陈喜娟

聽力扫障

1. accessory n. 配件;附件

2. strike an important chord 引起共鸣

3. launch v. 发起

扫码听测

I. 听写练习

一边听录音一边阅读以下文字材料，这些文字材料不是录音的全部内容，而是以提纲、摘要、笔记、图表等形式再现的录音的主要内容，需要补全的内容一般是录音中的关键信息。注意每空一词。

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. 听力理解

听下面一段录音。录音结束后有几个小问题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。文章读三遍。

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.

文本解说

随着数字化信息技术的发展，手机成为我们生活中必不可少的设备，手机上的电子游戏也成了很多人消遣的对象。在美国，不仅孩子们喜欢玩电子游戏，成年人玩电子游戏的也比比皆是。在快节奏的现代生活中，到底是什么原因让人们如此热衷于电子游戏呢？

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.