Diarmuid: Hi everybody and welcome to Authentic Real English from the BBC. I'm Diarmuid. 大家好，欢迎做客BBC地道英语节目。我是圣保罗。

Feifei: And I'm Feifei. 我是菲菲。

(Typing sounds)

Feifei: Diarmuid 今天又拿来的一个新玩意儿！What's that gadget you are playing with Diarmuid? 圣保罗，你在玩什么小玩意？

Diarmuid: It's my latest toy—a netbook. 我最新的玩具——一个上网本。

Feifei: A netbook? 一个上网本？

Diarmuid: Yes a netbook. N.E.T.B.O.O.K. It's like a laptop computer only even smaller. 是的，一个上网本。它比手提电脑还要小一点。

Feifei: What a cute little computer! 这个笔记本电脑比一般的要小一些，主要是来满足一般的上网功能，也就是我们现在常说的上网本。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. 这个问题问得很好。我认为是因为不同品牌的电脑有不同的名字。

Feifei: And those names can be different between Britain and America, can't they? 并且这些名字在英国和美国也有不同的名字，对吗？

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，在英式英语中我们用laptop。

Feifei: Laptop 笔记本电脑。

Diarmuid: But in American English they call the same thing a notebook. 但是在美国我们用notebook。

Feifei: Notebook 美式英语中的笔记本电脑。英国人通常用 laptop, 而美国人会说notebook.

Diarmuid: So I think that the name netbook is a mix of two words—internet and notebook. 所以我认为上网本是英特网和笔记本的合成词。

Example

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A: Did you buy anything in the January sales? 你在一月大降价的时候买什么东西了吗？

B: Yes, I bought a little netbook computer. It's really handy. 是的，我买了一个小巧的上网本。它非常地便于携带。

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Feifei: So a netbook then is a small computer that is used mostly for surfing the internet. 因为上网本很小，所以它所能提供给我们的功能也就不必台式机和笔记本电脑了，那么大家也就用它上上网罢了。

Diarmuid: I use it mostly for surfing the web and checking emails—things like that. 我常用这个用来上网和查看邮件——还有一些类似的事。

Feifei: It's incredible how small computers are these days, isn't it? 真是无法想电脑这么小巧。

Diarmuid: It certainly is and it looks like we will soon see more tablet computers too. 它的确很轻便，它看上去更像平板电脑。

Feifei: Tablet computers 平板电脑。这种电脑使用的是最新的触摸屏技术 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! 这个和我从小用到大的电脑很不相同，它有3K的内存和能储存文件的磁带放音机。

Feifei: You're getting old, Diarmuid. 你长大了，圣保罗。

Diarmuid: I suppose so. And on that depressing note it's time for us to go. 我也这么觉得。时代在向前发展。