What Does the Multimedia Actually Mean?

   Literally, multimedia means two or more media.If the publisher of this book wanted to join the current hype about multimedia, he could advertise the book as using multimedia technology.After all, it contains two media:text and graphics（the figures）. Nevertheless, when most people refer to multimedia, they generally mean the combination of two or more continuous media, that is, media have to be played during some well-defined timed times interval, usually with the users interaction. In practice, the two media are normally audio and video, that is, sound plus moving pictures.

   In the multimedia environment, we have graphics and text at the same time, we can also add the photograph, animation, good-quality sound, and full motion video.All of the technologies make computers more interesting and much easier to use. For example,a multimedia program can play a segment of movie: a cat was playing a reel of thread, with mewing… The tableau can a be immediately captured and pasted to a text at the side of a paragraph of words.

   CD－ROM

   CD－ROM is an optical technology that is used to make compact disks for CD stereo systems; it has now been adapted to store data for computers.CD disk is an optical disc, on which data is recorded as a set of dips in the surface. When a laser beam shines across the dips,the reflected distortion represents the data.Optical disc has a 600 megabyte capacity and are well suited for the computer applications needing the vast storage.The playback effect of optical discs for music is very perfect,no hiss and crackle as with other photo-records.A computer system must have a CD driver that is designed to read the disks and translate the data into a form it can process. CD disks can store huge volumes of data and are very useful for reference material an encyclopedia, for example.However, as the name（read-only memory）implies, CD disks cannot be written on or changed in any way.
   一、全文翻譯

   “多媒體”到底意味著什么？

   從字面上看，多媒體是指兩種或兩種以上媒體。如果本書的出版者想加入當前多媒體廣告的行列，那么，他就可以聲稱這本書已經使用了多媒體技術。因為，畢竟，它包含兩種媒體，文本和圖形（插圖）。然而，當大多數人談及多媒體時，他們通常是指混合了兩種或兩種以上連續(xù)的媒體，即，媒體可以在一段規(guī)定的時間之內連續(xù)播放，并且通常伴隨著與用戶的交互。實際上，這兩種媒體通常指音頻和視頻，即聲音加移動的圖片。

   在多媒體環(huán)境中，我們可以同時擁有圖形和文本，也可以增加圖片、動畫、高質量的音響和全動錄像，這些技術使得計算機使用起來更有趣也更容易。例如，一個多媒體程序可以播放一段電影：一只小貓正在玩線團，發(fā)出“喵喵”的聲音……，這個畫面可以立即剪貼到一段文字旁邊。

   CD-ROM

    CD－ROM原是一種用于制作CD立體聲系統的小型圓盤的光學技術，現在它已經被用來為計算機儲藏數據。CD盤是一種光盤，其數據以一組坑的形式記錄在光盤表面上，當激光束掃過這些坑的時候，返回的失真程度就代表了這些數據。光盤有600兆字節(jié)的容量，非常適合需要大存儲量的計算機應用。音樂光盤播放音樂的效果非常完美，沒有像用其他唱片那樣的嘶嘶聲和噼啪聲。計算機系統必須配備一個CD驅動器用來讀取光盤并將數據轉換到計算機能夠處理的形式。CD盤可以儲存大量數據，這對于文獻資料的存儲非常有用，如存儲一部百科全書。然而，正如其名字（只讀存儲器）所指出的那樣，CD盤不能寫，也不能用任何方式改變其內容。
    二、單詞

   1、literally 逐字地、照字面地

   translate a passage literally 逐字直譯一篇文章；

   2、interval 間隔、距離

   The interval between the two posts measures thirty meters.

   那兩根柱子間距30米。

   3、audio 聽覺的、聲音的；

   4、video（n） 錄象，電視，錄象機；（a）電視的，錄象的；

   5、animation 動畫片；

   6、segment 部分；部門；

   The company dominates this segment of the market.

   該公司控制了這一部分市場。

   7、tableau 如畫的描寫，動人的場面；

   8、optical 眼睛的、視力的、光學的；

   9、laser 激光；

   三、句型分析

   Nevertheless,[when most people refer to multimedia] they generally mean the combination of two or more continuous media, (that is, media have to be played during some well-defined timed times interval, [usually with the user's interaction.])