英语听力精选进阶版 6194

Back to War 回到战争时代

Thousands of UK gamers queued into the night for the launch of what may be the world’s most anticipated video game.

Video game retailers¹ opened at midnight to sell the first copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare² 2, a game which is widely expected to shatter sales records.

The latest instalment in the Call of Duty franchise³ was officially launched in the UK at a cinema in Leicester Square in the heart of London’s West End, a site usually reserved for the premiere of Hollywood blockbusters.

Actors dressed as soldiers patrolled the square while British celebrities⁴ joined gamers to take part in multiplayer sessions of the game.

The game, which is tipped to sell more than a million copies in the UK in its first week of release, features astonishing graphics⁵ and exciting gameplay as the player takes on a group of ultra-nationalist Russian terrorists.

Predictably, the game has provoked a certain amount of criticism as it is extremely violent and features a controversial scene in which civilians⁶ are killed at an airport.

One British MP has attacked the game in the press, describing his "absolute shock" at the violence portrayed⁷ in the game.

However, another MP has defended the game by setting up a group on a social-networking website which describes itself as "unashamedly pro-video games" and which aims to "discuss how UK video gamers can find their voice in newspapers and government".

More cynical⁸ observers have said that the game’s developers deliberately⁹ included the scene in which civilians are massacred in order to stir up controversy¹⁰, knowing that this will generate a huge amount of free publicity¹¹.

Whatever people’s views on violence in computer games, the game is flying off the shelves around the UK and is expected to generate $400m (2,700m yuan) globally for its publishers.

Glossary 词汇表

gamers 游戏爱好者 

anticipated 令人期待的 

shatter sales records 打破了销售记录 

franchise 一系列（游戏） 

Hollywood blockbusters 好莱坞大片 

patrolled 巡逻 

multiplayer 多玩家 

tipped 专家预计 

graphics 画面 

gameplay 游戏性 

takes on 对峙，挑战 

ultra-nationalist 极端民族主义者 

criticism 批评 

controversial 有争议的 

MP 下院议员 

social-networking website 社交网站 

cynical 愤世嫉俗的 

stir up 煽动 

publicity 宣传 

flying off the shelves 极其畅销

1 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

2 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

3 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

4 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

5 graphics   

n.制图法，制图学；图形显示

参考例句：

• You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
• Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。

6 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

7 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 cynical   

adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的

参考例句：

• The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.由于困难很大，他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。
• He was cynical that any good could come of democracy.他不相信民主会带来什么好处。

9 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

10 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

11 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。