节目资讯
刊物:生活知识家
日期:2009-10-16
难易度:Low
关键字:nervous, representation, digital, interact, avatar
(Music).
Hi, friends. Welcome back from the break.
I have a question for you.
If you had the opportunity to recreate yourself, what would you look like?
Would you make yourself taller?
Would you change the color of your hair?
Would you make yourself thinner?
Well, you can do all that and more with digital avatars.
The word ”digital” is our next key word.
And our example sentence reads:
Wes only buys digital music.
He thinks tapes take up too much shelf space.
And the verb:
interact.
Mary loves to interact with her students.
It is her favorite part of being a teacher.
Now let’s look at some more ways people are recreating themselves using avatars.
We’ll pick up the reading on line eleven.
Avatars.
With avatars, users can see - and control - themselves in a digital world.
Users can also choose what they’re going to look like in that world.
For example, Nintendo’s Wii allows players to create their own ”Miis,” or
cartoon-like representations of themselves.
Players can then use their Miis to play games or interact with other players.
Studio Classroom’s online English-learning tool, Cyber Village uses avatars too.
Users can choose their avatars’ haircuts, clothing and even add extras like bags
or pets.
Welcome back.
So before the break, we saw that people can use their avatars uh, on websites.
And maybe even they can use their avatars to play video games.
Our article goes on to say:
With avatars, users can see - and control - themselves in a digital world or on
the Internet on uh... in... in a digital world.
What does the word ”digital” mean, Chelsea?
Well, when we’re talking about something that’s digital,
we’re talking about something uh, that is part of a system where information is
maybe sent out or recorded uh, in the form of numbers,
in the form of digits.
So something like a digital camera or a digital television would be good
examples.
And it’s a little bit complicated... uh... complicated concept to understand if
you’re not very technologically advanced.
Um, but we see digital items all around us anymore in the twenty-first century.
So the same is true for the... for the web and for avatars.
Right. Yeah.
Here we’re talking about the Internet world or even the... the world of video
games.
Those would be the digital world.
Our article goes on to say that users can also choose what they’re going to look
like in that digital world.
So you can choose your look.
You can uh...
I... I suppose you can have a tail if you want to have a tail.
Or you could maybe make yourself look like teacher Chip, like from the front of
the magazine cover.
There you go.
I don’t know.
But we have some examples for you.
Like Nintendo’s Wii.
And perhaps you’ve heard of Nintendo.
Some of you might even have a Wii at home.
I know Studio Classroom has done articles on Wiis before.
But a Wii actually is a game system that allows players to create their own
Miis.
Uh, now that is not how you spell the word ”me”.
As you know, the word ”me” is spelled M-E.
But this is a play of the word Wii.
So basically, you can make something, an avatar, look like yourself, look like
me uh, with the Nintendo Wii system... Wii system.
And it’s going to end up looking a little bit like a cartoon, it says.
Cartoon-like.
Right.
A cartoon-like representation of yourself.
Now have you ever played a Wii where you have created a Mii, Chelsea?
I have not, and I... I feel a little bit behind on this because I haven’t played
a Wii.
But I definitely would like to play now so I can create a Mii, an avatar.
Yeah. It’s... it’s pretty interesting to see yourself as a cartoon or as a
cartoon-like avatar.
It’s pretty interesting.
So our article goes on to say that players can then use their Miis to play games
or interact with other players who are playing the game.
And if you interact with someone, you’re maybe talking with someone or working
with someone together,
or you’re acting in close relationship with somebody else.
So in this case, you can interact or work together with other players as you’re
playing on your Wii with your Miis.
And actually, it’s very important.
Whenever you’re learning a foreign language,
it’s very important to interact with people and practice... uh, as you practice
your foreign language.
So uh, interact with other English speakers and you might even be able to
interact with other English speakers through your avatar.
So we’ve been talking about the Nintendo Wii in the Mii avatar.
But did you know that Studio Classroom gives you an opportunity to create
avatars too?
Well, we do and it’s through an online English-learning tool that we call Cyber
Village.
And Cyber Village is an area where you go and you go through this village and
you learn your English and you get to practice English.
And you can also interact with other people in Cyber Village and their avatars
as well.
So Chip, what are some things that you can do on Cyber Village with your
avatars?
Well, you can choose your clothing.
You can choose your haircuts.
And uh, our article mentions that you can even add extras.
You can add extra things to your... to your person, to your avatar.
Uh, extra things like bags or purses or even pets.
Uh, your pets can have... er... your avatars can have pets.
That sounds very interesting.
I have played around a little bit on Cyber Village and have had fun creating my
own avatar and practicing my English.
And we hope that you’ll consider doing the same.
Well, right now we are going to go to a skit.
Uh, but we will learn more about avatars tomorrow.
We’ll see you then.
Hey, look at me. I’m flying.
No, you’re not.
Oh, now I’m talking to hundreds of strangers in Greek.
I’m not even nervous.
You are not doing that.
Oh, look.
I’m growing a tail.
I never thought this was possible.
It’s not possible.
Those things are not happening to you.
Yes, they are.
They’re happening to my avatar.
Avatar?
What’s an avatar?
It’s me.
It’s an online representation of me.
It makes playing computer games more personal.
Hey, that’s not you.
In the digital world, it is.
It’s Mii on my Wii.
I created it myself.
So it’s the cartoon you.
That’s right.
I created it to interact with other players.
Other players?
Like me?
Can I pray too?
Sure.
But first you need to create your avatar.
Can I be beautiful and cool?
Uh... yes.
Choose your face.
Do you want to be tall or short?
Uh, I want to be rich.
OK. I’ll give you expensive clothes.
Yeah, I like those.
Great.
Now let’s go to the village.
The village?
Uh-huh.
The Cyber Village.
Oh.
Is this a date?
Oh... I don’t think so.
Oh.
(Music).
(Chinese).
And I guess that’s all the time for today.
I’ll see you next time.
Bye-bye.
Thank you, Michelle.
We love those tips.
Keep them coming.
Well, the word avatar has an interesting history.
It comes from the ancient Sanskrit language,
which is still being used today in India.
The word avatar was used to describe a Hindu god coming to earth in the form of
a human or animal.
So in one sense, we could say an avatar describes a spirit taking on a physical
form.
Now let’s transfer that to the modern computer age when we humans take on a
digital form.
And that’s not a bad way to define avatar.
Friends, let’s talk more about the world of avatars tomorrow.
Right now it’s time to go,
so from all of us here at Studio Classroom, we hope you have a great day.
Bye-bye, everyone.
(Music).