乔布斯传(MP3+中英字幕) 第55期:计算机俱乐部(3)
日期:2015-05-13 15:40

(单词翻译:单击)

听力文本
This was not an outlook that Bill Gates embraced.
但比尔·盖茨不是这么想的。
After he and Paul Allen had completed their BASIC interpreter for the Altair,
他和保罗·艾伦完成了阿尔泰电脑的BASIC语言编译器后,
Gates was appalled that members of the Homebrew were making copies of it and sharing it without paying him.
家酿计算机俱乐部的成员复制了该编译器并且在没有付费给他的情况下相互分享,这让盖茨很是没料到。
So he wrote what would become a famous letter to the club:
于是他绘俱乐部写了那封著名的信:
"As the majority of hobbyists must be aware, most of you steal your software.
“请大多数业余爱好者们意识到,你们的软件都是偷来的。
Is this fair? . . .
这公平吗?……
One thing you do is prevent good software from being written.
你们这样做只会让别人不再愿意编写好的软件。
Who can afford to do professional work for nothing?
谁能承受得起无偿进行专业的工作?
I would appreciate letters from anyone who wants to pay up."
如果有谁愿意付钱的话,给我来信,我会很感激
Steve Jobs, similarly, did not embrace the notion that Wozniak's creations, be it a Blue Box or a computer, wanted to be free.
与盖茨类似,史蒂夫·乔布斯也不希望沃兹尼亚克的发明--不管是蓝盒子还是电脑--是免费的。
So he convinced Wozniak to stop giving away copies of his schematics.
所以他说服了沃兹,让他不要再免费送出他的设计原理图。
Most people didn't have time to build it themselves anyway, Jobs argued.
反正大多数人也没时间来自己搭一台电脑,这是乔布斯的理由。
"Why don't we build and sell printed circuit boards to them?"
“我们为什么不做好印刷电路板然后卖给他们呢?”
It was an example of their symbiosis.
这就是他们合作关系的一个写照。
"Every time I'd design something great, Steve would find a way to make money for us," said Wozniak.
“每次我设计出一样很棒的东西,史蒂夫就会找到办法为我们赚到钱。” 沃兹说。
Wozniak admitted that he would have never thought of doing that on his own.
他承认,他自己绝不会有赚钱的想法。
"It never crossed my mind to sell computers.
“我心里从没有想过要卖电脑,”
It was Steve who said, 'Let's hold them in the air and sell a few.'"
沃兹回忆道,“是史蒂夫说的,我们把这些拿出来给大家看看,卖出去一些。”
Jobs worked out a plan to pay a guy he knew at Atari to draw the circuit boards and then print up fifty or so.
乔布斯想到了一个计划,付钱给雅达利公司的一个熟人,让他帮忙绘制电路板,然后制作50张左右。
That would cost about $1,000, plus the fee to the designer.
这样的花费是1000美元上下,还要加上给设计者的酬劳。
They could sell them for $40 apiece and perhaps clear a profit of $700.
他们可以把每块电路板卖40美元,这样的话利润大概是700美元。
Wozniak was dubious that they could sell them all.
沃兹不相信他们能把电路板都卖掉。
"I didn't see how we would make our money back," he recalled.
“我甚至看不出怎么收回成本。”他回忆说。
He was already in trouble with his landlord for bouncing checks and now had to pay each month in cash.
因为银行拒付他的支票,他已经惹恼了房东,现在每个月只能用现金付房租。
Jobs knew how to appeal to Wozniak.
乔布斯知道怎样说服沃兹。
He didn't argue that they were sure to make money, but instead that they would have a fun adventure.
他没有争辩说他们一定能赚钱,而是说这一定会是一次有趣的经历。
"Even if we lose our money, we'll have a company," said Jobs as they were driving in his Volkswagen bus.
“即使我们赔了钱,我们也能拥有一家公司,” 乔布斯说,当时他们正开着他的大众汽车转悠,
"For once in our lives, we'll have a company."
“在我们的一生中,至少有这么一次,我们会拥有一家公司。”
This was enticing to Wozniak, even more than any prospect of getting rich.
这句话对沃兹尼亚克的诱惑太大了,比变成富人的诱惑还要大。
He recalled, "I was excited to think about us like that.
沃兹尼亚克回忆道:“想象一下那种情景我就兴奋,
To be two best friends starting a company.
两个最要好的朋友创办一家公司!
Wow. I knew right then that I'd do it. How could I not?"
天哪!我立马就同意了,我怎么可能拒绝?”
In order to raise the money they needed, Wozniak sold his HP 65 calculator for $500,
为了筹集所需资金,沃兹尼亚克以500美元的价格卖掉了自己的惠普65计算器,
though the buyer ended up stiffing him for half of that.
但是最后买家只给了一半的钱。
For his part, Jobs sold his Volkswagen bus for $1,500.
乔布斯则把自己的大众汽车卖了1500 美元。
But the person who bought it came to find him two weeks later and said the engine had broken down,
实际上,买下这辆车的人两个星期之后就回来找乔布斯,说引擎坏掉了。
and Jobs agreed to pay for half of the repairs.
乔布斯同意支付维修费用的一半。
Despite these little setbacks, they now had, with their own small savings thrown in,
虽然有这些小挫折,但在把各自微薄的积蓄投入之后,
about $1,300 in working capital, the design for a product, and a plan.
他们现在已经拥有了1300美元的运营资本,还有产品设计以及一个计划。
They would start their own computer company.
他们就要建立自己的电脑公司了。

重点讲解

重点讲解:
1.the majority of 大部分;大多数的
例句:However, the majority of children even do not know Jade Emperor and Dragon King.
但是大部分孩子连玉皇大帝和龙王也不知道。

2.pay up 全部付清;付款;付清全部欠款
例句:Popcorn and sausage dinners notwithstanding, some Americans remain willing to pay up for a healthier diet.
尽管爆米花和香肠晚餐的销量上升了,但仍有一些美国人愿意在健康饮食上面花钱。

3.make money for 为...挣钱
例句:The poor mother worked day and night to make money for the sake of her sick daughter.
可怜的母亲为了生病的孩子日夜劳作挣钱。

4.thrown in 投入;发边界球;注入;插入
例句:Quantitative baits can be thrown in the sea once to keep the effect of the baits for a long time, and frequent replacement is omitted.
可以一次投入一定数量的诱饵,保持诱饵长时间有效,不必频繁更换。

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