Directions: Read the following text carefully and then translate
the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written neatly
on ANSWER SHEET 2.
Once the exclusive domain of executives with expense accounts,
mobile phones are set to become one of the central technologies of the 21st
century. (46) Within a few years, the mobile phone will evolve from a
voice-only device to a multi-functional communicator capable of transmitting and
receiving not only sound, but video, still images, data and text. A whole
new era of personal communication is on the way. Thanks in part
to the growth of wireless networks, the telephone is converging with the
personal computer and the television. (47) Soon light-weight phones outfitted
with high resolution screens--which can be embedded in everything from
wristwatches to palm-held units will be connected to series of low orbit
satellites enabling people to talk, send and receive E-mail, or take part in
video conferences anytime, anywhere. These phones might also absorb many of
the key functions of the desktop computer. Mobile devices are expected to be
ideal for some of the new personalized services that are becoming available via
the Internet. The communications revolution is already taking
shape around the globe. In Europe, mall-scale trials are under way using mobile
phones for electronic commerce. For example, most phones contain a subscriber
identification module (SIM) card that serves primarily to identify a user to the
phone network. Some manufacturers plan to upgrade the SIM card to an all-in-one
personal identification and credit card. Another approach is to add a slot to
mobile phones for a second smart card designed specifically for mobile
ecommerce. (48) These cards could be used to make payments over the Internet
or removed from the phone for use in point of-sale terminals to pay for things
like public transportation, movie tickets or a round of drinks at the bar.
In France, Motorola is currently testing a dual slot phone,
the Star TACD, in a trial with France Telecom while in Finland Nokia is testing
a phone that uses a special plug in reader for a tiny smart card. Siemens is
pursuing a different approach. (49) Since it is not very clear whether
it’s best to do everything with a single device, Siemens is developing dual slot
phones and Einstein, a device equipped with a smart card reader and keypad that
can be linked to the phone via infrared wireless technology.
(50) For those who want to, though, it will be possible to receive
almost all forms of electronic communication through a single device, most
likely a three-in-one phone that serves as a cordless at home, a cell phone on
the road and an intercom at work. "The mobile phone will become increasingly
multifunctional," says Burghardt Schallenberger, vice president for technology
and innovation at Siemens Information and Consumer Products.