【一起听英语】自媒体管制
自媒体越来越多，是否需要出台一项规范来统一一下呢？
Dan: This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Dan Walker Smith
and today I'm joined by Alice. Hello Alice!
Alice: Hi Dan.
Dan: Alice, you've got some news about a media blackout in an English town, right?
Alice: That's right; a media blackout; that's a ban on all media. It's happening at
Bournemouth University on the south coast of England.
Dan: OK, so there's no media anywhere in Bournemouth?
Alice: Well it's not a complete media blackout; the ban is just affecting hundreds of
university students, as part of an experiment to see how they react without
media.
Dan: Aha! OK, well before you go on, I've got a media question for you: according
to the latest Facebook figures, how many active Facebook users are there in the
world? Is it:
a) 300 million
b) 500 million
c) 800 million
Alice: Oh I've just recently seen that film about Facebook, so I'm going to guess 800
million.
Dan: OK top number there. Well we'll see if you're right later on in the programme.
Now Alice, tell us a bit more about this experiment.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Alice: Absolutely. Well the experiment's called Unplugged, because the people
who've volunteered have been asked to unplug their media devices, such as
laptops, phones and TVs, for 24 hours. And they're not allowed to listen to the
radio or read newspapers either.
Dan: OK, so no access to any media. But 24 hours doesn't seem like a very long
time.
Alice: No it doesn't, but some of the volunteers have found it really difficult, as you
can hear from one of the guinea pigs in the experiment.
By the way, a guinea pig here is a strange term for describing someone who
takes part in a new experiment or test. They're usually little furry 1 animals, a bit
like short-eared rabbits, and make very nice pets. But in this case it means
someone who takes part in an experiment.
This is one of the guinea pigs, Charlotte Gay:
It’s been a real struggle to be honest, even here in the student union here, you have to
literally 3 shut down and try and avoid all contacts with media; it's really difficult.
Dan: So our guinea pig Charlotte there said it was a real struggle to avoid all contact
with the media. She said she had to shut down; basically just stop doing
anything.
Alice: Yeah, the media's everywhere, so not surprisingly Charlotte said it was really
difficult.
Dan: OK, but how has this media ban affected 4 the students' mental well-being 5,
Alice?
Alice: Well their mental well-being; you'd think 24 hours, how will they feel about
themselves and their emotional health? Well, Doctor Roman Gerodimos, is a
media lecturer at Bournemouth University. He helped with the experiment and
he here is describing some of the students’ symptoms:
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 3 of 5
Extract 2: Roman Gerodimos
They are reporting withdrawal 6 symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, feeling isolated 7,
disconnected, they don’t know what to do with themselves all the time, just going round
their room or their house in silence and they really hate that!
Dan: Wow, so it sounds like the media ban had a very negative effect on the
students.
Alice: Yeah, Doctor Gerodimos said some students were overeating; they were
eating too much food. And they were also feeling nervous and isolated.
Isolated means lonely or detached 8 from other people. They also felt
disconnected, which is another word meaning detached or cut off.
Dan: Let's have another listen to the clip 9.
Extract 2: Roman Gerodimos
They are reporting withdrawal symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, feeling isolated,
disconnected, they don’t know what to do with themselves all the time, just going round
their room or their house in silence and they really hate that!
Dan: So a lot of problems there in just 24 hours. And have there been any long-term
effects?
Alice: Long-term effects – changes that last for a long time. Well, the experiment has
only just finished, so we don’t know the full findings yet. But let’s hear some
thoughts from another student, Caroline Scott, and also afterwards the voice of
BBC correspondent 10, Rory Cellan-Jones.
Extract 3: Caroline Scott and Rory Cellan-Jones
Caroline: Yeah it is quite nice to be totally separated for about two hours I would say,
maximum. Other than that I would like to have my phone on me, or the internet, or
something.
Rory: As a nation we now spend half our waking hours using the media in some form
and these young people can’t imagine being permanently 11 unplugged.
Dan: So Caroline said it's nice to be separated from the media for two hours
maximum, but after that she wanted her phone or the internet.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Alice: Exactly, as Rory Cellan-Jones concluded, as we spend half our waking hours
– that's half the time we're awake – using media, a lot of young people can’t
imagine being ‘permanently unplugged’.
Dan: Well, there's just time for a reminder 12 of some of the language we've come
across today. Alice, could you help us out with those please.
Alice: Of course; we had:
media blackout
unplugged
guinea pig
mental well-being
overeating
isolated
disconnected
long-term effects
waking hours
Dan: And our question of the week: How many active Facebook users are there in
the world? Is it:
a) 300 million
b) 500 million
c) 800 million
Alice: Well I guessed 800 million.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 5 of 5
Dan: Yeah, you're actually a bit too high with 800 million. 500 million users at the
last count, but that is rising by the day, so it could be 800 very very soon.
Alice: Amazing!
Dan: It really is. But I'm afraid that's all we have time for in today's 6 Minute
English. So thanks so much for joining us, and goodbye.
Alice: Bye!
- This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
- Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。
- The article was a choice extract from her writings.这篇文章是从她的著作中摘录出来的精粹。
- We can extract oil from olive.我们可以从橄榄中榨油。
- He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
- Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。
- She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
- His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
- He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
- My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。
- The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
- They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。
- His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
- Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。
- She wanted him to stop being so cool, so detached, so cynical. 她希望他不再那么冷酷无情，那么无动于衷，那么愤世嫉俗。
- The general detached a small force to go and guard the palace. 将军派遣一支小部队去保卫宫殿。
- May I clip out the report on my performance?我能把报道我的文章剪下来吗？
- She fastened the papers together with a paper clip.她用曲别针把文件别在一起。
- He volunteered as a correspondent for the war.他自愿担任作报道这次战争的记者。
- The result was correspondent with my wishes.结果与我的愿望是一致的。
- The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
- The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。