How Can a Country Disconnect Itself From the Internet?

This is the VOA Special English Technology Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语科技报道。

A five-day Internet shutdown in Egypt failed to stop the protests that forced President Hosni Mubarak to resign. But it raised a technical question. Just how were Egyptian officials able to shut down Internet service in their country?

埃及为期5天的互联网关闭措施并未能阻止最终导致穆巴拉克总统辞职的示威活动。但它提出了一个技术性问题，埃及政府究竟是如何能够关闭国内的互联网服务的呢？

Craig Labovitz is chief scientist at Arbor 1 Networks, an Internet security company in the American state of Michigan. Mr. Labovitz says the Internet is not as indestructible as people might think. He says there are points where the flow of computer traffic can be restricted.

克雷格·拉博维茨（Craig Labovitz）是美国密西根州一家名为Arbor Networks的网络安全公司的首席科学家。拉博维茨先生称，互联网并没有人们想象的那么坚不可摧，互联网存在着一些可以限制计算机通讯的节点。

CRAIG LABOVITZ: "From a technical standpoint, the popular imagination of the Internet is as a network that can survive nuclear wars, can't be stopped, is everything, everywhere. But the engineering realities are a lot more prosaic 2. In many countries there are a few natural bottlenecks 3, whether it be large data centers or right-of-ways."

拉博维茨：“从技术角度来说，互联网给人的普遍印象是它能在核战中幸存，不会被中断并无处不在。但技术方面的实际情况却平常得多。许多国家的互联网都存在一些天然关卡，它可能是大型数据中心或访问权限。”

Mr. Labovitz says his researchers tracked the Internet shut down in Egypt as it was being carried out. He explains that in Egypt, Internet users connect to the outside world through a small number of providers with international links.

拉博维茨先生，他的研究人员在埃及关闭互联网期间进行了跟踪。他解释说，在埃及，互联网用户只能通过少数几家拥有国际线路的宽带供应商与外界联系。

CRAIG LABOVITZ: "Although there are a hundred or more providers within the country -- domestic providers -- there really are only four providers that maintain external links to the external world. And there's an even a smaller number of data centers where the fiber 4 optics cross Egypt. So you really just need to turn off a handful of machines to have this type of disruption."

拉博维茨：“虽然埃及国内有一百多家宽带供应商，但实际上只有4家具有国际线路，光纤遍布埃及的数据中心更少。因此，只需要关闭少数几台机器，就能造成互联网中断。”

News reports suggested that the fiber optic links for those networks are even all housed in the same building.

新闻报道指出，连接这些网络的光纤甚至都在同一栋建筑内。

Could a similar Internet shutdown take place in the United States? Craig Labovitz says that is less of a possibility because of a larger number of Internet providers and data centers.

美国是否也可能发生类似的互联网关闭事件呢？拉博维茨称，这种可能性相对较小，因为美国拥有大量的宽带供应商和数据中心。

Still, the recent shutdown in Egypt has raised new concerns about a proposal in the United States Congress. Critics say the legislation could make similar action possible in America.

不过，最近埃及关闭互联网事件引发了人们对美国国会一项提案的新的担忧。批评人士表示，这项立法将使美国采取类似措施成为可能。

The measure is known as the Protecting Cyberspace 5 as a National Asset Act. Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut first proposed the bill last June. Supporters say it would help protect the country's economic and national security from cyber attack. It would give the president the emergency power to shut down or seize parts of the nation's Internet in the event of a major threat.

这一措施被称为“像保护国有资产一样保护互联网空间法案”(Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act，PCNAA)。康涅狄格州参议员约瑟夫·利伯曼（Joseph Lieberman）去年6月首次提出这一法案。支持者表示，这将有助于防止网络攻击威胁美国经济和国家安全。该法案赋予总统在美国面临重大威胁的情况下关闭或控制国内部分互联网。

Critics say the bill would give the president too much power. Some people call it the "Kill Switch Bill" -- an easy way to shut off the Internet. They say the government could use it to censor 6 the Web and control the flow of information.

而批评人士表示，该法案将赋予总统过多权力。有些将其称为“生杀开关法案”--这是一个关闭互联网的简单途径。他们表示，政府可能利用该法案审查互联网并控制信息通讯。

1.shutdown n.关门,停工

2.raise v.唤起；激起；惹起；提及；提起

例句：This book raised my interest in the study of history.

这本书引起了我研究历史的兴趣。

3.indestructible a.不能破坏的,不可毁灭的

4.restrict vt.（以法规）限制; 约束

例句：He feels this new law will restrict his freedom.

他觉得这一新法律会限制他的自由。

limit，confine，restrict limit一般指事先确定空间、时间或数量的极限，一旦超越限度，就会造成不良结果。当然也可指不事先规定，而且自然的或固有的界限。

这些动词均有“限制，限定”之意。

confine侧重施加不可逾越的限制，有时暗示束缚、囚禁。

restrict指把某人或物限制在一定范围之内。

5.standpoint n.立场; 观点

例句：From my standpoint, this thing is just ridiculous.

依我看来, 这件事简直荒唐。

6.prosaic adj.无聊的;平淡的;乏味的

例句：And the next day, having completed our more prosaic shopping, we set out for Mr. Haha's business address.

第二天，在采购完了那些较平常的原料后，我们出发去哈哈先生的店。

7.maintain vt.保持；保存；维持；持续；使继续

例句：The two countries have maintained friendly relations for many years.

两国多年来一直保持着友好的关系。

assert，affirm，allege，maintain，testify，claim assert主观意味强，指自认为某事就是如此，而不管事实如何。

这些动词均含有“断言，声称”之意。

affirm侧重在作出断言时表现出的坚定与不可动摇的态度。

allege多指无真凭实据，不提供证据的断言或宣称。

maintain与assert近义，但前者指坚决维护某种主张或观点。

testify多指在法庭作证，庄严地宣称自己所说属实。

claim可与assert换用，但语气弱一些，侧重指行为自己的权利提出要求他人承认。

8.external adj.外面的, 外部的

例句：The external layer of skin is called the epidermis 7.

皮肤的外层叫表皮。

external，exterior，outer，outside，outward external指与其他物体分离或没有关系的外部，不涉及内容，只说明全然是外部的。

这些形容词均可表示“外部的”之意。

exterior强调位于事物的外表以上，但仍是该事物的一部分，较正式。

outer主要提离开中心或内部较远的，或指比较在外的。

outside指超出某种界限之外的。

outward多指空间关系或方向上向外的。

9.disruption n.分裂,崩溃,瓦解

1.A five-day Internet shutdown in Egypt failed to stop the protests that forced President Hosni Mubarak to resign.

fail to未能…

与之相反的：

manage to达成,设法

例句：How did Nemo manage to save Dory?

尼莫是怎么想办法救多莉的？

2.Mr. Labovitz says the Internet is not as indestructible as people might think.

as…as 结构的基本用法

其基本意思为“与……一样”，其中的第一个as副词，其后通常接形容词或副词(用原级)，第二个as可用作介词(后接名词或代词)或连词(后接从句)。使用时应注意以下几点：

1. 在否定句中，第一个 as 也可换成 so：

He doesn’t study as [so] hard as his brother. 他学习不如他弟弟努力。

2. 在该结构的两个as之间通常接形容词或副词的原级，但若涉及数量或程度，可用“as much 不可数名词 as”和“as many 可数名词复数 as”：

You’ve made as many mistakes as I have. 你犯的错误和我犯的一样多。

I haven’t got as much money as I thought. 我不像原来想像的有那么多钱。(R2/92)

其间接形容词时，有时该形容词还可修饰另一名词，但这个名词应带有不定冠词(注意词序)：

She is as good a cook as her mother. 她和她妈妈一样是位好厨师。

也可说：She is a cook as good as her mother.

但不说：She is as a good cook as her mother. 或They are as good cooks as us.

3.But the engineering realities are a lot more prosaic.

a lot more，alot修饰比较级more。

4.So you really just need to turn off a handful of machines to have this type of disruption.

turn off(把…)关掉

例句：The tap won't turn off and there is water all over the floor.

水龙头关不上, 满地都是水。

a handful of少数、几个、不多

5.Critics say the bill would give the president too much power.

too much过分；太多

例句：It really is too much of you.

你太过分了。

much too为习语，其中的much修饰副词too；much too可视为too的加强说法，其语气比单独用too更强。如：

He spoke 8 much too fast. 他说话说得太快了。

This is much too heavy for you to lift. 这东西太重，你拿不起来。

注意：much too与too much词序不同，用法也不同。从句法功能上看，much too的用法与too相同，但比too的语气更强；而too much在用法上则与much相同，但比much 语气更强。