If you have ever wondered how Google is able to make so much money each year, this letter offers a part explanation. The website is happy to accept and make income from adverts from companies which take advantage of the unwary.
如果你曾经想知道谷歌每年如何能赚那么多的钱,这封信就提供了部分的解释。该网站乐于去接受并从那些利用网友粗心的公司发布的广告中获得收入。
For example, type "Ehic card" into Google and several companies will appear at the top of the listing – in the paid-for ads box. These official-looking sites prey on those who don't know better by charging a fee (typically £14.99) to process their application for a European health card.
例如在谷歌中输入“Ehic card”,有几家公司将出现在列表顶部——以付费广告框的形式。这些看起来很正规的网站定位在那些不怎么知道要通过付费(通常是14.99英镑)来处理他们欧洲健康卡申请的人。
But the truth is that Ehic cards are issued free for UK citizens. The official government site is further down the Google page. What the other sites are doing is getting consumers to pay for a service that is free. It's perfectly legal.
但事实是Ehic卡是为英国公民免费发行的。官方网站越发位于谷歌页面的下方。其他网站所做的是让消费者来支付一项免费的服务。且这是完全合法的。
The Passport Application Service works in a similar way. At the top of the website it says: "Welcome to the UK Passport application assistance service which assists you with an online passport application service through the official Identity and Passport Service (IPS). Our service helps individuals who are entitled to complete a passport application online, to do so correctly."
护照申请服务以相似的方式奏效。位于网站的顶部,写着:“欢迎来到英国护照协助申请服务,通过官方身份和护照服务(IPS)在线护照申请服务时协助你。我们的服务帮助那些有资格来完成网上护照申请的个人进行正确地操作。”
It doesn't claim to be the official passport site. Its fee of £24 is for checking your application has been filled out correctly. Nice work it you can get it, although they have to buy the expensive Google ads to enable this to operate.
它并没有宣称是官方的护照网站。其24英镑的费用是为了检查您的申请是否正确填完。你可以很好地完成,尽管他们不得不支付昂贵的谷歌广告来确保这个操作。