有關部門的調查說，全世界有6億多人使用手機，我國也有近1.6億人擁有手機，而且這一數字還在繼續增加。雖然移動通信的技術發展了，可是我們也不能光顧流行，不顧了規矩吧？
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：十條戒律，(基督教)十誡。本文的作者仿用"十誡"的語言闡述自己的觀點。etiquette：禮節，禮儀。

2. on the scene：〈口〉到場，在場。這里是指，電子郵件為大家所接受并廣泛使用。

3.在我們身邊，現實生活中到處都有濫用無線電技術的行為發生。abuse：濫用，妄用；perpetrate：犯(罪行、錯誤等)，施行。

4.不要用講手機的方法折磨那些毫無防備的旁聽者。thou：〈古〉汝，爾，你；shalt：〈古〉= shall(只用于現在式第二人稱單數)。

5. banality：陳詞濫調，平庸；spare：不傷害，使免遭。

6. thy：〈古〉[thou的所有格]你的；ringer：發出鈴聲的東西，這里指手機的振鈴聲。"La Cucaracha"：墨西哥名曲《蟑螂歌》，這是一首美國人耳熟能詳的搞笑歌曲。下文中還提到了貝多芬《第五交響曲》(Beethoven's Fifth)和比基斯樂隊(Bee Gees)。貝多芬于1805年動筆創作《第五交響曲》，并將第一樂章的主題定義為"命運在敲門"，因此人們通常將之稱為《命運》交響曲。比基斯樂隊是20世紀70年代搖滾樂壇著名的迪士科樂隊。

7.每隔一秒手機就響一次還不夠煩嗎？

8. violation：違反(行為)，違背(行為)。

9.要是傳呼機和手機都帶著的話，一個蝙蝠俠式樣的皮帶必不可少。-esque：[構成形容詞]似……般的，……(樣)式。

10.世上有那么多的人光掌握駕駛技術或手機其中的一樣都成問題(更何況邊開車邊打電話了)。

11. earpiece：耳機。

12.工作的時候可以打爆你的手機，回家了就讓它休息休息吧！go nuts:發瘋，這里指非常頻繁地使用手機通話。

13. (太炫的)手機絕不可能給人留下什么深刻印象，人們還會馬上覺得手機的主人太幼稚或是裝腔作勢。neophyte：新手，生手；poseur：故作姿態的人，裝腔作勢的人。

14. slam：砰地放下。