在美国，有不少青少年希翼在互联网上寻找真爱，然而，为数不少的人则沦为那些居心不良者的猎物，成为他们的牺牲品。本文讲述的是两个花季少女的真实故事：Elaine 与Lisa是一对很要好的朋友，跟许多青少年一样，她们都得到过大人们的忠告：网上会友危险多多。不过，她们自认为网上交谈没什么大不了的——终于有一天，15岁的Lisa同意与她网上结识的陌生男子见面，18岁的Elaine给我们讲述了接下来所发生的一切——
Lisa and I live very near each other in Orange County, California, and have been friends for years. One day last December, Lisa met this guy in a chat room1 who lived in our area. They e-mailed each other and talked on the phone for about a week. She liked that he seemed so normal and that he was a fan of one of her favorite bands, Backstreet Boys. I told her to be careful because guys on the internet can be scary2. She said, “Don't worry about it,” and never got a clear plan to meet him.
On December 21, Lisa called me screaming3, “He beat me!” I rushed over to her house. She said she'd met the guy from the internet at a local mall4. He asked her if she wanted to meet some of his friends; she agreed, and they got into his car. They were talking about music, when suddenly he pulled a knife on her. Then he parked the car and raped5 and beat her for three hours. Thank God, he let her go. Even though she was blindfolded6 and tied up, she was able to flag down7 a motorist, who brought her to a hospital.
As Lisa told me the story, she showed me what he had done to her. Whippings from a belt had left black and purple bruises around her waist and butt8. There were also belt marks on her face. One of her front teeth was gone. He had carved an X on her forehead with a knife.
I just cried. I was so sad, but at the same time, I was angry. I wanted to do something to help catch the man who had done this to my best friend. I just didn't know how to go about9 it. Lisa didn't know his name, his age or anything about him.
Three days later, I told Lisa I wanted to try to find her rapist10. I asked for his screen name11—Punkrawkjock2001—and typed it into the computer. To my great surprise, he was online! It was about 2:30 PM, and I sent him an instant message saying, “Hey, what's up?” He immediately wrote back and asked where I got his screen name. I lied and said I'd seen him in a chat room the night before.
Almost immediately, he said, “Want to hang out?”12 I called Lisa and told her to call the police and tell them I'd found the guy, and that he wanted to meet me. The police told her I should try to get his e-mail address because they couldn't trace13 just a screen name. Anxiously, I sent him an e-mail asking him to send a photo—and he actually did it! I forwarded14 the picture to Lisa, who was on the phone with the police, and she messaged me back saying that it wasn't him. But at least now we had an e-mail address for him. I wrote back, “You're hot!”15 He fell for16 it and asked again if I wanted to hang out.
I knew the police would want as much information as possible, so I said, “Let's talk on the phone first.” I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't really think about the danger of giving this man my phone number. Just before he called, my mother came home. I told her what was going on. She was horrified17 and told me not to get involved,18 but then the phone rang and it was too late to turn back.
Punkrawkjock2001 and I talked on the phone for about half an hour. He suggested we meet at four o'clock outside the local mall—the same place he'd met Lisa! I asked him what he would be wearing and what kind of car he drove, so the police would recognize him. Then I spent the next hour pacing19 around the house.
At the same time, Lisa and the police were waiting at the mall. At about four o'clock, Punkrawkjock2001 pulled up the arcade. Lisa identified him at once, and the police surrounded20 his car. They found a knife in the car—and he was wearing a belt similar to the one used to beat Lisa. She called me when she got home and screamed, “We got him!” I was so happy. She's gotten some power back.
Lisa and I are a lot closer because of what happened. The attacker is waiting for trial. While Lisa's physical bruises are gone, the emotional21 scars will be there forever. She doesn't use the internet anymore, I go on and download22 music, but that's it. I look at people differently now, thinking, “He could be someone like that.” I've learned to be much more careful. We both have.
Don't Be A Victim 不要当牺牲品
One in five teens who often go online meets with unwanted23 advances24 in cyberspace25, according to a recent study. But you don't have to log off26 once and for all.27 “The risks don't outweigh28 the benefits of using the internet,” “Just be smart about thing.” Here are some tips on how to protect yourself against online attackers29.
1. Avoid using a screen name that tells clearly the gender30 or age.
2. Keep private information such as your full name, birth date, address, phone number and the name of your school to yourself. “Even what you don't think is personal information can put you at risk. If you say, 'I'm having problem with my parents,' an online attacker can say, ‘You can talk to me,’ and use that as a way to build trust.”
3. If you decide to get together with someone you've met online, don't go alone. And make sure you meet in a public place.
4. Don't respond to hostile31 or threatening e-mails or chat-room postings. It'll only provoke32 the attacker.
5. Speak up. If someone is attacking you, let other people know what's going on.
据最近的一项研究表明，经常上网的青少年每5个人中就有1个会在网络空间里遭遇对方的骚扰，但你也犯不着因噎废食。“使用因特网的好处大于风险。”“你只要放精明一点。”以下就教你几招不受网络猎手骚扰的防身术：
1. 尽量不要使用一眼就能看出性别和年龄的网名。
2. 保护好自己的秘密，不要把你的全名、生日、地址、电话号码、校名这样的信息透露给别人。“甚至有些你认为不属个人隐私的信息也会使你掉进陷阱里。如果你说，‘我跟老爹老娘合不来，’网络猎手就会对你说，‘你可以跟我倾诉，’他们会用这种方式取得你的信任。”
3. 假如你已决定与你在网上结识的人见面，千万不要一个人去，并且一定要在公共场所会面。
4. 不要理睬那些不友好的、具有威胁性的电子邮件和聊天室里的公告贴，这只会引火烧身。
5. 大胆说出来。如果有人骚扰你，把发生的事情告诉别人。
1. chat room 聊天室
2． scary adj．引起惊慌的，骇人的
3． scream v． 尖声喊叫
4． mall n．购物商场，商业街
5． rape [reip] v．强奸
6． blindfold v．将．．．．．．眼睛蒙起来
7． flag down 打信号(或挥手)使停下
8． 此句意为 ″她的腰和屁股周围被皮带抽得青一块紫一块的。” whipping n． 鞭打 bruise n． 瘀伤 butt n． （俚）屁股，臀
9． go about 着手做，从事
10． rapist n． 强奸犯
11． screen name网名
12． hang out 闲荡
13． trace [treis] v找到，发现
14． forward v．发送，递送
15． you＇re hot! 你好热情哟!
16． fall for 爱上, 倾心
17． horrify v．使恐怖，惊骇
18． get involved (in, with) 介入
19． pace [peis] v． 踱步
20． surround v． 包围，围绕
21． emotional adj．情绪的，情感的
22． download v．下载
23． unwanted adj．不必要的
24． advances n． 接近, 友好的表示
25． cyberspace n．电脑空间
26． log off 终止, 退出
27． once and for all 彻底地，永远地
28． outweigh v． 在重量(或价值上)超过
29． attacker n． 攻击者
30． gender n． 性别
31． hostile adj． 敌对的
32． provoke v． 挑拨, 煽动