2017考研英语拓展阅读：只卖3美元的智能手机

　　考研英语阅读能力提升需要不断地积累练习，通过多阅读来积累词汇，提升阅读速度，强化把握主旨能力。2017考研复习之初，时间相对充裕，新东方在线建议大家每天多做一些阅读，可娱乐也可增长见闻，还能提升能力。下面一篇文章是关于只卖3美元的智能手机。

2017考研英语拓展阅读：只卖3美元的智能手机

　　Getting your hands on the world’s "cheapest smartphone" is not easy.

　　想要入手一部全世界“最便宜的智能手机”并不容易。

　　Freedom 251 is an Android phone advertised by Ringing Bells at 251 rupees (2.77 pound).

　　“自由251”是一款安卓智能手机，由Ringing Bells公司推出，售价仅为251卢比(约为2.77英镑)。

　　In the hand, it feels somewhat like Apple’s iPhone 5.

　　把这款手机拿在手里，感觉有点像iPhone 5。

　　And, surprisingly for its price, its specifications are quite impressive:

　　而且让人惊喜的是，就这个价位来说，这款手机的配置相当不错。

　　camera on both front and back

　　它装载了前置摄像头和后置摄像头。

　　4in (10.2cm) wide

　　4寸(约合10.2厘米)屏幕。

　　1GB Ram

　　1GB内存。

　　8GB internal storage, expandable to 32GB

　　手机容量为8G，可以扩展到32G。

　　quad-core processor providing more processing power when necessary but making less use of its battery at other times

　　这款手机还搭载了四核处理器，能够在有需要的时候提供更高的处理能力，但是有时候电池有点不够用。

　　There are two models, one black, one white.

　　这款手机有两种样式，一款白色，一款黑色。

　　As I handle the handset, it seems to work like a basic smartphone.

　　当我试用这款手机的时候，它看起来跟一般的智能手机没什么分别。

　　But it is hard to really test its capabilities, as it has very few applications, covering only basic tasks, such as:

　　但是真的很难对这款手机的能力进行测试，因为它只有非常少的应用程序，只有一些最基本的应用，例如：

　　calculator

　　日历

　　music player

　　音乐播放器

　　web browser

　　网页浏览器

　　email

　　邮件

　　At the demo, the company told me the final model would be made available for scrutiny only after 30 June. Later, on Tuesday afternoon, it said that date had been delayed until 7 July.

　　在演示的时候，该公司告诉我说，这款手机的最终模型要在6月30日过后才能够让公众仔细的审查。但是在周二下午，他们又告诉我说这一日期被推迟到了7月7日。

　　Some people are worried.

　　有些人表示担忧。

　　Questions are being asked about whether the company will be able to deliver the millions of handsets it says it can.

　　有人提出了疑问，质疑这家公司是否能像他们所说的那样，提供数百万台这样的手机。

　　One member of the Indian parliament, Kirit Somaiya, has even suggested a "huge scam" is being perpetrated, while the head of the Indian Cellular Association has said the sale seemed to be "a joke or a scam".

　　印度议会成员基利特甚至认为一个“巨大的骗局”正在发生，而印度手机协会负责人则表示说，这起销售计划看起来是“一个笑话或者一个骗局”。

　　Mohit Goel, the founder and chief executive of Ringing Bells, denies the allegations of fraud.

　　Mohit Goel是Ringing Bells的创始人和CEO，他否认了所有的欺诈指控。

　　His family has been in the dry fruits business for decades, and he says it was a desire to be part of the digital India dream that drove him to the idea of a cheap handset.

　　在过去的几十年里，他的家庭一直在经营干果生意。据他表示，想成为“数字印度”梦想一部分的这个愿望驱使他萌发了“最便宜智能手机”的想法。

　　There is no denying the demand for such a product.

　　不可否认的是，人们这种产品的确存在着需求。

　　India is the world’s second-largest mobile phone market, with one billion subscribers - many have joined those ranks thanks to other low-cost - but not this low - smartphones.

　　印度是全球第二大手机市场，拥有10亿手机用户--归功于其他廉价智能手机(尽管比不上这一款手机的低价)，许多印度人得以成为手机用户。

　　But is the Freedom 251 too good to be true?

　　但是“自由251”手机是不是太好了，反而有点不真实?

　　More than 70 million people had registered online, and the company’s website had crashed.

　　超过7000万人进行了网上注册，该公司的网站因此而崩溃。

　　But the device given out to me and other journalists was actually a Chinese-made phone.

　　但是事实上，发给我和其他记者的手机是中国造的。

　　Its brand name - Adcom - had been covered up with white paint on the front, and a sticker hid it on the rear.

　　这款手机原本的商标名字是Adcom，但是在手机正面，有人用油漆涂掉了原本的商标，在手机背面用贴纸将原来的Logo遮了起来。

　　And, oddly, the icons of the phone’s apps looked liked those of an iPhone, despite it being an Android device.

　　还有让人感到奇怪的是，尽管这款手机搭载的是安卓系统，但是手机里应用软件的图标看起来跟iPhone没什么两样。

　　This led to a furore as people protested outside the company headquarters, and there were multiple inquires by the police, tax authorities and the enforcement directorate.

　　这些情况导致了人们的愤怒，抗议者们聚集在公司总部门外，并且警方、税务机关和执法局对该公司进行了多起调查。

　　Ringing Bells then refunded the deposits it had taken from more than 30,000 people via the internet.

　　随后Ringing Bells公司返还了定金，此前该公司曾通过互联网从30000多人手中收取了这笔定金。

　　The new handset is definitely a different model.

　　这款新手机毫无疑问是一个不同的机型。

　　The most obvious change is that it now has three buttons below its display, rather than just one.

　　最明显的变化就是，这款手机的显示屏下方有三个按键，而不是只有一个。

　　So, where is Ringing Bells making these phones, as it has yet to build factories?

　　Ringing Bells没有建厂，那么它到底是在什么地方制造的这些手机呢?

　　Mr Goel says his company is importing "knocked-down parts" from Taiwan and assembling them in Haridwar in northern India.

　　Goel表示说，他的公司从台湾进口“未装配的零件”，然后再印度北方城市哈里瓦组装成机。

　　But once it makes enough money, he adds, the company wants to manufacture all the parts in India.

　　但是他补充说道，一旦公司挣到了足够的钱，他们就想在印度国内制造所有的零部件。

　　The phone costs about 1,180 rupees to make, and Ringing Bells claims to subsidise it via tie-ups with some of the apps that will be pre-installed.

　　这款手机的制造成本大约是1180卢比，但是Ringing Bells声称他们和手机中预装程序的公司有合作，他们因此可以得到补贴，从而降低手机的售价。

　　Mr Goel says the business will still lose about 150 rupees on each phone and hopes the government will step in with subsidies.

　　Goel表示说，从他们目前的业务情况来看，每个手机的成本还是比售价要高150卢比，他们希望将来政府能够给他们提供进一步的补贴。

　　About 200,000 handsets are said to be ready to send to customers.

　　据说，目前约有20万台手机已经准备好出货卖给客户们了。

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