网络时代, 信息是免费的还是昂贵的(上)

以数字方式复制数据和文字不需要花费任何费用，因此我们有浩如烟海的信息。

双语精读

Information wants to be free. That observation, first made in 1984, anticipated the internet and the world to come. It cost nothing to digitally reproduce data and words, and so we have them in numbing abundance.

信息应该是免费的。这一观点最早在1984年提出，预见了互联网和未来世界的到来。以数字方式复制数据和文字不需要花费任何费用，因此我们有浩如烟海的信息。

Information also wants to be expensive. The right information at the right time can save a life, make a fortune, topple a government. Good information takes time and effort and money to produce.

信息也应该是昂贵的。在正确的时间提供正确的信息可以挽救生命、赚得大量财富、推翻一个政府。优质信息需要花费时间、精力和金钱来产生。

Before it turned brutally divisive, before it alarmed librarians, even before the lawyers were unleashed, the latest battle between free and expensive information started with a charitable gesture.

在引起巨大分歧之前，在惊动了图书管理员之前，甚至在让律师出动之前，最近的免费信息与昂贵信息之争始于一种公益举动。

Brewster Kahle runs the Internet Archive, a venerable tech nonprofit. In that miserable, frightening first month of the Covid pandemic, he had the notion to try to help students, researchers and general readers.

布鲁斯特·卡利是互联网档案馆的主理人，互联网档案馆是一个受人敬重的科技非营利性组织。在新冠疫情暴发的那个悲惨而可怕的第一个月里，他想要帮助学生、研究人员和普通读者。

He unveiled the National Emergency Library, a vast trove of digital books mostly unavailable elsewhere, and made access to it a breeze.

于是他推出了国家紧急图书馆，这是一个巨大的电子书宝库，许多书在其他地方几乎找不到，而且他使访问这些电子书变得非常容易。

This good deed backfired spectacularly. Four publishers claimed "willful mass copyright infringement" and sued. They won. On Friday, the publishers said through their trade association that they had negotiated a deal with the archive that would remove all their copyright books from the site.

这件善事反而带来了巨大的灾难。四家出版商声称这是"大规模蓄意侵犯版权"，并提起诉讼，结果他们赢了。周五，出版商通过行业协会表示，他们已经与档案馆谈判并达成了一项协议，所有的版权图书将从网站上删除。

Maria Pallante, chief executive of the Association of American Publishers, said: "The proposed judgment is an appropriately serious bookend to the court's decisive finding of liability. We feel very good about it."

美国出版商协会首席执行官玛丽亚·帕兰特表示："拟议判决是对法院做出的决定性责任裁决的一个恰当且严肃的补充。我们对此感到非常高兴。"

The archive had a muted response, saying that it expected there would be changes to its lending program but that their full scope was unknown. There is also an undisclosed financial payment if the archive loses on appeal.

档案馆对此未做出明确回应，表示预计其借书项目将会发生变化，但具体范围尚不清楚。如果档案馆在上诉中败诉，那么它还需要支付一笔赔款，具体情况未披露。

The case has generated a great deal of bitterness, and the deal, which requires court approval, is likely to generate more. Each side accuses the other of bad faith, and calls its opponents well-funded zealots who won't listen to reason and want to destroy the culture.

此案引发了巨大的怨愤，档案馆和出版商的协议需要法庭批准，协议也可能会引发更多怨愤。双方都指责对方不守信用，并称对方是资金雄厚的狂热分子，不讲道理，想要摧毁文化。

In the middle of this mess are writers, whose job is to produce the books that contain much of the world's best information. Despite that central role, they are largely powerless -- a familiar position for most writers.

处于混乱之中的是作家，他们的工作是写出包含世界上最优质信息的书籍。尽管作家扮演着这一核心角色，他们在很大程度上仍然势单力薄，这是大多数作家常见的处境。

It's rarely this nasty, but free vs. expensive is a struggle that plays out continuously against all forms of media and entertainment. Neither side has the upper hand forever, even if it sometimes seems it might.

免费与昂贵之争很少会变得如此激烈，但所有形式的媒体和娱乐都在不断上演着这种斗争。没有哪一方能永远占据上风，即使有时候似乎看起来如此。

Stewart Brand is the technology visionary who first developed the formulation. He said: "The more information is free, the more opportunities for it to be collected, refined, packaged and made expensive. The more it is expensive, the more workarounds to make it free. It's a paradox. Each side makes the other true."

斯图尔特·布兰德最先阐述了"免费vs昂贵"的观点，是一个有远见的技术者。他说："免费的信息越多，信息被收集、提炼、包装和变成昂贵产品的机会就越多。信息越昂贵，寻找免费信息的变通办法就越多。这是一个悖论。每一方都使另一方成立。"

词汇预习

financial [高考]
美[faɪˈnænʃl] | 英[faɪˈnænʃl]
adj. 金融的；财政的；[非正式]有钱的
site [高考]
美[saɪt] | 英[saɪt]
n. 地点；位置；现场 vt. 使 ... 位于
response [高考]
美[rɪˈspɑːns] | 英[rɪˈspɒns]
n. 反应；回答；响应；答复
executive [高考]
美[ɪɡˈzekjətɪv] | 英[ɪɡˈzekjətɪv]
adj. 行政的；决策的；经营的；[计算机]执行指令 n. 行政主管；行政部门；决策者
payment [高考]
美[ˈpeɪmənt] | 英[ˈpeɪmənt]
n. 支付；支付的款项；报偿；报应
largely [高考]
美[ˈlɑːrdʒli] | 英[ˈlɑːdʒli]
adv. 大部分；主要地
observation [高考]
美[ˌɑːbzərˈveɪʃn] | 英[ˌɒbzəˈveɪʃn]
n. 观察；观察力；注意；评论
elsewhere [高考]
美[ˌelsˈwer] | 英[ˌelsˈweə(r)]
adv. 别处
rarely [高考]
美[ˈrerli] | 英[ˈreəli]
adv. 很少；难得
generate [高考]
美[ˈdʒenəreɪt] | 英[ˈdʒenəreɪt]
vt. 产生；发生；引起
reproduce [高考]
美[ˌriːprəˈduːs] | 英[ˌriːprəˈdjuːs]
v. 再生；复制；生殖
abundance [高考]
美[əˈbʌndəns] | 英[əˈbʌndəns]
n. 丰富；充裕
bitterness [高考]
美[ ˈbɪtɚnɪs] | 英['bɪtənəs]
n. 苦味；悲痛；怨恨
liability [高考]
美[ˌlaɪəˈbɪləti] | 英[ˌlaɪəˈbɪləti]
n. 责任；债务；倾向；可能性；不利因素
decisive [高考]
美[dɪˈsaɪsɪv] | 英[dɪˈsaɪsɪv]
adj. 决定性的；果断的
miserable [高考]
美[ˈmɪzrəbl] | 英[ˈmɪzrəbl]
adj. 痛苦的；悲惨的；贫乏的；狼狈的
continuously [高考]
美[kənˈtɪnjuəsli] | 英[kənˈtɪnjʊəsli]
adv. 不断地；连续地
copyright [高考]
美[ˈkɑːpiraɪt] | 英[ˈkɒpiraɪt]
n. 版权；著作权 v. 获得版权 adj. 受版权保护的
breeze [高考]
美[briːz] | 英[briːz]
n. 微风；[口]轻而易举的事；焦炭渣 v. 飘然而行；轻松通过
data [高考]
美[ˈdeɪtə] | 英[ˈdeɪtə]
n. 数据；资料
media [高考]
美[ˈmiːdiə] | 英[ˈmiːdiə]
n. 传播媒介；(medium的复数)媒体；新闻媒介
struggle [高考]
美[ˈstrʌɡl] | 英[ˈstrʌɡl]
vi. 努力；奋斗；斗争；挣扎 n. 斗争；竞争；奋斗
contain [高考]
美[kənˈteɪn] | 英[kənˈteɪn]
vt. 容纳；包含；抑制；克制 vi. 自制
access [高考]
美[ˈækses] | 英[ˈækses]
n.入口，通道；获得的机会，使用权；（对计算机存储器的）访问，存取；（情感）爆发，发作；探视权 v. 接近，进入；获取，访问（计算机信息） adj.[美]（电视节目或时间等）对外公开的
mass [高考]
美[ mæs] | 英[mæs]
n. 大量；块；众多 adj. 大规模的；群众的 v. 集中 n. 弥撒曲；弥撒
appeal [高考]
美[əˈpiːl] | 英[əˈpiːl]
n. 恳求；呼吁；上诉；吸引力 n. (体育比赛中)诉请裁决 v. 呼吁；有吸引力；求助；诉请
battle [高考]
美[ˈbætl] | 英[ˈbætl]
n. 战斗；争斗 v. 与 ... 作战；与 ... 竞争
judgment [高考]
美['dʒʌdʒmənt] | 英['dʒʌdʒmənt]
n. 裁判；判断；判断力；意见；判决书
faith [高考]
美[feɪθ] | 英[feɪθ]
n. 信仰；信念；信任
fortune [高考]
美[ˈfɔːrtʃən] | 英[ˈfɔːtʃuːn]
n. 命运；财产；运气
chief [高考]
美[tʃiːf] | 英[tʃiːf]
adj. 主要的；首要的 n. 首领
upper [高考]
美[ˈʌpər] | 英[ˈʌpə(r)]
adj. 较高的；上面的；上部的 n. 鞋帮；上铺 n. 兴奋剂；令人兴奋的经历
vast [高考]
美[væst] | 英[vɑːst]
adj. 广阔的；巨大的；大量的；巨额的 n. 浩瀚；广阔无垠的空间 n. (Vast)人名；(法)瓦斯特
deed [高考]
美[diːd] | 英[diːd]
n. 行动；功绩；证书；[法] 契据 vt. 立契转让
approval [高考]
美[əˈpruːvl] | 英[əˈpruːvl]
n. 同意；批准；认可；赞同
access to [高考]
美[ˈæksɛs tu] | 英[ˈækses tu:]
接近，有权使用；进入，通向…的路口
a great deal of [高考]
美[e ɡret dil ʌv] | 英[ə ɡreit di:l ɔv]
许多的；大量的（后接不可数名词）
finding [高考]
美[ˈfaɪndɪŋ] | 英[ˈfaɪndɪŋ]
n. 调查(或研究)的结果；[律] 裁决
nasty [高考]
美[ˈnæsti] | 英[ˈnɑːsti]
adj. 下流的；严重的；令人不快的；难懂的；危害的
notion [高考]
美[ˈnoʊʃn] | 英[ˈnəʊʃn]
n. 观念；概念；想法；主张
would [高考]
美[wʊd , wəd] | 英[wʊd , wəd]
aux. 将；可能；大概；总会；愿意；will的过去式
scope [四级]
美[skoʊp] | 英[skəʊp]
n. 机会；范围；眼界；观看的仪器 vt. 仔细研究
appropriately [四级]
美[əˈprəʊpriətli] | 英[əˈprəʊpriətli]
adv. 适当地
tech [四级]
美[tek] | 英[tek]
n. 技术学校；技术；技术人员
paradox [四级]
美[ˈpærədɑːks] | 英[ˈpærədɒks]
n. 悖论；似非而是的论点；自相矛盾的话
archive [四级]
美[ˈɑːrkaɪv] | 英[ˈɑːkaɪv]
n. 档案；档案馆 vt. 存档
make it [四级]
美[mek ɪt] | 英[meik it]
成功达到预定目标,性交易,幸存
charitable [四级]
美[ˈtʃærətəbl] | 英[ˈtʃærətəbl]
adj. 仁慈的；(为)慈善事业的；宽恕的
visionary [四级]
美[ˈvɪʒəneri] | 英[ˈvɪʒənri]
adj. 幻想的；有远见卓识的 n. 空想家；梦想者
nonprofit [六级]
美[nɑnˈprɑfɪt] | 英[ˌnɒn'prɒfɪt]
adj. 非赢利的 n. 非赢利组织
digitally [六级]
美['dɪdʒɪtəlɪ] | 英['dɪdʒɪtəlɪ]
adv. 数字地；数码地
formulation [六级]
美[ˌfɔrmjəˈleʃən] | 英[ˌfɔ:mjʊ'leɪʃn]
n. 公式化；规划；构想；配方
topple [专四]
美[ˈtɑːpl] | 英[ˈtɒpl]
vt. 使倒塌；推翻 vi. 倒塌
powerless [考研]
美[ˈpaʊərləs] | 英[ˈpaʊələs]
adj. 无力的；无权的；无效能的
divisive [考研]
美[dɪˈvaɪsɪv] | 英[dɪˈvaɪsɪv]
adj. 不和的；分裂的；区分的
infringement [考研]
美[ɪnˈfrɪndʒmənt] | 英[ɪn'frɪndʒmənt]
n. 驳斥；违反；侵犯

重点讲解

Information wants to be free. That observation, first made in 1984, anticipated the internet and the world to come. It cost nothing to digitally reproduce data and words, and so we have them in numbing abundance.

信息应该是免费的。这一观点最早在1984年提出，预见了互联网和未来世界的到来。以数字方式复制数据和文字不需要花费任何费用，因此我们有浩如烟海的信息。

anticipate v.

1. 预期；预计

【例】We anticipate that sales will rise next year.

我们预计明年销售量将会增加。

【近义词】expect v. 预期

2. 预见（并做好准备）

【例】Try and anticipate what the interviewers will ask.

尽量设想面试官会提出什么问题。

3. 期盼；盼望

【例】We eagerly anticipated the summer holiday.

我们热切地盼望暑假的到来。

abundance n. 大量；丰裕；丰盛

【例】an abundance of grain 大量的粮食

【拓展】abundant adj. 大量的；丰盛的

【近义词】wealth/richness/plenty n. 丰富；大量

Information also wants to be expensive. The right information at the right time can save a life, make a fortune, topple a government. Good information takes time and effort and money to produce.

信息也应该是昂贵的。在正确的时间提供正确的信息可以挽救生命、赚得大量财富、推翻一个政府。优质信息需要花费时间、精力和金钱来产生。

topple v.

1. 失去平衡而倒下

【例】The pile of books toppled over.

那一摞书倒了。

2. 打倒；颠覆

【例】to topple an agreement 推翻协议

【近义词】overthrow v. 推翻；打倒

Before it turned brutally divisive, before it alarmed librarians, even before the lawyers were unleashed, the latest battle between free and expensive information started with a charitable gesture.

在引起巨大分歧之前，在惊动了图书管理员之前，甚至在让律师出动之前，最近的免费信息与昂贵信息之争始于一种公益举动。

divisive adj. 造成不和的；引起分歧的

【例】a divisive issue 一个引起分歧的问题

【拓展】divide v. 使产生分歧

gesture n.

1. 手势

【例】They communicated entirely by gesture.

他们完全用手势交流。

2. （表明感情或意图的）姿态，表示

【例】It was a nice gesture to invite his wife too.

把他的妻子也请来是友好的表示。

【辨析】posture n. （坐立的）姿势，体态

Brewster Kahle runs the Internet Archive, a venerable tech nonprofit. In that miserable, frightening first month of the Covid pandemic, he had the notion to try to help students, researchers and general readers.

布鲁斯特·卡利是互联网档案馆的主理人，互联网档案馆是一个受人敬重的科技非营利性组织。在新冠疫情暴发的那个悲惨而可怕的第一个月里，他想要帮助学生、研究人员和普通读者。

venerable adj. （因年高、显要、智慧等）令人尊重的，值得敬重的

【例】a venerable old man/a venerable monument

德高望重的老人/神圣庄严的纪念碑

【近义词】respectable adj. 体面的；正派的；可敬的

breeze n.

1. 微风；和风

【例】a lovely breeze 宜人的微风

2. 轻而易举的事

【例】The test is a breeze.

测试非常简单。

He unveiled the National Emergency Library, a vast trove of digital books mostly unavailable elsewhere, and made access to it a breeze.

于是他推出了国家紧急图书馆，这是一个巨大的电子书宝库，许多书在其他地方几乎找不到，而且他使访问这些电子书变得非常容易。

venerable adj. （因年高、显要、智慧等）令人尊重的，值得敬重的

【例】a venerable old man/a venerable monument

德高望重的老人/神圣庄严的纪念碑

【近义词】respectable adj. 体面的；正派的；可敬的

breeze n.

1. 微风；和风

【例】a lovely breeze 宜人的微风

2. 轻而易举的事

【例】The test is a breeze.

测试非常简单。

This good deed backfired spectacularly. Four publishers claimed "willful mass copyright infringement" and sued. They won. On Friday, the publishers said through their trade association that they had negotiated a deal with the archive that would remove all their copyright books from the site.

这件善事反而带来了巨大的灾难。四家出版商声称这是"大规模蓄意侵犯版权"，并提起诉讼，结果他们赢了。周五，出版商通过行业协会表示，他们已经与档案馆谈判并达成了一项协议，所有的版权图书将从网站上删除。

backfire v. 产生事与愿违的后果

【例】Some hotel owners worry that the idea of attracting more visitors may backfire and make the place less attractive.

一些酒店老板担心，吸引更多的游客可能会适得其反，反而让这个地方变得不受欢迎。

infringement n. （对合法权益的）侵犯

【例】the infringement of liberty 对自由的侵犯

【拓展】infringe v. 侵犯（权益）

【近义词】violation n. 违反；侵犯

美国出版商协会首席执行官玛丽亚·帕兰特表示："拟议判决是对法院做出的决定性责任裁决的一个恰当且严肃的补充。我们对此感到非常高兴。"

muted adj.

1. （声音）减轻的

【例】to speak in muted voices 轻声说话

2. 表达不明确的；不强烈的

【例】a muted reaction/muted criticism 反响平平/温和的批评

【拓展】mute adj./v. 无声的/静音

The archive had a muted response, saying that it expected there would be changes to its lending program but that their full scope was unknown. There is also an undisclosed financial payment if the archive loses on appeal.

档案馆对此未做出明确回应，表示预计其借书项目将会发生变化，但具体范围尚不清楚。如果档案馆在上诉中败诉，那么它还需要支付一笔赔款，具体情况未披露。

muted adj.

1. （声音）减轻的

【例】to speak in muted voices 轻声说话

2. 表达不明确的；不强烈的

【例】a muted reaction/muted criticism 反响平平/温和的批评

【拓展】mute adj./v. 无声的/静音

The case has generated a great deal of bitterness, and the deal, which requires court approval, is likely to generate more. Each side accuses the other of bad faith, and calls its opponents well-funded zealots who won't listen to reason and want to destroy the culture.

此案引发了巨大的怨愤，档案馆和出版商的协议需要法庭批准，协议也可能会引发更多怨愤。双方都指责对方不守信用，并称对方是资金雄厚的狂热分子，不讲道理，想要摧毁文化。

bad faith 不诚实；不诚信

【例】They acted in bad faith by selling her a car that they knew had problems.

他们毫无诚信，明知车有问题，还把车卖给了她。

【反义词】good faith 真诚；善意

【拓展】break/keep faith with sb 对某人不守信用/守信用

处于混乱之中的是作家，他们的工作是写出包含世界上最优质信息的书籍。尽管作家扮演着这一核心角色，他们在很大程度上仍然势单力薄，这是大多数作家常见的处境。

bad faith 不诚实；不诚信

【例】They acted in bad faith by selling her a car that they knew had problems.

他们毫无诚信，明知车有问题，还把车卖给了她。

【反义词】good faith 真诚；善意

【拓展】break/keep faith with sb 对某人不守信用/守信用

It's rarely this nasty, but free vs. expensive is a struggle that plays out continuously against all forms of media and entertainment. Neither side has the upper hand forever, even if it sometimes seems it might.

免费与昂贵之争很少会变得如此激烈，但所有形式的媒体和娱乐都在不断上演着这种斗争。没有哪一方能永远占据上风，即使有时候似乎看起来如此。

have the upper hand 占上风；处于有利地位

【例】After hours of fierce negotiations, he had the upper hand.

进行了几个小时的激烈谈判后，他终于占了上风。

refine v.

1. 精炼；提纯；去除杂质

【例】the process of refining sugar 炼糖的工序

2. 改进；使精炼

【例】Reporters tried to refine their questions to draw a direct response.

记者们力图把问题提得简练巧妙, 以便引出一个直接的答复。

Stewart Brand is the technology visionary who first developed the formulation. He said: "The more information is free, the more opportunities for it to be collected, refined, packaged and made expensive. The more it is expensive, the more workarounds to make it free. It's a paradox. Each side makes the other true."

斯图尔特·布兰德最先阐述了"免费vs昂贵"的观点，是一个有远见的技术者。他说："免费的信息越多，信息被收集、提炼、包装和变成昂贵产品的机会就越多。信息越昂贵，寻找免费信息的变通办法就越多。这是一个悖论。每一方都使另一方成立。"

have the upper hand 占上风；处于有利地位

【例】After hours of fierce negotiations, he had the upper hand.

进行了几个小时的激烈谈判后，他终于占了上风。

refine v.

1. 精炼；提纯；去除杂质

【例】the process of refining sugar 炼糖的工序

2. 改进；使精炼

【例】Reporters tried to refine their questions to draw a direct response.

记者们力图把问题提得简练巧妙, 以便引出一个直接的答复。

课后练习

Which of the following is true about information?
A. People are overwhelmed by the abundant information.
B. Searching for the right information is a useful skill.
C. It costs nothing to produce high-quality information.
D. People should pay for the access to good information.
What did Brewster Kahle do during the pandemic?
A. He developed the theory of free and expensive information.
B. He updated information about the pandemic on his website.
C. He made a large number of e-books available to the public.
D. He earned a huge profit by selling digital books to researchers.
What was the result of the lawsuit between the archive and the publishers?
A. The publishers decided to settle the case out of court.
B. The court ruled that the archive did not infringe on copyright.
C. The copyright books would not be available on the website.
D. The archive would demand payment for the access to the books.
What was Stewart Brand’s opinion about information?
A. Free information would bring greater benefits to people.
B. Free information gave rise to expensive information.
C. Free information was usually of poor quality.
D. Free information had a larger audience.