【一起听英语】自媒体管制

自媒体越来越多，是否需要出台一项规范来统一一下呢？

Dan: This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Dan Walker Smith

and today I'm joined by Alice. Hello Alice!

Alice: Hi Dan.

Dan: Alice, you've got some news about a media blackout in an English town, right?

Alice: That's right; a media blackout; that's a ban on all media. It's happening at

Bournemouth University on the south coast of England.

Dan: OK, so there's no media anywhere in Bournemouth?

Alice: Well it's not a complete media blackout; the ban is just affecting hundreds of

university students, as part of an experiment to see how they react without

media.

Dan: Aha! OK, well before you go on, I've got a media question for you: according

to the latest Facebook figures, how many active Facebook users are there in the

world? Is it:

a) 300 million

b) 500 million

c) 800 million

Alice: Oh I've just recently seen that film about Facebook, so I'm going to guess 800

million.

Dan: OK top number there. Well we'll see if you're right later on in the programme.

Now Alice, tell us a bit more about this experiment. 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010

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Alice: Absolutely. Well the experiment's called Unplugged, because the people

who've volunteered have been asked to unplug their media devices, such as

laptops, phones and TVs, for 24 hours. And they're not allowed to listen to the

radio or read newspapers either.

Dan: OK, so no access to any media. But 24 hours doesn't seem like a very long

time.

Alice: No it doesn't, but some of the volunteers have found it really difficult, as you

can hear from one of the guinea pigs in the experiment.

By the way, a guinea pig here is a strange term for describing someone who

takes part in a new experiment or test. They're usually little furry¹ animals, a bit

like short-eared rabbits, and make very nice pets. But in this case it means

someone who takes part in an experiment.

This is one of the guinea pigs, Charlotte Gay:

Extract² 1: Charlotte Gay

It’s been a real struggle to be honest, even here in the student union here, you have to

literally³ shut down and try and avoid all contacts with media; it's really difficult.

Dan: So our guinea pig Charlotte there said it was a real struggle to avoid all contact

with the media. She said she had to shut down; basically just stop doing

anything.

Alice: Yeah, the media's everywhere, so not surprisingly Charlotte said it was really

difficult.

Dan: OK, but how has this media ban affected⁴ the students' mental well-being⁵,

Alice?

Alice: Well their mental well-being; you'd think 24 hours, how will they feel about

themselves and their emotional health? Well, Doctor Roman Gerodimos, is a

media lecturer at Bournemouth University. He helped with the experiment and

he here is describing some of the students’ symptoms: 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010

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Extract 2: Roman Gerodimos

They are reporting withdrawal⁶ symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, feeling isolated⁷,

disconnected, they don’t know what to do with themselves all the time, just going round

their room or their house in silence and they really hate that!

Dan: Wow, so it sounds like the media ban had a very negative effect on the

students.

Alice: Yeah, Doctor Gerodimos said some students were overeating; they were

eating too much food. And they were also feeling nervous and isolated.

Isolated means lonely or detached⁸ from other people. They also felt

disconnected, which is another word meaning detached or cut off.

Dan: Let's have another listen to the clip⁹.

Extract 2: Roman Gerodimos

They are reporting withdrawal symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, feeling isolated,

disconnected, they don’t know what to do with themselves all the time, just going round

their room or their house in silence and they really hate that!

Dan: So a lot of problems there in just 24 hours. And have there been any long-term

effects?

Alice: Long-term effects – changes that last for a long time. Well, the experiment has

only just finished, so we don’t know the full findings yet. But let’s hear some

thoughts from another student, Caroline Scott, and also afterwards the voice of

BBC correspondent¹⁰, Rory Cellan-Jones.

Extract 3: Caroline Scott and Rory Cellan-Jones

Caroline: Yeah it is quite nice to be totally separated for about two hours I would say,

maximum. Other than that I would like to have my phone on me, or the internet, or

something.

Rory: As a nation we now spend half our waking hours using the media in some form

and these young people can’t imagine being permanently¹¹ unplugged.

Dan: So Caroline said it's nice to be separated from the media for two hours

maximum, but after that she wanted her phone or the internet. 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010

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Alice: Exactly, as Rory Cellan-Jones concluded, as we spend half our waking hours

– that's half the time we're awake – using media, a lot of young people can’t

imagine being ‘permanently unplugged’.

Dan: Well, there's just time for a reminder¹² of some of the language we've come

across today. Alice, could you help us out with those please.

Alice: Of course; we had:

media blackout

unplugged

guinea pig

mental well-being

overeating

isolated

disconnected

long-term effects

waking hours

Dan: And our question of the week: How many active Facebook users are there in

the world? Is it:

a) 300 million

b) 500 million

c) 800 million

Alice: Well I guessed 800 million. 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010

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Dan: Yeah, you're actually a bit too high with 800 million. 500 million users at the

last count, but that is rising by the day, so it could be 800 very very soon.

Alice: Amazing!

Dan: It really is. But I'm afraid that's all we have time for in today's 6 Minute

English. So thanks so much for joining us, and goodbye.

Alice: Bye! 

1 furry   

adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的

参考例句：

• This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
• Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。

2 extract   

vt.取出，提取，获得，摘录；n.摘录，提出物

参考例句：

• The article was a choice extract from her writings.这篇文章是从她的著作中摘录出来的精粹。
• We can extract oil from olive.我们可以从橄榄中榨油。

3 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

6 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

7 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

8 detached   

a.超然的；冷漠的；分离的

参考例句：

• She wanted him to stop being so cool, so detached, so cynical. 她希望他不再那么冷酷无情，那么无动于衷，那么愤世嫉俗。
• The general detached a small force to go and guard the palace. 将军派遣一支小部队去保卫宫殿。

9 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。

10 correspondent   

n.记者，通信者；adj.符合的，一致的，相当的

参考例句：

• He volunteered as a correspondent for the war.他自愿担任作报道这次战争的记者。
• The result was correspondent with my wishes.结果与我的愿望是一致的。

11 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

12 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。