Unit 4 – A Virtual Life
Maia Szalavitz, formerly a television producer, now spends her time as a writer. In this essay she explores digital reality and its consequences. Along the way, she compares the digital world to the "real" world, acknowledging the attractions of the electronic dimension.
A VIRTUAL LIFE
Maia Szalavitz
After too long on the Net, even a phone call can be a shock. My boyfriend's Liverpool accent suddenly becomes impossible to interpret after his easily understood words on screen; a secretary's clipped tone seems more rejecting than I'd imagined it would be. Time itself becomes fluid — hours become minutes, or seconds stretch into days. Weekends, once a highlight of my week, are now just two ordinary days.
For the last three years, since I stopped working as a television producer, I have done much of my work as a telecommuter. I submit articles and edit them via email and communicate with colleagues on Internet mailing lists. My boyfriend lives in England, so much of our relationship is also computer-assisted.
If I desired, I could stay inside for weeks without wanting anything. I can order food, and manage my money, love and work. In fact, at times I have spent as long as three weeks alone at home, going out only to get mail and buy newspapers and groceries. I watched most of the endless snowstorm of '96 on TV.
But after a while, life itself begins to feel unreal. I start to feel as though I've become one with my machines, taking data in, spitting them back out, just another link in the Net. Others online report the same symptoms. We start to feel an aversion to outside forms of socializing. We have become the Net critics' worst nightmare.
What first seemed like a luxury, crawling from bed to computer, not worrying about hair, and clothes and face, has become a form of escape, a lack of discipline. And once you start replacing real human contact with cyber-interaction, coming back out of the cave can be quite difficult.
I find myself shyer, more cautious, more anxious. Or, conversely, when suddenly confronted with real live humans, I get overexcited, speak too much, interrupt. I constantly worry if I am dressed appropriately, that perhaps I've actually forgotten to put on a skirt and walked outside in the T-shirt and underwear I sleep and live in.
At times, I turn on the television and just leave it to talk away in the background, something that I'd never done previously. The voices of the programs are comforting, but then I'm jarred by the commercials. I find myself sucked in by soap operas, or needing to keep up with the latest news and the weather. "Dateline," "Frontline," "Nightline," CNN, New York , every possible angle of every story over and over and over, even when they are of no possible use to me. Work moves into the background. I decide to check my email.
On line, I find myself attacking everyone in sight. I am bad-tempered, and easily angered. I find everyone on my mailing list insensitive, believing that they've forgotten that there are people actually reading their wounding remarks. I don't realize that I'm projecting until after I've been embarrassed by someone who politely points out that I've attacked her for agreeing with me.
When I'm in this state, I fight my boyfriend as well, misinterpreting his intentions because of the lack of emotional cues given by our typed dialogue. The fight takes hours, because the system keeps crashing. I say a line, then he does, then crash! And yet we keep on, doggedly.
I'd never realized how important daily routine is: dressing for work, sleeping normal hours. I'd never thought I relied so much on co-workers for company. I began to understand why long-term unemployment can be so damaging, why life without an externally supported daily plan can lead to higher rates of drug abuse, crime, suicide.
To restore balance to my life, I force myself back into the real world. I call people, arrange to meet with the few remaining friends who haven't fled New York City. I try to at least get to the gym, so as to set apart the weekend from the rest of my week. I arrange interviews for stories, doctor's appointments — anything to get me out of the house and connected with others.
But sometimes being face to face is too much. I see a friend and her ringing laughter is intolerable — the noise of conversation in the restaurant, unbearable. I make my excuses and flee. I re-enter my apartment and run to the computer as though it were a place of safety.
I click on the modem, the once-annoying sound of the connection now as pleasant as my favorite tune. I enter my password. The real world disappears.
参考译文——虚拟世界的生活
迈亚·塞拉维茨曾是电视制片人，目前从事写作。她在本文中探索了数字化世界及其后果。与此同时，她将数字化世界与真实世界做了比较，承认电子空间自有其魅力。
虚拟世界的生活
迈亚·塞拉维茨
在网上呆了太久，听到电话铃声也会吓一大跳。显示屏上看多了我男朋友那些一目了然的文字，他的利物浦口音一下子变得难以听懂；而秘书的清脆快速的语调听上去比我想象的要生硬。时间本身变得捉摸不定——几小时变成几分钟，或几秒钟延伸为几天。周末原本是我一周的黄金时段，现在却不过是平平常常的两天。
在我不再当电视制片人的这三年间，我的大部分工作都是在家里使用计算机终端进行的。我通过电子邮件投稿和校订，利用互联网上的人名地址与同行交流。我男朋友住在英国，因此两人的关系也在很大程度上借助于电脑维系。
我要是愿意的话，可以一连几个星期不出门而什么也不缺。我可以在网上订购食品、网上理财、网上恋爱、网上工作。事实上我有时独自呆在家里长达三个星期，只偶尔出去拿信、买报纸及日用品。1996年那一场接一场的暴风雪我大都是在电视上看到的。
然而，一段时间之后，生活本身就显得不那么真实了。我开始觉得自己似乎与机器融为一体了，我接收信息，再发送出去，就如同互联网的一个连接点。其他上网的人也谈到了同样的症状。我们开始厌恶外面的社交方式。我们的状况成了批评互联网的人们最害怕见到的一幕。
一下床就上机，不再为发型、服饰、面部化妆烦心，起初看似高级的享受如今却成为一种对生活的逃避，一种缺乏自律的表现。你一旦开始用网络交际取代人与人的真实接触，要走出这种穴居状态就会相当困难。
我发现自己变得比以前怯生、谨慎、焦虑。或者，反过来，当我突然面对现实中活生生的人时，会变得过于兴奋，说个不停，爱打断别人的讲话。我老是担心自己衣着是否得体，担心自己会不会真的忘了穿裙子，只穿着夜间睡觉、白天活动的那件T恤和内衣就出门了。
有时我把电视机开着，让它作为背景声音一直响着，以前我从不这样做。
电视节目中的说话声让人感到宽慰，可那些广告又叫我心烦。我发现自己沉浸在肥皂剧里，或者不停地收看最新的新闻报道和天气预报。一而再再而三地从“每日新闻”、“一线新闻”、 “夜间新闻”、 有线新闻电视网、纽约一套上收看有关每一条新闻的各种不同视角的报道，尽管它们对我毫无用处。工作成了次要的。我决定去看一下自己的电子信箱。
在网上，我发现自己见谁攻谁。我脾气暴躁，动辄生气。我觉得我与之通信的每一个人都麻木不仁，认为他们已经忘却还有人真会去读他们那些刻薄伤人的言辞。直到有人礼貌地指出，她同意我的观点却遭到我的抨击时，我才意识到，自己是在以己度人，不由得深感尴尬。
在这种精神状态下，我也和男朋友吵架，常因键出的对话缺乏情感暗示而误解他的本意。由于系统常出故障，两人一争就是几个小时。我写一句，他回一句，接着系统失灵！可我们俩还是锲而不舍地接着吵。
以前我从未意识到日常的生活起居是多么重要，如穿戴整齐去上班，按时就寝。以前我从未想过自己会那么依赖同事做伴。我开始理解为什么长时间的失业会那么伤人，为什么一个人的生活缺少了外部支持的日常计划就会导致吸毒、犯罪、自杀率的增长。
为了恢复生活的平衡，我强迫自己回到真实世界中去。我给别人打电话，与所剩无几的仍然住在纽约城的几个朋友安排见面。我至少设法去去健身房，以便使周末与工作日有所不同。我安排采访好写报道，预约看医生——安排任何需要我出门与他人接触的活动。
但有时面对面地与人相处实在难以忍受。我与一位朋友见面，她那种响亮的笑声让人忍无可忍——饭店里的噪杂谈话声也让人受不了。我找了个藉口逃之夭夭。我重新回到我的公寓，冲向电脑，似乎那儿才是一个安全的地方。
我点击鼠标，打开调制解调器，曾经听了就烦的连接声此刻听起来就如同最心爱的曲子那么悦耳。我键入密码。真实世界转瞬便消逝了。
New Words and Expressions:
virtual
a. 虚拟的；实质上的
accent
n. 口音
interpret
v. 理解；解释；（作）口译
clipped
a. with a short clear pronunciation 发音快而清脆的
tone
n. 语气，口气，腔调
fluid
a. not stable, likely to change 不稳定的，可变的
n. 液体
stretch
v. (cause to) become longer, wider, etc. without breaking 拉长，伸展
telecommuter
n. one who works from home, communicating with the workplace using a computer terminal 远程工作者
submit
vt. give (sth.) to sb. so that it may be formally considered 提交，呈递
edit
vt. revise or correct 编辑
n. 电子邮件
vt. 给…发电子邮件；用电子邮件发
communicate
vi. 通信，交往
Internet
n. 互联网，因特网
relationship
n. 关系
at times
sometimes 有时
endless
a. having or seeming to have no end 无休止的
take in
收进，吸收
data
n. （datum 的复数形式）数据，资料
spit
vt. 吐出
on line
connected to or controlled by a computer (network) 联机地，在线
symptom
n. 征兆；症状
aversion
n. a strong feeling of dislike 厌恶，反感
socialize
vi. mix socially with others 社交，交际
critic
n. a person who judges or criticizes 评论家；对…持批评态度的人
nightmare
n. a terrifying dream 噩梦
crawl
vi. 爬，爬行
interaction
n. 交往；相互作用
cyber-interaction
n. 通过网络交往
conversely
ad. 相反地
appropriately
ad. 适当地，得体地
appropriate a.
T-shirt
n. T恤衫
underwear
n. 内衣
but then
yet at the same time 但另一方面，然而
jar
v. 使感到不快，刺激（神经等）
commercial
n. 商业广告
a. 商业的
suck
v. draw liquid or air into the mouth 吸，吮
suck in 吸引，使卷入；吸收
opera
n. 歌剧（艺术）
soap opera
肥皂剧（以家庭问题为题材的广播或电视连续剧）
keep up with
learn about or be aware of (the news, etc.); move at the same rate as 及时了解或跟上
angle
n. a particular way of considering an issue, etc. 角度，立场
in sight
visible; likely to come soon 可看到的；临近
bad-tempered
a. having a bad temper 脾气坏的，易怒的
insensitive
a. not able to feel, unsympathetic to other people's feelings 感觉迟钝的，麻木不仁的
sensitive
a. 敏感的
remark
n. 言辞，话语
v. 说，评说
project
v. imagine that others have (the same feelings, usu. unpleasant ones) as you 以为别人也有（与自己同样的情绪）
misinterpret
vt. understand wrongly 错误地理解，错误地解释
emotional
a. 感情上的；动感情的
cue
n. 提示，暗示
doggedly
ad. persistently 顽强地，坚持不懈地
routine
n. 例行事务，日常工作，惯例
rely
vi. depend confidently, put trust in 依靠，依赖
unemployment
n. 失业
externally
ad. 从外面，在外部
external
a. 外面的，外部的
abuse
n. wrong or excessive use; cruel treatment 滥用，虐待
crime
n. （犯）罪
suicide
n. 自杀
restore
vt. bring back to a former condition 恢复
arrange
vt. prepare or plan 安排
flee
v. run away (from) 逃走；逃离
gym
n. 体育馆，健身房
set apart
使分离，使分开
interview
n., vt. 接见；面试
appointment
n. 约会
laughter
n. 笑，笑声
intolerable
a. too bad to be endured 不能忍受的，无法容忍的
apartment
n. 一套公寓房间；公寓
click
v. （使）发咔哒声；用鼠标点击
n. 咔哒声
modem
n. 调制解调器
annoying
a. 讨厌的，恼人的
annoy
vt. make angry, irritate; bother 使恼怒，使烦恼
connection
n. 连接
tune
n. 曲子，曲调
password
n. 口令，密码
Proper Names
Maia Szalavitz
迈亚·塞拉维茨
Liverpool
利物浦（英格兰西部港口城市）
Dateline
美国National Broadcasting Company (NBC) 的专题新闻报道节目
Frontline
美国Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) 的专题新闻报道节目
Nightline
美国American Broadcasting Company(ABC)的专题新闻报道节目
CNN =Cable News Network
（美国）有线新闻电视网
Language sense Enhancement:
. Read aloud paragraphs - and learn them by heart.
. Read aloud the following poem:
Happily Addicted to the Web
Doorbell rings, I'm not listening,
From my mouth, drool is glistening,
I'm happy — although
My parents are not —
Happily addicted to the Web.
All night long, I sit clicking,
Unaware time is ticking,
There's beard on my cheek,
Same clothes for a week,
Happily addicted to the Web.
Friends come by; they shake me,
Saying, "Yo, man!
Don't you know tonight's senior prom?"
With a shrug, I replied, "No, man;
I just discovered letterman-dot-com!"
I don't phone, don't send faxes,
Don't go out, don't pay taxes,
Who cares if someday
They drag me away?
I'm happily addicted to the Web!
. Read the following quotations. Learn them by heart if you can. You might need to look up new words in a dictionary.
Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all.
—— John F, Kennedy
在所有的计算机当中，人仍然是出类拔萃的。——约翰·肯尼迪
A computer does not substitute for judgment any more than a pencil substitutes for literacy. But writing without a pencil is no particular advantage.
—— Robert S, McNamara
计算机不能代替判断，正如笔不能代替文学，但这并不是说用笔写作有什么不对（用计算机进行判断亦是如此）。——罗伯特·麦克纳马拉
A computer will do what you tell it to do, but that may be much different from what you had in mind.
—— Joseph Weizenbaum
计算机将完成你告诉它要做的事情，但这可能和你脑海中想要它做的事情相距甚远。——约瑟夫·维森鲍姆
. Read the following humorous story for fun:
An lllinois man left the snow-filled streets of Chicago for a vacation in Florida. His wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him there the next day. When he reached his hotel, he decided to send his wife a quick email.
Unfortunately, when typing her address, he missed one letter, and his note was directed instead to an elderly preacher's wife whose husband had passed away only the day before. When the grieving widow checked her mail, she took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing scream, and fell to the floor in a dead Faint.
At the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen:
Dearest Wife,
Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow.
P.S. Sure is hot down here.
参考资料：
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