部分组件一样。但两者存在一个关键的区别

2. And there are already around 5 billion of them, according to Cisco, the world’s largest computer-networking company, with billions more to come in the years ahead.

语法复习

1）知识点－同位语

Cisco, the world’s largest computer-networking company

2）知识点－with 复合结构（with + 名词／代词 ＋ to do ）

with billions more to come in the years ahead.

参考翻译：据全球最大的计算机网络公司思科估算，现在已有约50亿此类设备，未来几年还会数以10亿地增长。

三、 段落参考翻译

对外行人来说，“物联网（IoT）一词大概会使人联想到一半梦幻的未来；电冰箱能监控其中存储的视频，在晃悠差不多用完时会直接像杂货商发送订单；乘坐自动驾驶汽车的疲惫上班族快到家门口时用智能手机发出命令，家中浴缸便会自动放水备用。而在现实中，物联网的一个版本已经存在。WiFi集线器，智能电视，数字录像机等已经构成一个由微处理器运行的设备网络，道理就跟台式电脑、笔记本和平板电脑是互联网的部分组件一样。但两者存在一个关键的区别，不像被明确定义为计算机的电脑，物联网设备本身设计的安全性较差，甚至毫无安全性可言。而对有心利用漏洞的恶意黑客来说，这些设备简直是大开方便之门。据全球最大的计算机网络公司思科估算，现在已有约50亿此类设备，未来几年还会数以10亿地增长。

黑客最管用的一个伎俩是分布式拒绝服务攻击（简称DDoS）,即入侵多个互联网设备使之暂时成为僵尸网络，然后操纵该网络向目标单机或计算机群发送同步请求，使其不胜负荷，以致瘫痪。这类攻击可能是有组织犯罪分子为了向公司所要赎金，抑或可能是网络技术发达的国家把这类攻击当做是一种级别级的战争，或是想最近的几次网络攻击一样，是为了报复复仇。