歷史迴廊
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.
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!
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?
參考答案:
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).
After ten years in prison, the prisoner was released this morning.
坐了 10 年牢後,那名囚犯今早獲釋。
The authorities concerned have released the names of those killed in the crash.
有關當局已發布這次空難的罹難者名單。
Simon’s good behavior earned him early release from prison.
賽門表現良好,因此可以提早出獄。
Marilyn Manson’s latest release again topped the charts.
瑪莉蓮.曼森發行的最新專輯再次橫掃排行榜冠軍。
We all roared with laughter when Tom mimicked Prof. Usher giving a lecture.
看見湯姆模仿厄許教授講課,我們全都大笑了起來。
Laura is an excellent mimic. Everyone thinks
it’s hilarious when she copies the voices and
mannerisms of our teachers.
蘿拉很會模仿。每個人都認為她學各個老師的聲音舉止都很
好笑。
To launch a legal demonstration, you must first obtain permission from the local government.
想要發起合法遊行,你們得先向地方政府申請許可。
The space shuttle exploded soon after it was launched.
太空梭發射不久後便爆炸了。
The troops launched missiles at the battleground, causing heavy casualties.
軍隊朝戰場發射了幾枚飛彈,造成嚴重的傷亡。
Emma plans to launch her new novel next year.
艾瑪計劃在明年推出新的小說。
The author herself will show up at the book launch ceremony.
作家本人會在她的新書發表會上現身。
The astronauts were strapped in before the launch.
太空人在火箭發射前繫好安全帶。
The little girl answered her teacher’s question in a confident manner.
小女孩很有自信地回答了老師的問題。
Jill has changed her manner toward Michael.
吉兒已經改變了她對邁可的態度。
Why don’t the couple sitting at the table over there teach their children good manners?
坐那桌的夫妻怎麼不教他們的小孩要懂禮貌呢?
My father always says that the best way to experience a new city is to simply roam.
我父親總是說,體驗一座新城市最好的方式就是去漫遊。
Every afternoon, the philosopher would roam about the lake, contemplating life.
每天下午,這位哲學家會在湖邊散步,思考人生。
Betty and her friends roamed the streets of the new city, wondering where they should go next.
貝蒂和她的朋友在新城市的街道上漫步,在想他們下個地方要去哪裡。
I'm going for a roam around the village before dinner. Would you like to join me?
晚餐前我要在村子裡晃晃。你想一起去嗎?
Always getting great grades, those people are by far the smartest students.
那些人總是考很好,顯然是最聰明的學生。
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。
Viola conducted the meeting in a very professional manner.
薇奧拉以十分專業的方式主持此次會議。
I’m sure this program will appeal to children of all ages.
我相信這個節目一定可以吸引各年齡層的小朋友。
It's oftentimes very difficult to relate to my older brother.
我常常很難認同我哥哥。
This article relates to the topic of our discussion.
這則文章涉及我們討論的主題。
The title sounds dull, but the movie itself is anything but boring.
那個片名聽起來很無趣,但電影本身一點都不無聊。
be mad about... 對⋯⋯狂熱,非常喜歡⋯⋯
• June is mad about knitting. She spends hours every day making clothes for herself and friends.
茱恩對編織很狂熱。她每天花好幾小時做衣服給自己和朋友們。
以下介紹其他表示「非常喜歡......」的常見片語:
a. be crazy about... 為⋯⋯瘋狂,熱衷於⋯⋯
• Both Kelly and her brother are crazy about surfing.
凱莉和她弟弟都很熱衷衝浪。
b. be passionate about... 熱愛⋯⋯
= have a passion for...
• Sean is passionate about nature, especially insects and reptiles.
尚恩熱愛大自然,尤其是昆蟲和爬蟲類動物。
c. be fond of... 喜愛/喜好⋯⋯
• Lisa has always been fond of animals and wants to become a vet.
麗莎一直很喜歡動物,而且她想當獸醫。
d. be keen on... 熱衷於/很喜歡⋯⋯
• Mabel is keen on sports and spends most of her free time playing badminton.
梅寶熱衷於運動,她大部分閒暇時間都在打羽球。
e. be into... 極喜歡⋯⋯,對⋯⋯很有興趣
• My younger sister has been into detective novels lately.
我妹妹最近迷上了偵探小說。
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 年五月二十 二日首次在日本推出。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!
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