比特币：数字加密货币Bitcoin: digital crypto-currency

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English.I’m Dan and joining me today is Neil. Hey Neil.
欢迎收听六分钟英语。我是丹，今天和我一起主持节目的是尼尔。你好，尼尔。
Hello Dan. What’s on the agenda today?
大家好！今天的议程是什么？
Well, I’ll give you a clue.It’s something that makes the world go round, but it doesn’t really exist. In fact, if we all stopped believing in it, it would have no use at all! What is it?
我可以给你一个线索。一个让世界都围着转的东西，但实际上并不存在。事实上，如果我们停止信仰它，它就会一文不值！它是什么？
I haven’t got a clue!
我没看出任何线索！
Ok...how about this?
好吧……这是什么？
Money!
钱！
Yep! And not just any money, we’re talking about crypto-currency.
没错！不是这些钱，我们要讨论的是加密货币。
Currency is the money that’s being used in a given country at a certain time.But what about the cryptopart?
货币是指在某一段时间内某一国家使用的金钱。但加密那部分是指什么？
Well, crypto is a prefix meaning hidden or secret – it comes from the word cryptic which means mysterious or difficult to understand.You may have heard about the most popular crypto-currency at the moment, the Bitcoin.
crypto是一个前缀，是指隐藏的，或秘密的，这一前缀来自于cryptic一词，是指理解起来太神秘或太难。你也许听说过当下最流行的加密货币，比特币。
Well I’ve certainly heard the name, but I can’t say I know what it is.
我确实听过这个名字，但我不能说我知道它是什么。
First our quiz question. When was the Bitcoin crypto-currency first created?Is it a) 2004 b) 2009 or c) 2013?
首先来看我们的问题。加密货币比特币是什么时候首次被发明的？a) 2004年， b) 2009年，还是 c) 2013年？
Well, I think 2004 may have been a little early, and I think 2013 could be a little late, so the smart money’s on 2009.
我觉得2004年也许有点早，2013年又太晚了，所以这种智能钱币应该出现于2009年。
We’ll see if you’re right later on in the show.So…Bitcoin, what do you know about it?
之后我们再看你回答得是否正确。关于比特币，你都知道什么？
Well, I know it’s a digital currency…so presumably you can use it online to buy things?
我知道它是一种数字钱币，所以大概你可以用它在网上买东西？
You are right on the money, which means correct, both times. Bitcoin is just like any other currency except for two things.First, it’s not printed by governments or banks, which means that it‘s not legal tender.
你说的恰到好处，on the money是指正确的。比特币除了两点之外，和其他的货币类似。首先，它不是由政府或银行印制的，也就是说它不是法定货币。
Legal tender means the official money that can be used within a country.So that means we can’t use it to pay taxes or settle debts, right?
法定货币是指可以在国家内流通使用的官方钱币。也就是说我们不能用它付税或清理债务是吗？
Exactly. Governments won’t recognise it as an official currency, although it acts just like one. You can use it to buy items from anyone who will accept it, and its value fluctuates.
没错。政府不承认它是官方货币，虽然其功能类似。你可以在承认比特币的任何人那里用它买东西，而且比特币的价格是不断浮动的。
Fluctuates means changes in level or amount. And what’s the second thing?
浮动是指水平或数量上的改变。第二点不同是什么呢？
Ah, the second thing is that bitcoin is a digital currency, meaning that with the exception of a few tokens, it largely exists online only. You can’t carry a load of bitcoins around in your pocket!
第二点就是比特币是一种数字货币，也就是说除了一堆符号外，它大部分只存在于网络之上。你不能在口袋里装一大堆比特币。
Well, that makes a nice…change!
这会带动不错的改变！
Oh dear, Neil. Was that a money pun? Terrible!
天啊，尼尔。这是关于钱的一语双关吗？一点都不好！
So if it’s a digital only currency, where do new ones come from?Can’t I just say that I’ve got a million of them and make myself rich!?
如果这只是一种数字化货币，那么新的货币从何而来呢？我能不能说我有一百万枚比特币，让自己变富有？
Well, no. You see, even though Bitcoin is not regulated by a bank or government,it still has a process that stops people from cheating.There are only two ways to get bitcoins. You trade them from someone, or you go mining.
不能，虽然比特币不受银行或政府监管，它仍然有一个过程防止人们作弊。得到比特币只有两种方式。你从他人那里交易得来，或者挖矿。
Oh wait, I’ve heard about this. This is when you use your computer to run calculations which verify other Bitcoin transactions. You get rewarded for this work by earning bitcoins.
等等，我听说过这个。这是指当你用自己的电脑进行运算验证其他比特币交易。你会获得比特币作为报酬。
Yep! It’s money for old rope, which means it’s an easy way to earn money.
这容易赚钱！Old rope是指赚钱的容易方法。
Wow! I’m going to start mining immediately!
我要立刻开始挖矿了！
Well, you wouldn’t be the only one!Bitcoin’s value has recently gone up quite a lot and this has caused a lot of interest.In fact, one stock exchange in Chicago has begun trading in Bitcoin futures contracts.
不止你如此。比特币的价格上升极快，带来极大的利益。事实上芝加哥的一家股票交易所已经开始以比特币期货合同进行交易了。
A futures contract? What’s that?
期货合约？这是什么？
I’ll let BBC correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones explain that.
让BBC记者罗里来解释。
A futures contract, a bet on where the currency will be a month from now, soared above 18,000 dollars.That means that investors believe Bitcoin, which started the year worth under 1000 dollars will continue to rise in value, albeit at a slower rate. But at the big banks there’s still plenty of scepticism about the currency.
期货合同，就是一个赌注，赌比特币从现在起一个月内会飙至18,000美元。这是指投资者信任比特币，相信它的价格会从今年伊始的1000美元不断升值，尽管增速慢。但大银行对这种货币仍然持怀疑态度。
Soared in this context means increased very quickly. So, now big investors are betting on the value of Bitcoin in the future.
soared这里是指增长非常快。所以投资人赌未来比特币的价格。
Yes. But he also mentioned that the banks have a lot of scepticism. That’s a doubt that something is real or true.In this case, whether Bitcoin is reliable or not.
没错。但他提点一些银行对此仍然持怀疑态度。怀疑它是不是真的。在这里是指，比特币是不是靠谱。
Maybe it’s best I don’t get involved then. After all, a fool and his money are soon parted.
也许我最好不要涉及这些。毕竟，笨人难聚财。
Well, you don’t have to be sceptical about the answer to our quiz. We know that for a fact.I asked you when the Bitcoin crypto-currency was first created.a) 2004 b) 2009 or c) 2013
好吧，但你不必怀疑今天问题的答案。我们知道这是一个事实。我问你比特币何时首次被发明。a) 2004年， b) 2009年，还是 c) 2013年
And I said 2009.
我选2009年。
And you were right! Well done. Shall we go over the vocabulary again?
你答对了！做得好！我们再回顾一下单词吧？
First we had currency. That’s the money being used in a given country at a certain time. Name three currencies and their countries, Dan.
首先我们提到货币。它是指在某一时期内某一国家流通使用的金钱。提三种货币和对应的国家，丹。
Ok. Baht for Thailand. Rupee for India and my favourite, Metical for Mozambique.Next we had cryptic. Something which is cryptic is mysterious or difficult to understand.For example, what do rich people need, poor people have and if you eat it, you die?
泰国的泰铢。印度的卢比，以及我最爱的莫桑比克的梅蒂卡尔。下一个词是cryptic（神秘的）。是指某物理解起来很神秘或很难。例如，什么是富人需要的，穷人拥有的，如果你吃你就会死的东西？
A cryptic riddle indeed! I’ll have to think about that. Then we had legal tender, that’s the official money that can be used within a country.The Euro is legal tender within Spain, but what was the legal tender before that?
一个神秘的谜语！我要想想。接下来我们提到法定货币，是指一个国家内流通使用的官方钱币。欧元是如今西班牙的法定货币，那之前西班牙的法定货币是什么？
Wasn’t it the Peseta?Then we had fluctuates. If something fluctuates, it changes in amount or level. The stock market fluctuates.
是比塞塔吗？接下来我们提到浮动。如果某物是浮动的，是指它在水平或数量上变化。股票市场就是不断浮动的。
But my love for my family never does.Then we had soared, which means increased very quickly. It’s used with this meaning in the context of money, prices and statistics.
但我对我家人的爱从不会改变。接下来我们提到soared,是指快速增长。它通常用于和金钱、价格或统计数字相关的语境中。
Finally we had scepticism. Scepticism is doubt that something is real or true. What sort of things are people sceptical about, Neil?
最后我们提到怀疑。怀疑是指质疑某物是不是真的。人们会对什么事产生质疑呢？
Some people think that human activity hasn’t caused climate change. They are sceptical.
一些人认为人类活动没有造成气候变化。这是令人怀疑的。
And that brings us to the end of today’s 6 Minute English.
今天的六分钟英语就到这里。
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不要忘了登陆我们的 Youtube，Facebook，Twitter 和Instagram主页，我们下期再会！
Goodbye.
再见！