Car retailing
If there was ever an industry vulnerable to technological change, it would have to be selling cars in America. For decades a franchise network made up of thousands of dealers has peddled ordinary cars as though they were exotic goods in a Moroccan souk. Each dealer seems to have his own opaque pricing scheme, consumers have to endure endless haggling and the financing is murky at best. Small wonder, then, that the shifty car salesman has became such a stereotype.
A decade ago a few brave souls tried to use the emerging power of the internet to modernise this fragmented and frustrating business. Scott Painter, a Californian entrepreneur, founded Cars Direct in an attempt to sell vehicles direct to consumers online. But the business failed to work as he had hoped, and he eventually left the company.
Hope springs eternal, at least where the internet is concerned. This week Mr. Painter is launching Zag, his latest attempt to modernise automobile retailing using the internet. His first big customer is Capital One, a financial giant that is one of the country’s biggest providers of car loans. Meanwhile, Auto Nation, the country’s largest car retailer (with over 300 dealerships), is launching Smart Choice, its own internet marketingscheme, in June.
So is the time finally ripe? Glenn Mercer of McKinsey, a consultancy, believes that internet sales efforts, even fixed price schemes, will not save customers much money because the internet firms by law cannot buy cars directly from manufacturers; they must get them from dealers. Brian Reed of Capital One retorts: "It’s true, we may not offer the lowest pricebut we will offer a fair price with a lot less pain."
But the pain is not always so easy to escape. Visit many online sites to research a car, and they will sell your name immediately to local dealerships which will then harass you in the oldfashioned way.
Still, there are reasons to think that conditions may finally be favoring online sales. J.D. Power and Associates, a research firm, reckons that twothirds of new car customers use the internet for research, up from a quarter in 1998. Auto Nation reports that car sales originating on the internet have increased from 14% of its total in 2002 to about a quarter last year. Because price transparency is squeezing margins, argues Sid De Boer of Lithia, one of the country’s biggest car retailers, dealers are now desperate to find ways that the internet can help them. He is convinced that online sales of new cars will soar from nothing to a quarter of Lithia’s total within a decade.
So will all this mean the death of the salesman? Do not count on it says Mike Jackson, the boss of Auto Nation. His firm has already cut in half the time taken to buy a car, and it wants to cut it in half again by automating various bits of paperwork. But Mr. Jackson is convinced that consumers will always want to kick the tyres on their new car, before they sign on the dotted line: We’ll put the distasteful parts online, and leave the fun part-it’s like going to a candy store.
Endure
v.忍受，持久，持续
［真题例句］ "In Japan,"says educator Yoko Muro, "its never a question of whether you enjoy your job and your life, but only how much you can endure." ［2000年阅读4］
［例句精译］ "在日本，"教育家 Yoko Muro说，"问题绝对不是你是否喜欢自己的工作和生活，而是你能承受多大的负荷。"
Eventually
ad.终于，最后
［真题例句］ Over billions of years, the gas was compressed by gravity into galaxies, stars, plants and eventually, even humans.［1998年翻译］
［例句精译］ 数十亿年来，这种气体受引力的压缩形成星系、恒星，甚至产生人类。
Attempt
v.（to）尝试，试图；n.（at）企图，努力
［真题例句］ Their methods do not attempt (v.) to estimate the actual biomass (the amount of living biological matter) of fish species in particular parts of the ocean, but rather changes in that biomass over time.［2006年阅读3］
［例句精译］ 他们的方法不是试图估计出在特定海洋区域中实际的单位鱼类生物数量，而是这一数量随着时间有什么变化。
Squeeze
v.压榨，挤；n.榨取，勒索
［真题例句］ On the other hand, oilimporting emerging economies-to which heavy industry has shifted-have become more energyintensive, and so could be more seriously squeezed (v.).［2002年阅读3］
［例句精译］ 另一方面，进口石油的新兴国家由于转向了重工业，消耗能量更大，因此可能会受到石油危机的强烈影响。
Soar
v.高飞，骤升，剧增；n.高涨程度
［真题例句］ Theyre all groaning about soaring (v.) health budgets, the fastestgrowing components of which are pharmaceutical costs.［2005年新题型］
［例句精译］ 他们抱怨高涨的健康预算，药价太高是其中非常重要的一个方面。
Convince
v.（of）使信服，使确信
［真题例句］ The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10.［1997年阅读1］
［例句精译］ 这一法案以令人信服的15票对10票通过。
Little Tips:
最初那些关于在线零售的种种错误观念现在被完全摒弃了。人们曾经认为，在线零售能消除中间商，无需仓库和存货就可以将商品直接销售给顾客，这也是CEO们宣称它将取代传统零售业的主要原因。几年前，绝大部分的在线零售商都是建立在这种模式之上的。那些具有网络、商店和目录销售的多渠道零售公司将是在线零售的最大赢家。也就是说，网络将只是作为多渠道销售策略中的一个部分，而不会取代传统销售渠道。许多顾客在通过电话或到商店购物之前都习惯先到网站上去查询相关的产品和价格信息。只有那些具有多个销售渠道的公司才能够从这种趋势中获益。不动产销售和汽车销售商这些似乎和在线零售没有任何关系的企业正在获益匪浅。研究表明，在美国，76％的顾客在购买新车时都先在网络上浏览相关信息，然后再到代理商处购买汽车，但很少有人会直接在网上购买汽车。
汽车零售业
如果说有哪个行业很容易为技术革新所损害，那么这个行业无疑就是美国的汽车销售业了。经过几十年的发展，一个由数千名经销商所组成的特许经营网络已经成熟到可以像商人在摩洛哥露天广场兜售异域商品一样销售普通汽车。每个经销商看上去都有自己的暗箱定价策略，消费者只能忍受无休止的讨价还价而且最好不要让销售者知道他们的筹资渠道。正因如此，难怪"不值得信赖"会成为汽车经销商在人们心中根深蒂固的形象。
大约十年前，一些勇敢的先行者尝试利用新生的网络力量来使这个支离破碎和令人沮丧的行业赶上现代化的班车。一位加拿大企业家Scott Painter 建立了一个名为CarsDirect的网站，希望能直接通过网络将汽车卖给消费者。但事情并未如他所设想的那么顺利，最后他只好离开了他所在的公司。
希望总是无穷尽的，至少对网络来说是如此。本周Painter先生将发布他用来推进汽车销售现代化的最新网站Zag，他的第一个大顾客是Capital One公司，该公司是美国从事汽车消费信贷的最大公司之一。同时，美国的最大汽车零售厂AutoNation（有超过300个品牌的代理权）也将在六月公布了他们自己的网站Smart Choice,作为他们的网上销售策略。
时机终于成熟了吗？麦肯锡咨询公司的Glenn Mercer认为即使是固定价格，通过网络所达到的销售成果也不能为消费者省多少钱，因为根据美国的法律，网上公司是不能够直接从汽车厂商那里提货的，他们所得到的车只能是通过汽车经销商的渠道。Capital One公司的Brian Reed反驳说："的确，我们很难做到最便宜，但是我们会使消费者不必经历多少苦恼便能获得一个公平的价格"。
但是这种苦恼不总是那么容易就能逃避的。消费者通过访问大量的网站去寻找一部车，当找到一部合适的车后，网站就会把你引导到当地的经销商那里，这又会让你重回到以前那种购车模式所带来的痛苦中去。
不过，仍然有理由相信情况最终将会趋向于对网络销售有利的方向发展。一个名为J.D. Power&Associates的调研公司，通过统计得出了三分之二的新车购买者通过网络研究有关资料的结论。而这个数字在1998年只有四分之一。AutoNation公司也称现在的汽车销售总额中有四分之一是来源于网络，相比之下，这个数字在1998年也只有14%.
Lithia公司（美国的最大经销商之一）的Sid DeBoer认为，价格的透明化会把经销商的边际利润挤干，所以现在经销商正在不顾一切地从网络寻找对他们有利的方法改进。他深信新车网上汽车交易在十年内将会由近乎零提升到接近公司销售总额的15%.
这些是否都意味着经销商将日薄西山呢？别指望那会发生，AutoNation的老板Mike Jackson说。他的公司已经把购买一辆汽车的时间缩短了一半，而且还在打算通过使各种文书工作自动化来把时间再缩短一半。但是Jackson先生确信消费者总是想在最终决定签下买车协定之前用脚踢一下他们的新车的轮胎，引用车主的话说就是："我们把令人不快的部分留在网上，而把有趣的部分留下来--就像去糖果店一样"。
Chain reaction
"The great manufacturers in the Yorkshire and Lancashire districts tell me that, under modern conditions, they have got into the habit of laying in supply not for a period of two to five months but they are dependent week by week on the importation of the raw material." So Sir George Parkin described the alarming business practices found in Britain at the dawn of the 20th century. As a leader of the Imperial Federation League, he sought to replace the British empire with a bigger group of trading partners, so as to guarantee supplies. A hundred years on, Sir George would have marvelled at globalisation, but been aghast that today’s manufacturers measure their inventories in only a few hours of production.
The great manufacturers now have amazingly lean operations. They have outsourced business to contractors that can do the work more efficiently, often in places where wages are lower. A huge logistics industry has sprung up to move stuff around the world at dazzling speed.
Contain erisation has slashed the cost of shipping. Express airfreight has made overnight delivery possible to most places on earth. Moreover, such services are within the grasp not just of the supply departments of giant multinationals but also of anyone trading on eBay from the spare bedroom.
The logistics business is one of the marvels of commerce, but it is not without its risks. Supply chains have become ever more complex and extended. Some great manufacturers and great service companies may have become too lean in their relentless drive to reduce costs, outsourcing not just their noncore activities but essential ones too. If one link of a company’s supply chain snaps, the consequences can be grave. Ericsson and Nokia found this out when they both relied on the same supplier for a special chip in their mobile phones. After the chipmaker’s factory was hit by lightning, Nokia swiftly locked up all the alternative supplies whereas Ericsson suffered a severe parts shortage and later quit making handsets on its own.
A company’s best protection from its own supply chain is to expect failure, not to hide from it. Toyota last year narrowly escaped a parts shortage when an American supplier went bankrupt. The carmaker has now introduced an earlywarning system in Europe to try to detect any looming problems with suppliers before they bring production lines to a halt.
The good news is that many companies are now trying to identify the choke points and weak links in their supply chains. What about Sir George’s concern-the wider threat to national economies? With so many people worrying about oil supplies and a birdflu pandemic, the prospect of supply chains collapsing around the world can seem a scary idea.
It shouldn’t be. There are a few industries where it makes sense for governments to keep some emergency stocks of a few essentials such as energy, munitions and medicines. But the logistical apocalypse is not a good way for politicians to think about everyday life, let alone to start interfering in markets.
Natural disasters are not, in fact, a common cause of supplychain disruptions. Most are the result of humdrum internal problems, like bad planning or the choice of an unreliable subcontractor. That can be terrible for a particular company, but hardly poses a threat to society at large. After all, if Ericsson and Nokia cannot supply you with a mobile phone, Samsung would be only too happy to get one to you tomorrow.
aghast
a.惊骇的, 吓呆的
grasp
v./n. ①抓住，抓紧；②掌握，领会
［真题例句］ Intelligence seeks to grasp (②), manipulate, reorder, and adjust, while intellect examines, ponders, wonders, theorizes, criticizes and imagines.［2004年阅读4］
［例句精译］ 智力寻求的是理解、运用、整合和调节，而才学则是审视、思考、探究、形成理论、批判和想像。
chain
n.链（条）；［pl.］镣铐；一连串，一系列，连锁；v.用链条拴住
grave
n.坟墓；a.严肃的，庄重的
［真题例句］ Lots of Americans bought that nonsense, and over three decades, some 10 million smokers went to early graves (n.).［2005年阅读2］
［例句精译］ 竟然有许多美国人买这些谬论的帐，30年来，大约有一千万烟民早早就进了坟墓。
pandemic
a.全国流行的
interfere
v.①（in）干涉，干预；②（with）妨碍，打扰
［真题例句］ It also means that governments are increasingly compelled to interfere (①) in these sectors in order to step up production and ensure that it is utilized to the best advantage.［2000年翻译］
［例句精译］ 这也意味着：政府不得不逐渐加大对这些部门的干预力度，以便提高生产率，确保其发挥最佳效益。
［真题例句］ The words used by the speaker may (44：stir up) unfavorable reactions in the listener (45：which) interfere (②) with his comprehension; hence, the transmissionreception system breaks down .［1994年完形］
［例句精译］ 说话的人所采用的言语可能激起了听者不愉快的反应，这种反应阻止了他的进一步理解；因此，传输接收系统就终止了。
internal
a.①内部的，内的；②国内的，内政的
［真题例句］ (72) Interest in historical methods has arisen less through external challenge to the validity of history as an intellectual discipline and more from internal (①) quarrels among historians themselves.［1999年翻译］
［例句精译］ （72）人们之所以关注历史研究的方法论，主要是因为史学界内部意见不一，其次是因为外界并不认为历史是一门学问。
Little Tips:
虽然国际化的经济活动已有久远的历史，但是经济生产全球化却是一个崭新的现象。如今，全球工业生产成为一个由许多跨越国境的经济活动环节内在地联结起来的过程。而物流业在这里面起了十分重要的作用。物流业是为保证货物在生产过程中移动迅速，周转期短，交货准时可靠而提供的服务。
连锁反应
20世纪初期，英国的George Park先生曾经有过这样的商业情景描述：约克夏郡和兰开夏郡的大制造商们告诉我，在现在的条件下，他们已经养成了以周为周期采购原材料的习惯，而不是像原来那样以25个月作为原材料采购周期。作为IFL（皇家联盟集团）的领导人，他寻求在大英帝国的基础上建立一个更加广泛的贸易伙伴联盟，以保障供应。一百年过去了，如果George先生还活着，他在惊叹全球化的同时，必然更加震惊于当今的制造商仅在生产前几个小时完成库存准备工作这个现实。
当今大制造商的运作模式都非常简单化。他们将很多工作外包给具有劳动力成本优势且更有效率的承包商。庞大的物流产业就是在这样的背景下，以令人震惊的速度在全球运转开来。
集装箱运输大大降低了运输成本，航空特快可以使地球上大多数地点的货物在一夜间到达。更令人震惊的是，这些服务并不是大型跨国企业所独享的，每个人都可以在自己的卧室通过ebay这样的交易平台来获得这种服务。
物流业的确是一个商业奇迹，但它并非没有风险。供应链变得更加复杂和冗长。有些大的制造商和服务供应商热衷于降低成本，不仅把非核心业务外包，而且连核心业务也不放过。如果企业供应链的一个环节出现问题，后果可能是非常严重的。爱立信和诺基亚曾经依赖于一个相同的芯片供应商来生产手机中一种特别的芯片。当这个芯片厂由于受到闪电袭击而意外停产时，诺基亚很快锁定了替代供应商，而爱立信则受到严重损失，并在不久后放弃了手机的独立生产。
企业保护供应链的最有效办法就是直面问题，而不是回避问题。去年，丰田汽车就险些因为一家美国供应商的破产而遭受打击，不过目前丰田已经在欧洲建立了一个早期预警系统，以检查任何可能引起停产的供应链问题。
好的一面是现在很多企业都已经开始重视供应链中有可能发生问题的薄弱环节。但是George先生的担心，即对整个国民经济的威胁，会不会出现呢？随着石油供应和禽流感疫情的传播，供应链崩溃的设想还是很令人恐慌的。
其实没必要担心这些。对于政府来说，只有少数产业需要进行应急储备，包括能源，军用物资和医药。但是对物流行业，则完全没必要日夜担心，更不必干预其市场运作。
实际上，自然灾害并不是供应链断裂的常见原因。很多情况下，意外都是由于规划失误和选择了不可靠的分包商等内部原因造成的。这对于企业来说也许是灾难性的，但不会对整个社会构成威胁。毕竟，如果爱立信和诺基亚不生产手机了，三星还是会很乐于为您效劳的。
Declining populations：Incredible shrinking countries
During the second half of the 20th century, the global population explosion was the big demographic bogey. Robert McNamara, president of the World Bank in the 1970s, compared the threat of unmanageable population pressures with the danger of nuclear war. Now that worry has evaporated, and this century is spooking itself with the opposite fear: the onset of demographic decline.
The shrinkage of Russia and eastern Europe is familiar, though not perhaps the scale of it: Russia’s population is expected to fall by 22% between 2005 and 2050, Ukraine’s by a staggering 43%. Now the phenomenon is creeping into the rich world: Japan has started to shrink and others, such as Italy and Germany, will soon follow. Even China’s population will be declining by the early 2030s, according to the UN, which projects that by 2050 populations will be lower than they are today in 50 countries.
Demographic decline worries people because it is believed to go hand in hand with economic decline. At the extremes it may well be the result of economic factors: pessimism may depress the birth rate and push up rates of suicide and alcoholism. But, in the main, demographic decline is the consequence of the low fertility that generally goes with growing prosperity. In Japan, for instance, birth rates fell below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman in the mid1970s and have been particularly low in the past 15 years.
But if demographic decline is not generally a consequence of economic decline, surely it must be a cause? In a crude sense, yes. As populations shrink, GDP growth will slow. Some economies may even start to shrink, too. The result will be a loss of economic influence.
Governments hate the idea of a shrinking population because the absolute size of GDP matters for greatpower status. The bigger the economy, the bigger the military, the greater the geopolitical clout: annual GDP estimates were first introduced in America in the 1940s as part of its war effort. Companies worry, too: they do not like the idea of their domestic markets shrinking. People should not mind, though. What matters for economic welfare is GDP per person.
The crucial question is therefore what the effect of demographic decline is on the growth of GDP per person. The bad news is that this looks likely to slow because workingage populations will decline more rapidly than overall populations. Yet this need not happen. Productivity growth may keep up growth in GDP per person: as labour becomes scarcer, and pressure to introduce new technologies to boost workers’ efficiency increases, so the productivity of labour may rise faster. Anyway, retirement ages can be lifted to increase the supply of labour even when the population is declining.
People love to worry-maybe it’s a symptom of ageing populations-but the gloom surrounding population declines misses the main point. The new demographics that are causing populations to age and to shrink are something to celebrate. Humanity was once caught in the trap of high fertility and high mortality. Now it has escaped into the freedom of low fertility and low mortality. Women’s control over the number of children they have is an unqualified good-as is the average person’s enjoyment, in rich countries, of ten more years of life than they had in 1960. Politicians may fear the decline of their nations’ economic prowess, but people should celebrate the new demographics as heralding a golden age.
Pressure
n.①压（力）；②强制，压迫，压强；v.强制，迫使
［真题例句］ They can hope that, if one province includes a drug on its list, the pressure (n.①) will cause others to include it on theirs.［2005年新题型］
［例句精译］ 他们可能会认为如果一个省把一种药包括在一个药品名录单上，就会迫使其他省把这种药也包括在药品名录单上。
opposite
a.（to）对面的，对立的，相反的；n.对立面，对立物；prep.在......的对面
shrink
v.①起皱，收缩；②退缩，畏缩
［真题例句］ Some huge American industries, such as consumer electronics, had shrunk (①) or vanished in the face of foreign competition.［2000年阅读1］
［例句精译］ 面对国外竞争，一些大型的美国工业，如消费电子产业，已经萎缩或渐渐消失。
extreme
a.①末端的，尽头的；②极度的，极端的；n.①极端；②最大程度；③极度（状态）
［真题例句］ Shippers who feel they are being overcharged have the right to appeal to the federal governments Surface Transportation Board for rate relief, but the process is expensive, time consuming, and will work only in truly extreme (a.②) cases.［2003年阅读3］
［例句精译］ 如果客户感到他们被多收费，他们有权上诉到联邦政府的"陆路运输委员会"以争取价格下调，但这个过程耗财、耗时，并且只有在真正极端特殊的情况下才有作用。
［真题例句］ (73) It leads the discussion to extremes (n.①) at the outset: it invites you to think that animals should be treated either with the consideration humans extend to other humans, or with no consideration at all. ［1997年翻译］
［例句精译］ （73）这种说法从一开始就将讨论引向两个极端。它使人们认为应当这样对待动物：要么像对人类自身一样关心体谅，要么完全冷漠无情。
prosperity
n.繁荣，兴旺
［真题例句］ Americans stopped taking prosperity for granted.［2000年阅读1］
［例句精译］ 美国不再视繁荣为理所当然之事。
Decline
v./n. ①下倾，下降，下垂，衰落；②斜面，倾斜；v.拒绝，谢绝
［真题例句］ Could the bad old days of economic decline (n.①) be about to return? ［2002年阅读3］
［例句精译］ 过去经济衰落的日子会不会重来？
Escape
n.逃跑，逃脱；v.逃跑；避开，避免
Little Tips:
据《欧洲时报》援引法新社报导，欧洲委员会近日公布的一份研究报告预测，到2050年，欧洲的人口与1995年的相比，可能会减少13%到22%。保加利亚乡镇联合会会长鲍里斯拉夫•鲍里索夫15日警告说，保加利亚人口持续减少，如果政府继续忽视这一问题，该国将于本世纪中叶出现严重的人口危机。日本的人口老化与生育率低落问题可能对这个全球第二大经济体造成严重打击，因为工作供养退休老人的年轻人越来越少。人口衰退在目前成为一个全球性问题。
衰退的人口：以惊人的速度减小的国家
在二十世纪后半叶，全球人口大爆炸还是令人担忧的人口问题。70年代，世界银行行长Robert McNamara甚至还把人口压力所带来的威胁与核战相提并论，然而在今天看来，这种忧虑已经不复存在了。这个世纪悄悄过去了，带给人们的却是一个恰恰相反的忧虑：人口衰退开始初露端倪。
尽管俄罗斯和东欧各国人口递减的具体比例可能不被知晓，但对这一事实人们已经有所了解。实际上，从2005年到2050年，俄罗斯的人口预计会减少22%，而乌克兰竟然有43%之多。今天这一现象在发达国家也悄然出现：日本人口已经开始递减，而其他的一些国家，如：意大利和德国，也将步日本的后尘。联合国有关报告指出，即便是中国，到2030年初期人口也将开始递减。这份报告同时还指出，到2050年，将有50个国家的人口低于今天的水平。
人口的衰退之所以让人们担心，是因为人们相信与之相伴随的是经济的衰退。进一步来说，我们有理由认为人口的衰退是经济因素导致的。因为悲观会降低出生率却会提高自杀和酒精中毒的比率。但是，大体上人口降低是由人口出生率过低导致的。而低的人口出生率通常与不断增进的繁荣相联系。比如在日本七十年代中期，出生率降至相当于平均每个妇女生2.1个孩子以下，而且在过去的15年里一直明显的偏低。
但是如果人口衰退不是一般意义上的经济衰退所导致的后果，那么它确切地说一定是它的一个原因吗？在某种不确定的意义上，答案是肯定的。随着人口的衰退，GDP的增长也将缓慢。一些经济体甚至也开始衰退。其结果将是经济影响力的丧失。
政府不愿意看到人口的收缩，因为GDP的绝对大小关乎强国的地位。经济越繁荣，军队越强大，地缘政治的影响也就越大。比如在四十年代，美国首次把年GDP评估的引入作为其战争成就的一部分。公司也不愿看到人口衰退。因为他们不想自己的国内市场有所收缩。但普通人对此却并不关心，因为关系他们经济福利的是人均GDP。
因此，至关重要的问题是人口衰退对人均GDP增长的影响是怎样的。不利的一面是它将减缓人均GDP的增长，因为适宜工作的人口将比总人口下降的更快一些。然而这也并不一定会发生。生长率的增长将维持人均GDP的增长。由于劳动者的不足和引进增加工人效率的新技术的压力的增大，劳动者的生产率可能会增长得更快。无论怎样，即使当人口正在衰退的时候，我们仍然可以通过提高退休年限的方式来增加劳动力的供给。
人们喜欢担忧--这可能是上年纪的人的症状--但围绕着人口衰退的忧愁却没有抓住要害。引发人口老龄化和衰退的新人口问题也有值得庆幸的地方。人类过去掉入高出生率和高死亡率的陷阱，而现在逃到了低出生率和低死亡率的自由之地。女人拥有一种绝对的优势，那就是对自己生孩子的数量的掌控。在发达国家，对普通人而言，能比六十年代的人多享受十年的生活也同样是种绝对优势。政治家可能会担心他们国家的经济实力下降。而我们普通人应该为新人口问题所预兆的黄金时代而欢呼。
Don’t shoot the messenger
They poison the mind and corrupt the morals of the young, who waste their time sitting on sofas immersed in dangerous fantasy worlds. That, at least, was the charge levelled against novels during the 18th century by critics worried about the impact of a new medium on young people. Today the idea that novels can harm people sounds daft. And that is surely how history will judge modern criticism of video games, which are accused of turning young people into violent criminals. This week European justice ministers met to discuss how best to restrict the sale of violent games to children. Some countries, such as Germany, believe the answer is to ban some games altogether. That is going too far.
Criticism of games is merely the latest example of a tendency to demonise new and unfamiliar forms of entertainment. In 1816 waltzing was condemned as a "fatal contagion" that encouraged promiscuity; in 1910 films were denounced as "an evil pure and simple, destructive of social interchange"; in the 1950s rock ’n’ roll music was said to turn young people into "devil worshippers" and comic books were accused of turning children into drug addicts and criminals. In each case the pattern is the same: young people adopt a new form of entertainment, older people are spooked by its unfamiliarity and condemn it, but eventually the young grow up and the new medium becomes accepted-at which point another example appears and the cycle begins again.
The opposition to video games is founded on the mistaken belief that most gamers are children. In fact, twothirds of gamers are over 18 and the average gamer is around 30. But the assumption that gamers are mostly children leads to a double standard. Violent films are permitted and the notion that some films are unsuitable for children is generally understood. Yet different rules are applied to games.
Aren’t games different because they are interactive? It is true that video games can make people feel excited or aggressive, but so do many sports. There is no evidence that videogaming causes longterm aggression.
Games ought to be agerated, just as films are, and retailers should not sell adultrated games to children any more than they should sell them adultrated films. Ratings schemes are already in place, and in some countries restrictions on the sale of adultrated games to minors have the force of law.
Oddly enough, Hillary Clinton, one of the politicians who has led the criticism of the gaming industry in America, has recently come round to this view. Last month she emphasised the need for parents to pay more attention to game ratings and called on the industry, retailers and parents to work together. But this week some European politicians seemed to be moving in the other direction: the Netherlands may follow Germany, for example, in banning some games outright. Not all adults wish to play violent games, just as not all of them enjoy violent movies. But they should be free to do so if they wish. Immerse
v.①使沉浸在；②使浸没
accuse
v.（of）控告，谴责
［真题例句］ Historians, especially those so blinded by their research interests that they have been accused of "tunnel method ," frequently fall victim to the "technicist fallacy."［1999年翻译］
［例句精译］ 历史学家常常沦为"技术谬误"的牺牲品，尤其是那些因研究兴趣而失去判断力、被指控为"井蛙之见"的人。
restrict
v.抑制，制止
［真题例句］ 67. What does the author probably mean by "untaught mind" in the first paragraph?［1994年阅读5］
［B］ A citizen of a society that restricts personal creativity.
［例句精译］ 67.作者在第一段中提到的untaught mind 指什么？
［B］限制个人创造性的社会中的一员。
condemn
v.①谴责，指责；②判刑，宣告有罪
［真题例句］ Over the past century, all kinds of unfairness and discrimination have been condemned (①) or made illegal.［2004年阅读2］
［例句精译］ 在过去的一个世纪里各种各样的不公和歧视遭到了谴责或被定为非法。
interactive
a.交互式的
［真题例句］ Its an interactive feature that lets visitorskey in job criteria such as location, title, and salary, then Emails them when a matching position is posted in the database.［2004年阅读1］
［例句精译］ 它("个人搜索代理")的特点是互动，允许访问者自定求职标准诸如工作地点、职位和薪水，当资料库里出现与个人要求相匹配的工作岗位时它就会通过电子邮件通知求职者。
aggressive
a.①侵略的，好斗的；②大胆的，积极的
［真题例句］ Now it is a social policy, the most important and aggressive (②) promoter of gambling in America is the government.［2006年新题型］
［例句精译］ 现在这是一种社会政策，美国赌博业最重要的和最激进的支持者是政府。
emphasis
n.强调，重点
［真题例句］ By far the worst form of competition in schools is the disproportionate emphasis on examinations.［1995年阅读4］
［例句精译］ 学校里最糟糕的竞争形式就是过分强调考试。
Little Tips:
最近一项调查显示，青少年上网仍以玩游戏为主，而且长期沉溺其中会诱发种种身心健康问题。由中国互联网络信息中心进行的针对10所大中城市中学生上网情况的调查显示：中学生上网主要使用的功能分别是网络游戏(62%)、网上聊天(54.5%)、发送电子邮件(48.6%)，用于查资料的时间不到5%。此外，62.9%的中学生出现了个性化情绪，20%的中学生有情绪低落和孤独感，12%的中学生与家人、朋友疏远，5.1%的中学生身体健康状况下降，因此青少年使用网络的情况急需得到关注。
电视游戏：不是我的错
它们毒害年轻人的心灵，腐化年轻人的灵魂。正是它们，让年轻人坐在沙发上虚度时光，沉浸于危险重重的幻想世界。18世纪的批评家们对于新媒体对年轻人的冲击感到忧心忡忡，他们向小说提出了如此的控诉。时至今日，小说害人的说法听起来已是如此的荒谬。对于当今时代那些控诉电视游戏使年轻人变成暴力罪犯的批评者们，历史最终也将对他们做出同样的审判。就在本周，欧洲司法部长举行会晤，讨论如何最有效地限制暴力游戏对孩子们的销售。有些国家，例如德国，相信最好的方法就是完全禁止某些游戏。这种做法太过火了。
有一种趋势，人们倾向于对新奇陌生的娱乐形式进行妖魔化。对游戏的批评也仅仅是其中的一个最新实例。在1816年，华尔兹被指责为鼓励滥交的"致命传染病毒"；在1910年，电影被批评为"纯粹的邪恶，对社会交际的破坏"；在1950年，摇滚音乐被批评"诱使年轻人产生恶魔崇拜"，漫画被指控为"诱使儿童成长为瘾君子和罪犯"。上述每一个实例都有着相同的模式：年轻人接受了一种新的娱乐形式，年长的人因陌生而受惊，于是对其批评指责。最终，年轻人长大成人，于是新媒体被社会承认--此时，另一种娱乐形式出现，循环模式再次开始。
调查发现，对于游戏的敌对，往往是由于一种错误的观念：大部分玩家都是儿童。实际上，三分之二的玩家超过18岁，而且玩家的平均年龄在30岁左右。就算是大部分玩家都是儿童，这里依然存在一个"双重标准"问题。暴力电影被允许，电影业中有些不适合儿童观看的作品，这个概念也被普遍理解。然而对于游戏业却采用了不同的规则。
难道游戏就应该特殊对待吗？只因为它们具有"互动性"？电视游戏的确可以让人激动兴奋争强好胜，别忘了相当多的运动也是如此。没有证据表明电视游戏导致长期的侵犯性。
游戏应该向电影一样实行年龄分级制度。零售商被禁止向孩子出售成人电影，对于游戏亦应当如此。分级制度已经付诸实践，而且在某些国家对于成人游戏的销售限制还具有法律效力。
非常奇怪的是，作为领导批判美国游戏产业的政客之一希拉里•克林顿，最近也开始接受这种观点。在上个月，她强调了父母关注游戏分级的重要性，并且号召产业、零售商、父母三方共同努力。不过本周在欧洲的某些政客似乎选择了另一个方向：比如说，新西兰可能会跟随德国的脚步，完全禁止某些特定游戏。正如不是所有的成年人都喜欢暴力电影一样，并不是所有的成年人都喜欢暴力游戏。不过如果他们喜欢的话，他们应该有选择的自由。
Doughnut adjust your set
HAVE you ever seen anything on television that made you shout or shake your fist in anger at the screen? Televisions are, of course, unable to respond to such reactions. But that could be about to change. Controlling your television and other homeentertainment devices using voice commands or gestures is starting to become possible thanks to a new generation of controllers.
Consider, for example, the controller that went on sale last month with Nintendo’s Wii games console. In place of the usual (sometimes baffling) combination of buttons and joysticks, the Wii has a motionsensitive controller. The console can determine how the controller is moving in space and what it is pointing at, and uses that information to control what is happening on screen. Depending on the game, the controller becomes a warrior’s sword or a golf club.
For some games, the controller connects up via a cable to a second, smaller handset called the "Nunchuk" after the weapon favoured by Bruce Lee in his martialarts movies (two batons linked by a chain). It is then possible to use one controller for movement, and the other to fire weapons or use items. The number of buttons on both controllers has been reduced to a minimum, as Nintendo hopes to draw in new customers who find existing games consoles too complicated. But whether the Wii will introduce a generation of grandmothers to the joys of karate games remains to be seen.
This living room overload is likely to get worse as telecoms operators launch a new generation of television over broadband services, using a technology called IPTV. This will make possible thousands of channels, downloadable programs and films, plus messaging, internet access and games. It will also involve the biggest and most complicated controllers ever seen. "The experience isn’t as good as it could be," says Michael Cai of Parks Associates, a consultancy. So some companies believe a new approach is needed.
Other companies have looked at using speechbased controllers in the living room. One firm, Promptu, developed a voice control system for American cable operators and tested it in conjunction with Motorola, which makes set top boxes. But it has now decided to reposition the technology as a voicebased navigation system for mobile phones. A simpler approach is taken by the In Voca voiceactivated remote control. It is a universal remote control that can recognise 50 separate commands spoken by up to four separate users, from "lower volume" to "Cartoon Network".
A recent entry to the field is Apple Computer, a firm renowned for designing elegant, easytouse products. In 2007 it will launch a new device, called the iTV, that acts as a bridge between a television and a computer. It has a deliberately simple remote control that, like Apple’s iconic iPod musicplayer, involves just one button and one wheel. Steve Jobs, the company’s boss, boasts that it is "very Apple". Might his company be the one to solve the remote control confusion?
respond
v.①回答，答复；②（to）响应
［真题例句］ An important factor in a marketoriented economy is the mechanism by which consumer demands can be expressed and responded (②) to by producers.［1994年阅读1］
［例句精译］ 以市场为导向的经济中的一个重要因素是反映消费者需求以及生产者对消费者需求作出反应的机制。
command
n.①命令，指令；②统帅，指挥（权）；③掌握，运用能力；v.①命令，要求；②指挥，统帅；③掌握，控制
［真题例句］ Celebrate! commanded (v.①) the ads for the arthritis drug Celebrex, before we found out it could increase the risk of heart attacks.［2006年阅读4］
［例句精译］ "欢庆吧！"宣传关节炎良药西乐葆的广告这样命令道，随后我们却发现它能增加心脏病的发病率。
［真题例句］ Americans no longer expect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to command (v.③) the English language with skill and gift.Nor do they aspire to such command(n.①) themselves.［2005年阅读4］
［例句精译］ 美国人不再期望公众人物在演讲或写作之时可以娴熟地运用技巧和文采来驾驭英语，而且公众人物本身也不这样要求自己。
console
vt.安慰，藉慰；n.控制台
reduce
v.减少，缩小；简化，还原
boast
v.（of，about）自夸，夸耀；n.自夸，大话
［真题例句］ Given all these disadvantages, central bankers seem to have had much to boast (v.) about of late.［1997年阅读5］
［例句精译］ 尽管有这么多不利因素，中央银行家们似乎对近来的形势有了不少值得夸耀的东西。
Navigation
n.①航海，航空；②导航，领航
remote
a.①远的，长久的；②偏远的，偏僻的；③关系疏远的
［真题例句］ Rodriguez notes that children in remote (②) villages around the world are fans of superstars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet "some Americans fear that immigrant living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nations assimilative power." ［2006年阅读1］
［例句精译］ 罗德里格兹记录道，在世界范围内偏远村庄里的孩子也崇拜着超级明星，比如阿诺得•施瓦辛格和葛司•布鲁克斯。然而"一些美国人害怕在美国居住的移民在某种程度上不会受到民族同化作用。"
Little Tips：
任天堂"Revolution"系统遥控器终于现身：任天堂未来的"革命"家用控制系统的控制器是只用一只手控制的无线遥控器，用电视旁的两个小传感器和内置的芯片跟踪它的位置和方向，允许玩家用物理移动控制器本身来操作屏幕上的动作。例如，你可以横向移动它来玩击剑，用腕部动作来玩赛车，或者用它指向目标来开枪射击。
电视遥控器
你看电视的时候，是否曾边看边大叫？或者怒气冲冲地对着屏幕挥舞拳头？现在的电视机当然不会对你的举动有什么反应。但这种情形可能会发生变化了。新一代遥控器出现了，不久以后，你也许能用声音指令或手势控制电视机及其他家庭娱乐设备。
拿上月发售的任天堂Wii游戏机所带的控制手柄来作例子吧。通常，游戏手柄会由许多按钮与摇杆（有时能把人搞迷糊）组成，而Wii所带的却是一个动作识别手柄。游戏机能测出手柄的移动轨迹，识别手柄指着屏幕上的什么东西，然后根据得到的信息控制屏幕上的游戏。你手中的手柄是战士手中之剑还是高尔夫球杆，那就要看你在玩什么游戏了。
玩有些游戏时，还可以用线把遥控器接到另一个小一点的手持设备上，有人叫它Nunchuk，这个名字来自李小龙在武打片里喜欢用的武器（双截棍）。然后你就可以用一只遥控器控制行动，另一只用来开火或者使用游戏中的物品。任天堂把两个遥控器上的按钮数量都尽可能减少，希望能吸引到一批原来觉得玩游戏太复杂的新顾客。但Wii会不会让"祖母级"人群也感受到玩空手道游戏的快乐，现在还无从得知。
随着电信运营商在一种叫IPTV的技术基础上推出一系列结合电视机与宽带网络的新服务，我们的客厅很可能会变得越来越拥挤嘈杂。此类服务可能包括几千个电视频道、可下载的电视节目与电影、短信服务、互联网接入与网络游戏。遥控器也会相应变得比以往更大、更复杂。Parks Associates咨询公司的麦克尔•卡尔说，"大家并不会喜欢使用那样的遥控器。"所以一些公司认为要靠新方法来解决这个问题。
还有几家公司则考虑了另一条途径--在客厅里使用语音控制遥控器。Promptu公司就是其中之一，该公司为美国有线电视运营商研发出一种语音控制系统，并与制造机顶盒的摩托罗拉公司一同测试了此系统。但Promptu公司现又决定把这项技术重新定位成一种应用于手机的声控遥控导航系统。而InVoca的声控遥控器则采取了一种更简单的方法，这种遥控器几乎可以运用于所有设备，能识别4个不同使用者的50条命令--从"降低音量"到"卡通网络"。
最近,以产品设计的易用、别致著称的苹果电脑也进入这个领域。2007年该公司将会推出一款叫iTV的新设备，此设备能在电视与电脑间起到桥梁的作用。像苹果的标志性产品iPod音乐播放器一样，iTV的遥控器也有意简化至只有一个按钮与一个滚轮。苹果总裁斯蒂夫•钱伯斯声称该产品"非常地苹果"。苹果电脑公司能解决遥控器的迷局吗？