考研英語(yǔ)閱讀理解外刊原文經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人

1、China ponders the humans behind virtual idols中國(guó)關(guān)注“虛擬偶像”背后的中之人Should they have more rights?他們是否應(yīng)該獲得更多的權(quán)力？Whether its for marketing or entertainment, hiring a real-life celebrity is expensive and carries risks. Several Chinese stars have been caught up in scandals recently.無(wú)論是為了營(yíng)銷還是娛樂(lè)，聘請(qǐng)一位現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中的明星既本錢高

2、昂又有風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。 最近好多中國(guó)明星都卷入了丑聞。Virtual idols are generated by computers. Often, though, these digital avatars are controlled by anonymous human performers wearing motion-capture gear. The most popular virtual idols sing and dance before millions of viewers on live-streaming platforms.虛擬偶像是由電腦生成的。不過(guò)，這些數(shù)字化身通常是

3、由穿戴動(dòng)作捕捉設(shè)備 的匿名人類扮演者控制的。最受歡迎的虛擬偶像在直播平臺(tái)上面對(duì)數(shù)以百萬(wàn)計(jì)的 觀眾唱歌跳舞。粉絲們會(huì)給虛擬偶像打賞并購(gòu)買商品。Fans tip real money and buy merchandise. Some virtual idols are influencers or used in marketing campaigns. It makes for big business. Chinas virtual-idol market was estimated to be worth nearly $16bn in 2021, says iiMedia, a cons

4、ultancy.有些虛擬偶像成為了網(wǎng)紅，或被用于營(yíng)銷活動(dòng)。這門生意大有可為。艾媒咨 詢表示，2021年中國(guó)虛擬偶像市場(chǎng)價(jià)值或達(dá)160億美元。Virtual idols have problems, too, though. Take Carol (pictured), the lead singer of a-soul, one of Chinas most popular virtual bands. Its creators are backed by ByteDance, a Chinese tech giant.不過(guò)，虛擬偶像也存在一些問(wèn)題。以中國(guó)最火的虛擬樂(lè)隊(duì)之一 A-SOUL女團(tuán)主

5、唱珈樂(lè)為例。它的制作方得到了中國(guó)科技巨頭字節(jié)跳動(dòng)的支持。Carol alone generated over 2m yuan ($300,000) in revenue, mostly from tips, in a single month last year, according to reports. But in May it was announced that Carol was leaving a-soul.據(jù)報(bào)道,去年僅珈樂(lè)一人單月創(chuàng)造的營(yíng)收就超過(guò)200萬(wàn)元(約合30萬(wàn)美元), 其中大局部來(lái)自打賞。但在今年5月，公司發(fā)布公告稱珈樂(lè)即將離開(kāi)A-SOUL女 團(tuán)。According

6、to fans, the performer behind the virtual idol had complained that she was bullied, overworked and underpaid. Her employers denied all of this, noting that human performers receive 10% of live-stream earnings. Nevertheless, the virtual Carol has disappeared.據(jù)珈樂(lè)粉絲透露，這位虛擬偶像的幕后扮演者曾抱怨自己受到欺凌、超負(fù)荷 工作、薪水過(guò)低。

7、她的雇主對(duì)此全盤否認(rèn)，并指出真人扮演者能夠拿到直播收入 的10% o盡管如此，虛擬的珈樂(lè)最終消失在人們的視野。Such issues will inevitably arise as Chinese firms pursue opportunities in the metaverse. They poured billions of yuan into such ventures last year; Byte Da nee spent a small fortune on Pico, a maker of virtual-reality headsets.隨著中國(guó)企業(yè)進(jìn)軍元宇宙，諸如此類的

8、問(wèn)題將不可防止地出現(xiàn)。去年，中國(guó) 企業(yè)在此類工程中投入了數(shù)十億元的資金；字節(jié)跳動(dòng)在VR頭顯制造商Pico上花 了一大筆錢。A paper published in October by the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, a state think-tank, spoke of the need for laws and regulations surrounding virtual labour.國(guó)家智庫(kù)中國(guó)現(xiàn)代國(guó)際關(guān)系研究院去年10月發(fā)表的一篇論文談到了圍繞“虛擬勞動(dòng)”制定相關(guān)法律法規(guī)的必要性。Young people, meanwhile, are increasingly fed up with 996 schedules (ie, working 9am to 9pm six days a week). Virtual idols offer them an escape. But behind some avatars are humans with similar gripes.與此同時(shí)，年輕人越來(lái)越受夠了 “996工作制”(即每周工作6天，每天從 早上9點(diǎn)工作到晚上9點(diǎn))。虛擬偶像帶給他們一時(shí)的解脫。但一些虛擬形象的