“Pac-Man” is by far one of the most recognizable video game characters in history. That is in large part because he was the first character to ever appear in a video game, making him the “grandfather of all video game characters.” Pac-Man was first introduced in Japan on May 22, 1980, with the release of the famous Pac-Man arcade game. The game is in many people’s memory of childhood and teenage years. Even today, up to six million players are still mad about it.
The name Pac-Man came from a Japanese expression — “paku-paku taberu,” which means to eat in a wild manner. The sound paku-paku mimics the sound of a person chomping their food. In English, the game was first called Puck Man but was changed to Pac-Man before it was launched in the US.
The game was created by Toru Iwatani, a Japanese video game designer. Hoping to make a game that would appeal to both men and women, Iwatani decided the focus of the game should be on “eating” — something that everyone can relate to. Even Pac-Man’s shape is based on food. The inspiration for Pac-Man’s character came from a pizza with a single slice removed. The space where the slice was missing became the character’s mouth.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images 照片:Getty Images提供
In the video game, players must travel through a maze and eat dots of energy while avoiding the ghosts that roam the passageways. If one of the ghosts, who are named Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, catches Pac-Man, then the player loses a life. While the concept is simple, finishing the game is anything but easy. In fact, the original Pac-Man can’t even be completed because of a glitch on the 256th level.
「小精靈」是史上辨識度最高的電子遊戲角色之一。那在很大程度上是因為他是第一個出現在電子遊戲中的角色,他因而成為「所有電子遊戲角色的祖父」。隨著著名的《小精靈》街機遊戲的發行,小精靈這個角色於1980年5月22日首次在日本推出。這款遊戲是許多人童年和青少年時期的回憶。即使在今天,仍有多達六百萬位玩家為之瘋狂。
小精靈這個名字來自一個日文的詞語——「paku-paku taberu」,意思是瘋狂地吃東西。「paku-paku」的聲音是模仿一個人咀嚼食物的聲音。在英文中,該遊戲最初被稱為《Puck Man》,但在它於美國推出前改為《Pac-Man》。
該遊戲由一名日本電子遊戲設計師岩谷徹所創。因為希望製作一款對男女都具有吸引力的遊戲,岩谷徹決定遊戲的焦點應該是「吃」——每個人都能產生共鳴的事。甚至小精靈的形狀也是根據食物創造的。《小精靈》角色的靈感來自一塊去掉了一片的披薩。切片缺失的地方變成了該角色的嘴巴。
在該款電子遊戲中,玩家必須穿過一個迷宮並吃掉能量球,同時避開在通道中遊蕩的幽靈。如果名叫布林奇、平奇、英奇和克萊德的其中一個幽靈抓到小精靈,那麼該玩家就會失去一條命。雖然概念很簡單,但完成遊戲絕非易事。事實上,由於第兩百五十六關出現故障,原版的《小精靈》甚至無法完全破關!
What Did You Learn?
1. Why did the creator of “Pac-Man” focus the game on eating?
2. What is the objective of the “Pac-Man” game?
答案︰
1. To appeal to both men and women.
2. To travel through a maze and eat dots of energy while avoiding the (four) ghosts (that roam the passageways).
Words in Use
1. legacy n. 留給後人的事物;遺贈
Jonathan Swift left behind a legacy of 18th-century political and religious literature.
喬納森斯威夫特遺留給後人十八世紀的政治和宗教文學。
2. recognizable a. 具有識別性的,可以認出的
The Sydney Opera House is an instantly recognizable landmark.
雪梨歌劇院是一眼就能認出的地標。
3. release n. 發布
The South Korean boyband caused a sensation after the release of their first album.
這個南韓的男子樂團發行第一張專輯後引起了轟動。
4. teenage a. 青少年(時期)的
Amber was into designing and drawing in her teenage years.
安柏在青少年時期相當投入設計和繪畫。
5. launch vt. 推出,發行(商品)
The company launched a new smartwatch which has a bold design and wide range of features.
那間公司新推出一支智慧型手錶,其擁有大膽的設計和各種不同的特色。
Practical Phrases
1. by far the+最高級形容詞+N (顯然是)最……的
Of all the world’s wonders, the Great Pyramid of Giza is by far the most mysterious.
在所有的世界奇觀中,古夫金字塔是最最神祕的。
2. in large part 在很大程度上,主要
The success of the project was in large part due to good teamwork.
這項計畫的成功主要歸功於良好的團隊合作。
3. in a. . . manner 以……的方式
manner n. 方法,方式
The sushi chef slices tuna in a professional manner.
這名壽司師傅以專業的方式把鮪魚切片。
4. appeal to. . . 吸引……
Movies with exciting scenes and great music appeal to me more than dramas.
有刺激場景和好聽配樂的電影比戲劇更吸引我。
5. relate to. . . 理解/認同……,對……產生共鳴
I can relate to your problems because I also have had a big fight with my best friend before.
我能理解你的困境,因為我以前也曾跟最好的朋友大吵一架。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
A: Just like the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Kamala Harris, the Republican Party’s Donald Trump has received endorsements from some celebrities, including SpaceX founder Elon Musk. B: Plus, a new film, “The Apprentice,” about Trump’s rise was released recently. A: Isn’t it the same title as the reality TV series he hosted? B: Yeah, it was a competition reality show for jobseekers. A: My English teacher even uses it as supplemental material for English courses. A: 就像民主黨的賀錦麗,共和黨的唐納川普也獲得一些名人支持,例如SpaceX的創辦人伊隆馬斯克。 B: 關於川普崛起的電影《誰是接班人》最近也上映了。 A: 這不是跟他主持的電視實境秀同名嗎? B: 對啊,那是一群求職者的實境競賽秀。 A: 我的英文老師還拿它當英文課程的補充教材! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Many patients with certain types of cancers suffer from damage to their blood cells due to the cancer itself or treatments like chemotherapy. To help rebuild healthy blood cells, patients often receive bone marrow transplants by using either pluripotent or hematopoietic stem cells. A bone marrow or stem cell transplant can speed up recovery and boost healthy blood cell production. There are primarily two types of bone marrow transplants: autologous and allogeneic. The former involves using the patient’s own stem cells, while the latter uses stem cells from a matching donor, usually a relative with a compatible human leukocyte
It’s won Oscars. Its television shows and K-pop stars dominate global charts. Its leading novelist just won the Nobel literature prize. How did South Korea become such a global cultural powerhouse? What is Hallyu? From the late 1990s, Korean dramas and K-pop idols started gaining traction in neighboring Asian countries like China and Japan, marking the start of Hallyu, or the Korean Wave. It wasn’t until Psy’s breakout hit “Gangnam Style” that Hallyu hit the West. In the decade that followed, “Babyshark” broke YouTube records, K-pop megastars BTS topped the charts, Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” won an Oscar, and Squid Game
在防疫期間,「超前部署」此一用語常見諸報章,成為台灣很夯的熱詞 (buzzword): 超前部署並非2020 年才出現的用語,以下為一些過去台灣政府官員曾使用「超前部署」的語境: 總統馬英九今天指出,八八風災帶來很大教訓,應落實災害防救工作……料敵從寬,禦敵從嚴,超前部署……2010 年 5 月 26 日,《中央社》 行政院副院長張善政……表示,蓮花颱風速度雖然減緩……料敵從嚴,並以超前部署為原則……2015 年 7 月 7 日,《新聞傳播處》 《今日科學》有篇文章 “Outbreak science: Infectious disease research leads to outbreak predictions” 就提到做好預判,有利政府防疫的「超前部署」: Infectious disease outbreaks, whether they be widespread like Influenza or fairly geographically restricted like Ebola, may be difficult to prevent . . . if we can forecast outbreak potential in time, public health officials and governments can preemptively prepare for a potential outbreak event. 傳染病爆發,無論是像流感那樣全面,或像伊波拉那種侷限某些地理區域,都很難預防— 然而,如果我們可以及時預知(疾病)爆發的可能,公衛當局和政府便可以為潛在的疫情爆發提前部署。 Science Daily, January 8, 2020 所以「超前部署」若是在「防災/防疫」的語境下,可譯為preemptive preparation 或 preemptive preparedness,如果用作動詞,可以說 preemptively prepare for (an outbreak, etc.)。 《世界雜誌》上有位作者提到 preemptive 和 preparation 的差異,她說 preemptive 的弦外之音是 heading off something undesirable(避凶/避災): “Preemptive” and “preparation” both refer to work done ahead