Cyberphobics1
网络恐惧族
Cyberphobia is a term usedto describe the feelings
of anxiety, frustration, and inadequacy many people have when attempting
to use the Internet.
What causes these emotions? Cyberspace is expanding so fast that people
hear about it everywhere and fear that they are going to be left behind
by those who are more Internet savvy.2
One place people who cannot yet manage to boot up3
their computers can turn to for help is bookstores. There, Net neophytes
can select from thousands of hardback and softcover Internet-related
publications, such as The ABCs of the Internet, Zen and the Art of the
Internet, or Internet for Dummies.4
Back in the early days of the Internet, things were even more complicated
than they are today. Then, Net surfers had to be familiar with such
technologies as file transfer protocol (FTP), Internet Relay Chat, Unix
programming, Gopher, and Archie.5 The World
Wide Web and its graphical user interface (GUI)6
has made the exploration of cyberspace much easier.
With the Internet easier to use than ever, why the rise in cyberphobia?
The reason is the spread of the Internet has induced more non-techies7
to use it. Some people are touching a computer for the first time when
they try to log onto the Internet.
The good news is, once one gets the hang of8
basic Net navigation, there is a huge amount of free information on
how to trek through9 cyberspace more efficiently
and effectively.
1. cyberphobic: 网络恐惧症患者，phobic表示"……恐惧症患者"。下文的cyberphobia指"网络恐惧�"。
2. savvy/#s*vi/:
具有实际知识的，有经验的。
3. boot up: 启动。
4. neophyte/#ni:2ufait/:
初学者，新手；Zen: 禅；dummy:
<口>笨人，傻瓜。
5. FTP: 此处是指应用文件传输协议实现文件传输的软件的名称；Internet
Relay Chat: 多用户现场会话机制；Unix Programming:
Unix操作系统，提供多用户、多任务的操作环境，其网络工具使得计算机远程通讯、并行处理、资源分配等有了广阔的应用前景；Gopher:
黄鼠工具，是许多图书馆在因特网上使用的一种卡片索引程序（因1991年初在明尼苏达大学首创，而黄鼠恰为该校吉祥物，故名）；Archie:
阿奇工具，因特网上一种提供查找其标题满足特定条件的所有文档的自动搜索服务的工具。
6. GUI: 图形用户界面。
7. non-techie: 非专业人士。techie指
"计算机技术人员，计算机迷。"
8. get the hang of: <口>掌握……的
窍门，熟悉……的用法（或做法）；
9. trek through: 遨游于（网络空间）。
