宅急通 Vol 235

Oct. 5, 2016

Vol. 235

by Theodore Pigott, special correspondent

Pokémon Go Sweeps Taiwan!

Over the years, Taiwan has certainly seen its fair share of fads and crazes, including Portuguese egg tarts, “planking,” and watermelon bread. Now, Taiwan is experiencing another new craze that is sweeping the nation—Pokémon Go! Basically speaking, Pokémon Go is a free online game that is played on mobile devices. The game accesses a mobile device’s GPS system and makes use of augmented reality (AR) to enable players to find, catch, and even battle virtual monsters called Pokémon. Because of the game’s advanced technology, Pokémon creatures appear to be moving on the screens of mobile devices, in the same real-world locations as players.

Surprisingly, Pokémon Go was not an immediate hit when it was first launched in 2016, receiving mostly mixed reviews from critics. However, the game caught on with the general public, and it soon became a surprise phenomenon around the world. Some reports say that 100 million people have already downloaded the game, and news reports are calling it the first game to popularize AR and location-based gaming. Even some parents and teachers have praised the game for encouraging physical activity, since players must go outside to find more Pokémon creatures.

Though many in Taiwan were eager to play the game, Pokémon Go was initially only available in Asia in Japan and Hong Kong. Then, on August 6, the game finally became officially available in Taiwan, and the full fury of the Pokémon Go craze hit Taiwan head-on.

Players in Taiwan embraced the game immediately, with thousands flocking to parks and other public places to pick up balls at “PokeStops” and capture Pokémon creatures on their mobile devices. Soon, social media sites in Taiwan were full of players sharing their experiences playing Pokémon Go. Some players shared photos of the creatures they had captured, while others shared tips about the best locations to find more Pokémon monsters around Taiwan.

There were some downsides to the game, however. Police in Taiwan were forced to 1

give out hundreds of tickets to Pokémon Go players who had violated road safety regulations by playing the game while driving a car or riding a scooter. New transportation rules were also proposed to prevent the game from being played in airports and train stations. Some have also called for the game to be banned from school campuses. The premier of Taiwan, Lin Chuan, even told Taiwanese players via Facebook to “Catch the rare creatures, but don’t let accidents catch up with you!”

Perhaps the Pokémon Go craze will eventually fade away, as players lose interest in this game. For now, however, Pokémon Go remains the most popular AR game of the moment, in Taiwan and around the world.

Reading Comprehension ( ) 1. What is the main topic of this article?

(A) A history of all the fads and trends that have swept Taiwan over the years.

(B) A closer look at the future of augmented reality (AR) and location-based games.

(C) A review of the creatures and monsters in the Pokémon universe (D) The popularity this year of Pokémon Go in Taiwan and around the world. (

(

(

(

) 2. The word “phenomenon” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to “________.”

(A) game (B) occurrence (C) dream (D) world ) 3. According to the passage, where in Asia was Pokémon Go first available?

(A) China and Thailand.

(B) Taiwan and Hong Kong.

(C) Japan and Hong Kong.

(D) Singapore and Hong Kong. ) 4. What can be inferred from the passage?

(A) New things from other countries are not popular in Taiwan.

(B) People in Taiwan enjoy following new trends, such as Pokémon Go. (C) Pokémon Go is welcome on school campuses in Taiwan.

(D) Everyone in Taiwan likes the new game, Pokémon Go. ) 5. What does the author think about the future of Pokémon Go in Taiwan?

(A) It will continue to be popular in Taiwan for many more years to come.

(B) It is too soon to say if people in Taiwan will continue to play this game.

(C) People in Taiwan will probably eventually lose interest in this game.

(D) Actually, this game is not that popular in Taiwan at all.

Vocabulary and Phrases 1. fad [ n. [C] 一時的流行 ．There is a fad for young people wearing vintage clothing these years.

2. craze  n. [C] (一時的)狂熱；時尚 ．My sister started a craze for Minions, spending lots of money buying the related 2

products.

3. experience [] vt. 歷經 ．David experienced the hardships of running out of money and selling his house but now he is a quite successful entrepreneur.

4. device [d] n. [C] 裝置 ．It is forbidden to bring the electronic devices into a military base.

5. access [] vt. 讀取(電腦資訊) ．The engineer needs to access your computer data so as to help you rebuild your project.

6. virtual  adj. 虛擬的 ．Some online games require players to create a virtual character as a representative to interact with others.

7. location  n. [C] 位置；場所 ．The location of that famous restaurant is in London.

8. critic [] n. [C] 批評者；評論家 ．Francois Simon, who is a famous food critic once came to Taiwan to feast on the local food such as bubble tea and xiaolongbao and introduced the food to the world.

9. phenomenon  n. [C]（尤指不尋常的或有趣的）現象 ．It is a strange phenomenon that animals would have unusual reactions before a dreadful disaster comes.

10. popularize  vt. 普及 ．The Korean drama has successfully popularized Korean culture and clothing style around the world.

11. initially  adv. 起初，最初 ．Initially, Helen didn’t like the smell of garlic, but now she loves it.

12. fury  n. [U] 猛烈 ．The fury of the thunderstorm was scary. Even the trees were all blown away.

13. immediately  adv. 立刻，馬上 ．As soon as the alarm clock rang, James got up immediately to prepare for the important meeting.

14. flock  vi. 群集，蜂擁而至 ．Hundreds of people flocked into the department store on the first day of the anniversary sale.

15. downside  n. [C] 不利因素，不利的一面 ．There are a lot of downsides of fast food such as causing high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

16. regulation  n. [C] 規則，條例 ．People should follow the traffic regulations so that the car accidents would be less likely

to happen.

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17. transportation  n. [U] 運輸，傳送 ．The public transportation in Taipei is really convenient.

18. propose [ vt. 提議，建議 ．Dan proposed a new plan which could reduce our budget to the minimum.

19. via  prep. 經由，透過 ．Nowadays, many people give vent to their feelings via social media.

20. fade away  逐漸消失 ．Tom’s feelings toward his ex-girlfriend are fading away with time.

Words for Recognition 1. Pokémon Go  n. 精靈寶可夢 Go 《精靈寶可夢 GO》是一款行動平台擴增實境遊戲，由任天堂、精靈寶可夢公司授 權，Niantic, Inc.負責開發和營運。精靈寶可夢允許玩家以現實世界為平台，捕捉、 戰鬥、訓練和交易虛擬精靈寶可夢。 2. Portuguese egg tart n. 葡式蛋塔 3. planking n. 仆街 中文有趴街、仆街、鋪板等譯名，為網路流行文化，在各種場所（尤以不尋常的 地方），伸直身體俯趴於目標物上後，拍照分享於網路。 4. GPS (Global Positioning System) n. [U] 全球衛星定位系統 5. augmented reality (AR)  n. 增廣實境 是一種實時地計算攝影機影像的位置及角度並加上相應圖像的技術，這種技術的 目標是在螢幕上把虛擬世界套在現實世界並進行互動。 6. real-world  adj. 現實世界的 7. surprisingly [ adv. 驚人地，意外地 8. mostly [ adv. 主要地，大部分地 9. premier  n. 首相，總理 10. Lin Chuan 林全 (為中華民國行政院院長)

Translation 精靈寶可夢 Go，席捲全臺！ 近幾年來，臺灣經歷過許多潮流和狂熱，包括葡式蛋塔、「仆街」和西瓜麵包。 現在，臺灣正歷經一波席捲全台的新浪潮─精靈寶可夢 Go！ 基本上，精靈寶可夢 Go 是一款使用行動裝置來玩的免費線上遊戲。這個遊戲會 先取得行動裝置的衛星定位系統，並利用增廣實境讓玩家能尋找、捕捉甚至和名為 寶可夢的虛擬怪獸對戰。因為這個遊戲先進的科技，寶可夢怪獸可以在行動裝置螢 幕上出現並移動，且與玩家所處的現實世界位置相同。 令人訝異的是，精靈寶可夢 Go 在 2016 年首度發行時，並沒有立即造成轟動， 而是從評論家得到了大多褒貶不一的評價。然而，這個遊戲開始受到大眾歡迎，且 4

很快地在全世界造成了驚人的現象。據統計，已有一億人下載了這個遊戲，新聞報 導稱之為第一個普及增廣實境和定位的遊戲。甚至有些家長和老師對這個遊戲讚賞 有加，因為玩家們必須走到戶外尋找更多的寶可夢怪獸，進而促進了身體的活動。 雖然臺灣有很多人渴望可以玩到這個遊戲，但精靈寶可夢 Go 最初開放的亞洲國 家只有日本及香港。而就在 8 月 6 號，這個遊戲終於在臺灣正式開放，精靈寶可夢 Go 狂潮就此在臺灣展開。 臺灣的玩家立刻投入了這個遊戲的懷抱，幾千人拿著手機聚集在公園和其他公 共場所，為了要在「補給站」獲得寶貝球並捕捉寶可夢怪獸。很快地，臺灣的社群 網站充滿玩家們分享玩精靈寶可夢 Go 的經驗。有些人分享他們抓到精靈的照片，其 他人則分享臺灣能抓到更多寶可夢怪獸的最佳地點資訊。 然而，這個遊戲也帶來了負面的影響。玩家於駕駛汽、機車時玩寶可夢，破壞 交通規則，警察不得不向玩家們開出幾百張罰單。新的交通法規也被提出以避免玩 家在機場或火車站玩寶可夢。有些人也呼籲，希望在校園內禁止此手遊。臺灣行政 院院長林全，甚至也在臉書上發文表示：「捕捉稀有精靈，但不要讓意外捕捉你。」 也許寶可夢狂熱會隨著玩家們失去興趣而到最後退潮。然而，現在精靈寶可夢 Go 在臺灣甚至在全世界，依然是最受歡迎的增廣實境手遊。 閱讀測驗解答：1. D 2. B

3. C 4. B

5. C

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