“5G”一词近期成了社会关注的焦点，而工信部也已宣布将发放5G商用牌照，意味着在不久的将来，5G技术将会进入我们的生活。那么，你对5G技术又了解多少呢？
There is much discussion today about the impact of 5G. QIANTUWANG
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Your internet experience is ruined when the net speed is too slow – it takes so long to open a web page and the reality show you’re watching stops every few minutes. That can be very annoying.
网速太慢时，你的上网体验就会很糟糕 —— 好长时间才能打开一个网页，看个真人秀每几分钟都要卡一下。这的确相当烦人。
But it could be a thing of the past. On June 3, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that China would issue licenses for the commercialization of 5G. It means major telecom carriers will start to provide 5G services.
但这一切都将成为过去。6月3日，工信部宣布将发放5G商用牌照。这意味着基础电信运营商将开始提供5G服务。
What is 5G? What difference will it really make to our lives?
那么，什么是5G？它又会给我们的生活带来什么样的变化呢？
What is 5G?
什么是5G？
图片来源：图虫创意
The “G” in “5G” refers to the generations of mobile network technologies. 1G let us talk to each other, 2G let us send messages, 3G gave us mobile data and the internet, and 4G made all of these things faster.
“5G”中的“G”指的移动通信网络技术的时代。1G能让我们与他人打电话交谈，2G能让我们发信息，3G为我们提供了移动数据和互联网，4G令上述所有功能更快速。
Now 5G promises much faster data download and upload speeds, and more stable connections. This means that you will be able to download an entire HD movie in seconds and only experience a short delay between sending and receiving data. For example, when you have a video chat with your friend, there is generally a 100 to 200 milliseconds delay with 4G, but 5G will reduce the delay to 1 millisecond or less, which is almost real time.
现在，5G有望带来更快的数据上传下载速度，以及更稳定的网络连接。这意味着你能在几秒之内下载完一部高清电影，发送和接收数据之间只存在一些较短的延时。比如，当你和朋友视频聊天时，在4G网络下大概会有100-200毫秒的延时，而5G网络则会将延时缩短至1毫秒甚至更短，几乎接近实时。
What changes will 5G bring us?
5G会给我们带来什么改变？
图片来源：图虫创意
According to the Straits Times, 5G will be able to improve many advanced technologies, such as driverless cars, wearable devices and entertainment.
据《海峡时报》报道，5G能够改进许多先进技术，如无人驾驶汽车，可穿戴设备以及休闲娱乐体验。
With a 5G network, the short delay in information exchange will allow driverless cars to run more safely, as they will be able to communicate in real time and avoid potential dangers. Meanwhile, 5G-enabled wearable devices will keep doctors constantly updated on the health status of their patients and alert them immediately if there’s something wrong. Besides, VR games will become more popular with 5G. The short delay of 5G will make the games feel even more real.
在5G网络下，信息交换的短延时会令无人驾驶汽车在行驶时更为安全，因为车辆能够实时交换信息，避免潜在的危险。与此同时，使用5G网络的可穿戴设备能随时向医生们提供病人的最新健康状况，并在出现问题时即时通知医生。除此之外，随着5G的发展，虚拟现实游戏将更受欢迎。5G的短延时会令游戏体验更加真实。
Does 5G have any disadvantages?
5G有任何缺点吗？
According to the BBC, though 5G will make our lives more convenient, it will not be perfect.
据英国广播公司报道，尽管5G令我们的生活更加方便快捷，但这一技术并不完美。
For one thing, 5G will not “travel” far. On 4G networks, you can be 10 kilometers away from the nearest transmission base and barely lose signal. But 5G will only cover about 300 meters, meaning that we will need more transmitters so that we can get signals. And in order to use 5G, we will have to buy new products specifically designed for 5G that are currently expensive.
一方面，5G网络的传输距离并不远。你能在距离最近的传输基地10公里处使用4G网络，几乎不会出现没有信号的情况。但5G 的覆盖范围大约只有300米，这意味着我们需要更多的发射器才能获得信号。而为了使用5G网络，我们也需要购买专为5G设计的昂贵新产品。
以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高一757期
本文英文音频由我报外籍编辑 Joe Willetts朗读
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