BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

BBC學習英語。我是尼爾。

And I'm Sam.

而我是山姆。

Have you seen my lottery ticket, Sam?

你看到我的彩票了嗎，山姆？

I seem to have lost it somewhere...

我似乎把它丟在了某個地方......。

Is this another one of your

這是你的另一個

get-rich-quick schemes, Neil?

迅速致富的計劃，尼爾？

People invent all kinds of

人們發明了各種各樣的

ways to make a lot of money

賺大錢的方法

quickly and with little effort.

迅速且不費吹灰之力。

Well, if you really want to

好吧，如果你真的想

get rich quick, maybe you

快速致富，也許你

should copy technology

應該複製技術

tycoon Elon Musk. Recently,

大亨埃隆-馬斯克。最近。

he invested one and a half

他投資了一個半

billion dollars in the

億美金，在

cryptocurrency, bitcoin.

加密貨幣，比特幣。

Bitcoin has made some people

比特幣讓一些人

very rich, very quickly, but

非常富有，非常迅速，但

as we'll be hearing in this

正如我們將在此聽到的

programme, it's not

方案，這不是

without its critics.

沒有批評者。

Creating bitcoins, a process

創造比特幣，一個過程

known as mining, uses huge

被稱為採礦，使用巨大的

amounts of electricity and

足夠多的電力和

green campaigners are now

綠色運動者現在是

questioning bitcoin's impact

質疑比特幣的影響

on global energy use.

對全球能源使用的影響。

But before we find out more,

但在我們發現更多之前。

it's time for my quiz question.

現在是我的問答題時間。

What year was bitcoin first

比特幣最早是哪一年

released? Was it...

發佈了？它是...

a) 2009, b) 2015, or c) 2019?

a) 2009年，b) 2015年，還是c) 2019年？

I'll go for b) 2015.

我選擇b）2015年。

OK, we ll find out the

好的，我們會發現

answer later in the programme.

節目中稍後會有答案。

In this programme, we are

在這個方案中，我們是

going to talk about bitcoin.

要談的是比特幣。

The use of the virtual currency -

虛擬貨幣的使用--

it's all very well for

對

billionaires like Elon Musk,

像埃隆-馬斯克這樣的億萬富翁。

but what about the ordinary,

但普通人呢。

average person - is bitcoin

普通人--比特幣是

a good option for them?

對他們來說是一個好的選擇嗎？

Well, that's exactly what BBC

嗯，這正是BBC

World Service programme Tech Tent

世界服務方案技術帳篷

wanted to find out by

想通過以下方式瞭解一下

interviewing people in the street.

在街上採訪人們。

Here's what one bitcoin fan,

以下是一位比特幣粉絲的說法。

Heather Delany, had to say:

希瑟-德萊尼，不得不說。

I invested in bitcoin a number

我投資於比特幣的數量

of years ago with the initial investment

幾年前的初始投資

of only around five dollars it meant that

僅為5美元左右，這意味著

my risk was essentially the cost of

我的風險本質上是

a cup of coffee and a pastry,

一杯咖啡和一塊糕點。

and as somebody who's quite

而作為一個相當

risk-averse when it comes to

遇到風險時，要規避風險

investment, it did allow me to dip

投資，它確實允許我浸泡在

my toe into bitcoin. Over time I was

我的腳趾進入了比特幣。隨著時間的推移，我在

able to invest at various points as I really

能夠在不同的時間點進行投資，因為我真的

see bitcoin as more of a

認為比特幣更像是一個

long-term investment and part

長期投資和部分

of my overall pension plan.

我的整體養老金計劃中。

Heather describes herself as

希瑟形容自己是

risk-averse - she wants to

規避風險 - 她想

avoid risks as much as possible.

儘可能地避免風險。

By only investing five dollars,

只需投資五美元就可以了。

she was able to dip a toe into

她能夠涉足的領域包括

bitcoin - try doing something

比特幣 - 嘗試做一些事情

slowly and carefully to test

緩慢而仔細地測試

whether she liked it.

她是否喜歡它。

Over time, Heather's bitcoin

隨著時間的推移，希瑟的比特幣

investment became part of her

投資成為她的一部分

pension plan - a financial plan

養老金計劃--財務計劃

funded by your salary to save

由你的工資資助，以保存

money for when you retire.

當你退休時的錢。

So, everything seems to be

是以，一切似乎都是

working out for Heather.

為希瑟工作。

But the recent buzz around

但最近圍繞著

bitcoin has also highlighted another,

比特幣還強調了另一個。

less positive side of the

不太積極的一面

story - bitcoin's

故事--比特幣的

environmental footprint.

環境足跡。

Mining bitcoins, the complex

挖掘比特幣，這個複雜的

process that creates new coins,

創造新硬幣的過程。

uses a lot of electricity.

使用大量的電力。

Recent estimates show that bitcoin

最近的估計顯示，比特幣

has now overtaken the entire

現在已經超過了整個

annual electricity use of Argentina!

阿根廷的年用電量!

Michel Rauchs works at Cambridge

Michel Rauchs在劍橋工作

University's Centre for Alternative

大學的替代方案中心

Finance which monitors bitcoin's

監測比特幣的金融

electrical consumption. Here he

電耗。在這裡，他

is in conversation with BBC

正在與BBC對話

World Service's, Tech Tent:

世界服務社的，技術帳篷。

Bitcoin consumes just a colossal

比特幣的消耗量只是一個巨大的

amount of electricity and now

的電量，而現在

whether that electricity

該電力是否

expenditure is really worth the

支出真的值得

benefits, I think that really

效益，我認為這真的

depends on how you value bitcoin

取決於你如何評價比特幣

itself but just looking at the

本身，但只是看了一下

electricity consumption, I think

用電，我認為

we need to put things a bit

我們需要把事情

into perspective - so, on the one

納入視野--是以，一方面

hand if you compare it to a

手，如果你把它與一個

country like Argentina, it's

像阿根廷這樣的國家，它是

just incredible, awe-inspiring -

只是令人難以置信的，令人敬畏的 -

on the other hand, if you compare

另一方面，如果你比較

it to, for example, home

譬如說，在家裡

appliances that are always on - on

總是開著的電器 - 開著

standby but not being used - in the

待機但不被使用 - 在

US alone, that consumes twice as

僅僅是美國，就消耗了兩倍的

much electricity on a yearly

每年都有很多電

basis as the entire bitcoin network.

作為整個比特幣網絡的基礎。

Michel thinks that to assess

米歇爾認為，要評估

bitcoin's energy use we must

比特幣的能源使用，我們必須

put things into perspective -

把事情看清楚 -

find the true, objective

找到真正的、客觀的

value of something.

價值的東西。

Comparing bitcoin's energy use

比較比特幣的能源使用

to a huge country like

到一個巨大的國家，如

Argentina sounds monstrous.

阿根廷聽起來很怪異。

But looked at another way,

但從另一個角度來看。

bitcoin only consumes half the

比特幣只消耗了一半的

electricity used by all US

所有美國人使用的電力

televisions and other home

電視機和其他家用

appliances left on standby -

處於待機狀態的電器 -

which means powered on and

這意味著通電和

ready to work when needed.

準備在需要時工作。

So maybe the best

是以，也許最好的

get-rich-quick scheme is to

迅速致富的計劃是

save money on your electricity

節省電費

bills by turning off your TV, Neil.

關掉你的電視，尼爾。

Well, it's got to be easier

嗯，這一定會更容易

than mining bitcoins - which

比起開採比特幣--這

reminds me...

讓我想起了...

... of your quiz question. You asked

...你的測驗問題。你問

what year bitcoin was first

比特幣誕生於哪一年

released, 2009, 2015 or 2019.

發佈，2009年，2015年或2019年。

And I said b) 2015.

而我說的是b）2015年。

Which was the wrong answer,

這是個錯誤的答案。

I'm afraid, Sam!

我很害怕，Sam!

It was first released in 2009.

它於2009年首次發佈。

So maybe we'd better keep buying

是以，也許我們最好繼續購買

lottery tickets. After all, it's

彩票。畢竟，它是

a pretty good get-rich-quick

一個相當不錯的致富捷徑

scheme - a way to make a

計劃--一種使

lot of money, quickly.

很多錢，很快。

Let's recap the other vocabulary

讓我們回顧一下其他的詞彙

now. Someone who is risk-averse

現在。逃避風險的人

doesn't like taking risks.

不喜歡承擔風險。

If you dip a toe into something,

如果你對某件事情沾沾自喜。

you test it out slowly and

你慢慢地測試它，並且

carefully to see how it feels.

仔細看看它的感覺。

A pension plan is a way of

養老金計劃是一種

saving money for your retirement.

為你的退休生活攢錢。

Putting things into perspective

把握事物的發展方向

means assessing the real importance

意味著評估真正的重要性

of something, often by comparing

的東西，通常是通過比較

it to something similar.

它是類似的東西。

Like comparing the energy use

比如比較能源的使用

of bitcoin with the energy used

比特幣的能源使用量

by electrical appliances left

由電器留下的

on standby - ready to be used.

待命--隨時可以使用。

And that's all we have time for.

這就是我們所擁有的全部時間。

Bye for now!

暫時再見

Bye bye!

再見!