海底的电缆

当人们给另一个国家发消息时，这条消息常常要经过海底。长长的电缆铺在海洋的底部，连接着世界各地的城市和国家。

When people send a message to another country, the message often travels under the sea. Long cables lie on the bottom of the ocean. They connect cities and countries all over the world.

这些电缆并不很粗，很多和花园水管差不多细。里面有细细的玻璃丝，每一根都和头发差不多细。光在玻璃里移动得非常快，把信息传送出去。

The cables are not very big. Many are as thin as a garden hose. Inside, there are thin strands of glass, each one as thin as a hair. Light moves through the glass very fast and carries the information.

这些电缆做着重要的工作。国与国之间大约每一百条消息，就有九十五条通过它们传送。如今，海里的电缆超过六百条，加起来长得惊人，它们跨越了地球上的每一片海洋。

These cables do an important job. They carry about ninety-five out of every hundred messages that go between countries. There are more than six hundred cables in the sea today, and together they are very, very long. They cross every ocean on Earth.