I'm Dan and joining me today is Neil. Hey Neil.

我是丹，今天加入我的是尼爾。嘿，尼爾。

Neil: Hello Dan. What's on the agenda today?

尼爾：你好，丹。今天的議程是什麼？

Dan: Well, I'll give you a clue.

丹：好吧，我給你一個線索。

It's something that makes the world go round,

這是讓世界運轉的東西。

but it doesn't really exist.

但它並不真正存在。

In fact, if we all stopped believing in it,

事實上，如果我們都不再相信它。

it would have no use at all!

毫無用處

What is it?

什麼事？

Neil: I haven't got a clue!

尼爾：我沒有任何頭緒!

Dan: Ok...how about this?

丹：好吧......這樣如何？

Neil: Money!

錢！

Dan: Yep! And not just any money,

丹：是的!而且不是普通的錢。

we're talking about crypto-currency.

我們正在談論加密貨幣。

Neil: Currency is the money that's being used

尼爾：貨幣是指被使用的錢。

in a given country at a certain time.

在某一時期，在某一國家。

But what about the crypto part?

但加密部分呢？

Dan: Well, 'crypto' is a prefix meaning hidden or secret.

丹：嗯，"crypto "是一個前綴，意思是隱藏或祕密。

It comes from the word cryptic,

它來自於 "隱 "字。

which means mysterious or difficult to understand.

意思是神祕的或難以理解的。

You may have heard about the most

你可能聽說過最

popular crypto-currency at the moment,

目前流行的加密貨幣。

the Bitcoin.

的比特幣。

Neil: Well I've certainly heard the name,

尼爾：嗯，我當然聽說過這個名字。

but I can't say I know what it is.

但我不能說我知道它是什麼。

Dan: First our quiz question.

丹：首先是我們的問答題。

When was the Bitcoin crypto-currency first created?

比特幣加密貨幣最早是什麼時候誕生的？

Is it a) 2004

是a) 2004年

b) 2009 or c) 2013

b) 2009年或c) 2013年

Neil: Well, I think 2004 may have been a little early,

尼爾：嗯，我覺得2004年可能有點早。

and I think 2013 could be a little late,

而我認為2013年可能會晚一點。

so the smart money's on 2009.

所以聰明的錢在2009年。

Dan: We'll see if you're right later on in the show.

丹：等會兒節目中我們就知道你說的對不對了。

So…Bitcoin, what do you know about it?

那麼......比特幣，你對它瞭解多少？

Neil: Well, I know it's a digital currency…

我知道這是一種數字貨幣...

so presumably you can use it online to buy things?

所以大概可以用它在網上買東西？

Dan: You are right on the money,

丹：你說的很對。

which means correct,

這意味著正確。

both times.

兩次。

Bitcoin is just like any other currency

比特幣就像其他貨幣一樣

except for two things.

除了兩件事。

First, it's not printed by governments or banks,

首先，它不是政府或銀行印的。

which means that it's not legal tender.

這意味著它不是法定貨幣。

Neil: Legal tender means the official money that

尼爾：法定貨幣指的是官方的貨幣，即

can be used within a country.

可以在一個國家內使用。

So that means we can't use it to

所以，這意味著我們不能用它來。

pay taxes or settle debts, right?

交稅或還債，對吧？

Dan: Exactly.

丹：沒錯。

Governments won't recognise it as an official currency,

各國政府不會承認它是一種官方貨幣。

although it acts just like one.

雖然它的行為就像一個。

You can use it to buy items

你可以用它來購買物品

from anyone who will accept it,

從任何願意接受它的人。

and its value fluctuates.

而其價值也會有所波動。

Neil: Fluctuates means changes in level or amount.

尼爾：Fluctuates是指水準或數量的變化。

And what's the second thing?

第二件事是什麼呢？

Dan: The second thing is that bitcoin is a

丹：第二件事是，比特幣是一個。

digital currency, meaning

數字貨幣

that with the exception of a few tokens,

那除了一些代幣。

it largely exists online only.

它基本上只存在於網上。

You can't carry a load of bitcoins around in your pocket!

你不能把一大堆比特幣裝在口袋裡!

Neil: Well, that makes a nice…

嗯，這是個不錯的...

change!

變化

Dan: Oh dear, Neil. Was that a money pun? Terrible!

哦，親愛的，尼爾。那是個雙關語嗎？太可怕了！

Neil: So if it's a digital only currency,

尼爾：所以，如果是隻用數字貨幣。

where do new ones come from?

新的從何而來？

Can't I just say that I've got a million of them and

我就不能說我有一百萬個人，而且。

make myself rich!?

讓自己發財！？

Dan: Well, no. You see,

丹：嗯，沒有。你看。

even though Bitcoin is not regulated by a bank

儘管比特幣不受銀行監管

or government, it still has a process

或政府，它仍然有一個過程

that stops people from cheating.

阻止人們作弊的。

There are only two ways to get bitcoins.

獲取比特幣只有兩種方式。

You either trade them from someone,

你要麼從別人那裡交易。

or you go mining.

或者你去採礦。

Neil: Oh wait, I've heard about this.

尼爾：哦，等等，我聽說過這件事。

This is when you use your computer to run calculations

這時你可以用電腦進行計算。

which verify other Bitcoin transactions.

其中驗證其他比特幣交易。

You get rewarded for this 'work' by earning bitcoins.

你通過賺取比特幣來獲得這個 "工作 "的回報。

Dan: Yep! It's money for old rope,

丹：是的!這是買舊繩子的錢。

which means it's an easy way to earn money.

這意味著這是一種輕鬆的賺錢方式。

Neil: Wow! I'm going to start mining immediately!

哇哦!我馬上要開始挖礦了!

Dan: Well, you wouldn't be the only one!

丹：嗯，你不會是唯一的一個!

Bitcoin's value has recently gone up quite a lot

比特幣的價值最近上漲了不少

and this has caused a lot of interest.

而這也引起了很多人的興趣。

In fact, one stock exchange in Chicago

事實上，芝加哥的一個證券交易所

has begun trading in Bitcoin futures contracts.

已經開始交易比特幣期貨合約。

Neil: A futures contract? What's that?

尼爾：期貨合約？那是什麼？

Dan: I'll let BBC correspondent

丹：我會讓BBC記者

Rory Cellan-Jones explain that.

Rory Cellan-Jones解釋道。

The futures contract,

期貨合約。

a bet on where the currency will be a month from now,

押注一個月後貨幣的走勢。

soared above 18,000 dollars.

飆升至18000美元以上。

That means investors believe Bitcoin,

這意味著投資者相信比特幣。

which started the year worth under 1000 dollars

價值不到1000美元的年終獎

will continue to rise in value, albeit at a slower rate.

將繼續升值，儘管速度較慢。

But at the big banks there's still plenty of scepticism

但在大銀行，還是有很多懷疑的聲音的

about the currency.

關於貨幣。

Neil: Soared in this context means

尼爾：在這裡，飆升的意思是

increased very quickly.

增加得非常快。

So, now big investors are betting on the value of Bitcoin

所以，現在大的投資者都在押注比特幣的價值。

in the future.

在未來。

Dan: Yes. But he also mentioned that the banks

丹：是的。但他也提到，銀行

have a lot of scepticism.

有很多的懷疑。

That's a doubt that something is real or true.

這是對某件事情是真實存在的懷疑。

In this case, whether Bitcoin is reliable or not.

在這種情況下，比特幣是否可靠。

Neil: Maybe it's best I don't get involved then.

尼爾：也許我最好不要參與，那麼。

After all, a fool and his money are soon parted.

畢竟，傻子和他的錢很快就會分開。

Dan: Well, you don't have to be sceptical about

丹：好吧，你不必對這個問題持懷疑態度。

the answer to our quiz.

我們測驗的答案。

We know that for a fact.

我們知道這是一個事實。

I asked you when the Bitcoin crypto-currency

我問你，比特幣加密貨幣什麼時候？

was first created.

創立之初。

a) 2004

a) 2004

b) 2009 or c) 2013

b) 2009年或c) 2013年

Neil: And I said 2009.

尼爾：而且我說的是2009年。

Dan: And you were right! Well done.

丹：而且你是對的!幹得好。

Shall we go over the vocabulary again?

我們再來複習一下詞彙吧？

Neil: First we had currency.

尼爾：首先我們有貨幣。

That's the money being used

這就是錢的用途

in a given country at a certain time.

在某一時期，在某一國家。

Name three currencies and their countries, Dan.

說出三種貨幣及其國家，丹。

Dan: OK.

然後：好的。

Baht for Thailand. Rupee for India

泰銖代表泰國。盧比代表印度

and my favourite,

還有我最喜歡的。

Metical for Mozambique.

為莫三鼻克提供服務。

Next we had cryptic.

接下來我們有了隱祕的。

Something which is cryptic is mysterious

隱祕的東西就是神祕的

or difficult to understand.

或難以理解。

For example, what do rich people need,

比如說，有錢人需要什麼。

poor people have and if you eat it, you die?

窮人有，吃了就會死？

Neil: A cryptic riddle indeed! I'll have to think about that.

尼爾：確實是一個神祕的謎語!我得好好想想。

Then we had legal tender,

然後我們有了法定貨幣。

that's the official money

官錢

that can be used within a country.

可以在一個國家內使用的。

The Euro is legal tender within Spain,

歐元在西班牙是法定貨幣。

but what was the legal tender before that?

但在此之前的法定貨幣是什麼？

Dan: Wasn't it the Peseta?

丹：是不是佩塞塔？

Then we had fluctuates.

然後我們有波動。

If something fluctuates, it changes in amount or level.

如果某件事情發生波動，它的數量或水準就會發生變化。

The stock market fluctuates.

股市的波動。

Neil: But my love for my family never does.

尼爾：但我對家人的愛永遠不會變。

Then we had soared,

然後，我們已經飛了起來。

which means increased very quickly.

這意味著增加得非常快。

It's used with this meaning in the context of money,

用在錢的上下文中就是這個意思。

prices and statistics.

價格和統計數據。

Dan: Finally, we had scepticism.

丹：最後，我們有了懷疑論。

Scepticism is doubt that something is real or true.

懷疑主義是對某件事情的真實性或真實性的懷疑。

What sort of things are people sceptical about, Neil?

人們對什麼樣的事情持懷疑態度，尼爾？

Neil: Some people think that human activity

尼爾：有些人認為，人類活動

hasn't caused climate change.

沒有造成氣候變化。

They are sceptical.

他們是持懷疑態度的。

Dan: And that brings us to the end of today's

丹：今天的節目到此結束。

6 Minute English.

六分鐘的英語。

Don't forget to check out our Youtube,

不要忘記查看我們的Youtube。

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages,

Facebook、Twitter和Instagram頁面。

and we'll see you next time. Goodbye.

我們下次再見再見。

Neil: Goodbye

再見了