Ringing in a New Era: The First Cellphone Call
#數位·科技·科學 #人物
4/3 解析英語
作者 Marcus Maurice
閱讀時間 4分鐘
聽講解 聽朗讀
本圖文出處:
https://www.ivy.com.tw/newsLetter/analysis_cont/2023121413082583267
MP3:
首次手機通話 劃下通訊史重要的一「話」Ringing in a New Era: The First Cellphone Call
1973 年四月三日，馬丁．庫柏的聲音迴盪在紐約市的街道上。
目錄 / More to Learn / 中文翻譯(& 答案)
歷史迴廊
On April 3, 1973, Martin Cooper’s voice echoed through the streets of New York City. This marked the birth of a new era in communication with the first-ever cellphone call. Cooper held a device the size of a brick. He called his rival, Bell Labs’ Joel Engel, to declare that his Motorola team had built a functional, portable phone. Before the first call, Motorola and Bell Labs were racing to build a cellphone. The intense rivalry fueled mobile communication advancements.
After the first cellphone call, it still took another decade for personal cellphones to reach consumers’ hands. Production challenges and government regulations delayed the devices’ arrival to the public market. The first cellphones to hit the market allowed for conversations of 30 minutes but required a 10-hour recharge period. They cost US$3,900, measured about a foot long, and weighed around two to three pounds. The bulkiness and expense of these early phones kept them from widespread use. However, as technology progressed, mobile phones became lighter and more affordable. These days, cellphones have become an essential part of many people’s lives.
Cooper, who is now 95 years old, knew back in the 1970s that cellphones would affect just about everyone. He said in an interview that he and his team used to joke that someday, phone numbers would be assigned at birth and missed calls would come with deadly consequences. Their predictions hinted at how important their invention would become. The first cellphone call ushered in a new age of communication, one that would connect us in ways we never imagined.
What Did You Learn ?
What was the purpose behind Martin Cooper’s historic call?
What slowed down the process of bringing the first cellphone to the public?
單字片語整理
Words in Use
●
communication [kə͵mjunəˋkeʃən]
n. 聯絡，通訊；傳播，傳播學（恆用複數）
●
widespread [ˋwaɪd͵sprɛd]
a. 普遍的；廣泛的
●
assign [əˋsaɪn]
vt. 分配，分派
●
consequence [ˋkɑnsə͵kwɛns]
n. 結果；重要性（= importance）
●
intense [ɪnˋtɛns]
a. 強烈的
●
consumer [kənˋsjumɚ]
n. 消費者
●
regulation [͵rɛgjəˋleʃən]
n. 規定，法規
●
prediction [prɪˋdɪkʃən]
n. 預測
●
era [ˋɪrə]
n. 年代，時代
●
functional [ˋfʌŋkʃən!]
a. 功用的；實用的
●
portable [ˋportəb!]
a. 可攜帶的，手提的
●
rival [ˋraɪv!]
a. 競爭的
n. 競爭者，對手
vt. 與......匹敵
●
fuel [ˋfjʊəl]
vt. 激起（憤怒等）
n. 燃料
vi. & vt. 填加燃料
●
rivalry [ˋraɪv!rɪ]
n. 競爭
●
usher [ˋʌʃɚ]
n. . 帶路的人，引座員
vt. 帶路
●
hint [hɪnt]
vt. & n. & vi. 暗示
●
echo [ˋɛko]
vt. 重複
n. 回音
●
affordable [əˋfɔrdəb!]
a. 負擔得起的
●
recharge [riˋtʃɑrdʒ]
n. 充電
●
bulkiness [ˋbʌlkɪnɪs]
n. 厚重
Practical Phrases
●
at birth 出生時
My sister’s son weighed 3,000 grams at birth.
我妹妹的兒子出生時重達 3 千公克。
●
usher in... 帶來了（革命、新時代等）
The invention of the copy machine ushered in a
revolution in the printing industry.
影印機的發明帶來了印刷業的革新。
●
allow for 使⋯⋯發生／成為可能
The design of the system allows for secure transactions.
那個系統的設計使得交易能夠安全地進行。
●
hint at... 暗示／示意著⋯⋯
The general manager hinted at the possibility of opening a new branch next summer.
總經理暗示來年夏天開設新分公司的可能性。
●
hit the market 上市
The brand announced that its new product would hit the market in May.
該品牌宣布新產品將於五月上市。
More to Learn
ring in... 迎接⋯⋯
• Friends and family come together to ring in birthdays with joy.
親朋好友齊聚一堂快樂迎接生日。
以下介紹與動詞 ring 搭配的片語：
a. ring in one’s ears / head 在耳邊／腦海迴盪
• After the concert, the music continued to ring in my ears.
演唱會過後，音樂仍持續在我耳邊迴盪。
• The song was catchy and rang in my head for the entire day.
那首歌很洗腦，一整天在我的腦海迴盪。
b. ring a bell 有印象
• Mike’s face doesn’t ring a bell. I don’t think I’ve met him before.
我對麥克的臉沒印象。我不認為之前有見過他。
c. ring off the hook （電話）響個不停
• A lot of customers called for reservations, so the phone rang off the hook.
許多顧客打來預約，所以電話響個不停。
d. ring true / hollow 似乎是真的／假的
• Patricia’s apology didn’t ring true; it felt insincere.
派翠莎的道歉應該不是真心的；感覺不真誠。
• Sid’s promise seems to ring hollow due to his lack of actions.
席德的承諾可能是假的，因為他沒採取任何行動。
e. ring with... 迴盪著⋯⋯的聲音
• The theater rang with laughter during the comedy show.
喜劇表演進行時，劇場迴盪著笑聲。
中文翻譯(& 答案)
1973 年四月三日，馬丁．庫柏的聲音迴盪在紐約市的街道上。伴隨著首次手機通話，這標誌著通訊新時代的誕生。庫柏拿著一部磚塊大小的裝置。他打給競爭對手貝爾實驗室的喬爾．恩格爾，宣稱他的摩托羅拉團隊已經打造出一款可正常運作的攜帶型電話。在首次通話之前，摩托羅拉和貝爾實驗室在手機製造方面競爭著。這場激烈的競爭推動了行動通訊的進步。
首次手機通話後，個人手機又過了十年才到消費者手中。在生產上面臨的挑戰和政府法規延後了這些裝置上市的時間。第一批發售的手機可以通話三十分鐘，但需要充電十小時。其售價為三千九百美元，長約一英尺、重約兩到三磅。這些古早手機的厚重和費用導致手機無法被廣泛使用。然而，隨著科技的進步，手機變得更輕、價格較能負擔得起。如今，手機已經成為許多人生活中不可或缺的一部分。
現年九十五歲的庫柏早在 1970 年代就知道手機會影響幾乎每個人。他在接受採訪時表示，他和他的團隊曾經開玩笑說，有一天人們出生時就會被分配電話號碼，且漏接電話會帶來致命的後果。他們的預測暗示了他們的發明會變得多麼重要。首次手機通話開創了通訊新時代，這個時代以我們從未想過的方式將我們連結起來。
參考答案:
1. To tell his rival that his (Motorola) team had built a functional, portable phone.
2. Production challenges and government regulations.
