VOA慢速英语2018--男孩把自己变成玩具

Boy Loves Toys, Becomes a Toy Himself

A seven-year-old boy who loves toys has now become a toy himself.

Ryan, a first-grade student, has been making YouTube videos for three years. The videos usually show him opening a toy, playing with it and then waving goodbye to viewers.

His most watched video, in which Ryan hunts for large plastic eggs, has more than 1.5 billion views. And his YouTube channel, Ryan ToysReview, has more than 16 million subscribers.

Toy makers¹ have paid Ryan and his parents to show their products. The financial magazine Forbes estimated that his YouTube channel brought in $11 million last year. Ryan’s parents did not confirm or deny that report. They also have kept secret their last name and where they live for safety reasons.

The large American store Walmart hopes to use Ryan’s popularity² to sell more toys.

Last month, Walmart started selling Ryan’s action figures for $9. It also sells clothing, toy animals, bright colorful slime, and French fry-shaped toys under the name Ryan’s World.

Jim Silver of the toy review site TTPM.com called Ryan a “celebrity³.” He said, “Kids watch his videos. He’s entertaining.”

But Silver said it “all comes down to the toy.” He added that toys gain popularity in the playground, where young children show and tell others about them.

Still, Ryan’s many followers⁴ could prove profitable⁵ for Walmart. A video of the boy searching for Ryan’s World toys in Walmart has nearly 10 million views in a month.

His parents said Ryan spends about 90 minutes a week recording⁶ YouTube videos. They said he helped with the creation⁷ of some of the toys, like when he asked for an evil version of himself for the action figure.

Unlike his action figures, Ryan will grow up. And his parents said they are prepared to follow his interests, as he gets older, like to video games.

“We can change,” they said.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

toy - n. something a child play with

channel - n. a television, radio station or youtube site

slime - n. a thick, slippery liquid

review - n. a report that gives opinion about the quality of a product, book, performance...

celebrity - n. a person who is famous

entertaining - adj. amusing and enjoyable

1 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

3 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

4 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

5 profitable   

adj.有益的，能带来利益的，有利可图的

参考例句：

• That business became profitable last year.那项生意去年变得很赚钱。
• The convention business is very profitable for the hotel industry.承办会议业务能给旅馆业带来很高的利润。

6 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

7 creation   

n.创造，创造的作品，产物，宇宙，天地万物

参考例句：

• Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
• The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。