【轻松英文阅读】自拍神器

 You can’t deny that the selfie has become very popular. In fact, it was the Oxford¹ Dictionary’s word of the year for 2013. In the same year, we saw the Obamas and even the Pope² join the fad³.

 

Selfies are easy to take when it is just yourself or maybe a couple of your friends, but it is very difficult with groups of four or more. Until recently, to make a group selfie you needed freakishly long arms or very small friends. Otherwise, somebody gets left out. But now, thanks to a new invention from Indonesia, the selfie is not just for yourself.

 

The invention is called the monopod or the selfie stick and it was developed by a young woman by the name of Diana Hemas Sari. The selfie stick is an extendable metal wand that has a plastic handle at the end with a clip⁴ to hold a smartphone. It has become wildly popular among young people in her native Indonesia and several other countries in southeast Asia and is spreading fast. You should expect to see it in your area soon.

 

What do you think? Would you rather ask someone to take your picture or just pull out your selfie stick?

1 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

2 pope   

n.（罗马天主教的）教皇

参考例句：

• The Pope is the spiritual leader of many Christians.教皇是众多基督徒的宗教领袖。
• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。

3 fad   

n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好

参考例句：

• His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
• A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。

4 clip   

n.夹子，别针，弹夹，片断；vt.夹住，修剪

参考例句：

• May I clip out the report on my performance?我能把报道我的文章剪下来吗？
• She fastened the papers together with a paper clip.她用曲别针把文件别在一起。