Diarmuid: Hi everybody and welcome to Authentic Real English from the BBC. I'm Diarmuid. 大家好，歡迎做客BBC地道英語節目。我是圣保羅。

Feifei: And I'm Feifei. 我是菲菲。

(Typing sounds)

Feifei: Diarmuid 今天又拿來的一個新玩意兒！What's that gadget you are playing with Diarmuid? 圣保羅，你在玩什么小玩意？

Diarmuid: It's my latest toy—a netbook. 我最新的玩具——一個上網本。

Feifei: A netbook? 一個上網本？

Diarmuid: Yes a netbook. N.E.T.B.O.O.K. It's like a laptop computer only even smaller. 是的，一個上網本。它比手提電腦還要小一點。

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. 這個問題問得很好。我認為是因為不同品牌的電腦有不同的名字。

Feifei: And those names can be different between Britain and America, can't they? 并且這些名字在英國和美國也有不同的名字，對嗎？

Diarmuid: To an extent, yes. For example, in British English we use the word laptop. 在一定程度上，是的。比如，在英式英語中我們用laptop。

Feifei: Laptop 筆記本電腦。

Diarmuid: But in American English they call the same thing a notebook. 但是在美國我們用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. 所以我認為上網本是英特網和筆記本的合成詞。

Example

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A: Did you buy anything in the January sales? 你在一月大降價的時候買什么東西了嗎？

B: Yes, I bought a little netbook computer. It's really handy. 是的，我買了一個小巧的上網本。它非常地便于攜帶。

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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不必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 emails—things like that. 我常用這個用來上網和查看郵件——還有一些類似的事。

Feifei: It's incredible how small computers are these days, isn't it? 真是無法想電腦這么小巧。

Diarmuid: It certainly is and it looks like we will soon see more tablet computers too. 它的確很輕便，它看上去更像平板電腦。

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! 這個和我從小用到大的電腦很不相同，它有3K的內存和能儲存文件的磁帶放音機。

Feifei: You're getting old, Diarmuid. 你長大了，圣保羅。

Diarmuid: I suppose so. And on that depressing note it's time for us to go. 我也這么覺得。時代在向前發展。