BBC · 6分钟 | The Outernet

BBC · 6 Minute Englishh 

转发、点赞、阅读底部推广，支持平台发展。

Access to information that's out of this world

The idea of delivering information via the internet to every person on the planet is has become a major priority for some of the biggest tech firms.

One idea is the Outernet. Neil and Catherine discuss this new system that aims to provide a library of knowledge for poor and remote communities – beamed down to Earth via satellite. They also explain some related vocabulary.

Remember to subscribe to the !

This week's question

What proportion of the world’s population still has no internet access? Is it…

a) a quarter?
b) half?
c) two thirds?

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=v0156d029a2&width=500&height=375&auto=0

Neil
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil...

Catherine
...and I'm Catherine. Hello.

Neil
Hello, Catherine! Now, how was your holiday?

Catherine
My holiday was lovely, Neil. I was staying on a beautiful island. It was veryremote and there was actually no internet access. So, I did feel quite cut off actually.

Neil
And cut off means isolated. How did you survive, Catherine?

Catherine
Well, it wasn’t easy. But I had my e-reader - that's an electronicdevice which lets you store and read lots of books from the internet. And Iread a lot of Harry Potter...

Neil
Harry Potter? I know you like wizards, Catherine, but shouldn't you havedownloaded some classic literature? How about Shakespeare’s The Tempest? That'sgot a wizard in it too.

Catherine
Well, yes indeed. But Shakespeare on the beach isn't quite right for me, Neil.

Neil
Right. Well, today we're talking about how the poorer and more remote -or distant - parts of the world can get access to learning.

Catherine
That's right. But before we start, Neil, I believe you have a quiz question forus.

Neil
Yes, I do. I would like to know what the proportion of the world's populationthat still has no internet access is. Is it...

a) a quarter?
b) half?
or c) two thirds?

Catherine
I'm going to go for c) two thirds.

Neil
Well, we'll find out if you're right or wrong later on in the programme. SoCatherine, how can these people get connected to the internet and startsurfing?

Catherine
By using the Outernet.

Neil
The Outer what?

Catherine
The Outernet. That's the idea of entrepreneur Syed Karim and its goal is to givepeople in unconnected communities access to information without having to useexpensive mobile phones or two-way satellite networks.

Neil
I see. And an entrepreneur, by the way, is a person who makes money bystarting their own business that typically involves some financial risk.

Catherine
Yes, I've always fancied myself as a bit of an entrepreneur.

Neil
Well, you'll need money and ideas, Catherine. Have you got either of those?

Catherine
I've got ideas.

Neil
Right. OK. I get it.

Catherine
So, can you tell us how the Outernet works, Neil?

Neil
Yes, I can. The Outernet uses existing communications satellites to store andbroadcast data -broadcast means to send out signals or programmes.Special equipment on the ground picks up - or receives - the data, andthis can be copied to phones and computers.

Catherine
But the Outernet broadcasts data offline - which means it's notconnected to the Internet. There's no communication with the internet for user- so, no emails, no chat forums. And that can be a bigdrawback - ordisadvantage.

Neil
Yes. The Outernet doesn't provide two-way communication. But let's hear SyedKarim discussing why one-way access has some advantages. And see if you canspot another word meaning 'two-way'.

INSERT
Syed Karim, business entrepreneur
Anything that is related to bi-directional communications, the internet, to beable to provide that to the entire world, those are billion dollar projects,multi-billion dollar projects with huge time horizons and enormous complexity.And, you know, our solution that we are offering is instantaneous, I mean, itexists right now.

Neil
Did you get it? Another way of saying two-way is bi-directional. So whatare the advantages ofone-way communication, Catherine?

Catherine
It's significantly cheaper. Bi-directional communications are multi-billiondollar projects. But the Outernet allows poorer communities to benefit fromaccess to information.

Neil
Yes, it does. And the other big problem is the time it would take to establishtwo-way access. Syed says these projects have huge time horizons - andthis means the length of time it takes to complete a project - they're huge, sovery big.

Catherine
But the Outernet is already providing access to some of the world's mostvaluable knowledge.

Neil
That's right. The project aims to create a library of information taken fromwebsites including Wikipedia and Project Gutenberg, which is a collection ofcopyright-free e-books. Copyright-freemeans the right to use materialwithout paying any fees.

Catherine
That sounds good. But let's go back to the internet and hear from a BBCreporter talking about another project which aims to get people connected.

INSERT
BBC reporter
Google for example is working on Project Loon, a network of high-altitudehelium balloons, which will boost Internet connections across much wider areasbeyond coverage from conventional masts.

Neil
It's called Project Loon - meaning crazy - because Google thought it wassuch a crazy idea, and loon sounds like balloon!

Catherine
Yeah. The idea is that users will connect to the balloon network - orgroup of interconnected balloons - using an antenna attached to their building.The signal travels through the balloon network from balloon to balloon, andthen to a station on the ground that's connected to the Internet.

Neil
The balloons will boost - or increase - the number of people who will beable to access the Internet.

Catherine
Yes, it will. And that's because there will be lots of them - compared to thenumber of masts - or tall metal towers that send and receive signals -that are currently used.

Neil
OK, let's have the answer to the quiz question I asked: What proportion of theworld's population still has no internet access? Is it ... a) a quarter? b)half? or c) two thirds?

Catherine
And I said c) two thirds.

Neil
And you were right! The answer is two thirds. Well done, Catherine.

Catherine
Thank you.

Neil
Now just time to listen to today's words once again. Catherine.

Catherine
OK. We heard:

• e-reader
  an electronic device which you can store and read books from the internet

• remote
  a long way from towns and cities

• entrepreneur
  a person who makes money by startingtheir own business that typically involves some financial risk

• broadcast
  send out electronic signals or programmes

• picksup
  receives

• drawback
  disadvantage

• bi-directional
  two-way / going in both directions

• one-way

going in onedirection

• timehorizons
  the length of time it takes to complete something

• copyright-free
  the right to use other people's material or work without paying any fees

• balloonnetwork
  group of interconnected balloons

• boost
  increase

• masts
  tall metal towers that send and receive signals

Neil
Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English. I hope you enjoyed connectingwith us today! Please join us again soon.

Both
Bye.