THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD
The Year 200 computer glitch has proved surprisingly troublesome.

美专家谈电脑千年难题带来的好消息与坏消息（1）

(1) Four years ago. We still felt that the "Year 2000 Problem" was a minor technical glitch『技术性毛病』that would probably be fixed long before that year 2000.
(1)4年前，我们觉得，计算机2000年问题（即千年难题）不过是个小小的技术问题，大概到不了2000年，这个问题就能迎刃而解。

(2) We were wrong: The Year 2000 Problem (or Y2K) was more serious than we thought. Very soon what seemed like a minor technical problem to us-and to most other people at the time-had set off a furor『喧闹；狂怒』and even created a new industry for consultants『顾问』and programmers.

(2)但是，我们错了。2000年问题比我们想象的更为严重。不久，这个在我们和当时其他大多多数人看来不过很小的技术难题，就将引起一场混乱，甚至会给顾问和程序设计员带来一个崭新的行业。

(3) Experts say that it's not exactly clear what problems non-compliant『不会发牢骚的；缄默的』computers will create over the next few years. They may make lots of mistakes. Humans may catch many of the computers' mistakes, but most humans are too busy. That's why we have computers keeping track 『轨迹；轨道』of things and telling us what to do, like taking expired『失效的』foods and medicines off the shelf.

(3) 专家们指出，现在尚不太清楚今后几年存在2000年问题的计算机会产生哪些问题。它们可能会造成许多错误，人们也许可以找出这些计算机的错误，但是大多数人都太忙碌。这就是为什么我们利用计算机来记录事情，并利用它提醒我们做把过期的食品和药品从货架上取下来等等的事情。

(4) The Year 2000 Problem affects not only computers (mainframes『大型电脑』, minis『便携式的』, and micros), but the myriad『无数；大量』of microchips embedded『把嵌进；埋进』in many of our products, including airplanes, cars, microwave ovens『微波炉』, etc, points out Y2K authority 『专家；权威人士』John Whitehouse, president of Change Wise, Inc, in Jacksonville, Florida. Furthermore, as he notes in his recent audiobook『有声读物』The Year 2000 Is Coming: What Do I Do? the year 2000 is a leap year, a circumstance『情况；事实』that also will have at least some consequences『结果；后果』: Banks, for example, would fail to calculate『计算；测算』one day's worth of interest (February 29), which is significant when you are dealing with billions of collars.

(4)佛罗里达州杰克逊维尔的Change Wise公司总裁、2000年问题专家约翰·怀特豪斯指出2000年问题不仅将影响计算机（大型机、小型机和微型机），而且将影响无数装在产品－如飞机、汽车和微波炉等－内的微芯片。此外，他还在最近出版的声音读物《2000年即将来临：我们该做些什么》中指出，2000年恰逢闰年，它至少还会产生几个后果：例如，银行可能无法计算2月29日这一天的利息，如果你在做几十亿美元的交易，这是一笔很可观的数字。

(5) Even if you don't think you have a big problem with your own computers, of if you solve your own Y2K problems, you will still have to deal with countless『无数的；数不清的』other individuals, businesses, agencies, and governments who may not have solved the problem in their systems. Computers, businesses, and governments are highly interconnected『互相连接；互相联系』today: A problem anywhere has the potential『可能性』for global consequences, and there may be many, many problems emerging『出现』as 2000 arrives.

(5)即使你觉得自己的计算机不会出大问题，或者你自己能解决2000年问题，但是你必须与其他人、企业、机构和政府打交道，因为他们的可能并没有解决这一问题。当前，计算机、企业和政府之间是密不分的：任何一处出现问题都可能导致全球性的后果，在2000年来临时也许会出现许许多多的问题。

(6)Still, there is a potential bright side:

(6)机遇 尽管如此，这一问题也可能有好的一面。

(7) "For those who come to understand and accept the issues, for those who take decisive『坚决的；果断的』 action, this can be the opportunity of a lifetime," says Whitehouse.

(7) 怀特豪斯指出：“对那些了解和接受这些问题并采取果断行动的人来说，这可能是一个千载难逢的机遇。”

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