US adults are spending big on video games 美國成年人在電子游戲上花費巨大

陳喜娟

聽力掃障

1. accessory n. 配件;附件

2. strike an important chord 引起共鳴

3. launch v. 發(fā)起

掃碼聽測

I. 聽寫練習

一邊聽錄音一邊閱讀以下文字材料，這些文字材料不是錄音的全部內容，而是以提綱、摘要、筆記、圖表等形式再現的錄音的主要內容，需要補全的內容一般是錄音中的關鍵信息。注意每空一詞。

1. The most popular kind of game is the __________ game.

2. Most of the money spent on gaming was used to buy __________.

3. Games are striking an important chord with American __________.

Ⅱ. 聽力理解

聽下面一段錄音。錄音結束后有幾個小問題，從題中所給的A、B、C三個選項中選出最佳選項。文章讀三遍。

1. How old is the average American gamer？

A. 23. B. 33. C. 43.

2. How many people play video games in the US？

A. Over 146 million. ? ? ? B. Over 164 million. ? ? ? C. Over 416 million.

3. How much did Americans spend on gaming in 2018？

A. 26.4 billion. B. 43.4 billion. C. 65.4 billion.

4. How many people asked think video games provide them with mental activity？

A. Over one fourth of them.

B. Over half of them.

C. Over three fourths of them.

5. What's the percentage of female gamers in the US？

A. More than 26 percent.? ? ? B. Less than 36 percent. ? ? ?; C. About 46 percent.

文本解說

隨著數字化信息技術的發(fā)展，手機成為我們生活中必不可少的設備，手機上的電子游戲也成了很多人消遣的對象。在美國，不僅孩子們喜歡玩電子游戲，成年人玩電子游戲的也比比皆是。在快節(jié)奏的現代生活中，到底是什么原因讓人們如此熱衷于電子游戲呢？

The average American gamer is 33 years old and likes to play video games on their smartphone. And the average gamer is spending on games more each year： 20 percent more than one year ago and 85 percent more than in 2015.

That information comes from a report by the Entertainment Software Association， or ESA， a group that represents computer software and gaming companies. Ipsos， a market research company， questioned about 4，000 gamers for the ESA report.

In the United States， more than 164 million people play video games. That represents nearly 65 percent of all US adults. The most popular kind of game is the casual game-activities that have simple rules and do not require much time or skill.

American consumers spent around $43.4 billion on gaming in 2018. Most of that money was used to buy games， not computer hardware or gaming accessories. The three most popular pay-to-play games were “Call of Duty： Black Ops Ⅲ”， “Red Dead Redemption Ⅱ”， and “NBA 2K19”. “Games are striking an important chord with American culture，” said Stanley Pierre-Louis， ESA's acting president. “That's what makes it the leading form of entertainment today.”

More than three-fourths of those asked report that video games provide them with mental activity as well as an escape from work and other day-to-day pressures.

About 46 percent of all US gamers are female， although they often like different games than boys and men do.

Americans will soon have even more ways to play video games. Two US-based technology companies， Apple and Alphabet Inc's Google， have announced plans to launch game streaming services later this year.