BBC地道英语｜Do you need to upgrade your phone? 你的手机是否需要更新换代？
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Hello and welcome to Six Minute English! I’m Catherine.
大家好，欢迎来到六分钟英语！我是凯瑟琳。
And I’m Rob, and today we bring you a techy topic along with six up-to-date vocabulary items.
我是罗伯，今天我们会为你带来一个科技类话题以及六个最新词汇。
That’s right. And today’s techy topic is smartphones. So Rob, can you tell me which age group have been buying smartphones at the fastest rate over the last five years here in the UK? Is it…a) 15-35 year olds, b) 35-55 year olds or c) 55-75 year olds?
是的。今天的科技类话题是智能机。所以罗伯，你能告诉我在过去的五年里英国哪个年龄群的人购买智能机的比率最大吗？是a）15-35岁，b）35-55岁， 还是c）55-75岁？
OK. It’s got to be the youngsters. It’s got to be the 15-35 year olds.
必须是年轻人啊。应该是15-35岁。
Oh, well. We’ll see whether you got that right or wrong later on in the show. Now Rob, a question: how old is your smartphone?
好吧。稍后我们会在节目中看看你是否回答正确。现在，罗伯回答我一个问题：你的智能机用了多久了？
OK, mine, I bought it a couple of years ago.
好的，我的手机的话，买了有几年了。
And are you happy with it?
你用着开心吗？
Yes, I am. It works just fine. It does everything I need it to do.
是的，我用得挺好。它运行良好，可以完成我需要它做的所有事情。
So you’re not worried about not having the latest model?
所以你不担心没有最新的机型吗？
Not at all. My phone works really well, it has all the functionality I need. And I’m not convinced that the latest model offers any more than the one I’ve got, to be honest.
一点也不。我的手机工作状况很好，它拥有我需要的所有性能。而且老实说，我不确定最新机型能够提供更多的功能。
Right. Well, functionality refers to the range of functions a computer or other electronic device can perform. So, let’s listen now to Andrew Orlowski, from the tech news website-The Register. He explains why people are holding onto their phones longer instead of rushing out to buy the latest model of phone.
好吧。Functionality指的是电脑或者电子设备所能执行的一系列功能。所以现在让我们听一下科技新闻网站The Register的安德鲁•奥尔洛夫斯基是怎么说的。他会解释为什么人们会更长久地使用他们的手机而不是急于去买最新机型。
What happened is that prices have gone up at the high end. And it’s kind of a cycle, where people hang onto their phones for longer, therefore manufacturers charge more. Then people hang onto them longer to justify that higher purchase.
因为新机型的价格已经上升到了顶端。并且这也是一种循环，人们使用已购手机的时间越长，制造商生产新手机的要价越高。然后人们对其的使用时间也会更长，来证明它物有所值。
So big brand names, like iPhone and Samsung, make phones at the high end of the market, meaning the expensive ones. So once people have bought a handset, they hang on to it! If you hang onto something, you keep it. I’ve been hanging onto my phone for a couple of years, and am hoping I won’t need to change it for another year or so, at least.
所以那些大的品牌，像苹果和三星，他们制造市场顶端的机型，指的就是那些昂贵的机型。所以人们一旦买了手机，就会使用很长时间。如果你hang onto someting指的就是你长久地保留它。我的手机已经用了好几年了，而且我希望至少在一年左右都不需要换手机。
But what happens is, if people aren’t replacing their phones, the phone manufacturers don’t make a big enough profit. So they start charging more.
但是现在的情况是，如果人们不替换他们的手机，手机制造商就没有足够的利润。所以他们手机的要价就更高。
And this, in turn, makes people hang onto their phones even longer! So that’s why Andrew Orlowski calls it a cycle. That’s where one event leads to another, and then often repeats itself.
这样反而会使人们对一部手机的使用时间更长。所以这就是为什么安德鲁•奥尔洛夫斯基将其称为循环。那指的是一项事件导致了另一项事件，然后又经常重复到这个事件的过程。
So where will the cycle end?
所以这个循环将会在哪里结束？
Good question! Let’s listen to Andrew again, talking about where he thinks the smartphone market is heading.
问得好！让我们再听安德鲁说一下他认为智能机市场将会走向何方。
I think it’s a very mature market now. And you have to compare, say, a £900 Galaxy Note or a £1000 iPhone with a spectacular TV you can… a 49 inch TV you can get for £450. No longer has that kind of must-have lustre that it might have had 4 or 5 years ago.
我认为现在的市场非常成熟。并且你必须要比较一下，一个900英镑的三星Galaxy Note手机，或者一个1000英镑的苹果手机，与一个49英寸，要价450英镑的的大电视比较。不再有那种四五年前那种必须品的感觉。
So what does ’mature’ mean, Rob?
所以罗伯，mature指的是什么？
Mature means fully-grown.We’re mature adults for example, Catherine! And in a business context, a mature market is where supply is equal to demand.
Mature指的是发育完全的。例如我们是成熟的成年人了，凯瑟琳！并且在商业环境中，一个成熟的市场指的是供求相等。
And if something has ’must-have lustre’? What’s that?
而且某些事（物）是否有must-have lustre？那指的是什么？
A must-have item is something you feel you must have. And lustre means shine.
A must-have item指的是你感觉自己必须有的某些东西。Lustre指的是光泽。
I love shiny new things, especially when it’s a nice piece of new tech. But £1000 is a lot of money for a phone. A spectacular 49-inch TV for only £450 sounds like a bargain though!My TV only got small screen.
我喜欢闪耀的新事物，特别是新技术方面不错的东西。但是对于手机来说，1000英镑是一个大数目。一个49英寸的大电视只要450英镑听起来就像是特价商品。我的电视很小。
Stop there, Catherine! It’s time for the answer to today’s question.
就那个话题上停住吧！该是揭晓今天问题答案的时刻了。
OK, so which age group have been buying smartphones at the fastest rate over the last five years here in the UK? Is it… a) 15-35 year olds, b) 35-55 year olds, or c) 55-75 year olds?
好吧，所以在过去的五年里英国哪个年龄群的人购买智能机的比率最大？是a）15-35岁，b）35-55岁， 还是c）55-75岁？
And I said youngsters, 15-35 year olds.
我回答的是年轻人，15-35岁。
And you were absolutely wrong, I’m afraid, Rob! The answer is 55-75 year olds! Although research also highlighted that this age group tended to use their smartphones less than younger people.The study was based on a sample of 1,163 people questioned between May and June in 2017.
罗伯，恐怕你完全错误！答案是55-75岁！尽管调查同样强调这个年龄群的人使用智能机的倾向比年轻人低。这项研究是基于2017年五六月间对1163位调查者进行的。
Interesting. OK, I think it’s time we looked back at the words we learned today. .Our first word is ’functionality’, which refers to the range of functions a computer of other electronic device can perform.
有意思。好的，我认为现在我们该回顾一下今天所学到的单词。我们第一个词是functionality，指的是电脑或者其他电子设备所能执行的一系列功能。
These two computers are similar in terms of both their price and functionality.’
这两款电脑在价格和性能上来说都是相似的。
Good example, Catherine. Number two, if you hang on to something, you keep it. For example, ’You should hang onto your old TV, Catherine. There’s nothing wrong with a 30-inch screen!’
好例子，凯瑟琳。第二个，如果你紧抓某物不放，指的是保留某物。例如，你应该保留你的旧电视，凯瑟琳。30英寸的屏幕没有什么错。
Thanks for the advice, Rob. And our next word is ’cycle’. That’s where one event leads to another, and then often repeats itself. For example, ’I’m in a bad cycle of going to bed late, and then oversleeping in the morning.’
感谢你的建议，罗伯。我们下一个词是cycle。那指的是一项事件导致了另一项事件，然后经常重复到某一事件的过程。例如，我现在处于晚睡的恶性循坏，然后早上会睡过头。
You need to sort yourself out, Catherine! You’re spending too much time on social media, and all that blue-screen time makes it very hard to fall asleep. The last thing you need is a bigger TV!
你需要解决自己的这个问题，凯瑟琳！你花费太多时间在社交媒体上了，而且长期盯着那些蓝色屏幕使人难以入睡。你最不需要的就是更大的电视。
You’re probably right. OK, the adjective ’mature’ means fully grown or fully developed. And here’s an example of the verb form– ’My investments have matured and they’re worth a lot of money now!’
你或许是对的。好的，形容词mature指的是发育完全或者是发展充分。这里有一个动词形式的例子。我的投资项目已经成熟，它们现在值很多钱了。
Right, moving on, a ’must-have item’ is something you feel you must have! For example, ’Check out the latest must-have tech bargains on our website!’
是的，继续，a must-have item指的是你感觉自己必须有的某些事物！例如，检查一下我们网站上最近必须的科技特价商品。
Like huge TV.
像大电视。
Yes.
是的。
And finally, ’lustre’, which means shine.
最后一个词lustre,指的是光泽。
For example, ’I polished my brass doorknob until it shone with a pleasing lustre.’
例如， 我擦拭我的黄铜门把手直到它闪耀着悦目的光泽。
Bye!
再见