Jim loved sharing his opinions.
Jim 喜歡分享他的觀點。

Every morning, he would drink his coffee while scrolling through Facebook, reading news articles and leaving comments on almost everything.
每天早上，他都會一邊喝咖啡，一邊流覽 Facebook，閱讀新聞文章，對幾乎所有事情發表評論。

Politics, sports, local events - Jim had something to say about it all.
政治、體育、當地活動 - Jim 對這一切有話要說。

"You spend too much time arguing with strangers online," his wife Helen would tell him.
“你花了太多時間在網上和陌生人爭論，”他的妻子海倫會告訴他。

Jim would just laugh. "It's just words on a screen. Nobody takes it seriously."
Jim 只是笑了。“這隻是螢幕上的文字。沒有人把它當回事。

One Tuesday morning, Jim saw an entertainment article about actor Robert Yang's new movie.
一個星期二的早上，Jim 看到一篇關於演員 Robert Yang 的新電影的娛樂文章。

The movie had received bad reviews, and Jim didn't like Robert Yang's previous films either.
這部電影收到了差評，吉姆也不喜歡羅伯特·楊以前的電影。

Jim quickly typed a comment:
Jim 快速輸入了一條評論：

This movie looks terrible! Yang can't act to save his life. He only gets roles because his father owns the studio.
這部電影看起來很糟糕！楊無法採取行動來挽救自己的生命。他得到角色只是因為他爸爸擁有工作室。

Plus he's probably paying the tabloids to cover up his drug problem. What a fake!
此外，他可能正在付錢給小報以掩蓋他的毒品問題。真是假的！

He hit "send" without thinking twice and continued scrolling.
他不假思索地點擊了“發送”，然後繼續滾動。

By that evening, he had forgotten all about his comment.
到那天晚上，他已經把自己的評論忘得一乾二淨。

Three days later, Jim received an official-looking envelope in the mail.
三天后，Jim 收到了一個看起來像官方的信封。

"What's this?" Helen asked as Jim opened it.
“這是什麼？”海倫在吉姆打開門時問道。

Jim's face went pale as he read the document. "It's... it's a lawsuit. Robert Yang is suing me for defamation."
吉姆讀著這份檔，臉色變得蒼白。“這......這是一場訴訟。羅伯特·楊（Robert Yang）正在起訴我誹謗。

"What? The actor?" Helen took the paper from him. "Jim, what did you write?"
“什麼？那個演員？海倫從他手裡拿走了那張紙。“吉姆，你寫了什麼？”

Jim explained about his comment, trying to remember exactly what he'd said.
Jim 解釋了他的話，試圖準確地記住他所說的話。

"I was just sharing my opinion about his acting," Jim said. "I didn't think it was a big deal."
“我只是在分享我對他表演的看法，”吉姆說。“我不認為這沒什麼大不了的。”

Helen pointed to a paragraph in the legal document.
海倫指著法律檔中的一段話。

"It says here you claimed he has a drug problem and that his father buys his roles. Those aren't opinions, Jim. You stated them as facts."
“它說這裡你說他有毒品問題，他的父親買了他的角色。這些不是意見，Jim。你把它們當作事實來陳述。

"But everyone says things like that online!" Jim protested.
“但每個人都在網上說這樣的話！”吉姆抗議道。

"And now you're finding out there can be consequences," Helen said.
“現在你發現可能會有後果，”海倫說。

The next morning, Jim called in sick to work.
第二天早上，Jim 請病假去上班。

He couldn't concentrate. The lawsuit demanded $100,000 and damages. Jim didn't have that kind of money.
他無法集中注意力。訴訟要求 100,000 美元和賠償金。吉姆沒有那麼多錢。

"What should I do?" he asked Helen.
“我該怎麼辦？”

"You need to talk to a lawyer," she said. "And you should probably write an apology."
“你需要和律師談談，”她說。“你可能應該寫一封道歉信。”

Jim contacted a lawyer, who explained the situation wasn't good.
Jim 聯繫了一位律師，律師解釋說情況不太好。

"You made specific claims that could damage Mr. Yang's reputation and career," the lawyer explained.
“你提出了可能損害楊先生的聲譽和職業生涯的具體主張，”律師解釋說。

"And you don't have any evidence to back them up."
“而且你沒有任何證據來支持他們。”

"I was just repeating rumors I'd heard," Jim admitted.
“我只是在重複我聽到的謠言，”Jim 承認。

"That's not a legal defense," the lawyer said.
“那不是法律辯護，”律師說。

"My advice is to issue a public apology immediately and reach out to Mr. Yang's legal team to see if we can settle this before it goes to court."
“我的建議是立即公開道歉，並聯繫楊先生的法律團隊，看看我們是否可以在法庭上解決這件事。”

Jim wrote a careful apology and posted it on Facebook:
Jim 寫了一份謹慎的道歉併發佈在 Facebook 上：

I want to publicly apologize to Robert Yang for my comment on October 12th.
我想為我在 10 月 12 日的評論向 Robert Yang 公開道歉。

What I wrote was untrue and unfair. I have no evidence for any claims I made about Mr. Yang or his family.
我寫的東西不真實，也不公平。我沒有證據證明我對楊先生或其家人的任何說法。

I spoke carelessly and I deeply regret my words.
我說話漫不經心，我對我的話深感遺憾。

I've learned a valuable lesson about the power of words, even online.
我學到了關於文字力量的寶貴一課，即使是在網上。

He also sent a private message to Robert Yang through his lawyer:
他還通過律師私信了羅伯特·楊：

Mr. Yang, I am truly sorry for what I wrote about you.
楊先生，我真的很抱歉我寫了關於你的文章。

I was thoughtless and wrong. I can't afford the damages you're asking for, but I'm willing to do whatever I can to make this right.
我輕率地錯了。我負擔不起你要求的賠償金，但我願意盡我所能來解決這個問題。

I've already posted a public apology and am willing to do more.
我已經公開道歉了，並願意做更多的事情。

Two tense weeks passed. Jim couldn't sleep. He kept checking his phone, expecting more bad news.
緊張的兩周過去了。吉姆睡不著。他不停地看手機，期待著更多的壞消息。

Finally, his lawyer called.
最後，他的律師打來了電話。

"Mr. Yang's team has responded," she said.
“楊先生的團隊已經做出了回應，”她說。

He's willing to drop the lawsuit under two conditions:
他願意在兩個條件下放棄訴訟：

Your public apology must stay up for one year, and you need to write a 1,000-word essay about online defamation for your local newspaper.
你的公開道歉必須持續一年，你需要為當地報紙寫一篇 1,000 字的關於在線誹謗的文章。

Jim was overwhelmed with relief. "Yes, absolutely. I'll do it right away."
Jim 鬆了一口氣。“是的，一點沒錯。我馬上就去做。

A month later, Jim met with Robert Yang in person. The meeting was arranged by their lawyers to finalize the settlement.
一個月後，Jim 親自會見了 Robert Yang。他們的律師安排了這次會議，以最終確定和解。

"Thank you for dropping the lawsuit," Jim said nervously. "I truly am sorry."
“謝謝你放棄訴訟，”Jim 緊張地說。“我真的很抱歉。”

Robert looked at Jim seriously. "Do you know why I sued you?"
羅伯特認真地看著吉姆。“你知道我為什麼起訴你嗎？”

Jim shook his head.
吉姆搖搖頭。

Your comment was one of hundreds I see every day. But yours mentioned a drug problem.
您的評論是我每天看到的數百條評論之一。但你提到了毒品問題。

My brother died of an overdose last year. I've never touched drugs, partly because of what happened to him.
我哥哥去年死於吸毒過量。我從來沒有接觸過毒品，部分原因是他的遭遇。

When I saw your comment, it felt like you were using my family's tragedy as gossip.
當我看到你的評論時，感覺你就像在利用我家的悲劇作為八卦。

Jim felt sick with shame. "I had no idea. I just typed without thinking."
吉姆感到羞愧不堪。“我不知道。我只是不假思索地打字。

"That's exactly the problem," Robert said.
“這正是問題所在，”羅伯特說。

"Everyone thinks they can say anything online without consequences. Words matter, Mr. Peterson. They can hurt real people."
“每個人都認為他們可以在網上說任何話而不會產生任何後果。言語很重要，彼得森先生。他們可以傷害真實的人。

Jim nodded. "I've learned that now. I'll never forget it."
吉姆點點頭。“我現在已經學到了這一點。我永遠不會忘記。

After that day, Jim changed his online habits completely.
那天之後，Jim 徹底改變了他的上網習慣。

He deleted his Facebook account and started reading books instead of news comment sections.
他刪除了自己的 Facebook 帳戶，開始閱讀書籍而不是新聞評論區。

One evening, Helen noticed him reading quietly instead of typing on his phone.
一天晚上，海倫注意到他安靜地閱讀，而不是在手機上打字。

"Don't you miss sharing your opinions online?" she asked.
她問道：「你不懷念在網上分享你的觀點嗎？

Jim shook his head.
吉姆搖搖頭。

"I realized I wasn't adding anything valuable to those conversations. I was just making noise, and sometimes that noise can hurt people."
“我意識到我沒有為這些對話添加任何有價值的東西。我只是在製造噪音，有時這種噪音會傷害人。

"That's quite a lesson to learn," Helen said.
“這是一個值得學習的教訓，”海倫說。

"An expensive one too," Jim replied. "But worth it. Now I think before I speak or type."
“也貴，”吉姆回答。“但值得。現在，我在說話或打字之前會先思考。

The newspaper published Jim's essay about online defamation the following week. He ended it with these words:
該報在接下來的一周發表了吉姆關於網路誹謗的文章。他以這些話結束了它：

Remember that behind every profile picture is a real person with real feelings and a real life.
請記住，每張個人資料圖片背後都有一個真實的人，有真實的感情和真實的生活。

The internet may feel anonymous, but our words follow us into the real world.
互聯網可能讓人感覺匿名，但我們的話會跟隨我們進入現實世界。

Think before you type. I wish I had.
打字前請三思。我希望我有。

重要單字、片語整理 opinion (n.) /əˈpɪnjən/ - 意見，看法 share one's opinion /ʃer wʌnz əˈpɪnjən/ - 發表意見 scroll (v.) /skroʊl/ - 滾動（螢幕） scroll through Facebook /skroʊl θruː ˈfeɪsbʊk/ - 滾動瀏覽臉書 article (n.) /'ɑrtɪkl/ - 文章 comment (n./v.) /ˈkɑːment/ - 評論，發表意見 leave a comment /liːv ə ˈkɑːment/ - 留下評論 politics (n.) /ˈpɑːlətɪks/ - 政治 argue (v.) /ˈɑːrɡjuː/ - 爭論，辯論 stranger (n.) /ˈstreɪndʒər/ - 陌生人 argue with strangers online /ˈɑːrɡjuː wɪð ˈstreɪndʒərz ɑːnˈlaɪn/ - 和網路上的陌生人爭論 seriously (adv.) /ˈsɪriəsli/ - 認真地，嚴肅地 take something seriously /teɪk ˈsʌmθɪŋ ˈsɪriəsli/ - 認真對待某事 entertainment (n.) /ˌentərˈteɪnmənt/ - 娛樂 review (n./v.) /rɪˈvjuː/ - 評論，審查 receive bad reviews /rɪˈsiːv bæd rɪˈvjuːz/ - 收到差評 tabloid (n.) /ˈtæbˌlɔɪd/ - 小報，八卦報紙 paying the tabloids - 给小报付款 cover up - “掩盖”或“隐瞒” what a fake!
重要單字、片語整理 意見 / 意 / / Share one's Opinion /ʃer wʌnz əˈpɪnjən/ - 發表意見 卷軸 （v.） /skroʊl/ - 滾動（螢幕） 滾動流覽 Facebook /skroʊl θruː ˈfeɪsbʊk/ - 滾動瀏覽臉書 article （n.） /'ɑrtɪkl/ - 文章 comment （n./v.） /ˈkɑːment/ - 評論，發表意見 發表評論 /liːv ə ˈkɑːment/ - 留下評論 politics （n.） /ˈpɑːlətɪks/ - 政治 argue （v.） /ˈɑːrɡjuː/ - 爭論，辯論 stranger （n.） /ˈstreɪndʒər/ - 陌生人 Argue with strangers online /ˈɑːrɡjuː wɪð ˈstreɪndʒərz ɑːnˈlaɪn/ - 和網路上的陌生人爭論 認真地 （adv.） /ˈsɪriəsli/ - 認真地，嚴肅地 認真對待某事 /teɪk ˈsʌmθɪŋ ˈsɪriəsli/ - 認真對待某事 娛樂 （n.） /ˌentərˈteɪnmənt/ - 娛樂 評論 （n./v.） /rɪˈvjuː/ - 評論，審查 收到差評 /rɪˈsiːv bæd rɪˈvjuːz/ - 收到差評 小報 （n.） /ˈtæbˌlɔɪd/ - 小報，八卦報紙 向小報付款 - 給小報付款 cover up - “掩蓋”或“隱瞞” 真是假的！
- “这简直是个假货”或“真是个骗子” without thinking twice - “不假思索”或“毫不犹豫” official-looking - 看起来官方的或正式的 envelope (n.) /ˈenvəloʊp/ - 信封 lawsuit (n.) /ˈlɔːsuːt/ - 訴訟，官司 file a lawsuit /faɪl ə ˈlɔːsuːt/ - 提起訴訟 drop a lawsuit /drɑːp ə ˈlɔːsuːt/ - 撤銷訴訟 sue (v.) /suː/ - (為要求賠償損失而)起訴, 控告, 和…打官司 defamation (n.) /ˌdefəˈmeɪʃn/ - 誹謗 sue someone for defamation /suː ˈsʌmwʌn fɔːr ˌdɛfəˈmeɪʃən/ - 因誹謗起訴某人 exactly (adv.) /ɪɡ'zæktli/ - 精確地；準確地；確切地 a big deal - “重要的事情”或“大不了的事情” paragraph (n.) /ˈpærəɡræf/ - 段落 point to a paragraph - 指向/指出某一段 claim (v.) /kleɪm/ - 聲稱，宣稱 state (v.) /'stet/ - “表達”或“陳述” as facts - 以事實的方式 protest (v.) /ˈproʊtest/ - “抗議”或“反駁” finding out - “發現”或“瞭解到” consequence (n.) /ˈkɑːnsɪkwens/ - 後果 face the consequences /feɪs ðə ˈkɑːnsɪkwensɪz/ - 承擔後果 face consequences /feɪs ˈkɑːn.sə.kwənsɪz/ - 面對後果 call in sick to work - 打電話請病假 concentrate (v.) /ˈkɑːnsntreɪt/ - 集中注意力 demand damages - 要求賠償損失或損害賠償 didn't have that kind of money - 沒有那麼多錢 lawyer (n.) /ˈlɔːjər/ - 律師；法學家 talk to a lawyer - 諮詢律師 apology (n.) /əˈpɑːlədʒi/ - 道歉, 認錯, 愧悔 specific (adj.) /spəˈsɪfɪk/ - “明確的”或“具體的” specific claims - “明確的指控”或“具體的指控”
- “這簡直是個假貨”或“真是個騙子” 不假思索 - “不假思索”或“毫不猶豫” official-looking - 看起來官方的或正式的 envelope （n.） /ˈenvəloʊp/ - 信封 訴訟 （n.） /ˈlɔːsuːt/ - 訴訟，官司 提起訴訟 /faɪl ə ˈlɔːsuːt/ - 提起訴訟 drop a lawsuit /drɑːp ə ˈlɔːsuːt/ - 撤銷訴訟 Sue （v.） /suː/ - （為要求賠償損失而）起訴， 控告， 和...打官司 defamation （n.） /ˌdefəˈmeɪʃn/ - 誹謗 起訴某人誹謗 /suː ˈsʌmwʌn fɔːr ˌdɛfəˈmeɪʃən/ - 因誹謗起訴某人 exactly （adv.） /ɪɡ'zæktli/ - 精確地;準確地;確切地 A Big Deal - “重要的事情”或“大不了的事情” 段落 （n.） /ˈpærəɡræf/ - 段落 指向段落 - 指向/指出某一段 claim （v.） /kleɪm/ - 聲稱，宣稱 state （v.） /'stet/ - “表達”或“陳述” as facts - 以事實的方式 protest （v.） /ˈproʊtest/ - “抗議”或“反駁” 找出來 - “發現”或“瞭解到” 後果 （n.） /ˈkɑːnsɪkwens/ - 後果 面對後果 /feɪs ðə ˈkɑːnsɪkwensɪz/ - 承擔後果 面對後果 /feɪs ˈkɑːn.sə.kwənsɪz/ - 面對後果 Call in sick to work - 打病假 Concentrate （v.） /ˈkɑːnsntreɪt/ - 集中注意力 Demand Damage - 要求賠償損失或損害賠償 沒有那種錢 - 沒有那麼多錢 lawyer （n.） /ˈlɔːjər/ - 律師;法學家 與律師交談 - 諮詢律師 apoology （n.） /əˈpɑːlədʒi/ - 道歉， 認錯， 愧悔 特定 （adj.） /spəˈsɪfɪk/ - “明確的”或“具體的” 具體索賠 - “明確的指控”或“具體的指控”

evidence (n.) /ˈevɪdəns/ - 證據 lack evidence /læk ˈevɪdəns/ - 缺乏證據 rumor (n.) /ˈruːmər/ - 謠言，傳聞 repeat rumors /rɪˈpiːt ˈruːmərz/ - 傳播謠言 legal (adj.) /ˈliːɡl/ - 法律的，合法的 publicly (adv.) /ˈpʌblɪkli/ - 公開地 apology (n.) /əˈpɑːlədʒi/ - 道歉 issue a public apology /ˈɪʃuː ə ˈpʌblɪk əˈpɑːlədʒi/ - 發布公開道歉 reputation (n.) /ˌrepjuˈteɪʃən/ - 名聲，聲譽 damage someone's reputation /ˈdæm.ɪdʒ ˈsʌm.wʌnz ˌrep.jəˈteɪ.ʃən/ - 損害某人的名譽 settle (v.) /ˈset̬.əl/ - 和解，解決 settle a case /ˈsetl ə keɪs/ - 和解案件 settlement (n.) /ˈsetlmənt/ - 和解，解決 reach a settlement /riːtʃ ə ˈset̬.əl.mənt/ - 達成和解 overdose (n.) /ˈoʊvərˌdoʊs/ - 藥物過量 anonymous (adj.) /əˈnɑːnɪməs/ - 匿名的 valuable (adj.) /ˈvæljuəbl/ - 有價值的 learn a valuable lesson /lɜːrn ə ˈvæljuəbl ˈlesən/ - 學到寶貴的一課 damage (n./v.) /ˈdæm.ɪdʒ/ - 損害，破壞 regret (v./n.) /rɪˈɡret/ - 後悔，遺憾 tragedy (n.) /ˈtrædʒ.ə.di/ - 悲劇
证据 / 證據 缺乏证据 /læk ˈevɪdəns/ - 缺乏證據 谣言 /  ruːmər/ - 謠言， 傳播地 重复谣言 /rɪˈpiːt ˈruːmərz/ - 傳播謠言 legal （adj.） /ˈliːɡl/ - 法律的，合法的 public （adv.） /ˈpʌblɪkli/ - 公開地 道歉 （n.） /əˈpɑːlədʒi/ - 道歉 发布公开道歉 /ˈɪʃuː ə ˈpʌblɪk əˈpɑːlədʒi/ - 發布公開道歉 reputation （n.） /ˌrepjuˈteɪʃən/ - 名聲，聲譽 损害某人的声誉 /ˈdæm.ɪdʒ ˈsʌm.- 名聲譽 损害某人的声誉 /ˈdæm.ɪdʒ ˈsʌm. wʌnz ˌrep.jəˈteɪ.ʃən/ - 損害某人的名譽 settle （v.） /ˈset̬.əl/ - 和解，解決 settle a case /ˈsetl ə keɪs/ - 和解案件 settlement （n.）/ˈsetlmənt/ - 和解，解決 達成定居點 /riːtʃ ə ˈset̬.əl.mənt/ - 達成和解 overdose （n.） /ˈoʊvərˌdoʊs/ - 藥物過量 匿名 （adj.） /əˈnɑːnɪməs/ - 匿名的 valuable （adj.） /ˈvæljuəbl/ - 有價值的 learn a valuable lesson /lɜːrn ə ˈvæljuəbl ˈlesən/ - 學到寶貴的一課 damage （n./v.） /ˈdæm.ɪdʒ/ - 損害，破壞 regret （v./n.） /rɪˈɡret/ - 後悔，遺憾 Tragedy （n.） /ˈtrædʒ.ə.di/ - 悲劇

make noise /meɪk nɔɪz/ - 製造噪音（比喻指無意義的發言） think before you type /θɪŋk bɪˈfɔːr ju taɪp/ - 在輸入前先思考 real person with real feelings /rɪəl ˈpɜːrsn wɪð rɪəl ˈfiːlɪŋz/ - 有真實感受的真實人物 words follow us into the real world /wɜːrdz ˈfɑːloʊ ʌs ˈɪntu ðə rɪəl wɜːrld/ - 言語會影響現實生活 apologize for one's words /əˈpɑːlədʒaɪz fɔːr wʌnz wɜːrdz/ - 為自己的言論道歉 make things right /meɪk θɪŋz raɪt/ - 彌補錯誤 delete an account /dɪˈliːt ən əˈkaʊnt/ - 刪除帳戶
製造噪音 /meɪk nɔɪz/ - 製造噪音（喻指無意義的發言） 打字前三思 /θɪŋk bɪˈfɔːr ju taɪp/ - 在輸入前先思考 真實的人與真實感情 /rɪəl ˈpɜːrsn wɪð rɪəl ˈfiːlɪŋz/ - 有真實感受的真實人物 words follow us into the real world /wɜːrdz ˈfɑːloʊ ʌs ˈɪntu - 言裞會影響現實生活 Apologize for one's words /əˈpɑːlədʒaɪz fɔːr wʌnz wɜːrdz/ - 為自己的言論道歉 Make things right /meɪk θɪŋz raɪt/ - 彌補錯誤 delete an account /dɪˈliːt ən əˈkaʊnt/ - 刪除帳戶