The Internet

The first working computers in the 1950s and 1960s were large mainframe machines.

In some ways, they were like large calculating machines.

The U.S. government, the military and businesses and institutions used them for specific tasks.

For example, they might be used to handle the payroll.

As more uses were found for computers, the need to transfer data from one computer to another became a concern.

In 1969, the U.S. government sponsored a program to explore ways for computers to transfer data over telephone lines.

The first Internet was created with four computers linked together.

Of course,computer use increased beyond anyone's expectations.

Standards were developed that describe how data was to be transferred between computers.

A common language for commands and communications emerged.

Operating programs such as MS-DOS, UNIX, Macintosh and Windows came into existence.

The Internet quickly expanded beyond government and military uses.

Private agencies acted as hosts for Internet usage.

Around 1982, there were 213 hosts; by 1986, there were 2,300; today, there are millions.

The role of computers expanded so quickly that the U.S.S.R., which had discouraged computer use, found itself left behind by the U.S.A.

Part of the reason for the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 was that they had fallen too far behind the United States in high tech areas to ever catch up.

One of the most popular uses of the computer is electronic mail, or e-mail.

You can send a letter by computer over the Internet to anywhere in the world in seconds or less.

Now data can be transferred great distances almost instantaneously.

Another major Internet use is the World Wide Web.

In the 1990s, it became possible to make web pages interactive and multi-media.

Interactive means that readers could click on items on the web page and get more information.

They could also communicate directly with the web-page owner.

They could also have graphics, film/video, and audio.

This has helped to turn computers into popular entertainment.

However,there are some problems.

Many businesses are trying to control employees using the net during working hours.

Since the Internet includes just about every kind of information, not all of it is good.

You can find directions on how to be a criminal or a terrorist.

There are also aggressive, pornography salesmen, not to mention people who want to kill your computer with viruses.

Since the Internet is not closely regulated, it is up to individual users to follow computer etiquette.

Parents need to supervise their children's use of the net.

Although the Internet has some disadvantages many people see the net as one of the greatest inventions of modern times.

翻译

互联网

20世纪50年代和60年代的第一台计算机是大型主机。
在某些方面，它们就像大型计算机。
美国政府、军方、企业和机构使用它们来完成特定任务。
例如，它们可能用于处理工资单。
随着人们发现计算机的用途越来越多，需要将数据从一台计算机传输到另一台计算机就成了一个问题。
1969年，美国政府资助了一个项目，探索计算机通过电话线传输数据的方法。
第一个互联网是由四台计算机连接在一起创建的。
当然，电脑使用的增长超出了任何人的预期。
人们制定了标准来描述如何在计算机之间传输数据。
一种用于命令和通信的通用语言出现了。
MS-DOS、UNIX、Macintosh、Windows等操作程序应运而生。
互联网迅速扩展到政府和军事用途之外。
私人机构充当互联网使用的主机。
1982年前后，共有213个服务器;到1986年，有2300个;今天，有数百万人。
计算机的作用扩展得如此之快，以至于不鼓励使用计算机的苏联发现自己被美国甩在了后面。
1989年苏联解体的部分原因是，他们在高科技领域远远落后于美国，永远无法赶上。
电子邮件是计算机最常用的用途之一。
你可以用电脑通过互联网在几秒钟或更短的时间内把信寄到世界上的任何地方。
现在数据几乎可以瞬间传输到很远的地方。
互联网的另一个主要用途是万维网。
在20世纪90年代，网页的交互性和多媒体化已经成为可能。
互动性意味着读者可以点击网页上的项目并获得更多信息。
他们也可以直接与网页所有者沟通。
它们也可以有图像、电影/视频和音频。
这有助于将电脑变成流行的娱乐。
然而，也存在一些问题。
许多企业正试图控制员工在工作时间上网。
由于互联网包含了几乎所有种类的信息，所以并不是所有的信息都是好的。
你可以找到如何成为罪犯或恐怖分子的指南。
还有一些咄咄逼人的色情推销员，更不用说那些想用病毒杀死你电脑的人了。
由于互联网没有受到严格的监管，个人用户是否遵守电脑礼仪取决于自己。
父母需要监督他们的孩子使用网络。
虽然互联网有一些缺点，但许多人认为网络是现代最伟大的发明之一。