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The information economy
The information economy
原文
Everyone knows that data are worth someting. The biggest companies in the world base their businesses on them. Artificial-intelligence algorithms guzzle them in droves. But data are not like normal traded goods and services, such as apples and haircuts. They can be used time and again, like public goods. They also have spillover effects, both positive, such as helping to improve health care, and negative, such as breaches of personal information. That makes them far from easy to value.
A new report, led by Diane Coyle, an economist at the University of Cambridge, attempts to address this by understanding the value of data and who stands to benefit from it. She says market prices often do not ascribe full value to data because, in many cases, trading is too thin. Moreover, while much of society's emphasis is on the dangers of misuse of personal data, the report chooses to highlight data's contribution to "the broad economic well-being of all of society." That gives it a much deeper value than a simple monetary one.
第一段
①Everyone knows that data are worth someting. ②The biggest companies in the world base their businesses on them. ③Artificial-intelligence algorithms guzzle（大量吞噬） them in droves.
④But data are not like normal traded goods and services, such as apples and haircuts.
⑤They can be used time and again, like public goods. ⑥They also have spillover effects, both positive, such as helping to improve health care, and negative, such as breaches of personal information.
⑦That makes them far from easy to value.
段落分析：第①句开门见山，直奔文章的中心：数据的价值。第②句以大公司为例，说明了数据的作用，第③句进一步细化，即数据与大公司运行之间的具体关系。④⑤两句讨论了数据的本质特征：虚拟性。第⑥句，第⑦句提到了关于数据的一个问题，其中that代指前面几句话，是一个整体，因此是作为单数。
词汇讲解
date这个词既可以作为单数使用，也可以作为复数使用。data这个词是单数形式为datum，但是data在一些美式英语中会用作单数，如Everyone knows that data is worth something. 还有一个词和data很类似：media。media是medium的复数形式，但是media在一些美语中也会当作单数使用。在写作当中，data和media作为复数的使用更为正式一些。
关于worth这个词，需要注意的是，worth表示“值得”时，是一个介词！不是动词。作为谓语时前面一定要加be动词，即be worth sth。如The film is well worth seeing. 这部电影非常值得一看。worth的形容词为worthy（be worthy of）。当然，有些词典上也会将worth的这一用法归为形容词，从语法上也是可以解释得通的。
base A on B将A基于B。变成被动就是较为常见的be based on , 比如将原文改写一下：The business of biggest companies is based on data. 还有个常用短语也可以表示基于：build A on B。如Our relationship is built on trust.
businesses在这里可能是作者的笔误。business既可以作为可数，也可以作为不可数。当business作为可数名词复数businesses时，只能表示公司/企业；而当business表示业务/生意时，是不可数名词。原文中很明显不是要表示公司的意思，因为their指代的就是主语the biggest companies in the world。
in droves大量地；成群地。其中droves表示large numbers of people。这个短语在句子中作副词成分，修饰动词。比如很多人都开始使用电子支付了：People are switching to digital payments in droves。还有个类似的动词短语：flock to成群结队地去某个地方。如Young people flock to big cities in search of decent jobs and better prospects.
goods表示商品，产品。本身是个复数名词，相当于products/commodities。goods and services可以用在写作当中，表示产品和服务。比如生活成本的提高就可以说是the rising cost of goods and services。有些同学认为goods是good作为名词时的复数，这是错误的！goods与good没有任何关系，good作为名词时是不可数名词，表示好处；善行，如for the good of someone为了某人好。
spillover effect(s)没有预料到的影响。类似的短语还有spillover benefit。其中形容词spillover来源于动词词组spill over(to)影响到其他地方/人。spill的本义为泼洒出来。
breaches of personal information侵犯个人信息。其中breach表示违反；违背。比如合同违约就叫做breach。也可以将information改为privacy：breaches of personal privacy。如果要用动词表示侵犯隐私，可以用infringe on：infringes on people's privacy.
far from表示刚好相反，一点也不。本身就带有否定的意思，否定的程度比not要大很多。文中的That makes them far from easy to value就相当于That makes them very difficult to value.
value在第⑦句当中是一个动词。value作为动词时只有两个意思：1.重视。【同义词】prize/cherish。如Privacy should be valued. 2.估价。【同义词】appraise。如The painting was valued at over $200,000. 而这篇文章的中心为数据的价值，由第①句就可以看出来，因此value在这里是第2个意思：估价。文中的That makes them far from easy to value. 这句话就相当于That makes it far from easy to value them.
句子分析
⑥They also have spillover effects, both positive, such as helping to improve health care, and negative, such as breaches of personal information.
理解这句话的意思不难，但是其中的语法结构如果不理解的话，就很难用在写作当中。A such as引导例子不是句子主要成分，可以先将其去掉：
They also have spillover effects, both positive and negative.
both positive and negative在这句话当中其实是一个同位语，对前面的spillover effects进行解释说明。同位语当中相当于省略了与被解释成分中相同的中心词effects，即both positive effects and negative effects.
再比如下面这句话：
Countries, big and small, have realised the importance of protecting the environment. (big and small就相当于big countries and small countries)B 两个such引导的例子分别作为positive(effects)和negative(effects)的同位语。such as后面既可以是名词成分，也可以是动名词。
参考译文
每个人都知道数据有价值。世界上规模最大的公司的业务就是基于数据。人工智能算法消耗大量的数据。但是数据与常规的交易商品和服务(比如苹果和理发)不同。数据可以被反复使用，就跟公共产品一样。数据也具有意想不到的影响，既有好处，比如帮助改善医疗保健，也有坏处，比如侵犯个人信息。这使得数据的价值很难被估算。
①A new report, led by Diane Coyle, an economist at the University of Cambridge, attempts to address this by understanding the value of data and who stands to benefit from it. ②She says market prices often do not ascribe full value to data because, in many cases, trading is too thin. ③Moreover, whilemuch of society's emphasis is on the dangers of misuse of personal data, the report chooses to highlight data's contribution to "the broad economic well-being of all of society."④That gives it a much deeper value than a simple monetary one.
段落分析：这一段引用具体的研究，目的就是解决上一段最后抛出的问题(address this)，即数据的价值问题(the value of data)，其中this指代的就是上一段最后一句。第②句的ascribe full value to data和第③句的data’ s contribution to分别对第①句的the value of data和who stands to benefit from it。第④句承接第③句，引出新论点，其中that代指第③句提到的数据的深层次价值：data's contribution to...society；而monetary one(value)对应的就是第②句中提到的数据的基本价值：market prices。
词汇讲解
stand to do something(to be in a particular situation or state that makes something likely to happen to you)很有可能做某事。相当于be highly likely to do sth. 如 Many small companies stand to lose financially if the new law is introduced.
ascribe A to B将A归功于B。是个很漂亮的写作表达。变成被动就是be ascribed to sth 原因被认为是某事。如Children's addiction to computer games can be ascribed to a lack of parental supervision. {同义词短语}attribute A to B.
thin在这里的意思可以通过语境推测出来。thin的本义为薄的，这里用来修饰trading（交易），表示的就是交易量过少。即small in number or amount. 同理，其反义词thick也可以表示过多的，如The roads were thick with holiday traffic.
society这个词是一个不可数名词，在写作中不要写成了in the socitey。如果society前面有个形容词修饰词，则可以在前面加上the，如(in) the mordern/ whole society. 与第一段第②句的in the world不同，world是可数名词，因此前面有the。
misuse(the use of something in the wrong way or for the wrong purpose)误用，滥用。既可以作名词也可以作动词。比如经常用错的单词：commonly misused words. misuse还有一个同义词：abuse。两个词有什么区别呢？misuse的意义比较广；而abuse的贬义程度更大，通常指较为严重的滥用，比如滥用权力。
contribution的本义为贡献，但是在A's contribution to B结构当中可以理解为促成作用，或者说影响因素。这一意思就是来源于contribute的动词短语contribute to导致。比如Governments are right to worry about private education's contribution to inequality. 政府对于私立教育导致不平等的担忧是正确的。
well-being表示舒适；健康；幸福。中间的连字符不能漏掉。包含health、comfort和happiness等词的意思。如a sense of well-being幸福感 l We are responsible for the care and well-bing of our patients. 在写作当中也可以用well-being 来替代health, 比如physical/mental well-bing=physical/mental health.
monetary [ˈmʌnɪt(ə)ri] 财政的，货币的. monetary value就是如在外刊中还有一个词经常和monetary一起出现：financial金融的，财政的。两个词分别来源于money和finance。
one在这里代指前面的单数名词value。如果要代指前面的复数名词，则用ones。如big companies and small ones。
句子分析
①A new report, led by Diane Coyle, an economist at the University of Cambridge, attempts to address this by understanding the value of data and who stands to benefit from it.
A led by...在这句话中是过去分词作非限制性后置定语。相当于前面省略了which is。如果将a new report当中的new去掉的话，这个非限制性就要改为限制性：
A report led by Diane Coyle, an economist at the University of Cambridge attempts...
B the value of data和who stands to benefit from it两个成分并列，共同作为动词understand的宾语。其中，it代指前面的the value of data，而不是data。为了使两个并列成分更具有对称性，我们也可以将who stands to benefit from it这个名词从句改为名词短语：likely/possible beneficiaries of it。beneficiary表示受益人。
③Moreover, while much of society's emphasis is on the dangers of misuse of personal data, ...
A 这句话表语当中的on是与主语中的emphasis搭配的，即emphasis on sth。
再比如下面这句话：
But its most profound effect may be on the biggest decision that most people make—choosing a mate.
B while引导的让步状语从句也可以改为despite引导的让步状语。
despite society's main emphasis on the dangers of misuse of personal data
但是强调的效果没有原句好。
参考译文
由剑桥大学经济学家Diane Coyle带领完成的一项新报告试图解决这一问题，通过理解数据的价值以及谁更容易从中受益。她认为市场价格的所有价值并非全部归因于数据，这是因为在很多情况下，交易量过少。另外，尽管社会关注的重心主要是滥用私人数据所产生的危险，该报告依然选择强调数据对于整个社会的经济健康发展所产生的作用。这一点使得数据拥有比单纯的财政价值更加深层次的价值。
