节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-01-30
难易度:Medium
关键字:rake in, landlord, midst, consent, monopoly, real estate, Great Depression

Monopoly has become a huge success in its over-75-years of production.
It has made a huge impact on society.
For example, in the City of Atlanta,
they were wanting to change the names of Baltic and Mediterranean Avenue, both
of which are in the game of Monopoly.
But public outcry prevented them from doing so.
Now let's take a look at the top of page 51 and continue learning about the
beginning of Monopoly.
(Music).
The History of Monopoly.
Years later, Charles Darrow from Germantown, Pennsylvania, played a version of
the game and saw its potential.
With the country in the midst of the Great Depression, the game's theme of easy
fortune appealed to him.
He invented a version and presented it to game manufacturer Parker Brothers in
1934.
They rejected the game, but Darrow wasn't discouraged.
With the help of a printer, Darrow made his own games and sold them through a
department store.
In 1935 Darrow again presented the game to Parker Brothers, and this time they
consented to produce it.
Darrow's game, called Monopoly, swiftly became the best-selling game in America.
(Music).
All right. Now before the break we were talking about how the game was invented
by Elizabeth Magie,
who named it The Landlord's Game, and it was often copied and revised.
That's right. So the game had to change into Monopoly, Ryan. We're talking about
Monopoly, not The Landlord's Game.
Exactly.
So now we're going to see how it transitioned from The Landlord's Game way back
in 1904 to the now highly successful game that it is today.
Well, years later, Charles Darrow from Germantown, Pennsylvania, played a
version of the game and saw its potential.
Right. So Charles he played a version of this game,
which means it was a little bit different from the original version - The
Landlord's Game - and he saw its potential.
What does that mean, Kaylah?
Well, "potential" means what something could become in the future.
It doesn't mean it will become that but that it has the ability, or it looks
like it is good enough to be something else in the future.
Yeah. So Charles Darrow saw that this game could become very successful.
And with the country in the midst of the Great Depression, the game's theme of
easy fortune appealed to him.
OK. So here's a little bit of American history we need to talk about.
The "Great Depression" is a time in American history when there was not enough
money.
The stock market crashed.
That means all the big businesses were failing, and most people in the country
were very, very poor.
Yeah. It was in the 1930s, many people did not have money, many people did not
have jobs.
And so the idea of this game appealed to Charles Darrow.
That's right. They're in the midst of this.
And when you're in the "midst" of something, that's just like saying you are in
the middle of it.
You're right in the middle of it.
So it was in the middle of the Depression when everybody was poor, they didn't
have money, so this was a good escape for them.
Exactly.
Now, yeah, you remember that time in America, they were in the middle of that
really hard time,
so it would make sense that this game would appeal to not only Charles Darrow
but probably most people.
If something appeals to someone, that means that they will enjoy it.
They want to see it.
They want to play this game.
That's right. They are drawn to it.
They want to be a part of it.
Well, he invented a version and presented it to game manufacturer Parker
Brothers in 1934.
OK. So he made his own version now and he wanted to present it to Parker
Brothers.
That means he showed it to them.
Now who is Parker Brothers, Kaylah?
Well, Parker Brothers is a very famous board game or really just all game
creator.
They've been around a long time.
We see here this is 1934, and they were already a known company.
They still exist today.
And they produce different games.
Yeah, they're one of the biggest makers of board games.
And so he presented it to them, wanting them to make this game in 1934.
Well, the first time he went, they rejected the game, but Darrow wasn't
discouraged.
I'm a little confused as to why they would have rejected this game, Kaylah,
because it seems... it's so much fun.
So many people enjoy it.
And of course we know it's the best-selling board game in the world now.
Of course, they didn't know that then, or they wouldn't have rejected it.
Yes, that's right. They didn't know then.
And Ryan, if you think... I think it made sense that they would reject something
like this.
It was a new game.
It's... you would have to market it.
You would have to make it popular.
You would need to produce it.
And all of that cost money.
And at that time, there wasn't a lot of money.
But I also know, I have friends that do board game inventions, they are hard to
sell.
So you have to be very, very sure that it's a good game.
Right, you're right. It does take a lot of money to make a lot of games to sell
to people.
And that's why it's all the more impressive that Darrow got help of a printer
and made his own games and sold them through a department store.
In 1935, Darrow again presented the game to the Parker Brothers.
So he invented his own, they turned him down.
They said, "No, thank you." So he took it to a printer who helped him print out
the board and create all the pieces for it.
And then he just sold it on his own.
Instead of having a big company sold... sell it, he sold it at a local
department store.
Yeah. A department store is a store that you might find in a mall that sells
many different kinds of items.
And so he put it in a small store to sell it.
But then he took it back to Parker Brothers, and this time they consented to
produce it.
After seeing the work that he had done, they consented.
And when you "consent" to something, that means you agree to it.
You allow it to happen.
That's right. Now Darrow's game, called Monopoly, swiftly became the
best-selling game in America.
I'm sure Parker Brothers were glad to take on this game as it quickly took off
to become the most popular game in America.
Well, I enjoy playing Monopoly.
And I hope you, friends, enjoy playing Monopoly as well.
Hey, Bryan.
Hi.
What's in the boxes?
These are some board games.
I requested that the library start offering board games for people to check out.
So all of these boxes have boards in them?
That's right, Ken.
Say, have you played any of these games before?
No. The only games I play are video games.
So what's a board game?
Well, why don't we have Doris explain the general idea to us?
OK.
Board games are games that involve players taking turns moving pieces across the
board to reach a certain goal.
Depending on the rules, players may be able to do such things as stop other
players or trade places with them.
This kind of competition is often exciting and fun.
That's because the point to playing board games is to gather friends and family
together for some fun and laughs.
Bryan, Doris mentioned rules.
But I'm afraid if these games have too many rules, maybe no one will want to
check them out.
Of course they will, Ken.
Hey, take Monopoly, for example.
This is one of the most popular games in history.
I'm sure people will be lining up to check it out.
Well, if it's really that popular, maybe I should ask you to explain the game to
me.
I'd be happy to.
Players get their own game pieces.
And they roll dice to decide how far to move their pieces across the board.
Is that it?
Well, there are some other rules about how to buy real estate and things like
that, but they're very easy to understand.
I can always teach you if you're interested, Ken.
Buying real estate doesn't sound very easy to me.
Besides, Monopoly can't be as fun as defending the world from evil aliens.
I bet you'd change your mind if you played one Monopoly game with me.
Hey, why don't you come over tonight?
My friends and I will be playing the game.
Oh. Thanks for the offer.
I'll think about it.
(Chinese).
Hi, everyone.
(Chinese).
And it's time for us to say goodbye.
Keep up the good work, and I'll see you next time.
Every few years, the makers of Monopoly host an international Monopoly
Championship.
Besides the hundreds of spectators that go, there are also official judges,
bankers and translators because the people who are from different parts of the
world,
the players, they need to negotiate deals with one another.
That's part of the game.
Now the last tournament was in Las Vegas.
And it was won by a 19-year-old from Norway, the youngest champion so far.
The prize for the winner is $20,580, which is the same amount of play money
found in Monopoly's American Edition game.
OK, everyone, please join us tomorrow when we talk more about Monopoly.
Until then, have a great day.