电脑取代宠物狗 成为人类最好朋友

　　The personal computer has overtaken the family dog as man's best friend, according to a study.

　　最新研究表明，个人电脑已取代宠物狗，成为人类最好的朋友。

　　Researchers found that just 6 per cent of us believe that 'most people rely more on their dog than they do on their PC', while 67 per cent think the opposite to be true.

　　研究人员发现，仅有6%的受访者认为“相比电脑而言，大多数人更依赖他们的宠物狗”，而67%的人持相反观点。

　　Even 38 per cent of dog owners confessed to relying more on their PC than on their dog, although 36 per cent disagreed.

　　38%的宠物狗主人承认，相比爱犬，他们更依赖电脑，但36%的人不认同这一点。

　　And 71 per cent of 18 to 24-year-old dog owners said they relied more on their computer.

　　18岁至24岁的宠物狗主人中，有71%表示更离不开电脑。

　　Paul Allen, editor of Computeractive magazine, which conducted the poll with the Royal Society For The Protection Of Cruelty to Animals, said: 'These days you can even take your PC for a walk, provided you have a laptop or tablet.

　　《计算机动态》杂志编辑保罗 艾伦说：“如今只要有一台笔记本电脑或者平板电脑，你甚至可以带着电脑去散步。”该杂志与英国皇家防止虐待动物协会共同开展了此项调查。

　　'It’s only a matter of timeuntil the first PC that fetches your slippers.'

　　“电脑早晚能像宠物狗一样为你取拖鞋，只是时间问题。”

　　Researchers questioned 2,000 British adults to find out about the change modern technology has brought to their home life.

　　研究人员调查了两千名英国成年人，了解现代科技为其家庭生活带来的变化。

　　They found that male dog owners are almost twice as likely as female owners to rely on their computer than a canine companion.

　　他们发现，男性宠物狗主人依赖电脑而不是宠物狗的程度是女性宠物狗主人的两倍。

　　Mr Allen said: 'With broadband bringing them global news and newspaper sales falling, the family dog even misses out on the pleasure of taking the paper to his owner.'

　　艾伦先生说：“我们上网就能看全球新闻，因此报纸销量下降，宠物狗甚至连为主人衔报纸的乐趣都没有了。”

　　But it's not all bad news for obedient dogs.

　　然而，对忠诚的狗狗而言，也有好消息。

　　'The family PC has given dog owners access to a wealth of resources and information that can help with the long-term care that a dog needs,' Mr Allen said.

　　艾伦先生说，“家庭电脑能使宠物狗主人了解到丰富的资源和信息，有利于主人对狗狗的长期照顾。”