EZCNN 易英网

Newsworthy Clips: Zynga builds on games’ success Zynga继游戏大获成功后乘胜出击

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

繁體中文譯本

 

Zynga builds on games’ success  Zynga 继游戏大获成功后乘胜出击（译注：build on指在…的基础上发展，后面接games’ success意思是Zynga在游戏获得成功的基础上继续茁壮，引申为乘胜出击）

 

Move over, Apple, Google, Facebook and company. Silicon Valley’s hottest start-up could soon join the tech pantheon.

苹果、谷歌、Facebook和其他公司，让到一边去吧。硅谷最热门的新创公司在不久之后就可能会登入科技最高殿堂了。

 

Few tech companies are hotter – or provoke more comments – than Zynga.

说到更热门 ── 或更受人议论 ── 的科技公司，没几家公司能比得上Zynga。

 

The social-gaming behemoth that brought FarmVille and FrontierVille to tens of millions of people is valued at $5.5 billion, besting industry icon Electronic Arts. In the next few weeks, it will roll out what it expects to be its next blockbuster game, CityVille. Yahoo just made Zynga titles available on its site, and Google is expected to follow.

这家社交游戏巨擘为数千万人带来了FarmVille与FrontierVille，目前估计市值为55亿美元，胜过业界具代表性的艺电公司。接下来几周，这家公司将推出预期中的下一个卖座游戏：CityVille。雅虎刚将Zynga的几款游戏纳入其网站内，谷歌预计也将跟进。

 

No lesser authorities than Internet icon Marc Andreessen and venture-capital superstar John Doerr see Zynga as the next big thing in tech. Hollywood royalty such as Jeffrey Katzenberg and J.J. Abrams are lining up to work with Zynga. And investors are salivating for an initial public stock offering.

网络巨子马克．安德森与创投巨擘约翰．杜尔等权威人士，都认为Zynga公司是科技界的下一股重大势力。好莱坞霸主（译注：royalty原指皇室人员，此指在业界呼风唤雨宛如霸主者）杰弗里．卡森伯格与J.J.亚伯拉罕都排队等着和Zynga合作。投资人也垂涎着该公司的首次公开发行股票（译注：或称首次公开募股）。

 

Zynga Nation, the virtual world Zynga CEO Mark Pincus invented in 2007 as a place where PC users could gather on social networks and play causal games at their leisure, boasts more than 225 million active members a month. In all, 320 million people have played Zynga games at some point.

Zynga公司执行长马克．品克斯在2007年发明了Zynga Nation这个虚拟世界，可让个人计算机用户在空闲时间齐集于社交网络上玩休闲游戏。Zynga Nation号称一个月的有效会员超过两亿两千五百万人。整体而言，共有三亿两千万人曾在某段时期玩过Zynga公司的游戏。

 

Six of the top 10 games on Facebook, where 200 million or more of its members play games each month, are from Zynga. And the cash is flowing in, as evidenced by Zynga’s sizable slice of the $1.7 billion domestic market for virtual goods (20 percent to 25 percent), social-game add-ons, such as weapons and farming tools, that can be purchased to enhance a users’ playing experience.

Facebook每个月都有两亿以上的会员在玩游戏，其中排名前十大的游戏中就有六个来自Zynga。钱财也不断滚滚而来，这点可由Zynga在虚拟商品市场的高市占率证明。虚拟商品是社交游戏外挂，诸如武器与农具，可供使用者购买以提升游戏体验 ── 这种商品在（美国）国内的市场规模达十七亿美元（而Zynga即占有22~25%）。

 

What is more, the lure for advertisers and marketers is undeniable. Zynga designs and updates its games daily, based on mountains of data it collects voluntarily from its members, Pincus and other executives say.

更重要的是，Zynga公司对广告商与营销商具有无可否认的吸引力。品克斯及公司其他主管表示，该公司每天都会设计及更新游戏，凭据的基础是从会员身上收集而来的大量数据，而且这些数据皆由会员自愿提供。

 

“They are the best-positioned company in a gigantic market,” says Andreessen. “Think about how many addressable consumers you can reach through gaming.”

「在这个巨大的市场里，他们公司占有最佳据点，」安德森说：「想想看，透过游戏可以接触到多少可寻址的消费者。」

 

－by Jon Swartz

 

单词发音

 

More Information

roll out 推出 to launch (a new film, product, etc.) in a series of stages over an area, each stage involving an increased number of outlets

blockbuster [ˋblɑk͵bʌstɚ] n. 大轰动 something, such as a film or book, that sustains widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales

no lesser... than A 原意为”在…方面不在A之下的”，转义为”正是A这样的…” not smaller in amount, value, or importance

icon [ˋaɪkɑn] n. 偶像; 崇拜对象 a person or thing that is revered or idolized

evidence [ˋɛvədəns] v.【正式】证明

sizable [ˋsaɪzəb!] adj. 相当大的 of considerable size; fairly large

add-on n. 附件; 外挂 an accessory software program that extends the capabilities of an existing application

undeniable [͵ʌndɪˋnaɪəb!] adj. 无可否认的

best-positioned 有最佳据点的

addressable [æˋdrɛsəb!] adj. 可寻址的 accessible through an address

 

 

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

Yahoo to start spreading the news in different way  雅虎开始采取不同方式传播新闻

 

Yahoo became one of the web’s most popular news sources by aggregating and featuring other people’s journalism. In November, it took its biggest leap yet into the highly competitive business of creating its own news content.

雅虎藉由汇集与刊登别人的新闻而成为网络上最热门的新闻来源，但该公司在十一月踏出了至今为止最大的一步，跳进自制新闻内容这个高度竞争的产业。

 

The Internet giant launched the Yahoo Contributor Networks, harnessing 400,000 freelance writers, photographers and videographers from Associated Content, a firm that Yahoo bought in May.

这家网络巨擘推出了雅虎供稿人网络，旗下握有四十万名自由作家、摄影师与摄录师，这些人员都隶属于雅虎在五月并购的联合内容公司。

 

Yahoo did not renew deals to sell Associated Content’s stories to outside news organizations, including Reuters, Scripps, and Fox News. The work will appear only on Yahoo, including its home page, Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance and Yahoo Sports.

联合内容的报导原本都会卖给外部新闻机构，包括路透社、斯克里普斯与福斯新闻，但雅虎并未和这些机构续约。自此以后，联合内容的报导只会刊登在雅虎的网站上，包括雅虎首页、雅虎新闻、雅虎财经与雅虎运动（译注：其他地区或许采用雅虎体育的中文名称）。

 

The change will “deepen our engagement with the millions of people who visit us every day and provide new opportunities for creative contributors,” CEO Carol Bartz says.

经过这项改变之后，「我们与每天造访雅虎网站的数百万使用者之间的交流将会更加深化，也将为创作供稿者提供新的机会」，执行长卡萝．巴茨表示。

 

About 28 percent of those who get news online check Yahoo, ahead of CNN’s 16 percent and Google’s 15 percent, the Pew Research Center reported in September.

上网获取新闻消息的人口当中，约有28%会造访雅虎，超过CNN的16%与谷歌的15%，佩尤研究中心在九月公布指出。

 

Although others including AOL and Demand Media are also wooing freelancers, Yahoo’s ability to distribute to such a vast audience “is not something that exists [elsewhere] on the web today,” says Luke Beatty, Yahoo’s general manager.

美国在线与按需媒体等其他公司虽然也极力争取自由供稿人，但雅虎有能力将内容传播给为数如此庞大的使用者，「在当今的网络上是无与伦比的」，雅虎总经理路克．毕提说。

 

About a third of contributors are paid modestly upfront or collect fees based on the number of people who access their work. Others forgo payment to share views or interests with a large audience.

约三分之一的供稿人可获得金额不高的预付费，或是依据作品点阅数收取费用；其他供稿人则是为了与庞大的阅听群众分享观点或兴趣，而宁可放弃收费。

 

Yahoo expects to post “2,000 stories a day, and that number grows every day,” Beatty says.

雅虎预期「每天刊登两千则报导，而且这个数字每天都会成长，」毕提说。

 

He doesn’t know how many editors review the stories, but he says computers check to be sure nothing is plagiarized or offensive.

他不知道会有多少编辑审阅这些报导，但宣称稿件都会经过计算机筛检，确认没有剽窃或唐突不当的内容。

 

－by David Lieberman

 

单词发音

 

More Information

videographer [vɪdɪˋɑgrəfɚ] n. 摄像师

engagement [ɪnˋgedʒmənt] n. 约定; 交流 the act or state of interlocking

modestly [ˋmɑdɪstlɪ] adv. 适度地; 不过分地

upfront [ˋʌp͵frʌnt] adj. 预付的

 

 

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

Automakers put smartphones to work in your car  汽车制造商让智能型手机融入车内

 

There’s a new information display going into many cars, and it fits in the palm of your hand.

许多车辆都将出现一种新的信息显示屏，而且大小可以让人握在手掌内。

 

Automakers and gadget purveyors are increasingly turning to applications for Apple’s iPhone and other smartphones as a way to bring more high-tech electronics into cars.

汽车制造商与电子用品供货商都愈来愈转向苹果的iPhone及其他智能型手机的应用程序靠拢，藉此将更多的高科技电子产品带进车内。

 

The apps are varied. Chrysler is using smartphones to replace a car’s bulky paper owner’s manual. Audi is about to let drivers use their smartphones to check out their car’s fuel mileage and other performance data – and be able to upload it to measure results against data from other Audi owners.

这些应用程序各有不同。克赖斯勒以智能型手机取代肥厚的纸本车主手册，奥迪打算让驾驶人利用智能型手机查询车辆的油耗及其他性能数据──还能把这些数据上传至网络，和其他奥迪车主互相比较。

 

With some of the latest apps, smartphones are becoming an extension of the car itself. Besides offering another platform for providing information to drivers, smartphones have key advantages over built-in gadgets. Their portability allows motorists to keep their auto data close at hand even when they are away from their cars. And unlike electronics in the car, web-based applications are easier to keep up-to-date.

透过一些最新的应用程序，智能型手机已然成为车辆的延伸。除了向驾驶人提供另一个信息平台之外，智能型手机和车辆内建的仪器相较之下还有其他重要优势，那包括手机极易携带，因此驾驶人就算不在车旁，也可将车辆数据随时带在身边。不同于车内的电子仪器，以网络为基础的应用程序比较容易与时俱进。

 

Some automakers already are deep into using them. GM’s OnStar in-car communications service, for instance, unveiled a feature over the summer that lets subscribers remotely start or lock their cars from their smartphones and even remotely blink the headlights or honk the horn to find a car in a crowded lot.

有些车厂早已深深仰赖这种做法。举例而言，通用汽车的安吉星车内传输服务就在夏季推出了一项功能，可让用户利用智能型手机远距发动引擎或将车辆上锁，甚至远距闪动头灯或鸣响喇叭，以便在车满为患的停车场内找到自己的车。

 

Chrysler is using smartphones as [a] way to offer drivers more convenience. Owners can use the free app to look up features in their cars, including video demonstrations about how the features are used.

克赖斯勒正利用智能型手机为驾驶人提供更多的便利性。车主可以利用免费应用程序查询车辆的各项功能，也可观看示范影片，了解各种功能的使用方式。

 

“It’s an important marketing tool for the brand,” says Pietro Gorlier, CEO of Chrysler Group’s Mopar parts division. Going to smartphones is the next digital step after having already made the information available on CDs that are kept in cars’ glove boxes.

「这是一种重要的品牌营销工具，」克赖斯勒集团摩帕零件部门的执行长皮耶托．高利尔表示。车厂早已利用收存在手套箱（译注：亦即汽车前座前方的杂物箱或置物箱）里的CD为车主提供信息，采用智能型手机乃是下一步的数字发展。

 

－by Chris Woodyard

 

单词发音

 

More Information

bulky [ˋbʌlkɪ] adj. 又大又笨的，笨重的

manual [ˋmænjʊəl] n. 手册，便览，简介

built-in [ˋbɪltˋɪn] adj. 内建的 constructed as part of a larger unit; not detachable

up-to-date 最新的  being in accord with the latest ideas, improvements, or styles

honk [hɔŋk] v. 鸣（汽车喇叭）

look up  查询  to search for and find, as in a reference book

 

 

 

单词发音

 

Vocabulary Focus

pantheon [ˋpænθɪən] n. 众神之庙 the most famous, important and admired in its particular area of activity

behemoth [bɪˋhiməθ] n. 巨兽 something that is extremely large and often extremely powerful

best [bɛst] v.【口】打败; 胜过 to defeat someone in a fight or competition

salivate [ˋsælə͵vet] v. 垂涎三尺 to feel an immense desire and an eagerness for something to happen

lure [lʊr] n. 诱惑力; 吸引力 the quality or power that something has that makes it attractive

aggregate [ˋægrɪ͵get] v. 聚集 to combine into a single group or total

harness [ˋhɑrnɪs] v. 利用；控制 to control something, usually in order to use it for a specific purpose

woo [wu] v. 恳求；争取 to try to persuade someone to do something for someone

forgo [fɔrˋgo] v. 放弃，抛弃 to not have or do something enjoyable

plagiarize [ˋpledʒə͵raɪz] v. 抄袭；剽窃 to use another person’s idea or a part of their work and pretend that it is one’s own

purveyor [pɚˋveɚ] n.（货物、服务、消息等的）提供者，供应者 a business which provides goods or services

portability [͵portəˋbɪlətɪ] n. 可携带；轻便 the quality of being able to be carried or moved easily

 

 

ItaliaspeedTV - Chrysler Group introduces smartphone vehicle information application

 

2012 GM - OnStar 4GLTE Demo Video

 

Onstar, how it works