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Virtual Violence 电玩暴力，不容小觑

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Joseph and Mary are talking over supper about their son, Daniel:  乔瑟夫和玛丽在晚餐时谈到他们的儿子丹尼尔：

M: I’m worried about him spending the whole of winter vacation in the internet café playing violent video games.

我很担心他整个寒假都泡在网咖里玩暴力电玩。

J: I don’t think you have anything to worry about; everyone’s playing those games nowadays.

我认为妳一点也不需要担心，现在大家都在玩那些游戏。

M: But they’re so graphically violent; I don’t get what the allure is.

但是那些游戏的画面那么暴力；我搞不懂它哪里吸引人。

J: There’s a multitude of attractions: it’s about dominance, exerting control, overcoming obstacles, and winning.

它吸引人的地方可多了：它让人有优越感、控制权还有克服障碍和获胜的快感。

M: Daniel says it’s about feeling like a hero.

丹尼尔说那让他觉得自己是英雄。

J: Exactly. Playing these games is a way for young people to feel empowered.

一点也没错。玩这些游戏，年轻人会有被赋予权力的感觉。

M: I guess when you’re playing, you get to release aggression without any fear of repercussion – a kind of virtual omnipotence.

我想是吧，你在玩的当中会肆无忌惮地展现侵略性。这是一种虚拟世界中的无所不能。

J: Something like that, for sure. Even adults are playing these games for their consequence-free environment of gratuitous violence.

没错，差不多是那样。即使是成年人也玩这些电玩，因为他们在毫无理由的暴力情境下，不用负担任何后果。

M: That doesn’t sound particularly healthy; surely it makes people aggressive.

那样听起来不怎么健康：那当然使人变得有侵略性。

J: Everyone has the capacity for aggression; playing these games is just a harmless way of releasing that emotion.

每个人都有侵略性；玩电动只是一种以无害的方式释放那种情绪。

M: But what if these games are actually stimulating people’s aggression.

但是万一这些游戏真的激发了人的侵略性呢？

J: Good point; it seems to be a bit of a chicken-versus-egg scenario: do aggressive people play violent video games, or do violent video games create aggressive people?

那倒是。这有点像鸡生蛋、蛋生鸡的情形：是具有侵略性的人玩暴力电玩呢？还是暴力电玩使人变得有侵略性？

Vocabulary

单词发音

graphically [ˋgræfɪk!ɪ] adv. 清晰详细地; 生动地

allure [əˋlɪʊr] n. 诱惑力，魅力

multitude [ˋmʌltə͵tjud] n. 许多[C][（+of）]

exert [ɪgˋzɝt] v. 行使；发挥；施加

aggression [əˋgrɛʃən] n. 攻击性行为; 敌对行为[心理]

repercussion [͵ripɚˋkʌʃən] n. 〔尤指不好的行动或事件的〕持续影响;（常复数）后果；影响

omnipotence [ɑmˋnɪpətns] n. 全能, 无限的力量, 全能之神

gratuitous [grəˋtjuətəs] adj. 免费的, 无理由的

scenario [sɪˋnɛrɪ͵o] n. 可能发生的事﹐ 可能出现的情况

Sentence of the Day

He played ostrich.

他逃避现实。

ostrich [ˋɑstrɪtʃ] n. 驼鸟

课文朗读

课文讲解 

Mary tries to put her point across to Joseph:  玛丽向乔瑟夫表达她的观点：

M: So, you think that playing violent video games is cathartic, but I think it’s more causative: violent crimes are more prevalent now than before we had violent movies and video games.

所以，你认为玩暴力电玩是发泄，但是我觉得它比较像诱因：现在的暴力犯罪比以前我们还没有暴力电影和电玩的时代还要普遍。

J: You’re talking about those kids you see on the news who shoot their classmates after playing violent computer games?

你是说在新闻里，你看到的那些玩暴力电玩后枪杀同学的小孩吗？

M: That’s part of it, yes.

没错，那是一部分。

J: But players don’t take their actions seriously when they are killing or maiming computerized opponents. They know where to draw the line.

但是当玩家将电脑化的对手杀害或是打到残废时，不会把这些动作看得太认真。他们知道界线在哪里。

M: I can’t believe that a child isn’t absorbing the violent aspect when it’s so explicitly graphic; when you see all that blood and gore, you must perceive yourself as being violent.

我不敢相信暴力画面那么逼真之下，小孩不会学到暴力那一面。你看到那些血和血块时，一定觉得自己很暴力。

J: Well, maybe a kid could be affected, but only if he comes from a dysfunctional family, or already has a social problem. Daniel’s not like that.

嗯，也许小孩可能会被影响，但是只对那些来自不正常家庭或是已有社会问题的小孩有影响。丹尼尔并不是。

M: Joe, I can’t gamble on such a generalization; these games have the potential to affect anyone.

乔，我不能拿这种概括性的推论当赌注。这些游戏可能影响任何人。

J: Well, if it makes you happy, let’s get him some games that you do approve of and that he can play at home; we’ll tell him the internet café is off limits.

好吧，如果妳会比较高兴的话，那我们就帮他找些妳准许有可以在家玩的游戏。我们会告诉他网咖是不准去的。

M: Thanks for the compromise, honey – you must have played some really nice games when you were a kid.

谢谢你的让步，甜心。你小时候一定玩过一些真正好玩的游戏。

－by David Needham

Vocabulary

单词发音

cathartic [kəˋθɑrtɪk] adj. 起到发泄作用的; 宣泄情绪的

causative [ˋkɔzətɪv] adj. 成为原因的；惹起……的

maim [mem] v. 使残废；使受重伤；割去……的肢体

draw the line 划一界线, 划定最后界限

explicitly [ɪkˋsplɪsɪtlɪ] adv. 明白地；明确地

gore [gor] n.（流出的）血；凝血；血块

dysfunctional [dɪsˋfʌŋkʃənl] adj. 不正常的

generalization [͵dʒɛnərəlaɪˋzeʃən] n.〔依据不足的〕概括﹐ 泛论

off limits  禁止入内 outlawed, prohibited

Sentence of the Day

The game isn't worth the candle.

此事做来得不偿失。

not worth the candle 不值得, 得不偿失