有关部门的调查说，全世界有6亿多人使用手机，我国也有近1.6亿人拥有手机，而且这一数字还在继续增加。虽然移动通信的技术发展了，可是我们也不能光顾流行，不顾了规矩吧？
There comes a time in any technological revolution when some basic guidelines need to be laid down. It happened when e-mail exploded on the scene2, and people started to learn some basic dos and don'ts. No one teaches us these things in company training seminars; they're just learned on the job.
Well, I've reached the point with cell phones wher I feel the need to lay down the law. There are some real abuses of wireless technology being perpetrated all around us;3 and the time has come to create some social order out of the cell phone chaos.
Commandments usually come in tens, so think of this as the first Ten Commandments of Cell Phone Etiquette.
1. Thou shalt not subject defenseless onlookers to cell phone conversations.4 When people cannot escape the banality of your conversation-on a plane, on a train, on a bus, in a cab, or at the dinner table-spare them.5
2. Thou shalt not set thy ringer to play "La Cucaracha" every time thy phone rings.6 Or Beethoven's Fifth, or the Bee Gees, or any other annoying melody. Is it not enough that phones go off every other second?7
3. Thou shalt turn thy cell phone off during public performances. I'm not even sure this one needs saying, but given the repeated violations8 of this unwritten law, I felt compelled to include it.
4. Thou shalt not wear more than two wireless devices on thy belt. This hasn't become a big problem yet. But with pagers and phones, Batman-esque utility belts are sure to follow.9
5. Thou shalt not dial while driving. In all seriousness, this madness has to stop. There are enough people in the world who have problems mastering vehicles and phones individually.10
6. Thou shalt not wear thy earpiece11 in the presence of thy friends. You seem being on the phone and carrying on another conversation with someone who is physically in your presence. No one knows if you're here or there.
7. Thou shalt not speak louder on thy cell phone than usual-these things have incredibly sensitive microphones. If your signal cuts out, speaking louder won't help.
8. Thou shalt not grow too attached to thy cell phone. For obvious reasons, a dependency on constant communication is not healthy. At work, go nuts. At home, give it a rest.12
9. Thou shalt not attempt to impress with thy cell phone. Not only is a cell phone no longer impressive in any way, users can be immediately identified as a neophyte and a poseur.13
10. Thou shalt not slam14 thy cell phone down on a restaurant table just in case it rings. Could you please be a little less conspicuous? If it rings, you'll hear it just as well if it's in your coat pocket or on your belt. -
1. Ten Commandments：十条戒律，(基督教)十诫。本文的作者仿用"十诫"的语言阐述自己的观点。etiquette：礼节，礼仪。
2. on the scene：〈口〉到场，在场。这里是指，电子邮件为大家所接受并广泛使用。
3.在我们身边，现实生活中到处都有滥用无线电技术的行为发生。abuse：滥用，妄用；perpetrate：犯(罪行、错误等)，施行。
4.不要用讲手机的方法折磨那些毫无防备的旁听者。thou：〈古〉汝，尔，你；shalt：〈古〉= shall(只用于现在式第二人称单数)。
5. banality：陈词滥调，平庸；spare：不伤害，使免遭。
6. thy：〈古〉[thou的所有格]你的；ringer：发出铃声的东西，这里指手机的振铃声。"La Cucaracha"：墨西哥名曲《蟑螂歌》，这是一首美国人耳熟能详的搞笑歌曲。下文中还提到了贝多芬《第五交响曲》(Beethoven's Fifth)和比基斯乐队(Bee Gees)。贝多芬于1805年动笔创作《第五交响曲》，并将第一乐章的主题定义为"命运在敲门"，因此人们通常将之称为《命运》交响曲。比基斯乐队是20世纪70年代摇滚乐坛著名的迪士科乐队。
7.每隔一秒手机就响一次还不够烦吗？
8. violation：违反(行为)，违背(行为)。
9.要是传呼机和手机都带着的话，一个蝙蝠侠式样的皮带必不可少。-esque：[构成形容词]似……般的，……(样)式。
10.世上有那么多的人光掌握驾驶技术或手机其中的一样都成问题(更何况边开车边打电话了)。
11. earpiece：耳机。
12.工作的时候可以打爆你的手机，回家了就让它休息休息吧！go nuts:发疯，这里指非常频繁地使用手机通话。
13. (太炫的)手机绝不可能给人留下什么深刻印象，人们还会马上觉得手机的主人太幼稚或是装腔作势。neophyte：新手，生手；poseur：故作姿态的人，装腔作势的人。
14. slam：砰地放下。
