>Barcode turns 50 but its days might be numbered

条形码诞生50周年 全球每天扫码次数达60亿次

Barcodes were initially patented by Norman JosephWoodland and Bernard Silver in the United States in 1952. But it wasn't untilnearly two decades later, in 1971, that US engineer George Laurer perfected thetechnology and moves toward its commercialization began.

1952年，条形码技术在美国由诺曼•约瑟夫•伍德兰和伯纳德•西尔弗申请获得专利。但直到20年后的1971年，这项技术才被美国工程师乔治•劳雷尔完善，并开始走向商业化。

On April 3, 1973, the standard to identify productswas agreed on by a number of large retailers and food companies. The followingyear, on June 26 in the US state of Ohio, the first product was scanned: a packof chewing gum that is now in the National Museum of American History inWashington.

直到1973年4月3日，若干大型零售企业才就条形码扫码标准达成一致。次年的6月26日，美国俄亥俄州首件带有条形码的商品——一包口香糖被扫码。目前这包口香糖已成为位于华盛顿的国立美国历史博物馆的藏品。

The patch of irregular vertical lines that revolutionizedsupermarket checkouts and facilitated the globalization of retail is turning50.

这个由不规则垂直线条排列组成的图形标识符曾经彻底改变了人们在超市的结账方式，促进了零售业的全球化，如今它已经50岁了。

The trademark beep as a product is scanned is heard about sixbillion times per day across the world, as around 70,000 items are sold eachsecond. But its days might be numbered as it faces competition from the youngerQR code.

目前全球每天条形码扫码次数高达60亿次，每一秒钟就有约7万件商品被扫码出售。不过，随着科技进步特别是二维码的迅速崛起，条形码或终被取代。

Developed in 1994, QR codes can hold much moreinformation, as they are read both horizontally, like barcodes, and vertically.But barcodes are likely to remain in place for years to come as the worldgradually transitions to QR codes.

诞生于1994年的二维码既可以像条形码一样横向读取，也可以纵向读取，并且其本身能包含比条形码更多的信息。不过，在逐渐向二维码过渡的过程中，条形码在未来几年可能还会继续存在。

重点词汇：

irregular

英/ɪˈreɡjələ(r)/ 美/ɪˈreɡjələr/

adj.不平整的，不整齐的；（时间）无规律的，不定期的；（行为）不合常规的，不正常的；（词形）不规则的；非正规军的；便秘的

n.非正规军军人；次品，处理品

beep

英/biːp/ 美/biːp/

v.（机器）哔哔响，嘟嘟响；（使）（汽车喇叭）鸣响；用传呼机召唤，呼（某人）

n.（电子设备的）哔哔声；（汽车喇叭的）嘟嘟声；警笛声

>Survey: Americans now less patriotic, less religious

民调显示，美国人不再爱国，不再信教且更加悲观

Americans are placing far less importance on patriotism, religion and othervalues, according to a new survey by the Wall Street Journal and the Universityof Chicago’s NORC.

《华尔街日报》联合NORC公共事务研究中心近日发布民调，发现美国人对于爱国、宗教信仰等价值观的重视程度大幅降低。

The poll surveyed 1,019 adult Americans from March 1 to 13 and compared theresults to a 1998 poll.

这项民调在3月1日至3月13日访问了1019名美国成年人，并将调查结果与1998年的民调作比较。

The poll found 38 percent of respondents said patriotism was very importantto them, down from 70 percent in 1998. And 39 percent said religion was veryimportant, down from 62 percent in 1998.

结果显示，38%的美国人认为爱国非常重要，远低于1998年的70%。39%的人表示宗教信仰非常重要，大幅低于1998年的62%。

Respondents under 30 placed much lower importance on those values thangroups over 65. Money was cited as very important by 43 percent in the newsurvey, up from 31 percent in 1998, and it was the only priority that grew inimportance.

美国30岁以下群体比65岁以上人群更加不重视这些价值观。有43%的人认为金钱很重要，高于1998年的31%，这是民调中美国人唯一更加重视的事项。

Jennifer Benz, vice-president of public affairs at NORC, said that views inthe survey might have been colored by the downbeat economic outlook. “Peopleare just sort of down on everything about the country,”she said.

NORC公共事务副总裁珍妮弗·本茨认为，美国悲观的经济前景影响了民调中的观点。“人们对美国的一切都很失望。”她说。

The Wall Street Journalsaid major events in the US have “shaken and, insome ways, fractured the nation,” among them the terrorist attack on Sept 11,2001, the financial crisis of 2008, and the rise of former president DonaldTrump.

《华尔街日报》则表示，近几十年来，包括“9·11”恐怖袭击、2008年金融危机以及特朗普担任总统等重大事件，动摇甚至分裂了美国。

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