“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
Bye, Lightning cable. Hello, USB-C. Apple is ditching its in-house iPhone charging plug and falling in line with the rest of the tech industry by adopting a more widely used connection standard. A big part of the reason is a European Union common charging rule that’s coming soon for the 27-nation bloc. Here’s a look at the USB-C plug and what it means for consumers: WHAT IS USB-C AND HOW CAN I TELL IT APART FROM OTHER PLUGS? The first part of the acronym stands for Universal Serial Bus, and it replaces earlier versions of the USB cables used on everything from printers and
A: More and more department stores are opening soon. In Taipei’s east district, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi’s Diamond Towers are to launch a trial run tomorrow. B: And in New Taipei’s Xindian District, Yes! Life Yulon City shopping mall featuring Asia’s largest Eslite Bookstore will also start a trial operation next week. A: There are so many department stores. B: Yeah, in Taipei’s Xinyi District alone, there are Shin Kong’s A4, A8, A9 and A11, Breeze Xinyi, Songgao, Nanshan, Far Eastern Xinyi, Eslite Xinyi, Uni-Ustyle, Belavita, ATT and Taipei 101. A: Well, let’s go window shopping then! A: 又有更多的百貨公司要開幕啦,台北市東區的新光三越「雙子星鑽石塔」,明天起將展開試營運。 B:
交通規則是每個人日常生活不可避免的一部分,不明所以的上路出門將承擔人身安全風險或錢包遭殃的代價。交通情境更是TOEIC常考的內容之一。透過這次的交通新制上路,我們從規則、罰款和駕照三大部分來學TOEIC常考字吧! 交通規則說法 交通規則英文一共有三種說法,分別是traffic laws、traffic regulations、traffic rules。 1. laws是法律,所以traffic laws指的就是和交通相關的法律條文。2. regulation則是來自於regulate(規範),因為交通有各式各樣的行為都是受到規範的,所以可以用traffic regulations來表示交通規則。但其實regulation最常見的用法還是一些相關部門或企業的principles or regulations governing conducts(希望大家遵守的行為方式)。3. 而英文字rules,和交通相關的詞就是traffic rules,這個字也較常搭配比賽使用,例如contest rules或game rules。 The newly amended air pollution law has aroused wide controversy. (新修訂的空污法激起了廣泛的爭議。) Many financial leaders around the globe are calling for stricter regulations for crypto currencies. (全球許多的金融領袖正呼籲對加密貨幣進行更嚴格的規範。) Tabletop games with complex rules are not for beginners. (具有複雜規則的桌遊不適合新手。) 守規則與違規 守規則有兩個主要的英文說法是follow與obey,follow來自於跟從,obey的原意是服從,所以當我們跟從或服從特定的規定,自然就是遵守規則。而違規也有最基本的三種英文說法,分別是break、violate和offend。 這三個英文單字,最口語的說法是break(打破),但要特別注意break the rule(打破常規)也可以是正面意思。而違規較正式的說法是violate,它來自於拉丁文的violatus,與violence(暴力)是同一個語源。若你想把這個單字背起來,你可以把violate想像成是使用暴力時侵犯到某些規則。另外,動詞offend(冒犯)可以用來表達違規,但在使用時通常要轉化成為名詞,例如traffic offender。 Sometimes it pays off to break the rules. (有時打破常規是會值得的。) The new business idea may violate international law. (這個新的商業想法可能會違反國際法。) Habitual traffic offenders should receive more severe punishments. (交通慣犯應該接受更為嚴厲的處罰。) 處罰英文怎麼說? 被抓到違規後當然要接受處罰啦,由於交通處罰大多是用罰款來處理,所以最常用的字就是fine。Fine當成形容詞的意思是「好的」,如It’s a fine day,但當成動詞或是名詞時的意思則是「罰款」。 The company is facing a huge fine for violating several trade regulations. (該公司因為違反數條貿易規範而面臨巨額罰款。) 除了fine之外,處罰也可以penalty來表示。Penalty這個字相信最近會被許多人討論,因為世足賽上的「罰12碼球」就稱為Penalty kick,也就是PK(一對一挑戰)的由來。除了足球,在日常生活中遇到任何的違規被罰,只要是「付出代價」性質的都可以用penalty來表示。 The train company will hike the penalty on
If you are looking for some adventure along with physical challenges, you may want to give “bouldering” a try. This activity involves free climbing on small rock formations or __1__ rock walls. Bouldering, which literally means climbing on boulders, doesn’t need ropes or harnesses that are necessary for rock climbing. Bouldering only requires a minimal amount of __2__ such as climbing shoes, some chalk, and safety mats. A bouldering wall is no higher than five meters, so bouldering can be done both indoors and outdoors. What’s more, climbers are __3__ to solve problems by using their strength, technique, and balance