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居家摇滚明星的盈利性崛起(下)
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英国流行乐组合小混混最近的一次巡演让我们对新常态有了一些了解。
双语精读
A recent tour by Little Mix, a British pop group, gives an idea of the new normal. The trio played 24 dates in April and May, in arenas packed with giddy teenagers.
英国流行乐组合小混混最近的一次巡演让我们对新常态有了一些了解。在四月和五月，这个三人组合在挤满了狂热青少年的剧场内进行了24场表演。
They commissioned Driift to live-stream the final show, which sold nearly 60,000 tickets at 13 pounds to fans in 143 countries.
她们委托Driift公司来直播最后一场演出，以13英镑的价格向143个国家的粉丝出售了近6万张门票。
Another 29,000 paid to watch the feed in cinemas, suggesting total streaming ticket sales of a little over 1.1m pounds. Producing the live video cost about 250,000 pounds.
另有2.9万人付费在电影院观看转播，这意味着流媒体门票的总销售额超过了110万英镑。制作现场视频的成本约为25万英镑。
"There's nothing like being in the room," says Steve Homer, the chief executive of AEG Presents, a live-events giant which promoted Little Mix's in-person gigs. But streaming has become "a good bolt-on".
"任何形式都比不过身临其境，"AEG Presents的首席执行官史蒂夫·荷马说。AEG Presents是现场演出行业的巨头，负责筹办小混混组合的现场演出。但流媒体已经成为"一个很好的附加形式"。
Some artists see it as more than that. As social media have squeezed musicians into ever shorter formats, an hour-long video-concert is "an opportunity to create beautiful long-form content", says Mr Salmon.
一些艺术家认为它不止于此。萨尔蒙认为，由于社交媒体已经将音乐人的表演压缩得越来越短，一小时的视频音乐会是"创造美好长篇内容的机会"。
Digital gigs also provide artists with more data about their fans. Meanwhile, a new breed of online gaming experience is allowing some artists to transcend the constraints of real-life shows.
数字演唱会也为艺术家们提供了更多关于粉丝的数据。与此同时，一种新型的网络游戏体验让一些艺术家突破了现实生活中表演的限制。
In concerts held on Fortnite, an online video game, Travis Scott has mutated into a giant and Ariana Grande has sprouted wings and let her fans ride flying unicorns.
在网络游戏《堡垒之夜》的演唱会上，特拉维斯·斯科特变成了巨人，爱莉安娜·格兰德长出了翅膀，还让粉丝们骑上了会飞的独角兽。
Roblox, another gaming platform, hosted a Wild West-themed concert in which Lil Nas X appeared as a colossal cowboy. Minecraft, a world-building online game, has held music festivals.
另一家游戏平台Roblox主办了一场以狂野西部为主题的演唱会，利尔·纳斯·X在演唱会上扮演了一个巨大的牛仔。世界建造类网络游戏《我的世界》举办了音乐节。
No one thinks such shows are substitutes for in-person performances, but they seem to be outliving the pandemic as an evolving entertainment category in their own right.
没人认为这样的节目可以取代面对面的表演，但作为一种不断发展的娱乐类别，它们似乎正凭借自己的力量在疫情中生存下来。
These varied formats and technologies hold out the tantalising prospect for fans--and concert promoters--of more opportunities to see artists perform. Life on the road is draining, especially for ageing stars or those with children.
这些不同的形式和技术为歌迷和演唱会主办方带来了一个诱人前景，让他们能够拥有更多机会欣赏艺术家们表演。在外奔波的生活让人精疲力竭，对于上了年纪或有孩子的明星而言更是如此。
ABBA's virtual show is in some ways an extension of its early adoption of the music video in the 1970s, which helped the band become world-famous despite doing only a handful of international tours.
在某种程度上，阿巴乐队的虚拟演出是其在20世纪70年代早期采用音乐录影带的延伸，借助这种形式，当时的阿巴乐队在只有几次国际巡演的情况下得以闻名全球。
"Voyage" can play to hundreds of thousands of fans a year for as long as the band members--or perhaps, one day, their estates--choose. In theory there is no limit to who could take advantage of this technology.
《航海》每年可以面向数十万歌迷进行演奏，时间长短由乐队成员决定，或者可能在未来某一天，由他们的遗产决定。理论上，谁都可以利用这项技术。
Already Whitney Houston, who died in 2012, performs six nights a week in a Las Vegas hotel, in what the show's organisers describe as "holographic" form.
惠特妮·休斯顿于2012年去世，但是却能以演出策划者口中的"全息"形式出现在拉斯维加斯的一家酒店，每周表演六个晚上。
Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Maria Callas and Tupac Shakur have been brought back for similar posthumous concerts. The ABBA concert shows how to optimise the effect.
巴迪·霍利、罗伊·奥比森、玛丽亚·卡拉斯和图派克·夏库尔也曾被"请回来"参加过类似的追忆音乐会。阿巴乐队的演唱会展示了如何优化效果。
The proof of the show's persuasiveness came at the end of the premiere when, after a closing rendition of "The Winner Takes It All", the Abbatars departed and the real ABBA members came on stage to take a bow.
在首次公演接近尾声，《胜者为王》的闭幕表演结束后，Abbatars离开舞台，阿巴乐队真正的成员上台谢幕，这场演出的说服力在此时得到了证明。
It was the final trick played on the audience: the "real" band members turned out to be another illusion. They vanished and the real-real ABBA came on stage, to a wild ovation.
这是对观众耍的最后一个把戏："真正的"乐队成员原来是又一个幻像。他们消失后，货真价实的阿巴乐队出现在舞台上，迎接热烈的掌声。
"Voyage" had sold more than 300,000 tickets before its opening night; the 3,000-capacity London arena is almost fully booked for summer. A quarter of the tickets have been bought by fans overseas.
《航海》在首次公演当晚之前已经售出了30多万张门票；可容纳3000人的伦敦剧场的夏季门票几乎被预订一空，四分之一的门票已被海外歌迷购买。
If the Abbatars are a hit they may perform simultaneously in other cities: the advantage of virtual talent is that "you can just copy-paste them", says Svana Gisla, a producer of "Voyage".
如果Abbatars大受欢迎，他们或许可以同时在其他城市演出：虚拟人才的优势就在于"你可以直接对他们进行复制粘贴"，《航海》的制作人斯瓦娜·吉斯拉表示。
(What's more, she adds, "they don't take days off and they don't get covid.") Entertainment companies have sent scouts to the show. It may give other ageing rock stars something to ponder.
（此外，她补充道，"他们不用休假，也不会感染新冠。"）娱乐公司已经派出星探去观看这场演出。这可能会给其他上了年纪的摇滚明星一些启发。
Ludvig Andersson, Benny's son and a producer of the show, is also trying to wrap his mind around the experience of working alongside a recreation of his 33-year-old father.
路德维格·安德森是本尼的儿子，同时也是该演出的制作人，他也在努力思考和他父亲33岁模样的重构影像一起工作的经历。
Digitally capturing the band members reminded him of the "19th-century idea of a camera sucking out your soul…That's exactly what we did."
用数字技术捕捉乐队成员的样子让他想起"19世纪的一个说法认为相机会吸走你的灵魂……而这正是我们所做的事情。"
He has come to think of the Abbatars as individuals in their own right: a "combination of them being ABBA and them being themselves…A ghost in the machine."
他开始把Abbatars看作独立的个体:"他们是阿巴乐队和他们自己的结合体……是机器中的幽灵。"
Whoever or whatever they are, the troupers, immortalised in 120 terabytes, are destined to go on entertaining new audiences, frozen for ever in 1979.
无论他们是谁，无论他们是什么，这些以120太字节形式永存的演员，注定要一直保持着他们1979年的样子，不断地娱乐新的观众。
词汇预习
despite [高考]
美[dɪˈspaɪt] | 英[dɪˈspaɪt]
prep. 尽管；不管 n. 憎恨；轻视
giant [高考]
美[ˈdʒaɪənt] | 英[ˈdʒaɪənt]
n. 巨人；巨物；大公司 adj. 巨大的
executive [高考]
美[ɪɡˈzekjətɪv] | 英[ɪɡˈzekjətɪv]
adj. 行政的；决策的；经营的；[计算机]执行指令 n. 行政主管；行政部门；决策者
virtual [高考]
美[ˈvɜːrtʃuəl] | 英[ˈvɜːtʃuəl]
adj. 实质的；【计】虚拟的
combination [高考]
美[ˌkɑːmbɪˈneɪʃn] | 英[ˌkɒmbɪˈneɪʃn]
n. 结合；结合到一起的事物或人；数码组合，字码组合
capacity [高考]
美[kəˈpæsəti] | 英[kəˈpæsəti]
n. 容量；容积；能力；职位；资格
wrap [高考]
美[ræp] | 英[ræp]
v. 包；裹；覆盖；隐藏 n. 围巾；披肩；包装材料
proof [高考]
美[pruːf] | 英[pruːf]
n. 证明; 检验; 证据 adj. 防/抗…的; 能抵御 v. 使防水（或防火等）; 印…的校样; 校对
data [高考]
美[ˈdeɪtə] | 英[ˈdeɪtə]
n. 数据；资料
media [高考]
美[ˈmiːdiə] | 英[ˈmiːdiə]
n. 传播媒介；(medium的复数)媒体；新闻媒介
theory [高考]
美[ˈθiːəri] | 英[ˈθɪəri]
n. 学说；理论；原理；意见
chief [高考]
美[tʃiːf] | 英[tʃiːf]
adj. 主要的；首要的 n. 首领
soul [高考]
美[səʊl] | 英[səʊl]
n. 灵魂；心灵；精神；鬼魂 adj. 美国黑人文化的
platform [高考]
美[ˈplætfɔːrm] | 英[ˈplætfɔːm]
n. 平台，站台，月台，讲台，(政党的)政纲 v. 把…放在台上；起草政纲；站在讲台上演说
extension [高考]
美[ɪkˈstenʃn] | 英[ɪkˈstenʃn]
n. 延长；伸展；延期；扩充；观念发展；增强 n. 电话分机；特别课程 n. [计]文件名
recreation [高考]
美[ˌriːkriˈeɪʃn] | 英[ˌriːkriˈeɪʃn]
n. 消遣；娱乐
alongside [高考]
美[əˌlɔːŋˈsaɪd] | 英[əˌlɒŋˈsaɪd]
adv. 在旁边 prep. 在 ... 旁边
handful [高考]
美[ˈhændfʊl] | 英[ˈhændfʊl]
n. 一把；少数，少量； 难以控制的人（或事物）
take advantage of [高考]
美[teɪk æd'væntɪdʒ əv] | 英[teɪk əd'vɑːntɪdʒ əv]
利用；占…的便宜
hold out [高考]
美[hoʊld aʊt] | 英[həʊld aʊt]
伸出； 坚持
prospect [高考]
美[ˈprɑːspekt] | 英[ˈprɒspekt , prəˈspekt]
n. 希望；前景；景色 v. 勘探；寻找
arena [高考]
美[əˈriːnə] | 英[əˈriːnə]
n. 竞技场
ghost [高考]
美[ɡoʊst] | 英[ɡəʊst]
n. 鬼；幽灵；鬼魂；一点 v. 悄悄地行进
premiere [高考]
美[prɪˈmɪr] | 英[ˈpremieə(r)]
v. 初次公演；初次演出 n. 初次公演；初演主角
paste [四级]
美[peɪst] | 英[peɪst]
n. 面团；浆糊；糊状物；糊 vt. 裱糊；粘贴
bolt [四级]
美[boʊlt] | 英[bəʊlt]
n. 门闩；螺栓；一卷布；弩箭 v. （突然）逃离；闩住；狼吞虎咽；用螺栓固定 adv. 挺直地
simultaneously [四级]
美[ˌsaɪməlˈteɪniəsli] | 英[ˌsɪməlˈteɪniəsli]
adv. 同时地
adoption [四级]
美[əˈdɑːpʃn] | 英[əˈdɒpʃn]
n. 采用；采纳；收养
illusion [四级]
美[ɪˈluːʒn] | 英[ɪˈluːʒn]
n. 错觉；幻觉；错误的信仰(或观念)
cowboy [四级]
美[ˈkaʊbɔɪ] | 英[ˈkaʊbɔɪ]
n. 牛仔
come to [四级]
美[kʌm tu] | 英[kʌm tu]
v. 总计；苏醒；到达；突然想起
one day [四级]
美[wʌn de] | 英[wʌn dei]
(过去或将来)某一天
on the road [四级]
美[ɑn ði rəʊd] | 英[ɔn ðə roʊd]
在旅途中
entertaining [四级]
美[ˌentərˈteɪnɪŋ] | 英[ˌentəˈteɪnɪŋ]
adj. 有趣的；娱乐性的；令人愉快的 n. 招待；款待
fully [六级]
美[ˈfʊli] | 英[ˈfʊli]
adv. 十分地；完全地；全部；足足
transcend [六级]
美[trænˈsend] | 英[trænˈsend]
v. 超越；胜过
ponder [六级]
美[ˈpɑːndər] | 英[ˈpɒndə(r)]
v. 沉思；考虑
for ever [六级]
美[fɔːr 'evər] | 英[fɔː 'evə]
adv.永远，总是
colossal [专八]
美[kəˈlɑːsl] | 英[kəˈlɒsl]
adj. 巨大的； [口]异常的
rendition [专八]
美[rɛnˈdɪʃən] | 英[renˈdɪʃn]
n. 演奏；解释；翻译；投降
ovation [专八]
美[oʊˈveɪʃn] | 英[əʊˈveɪʃn]
n. 热烈欢迎；热烈的鼓掌
posthumous [专八]
美[ˈpɑstʃəməs] | 英[ˈpɒstjʊməs]
adj. 死后的；死后出版的；遗腹的
trying [专八]
美[ˈtraɪɪŋ] | 英[ˈtraɪɪŋ]
adj. 难受的；令人厌烦的
giddy [专八]
美[ˈɡɪdi] | 英[ˈgɪdi]
adj. 眼花的；头晕的；轻率的；轻浮的 v. (使)眼花
don [托福]
美[dɑn] | 英[dɒn]
n. 先生（西班牙用语）；(牛津、剑桥大学的)指导教师 v. 穿上
varied [托福]
美[ˈverid] | 英[ˈveərid]
adj. 各种各样的
packed [托福]
美[pækt] | 英[pækt]
adj. 塞满的；收拾好行李的；紧压的
重点讲解
A recent tour by Little Mix, a British pop group, gives an idea of the new normal. The trio played 24 dates in April and May, in arenas packed with giddy teenagers.
英国流行乐组合小混混最近的一次巡演让我们对新常态有了一些了解。在四月和五月，这个三人组合在挤满了狂热青少年的剧场内进行了24场表演。
commission n. & v.
1. 作名词
1）（通常为政府管控或调查某事的）委员会
【例】the European Commission 欧洲委员会
2）佣金，回扣
【例】You get a 10% commission on everything you sell.
你可从你售出的每件商品中获得10%的佣金。
2. 作动词，委托
（英文释义：If you commission something or commission someone to do something, you formally arrange for someone to do a piece of work for you.）
【例】The Department of Agriculture commissioned a study into organic farming.
农业部委托了一项有机耕作的研究。
They commissioned Driift to live-stream the final show, which sold nearly 60,000 tickets at 13 pounds to fans in 143 countries.
她们委托Driift公司来直播最后一场演出，以13英镑的价格向143个国家的粉丝出售了近6万张门票。
commission n. & v.
1. 作名词
1）（通常为政府管控或调查某事的）委员会
【例】the European Commission 欧洲委员会
2）佣金，回扣
【例】You get a 10% commission on everything you sell.
你可从你售出的每件商品中获得10%的佣金。
2. 作动词，委托
（英文释义：If you commission something or commission someone to do something, you formally arrange for someone to do a piece of work for you.）
【例】The Department of Agriculture commissioned a study into organic farming.
农业部委托了一项有机耕作的研究。
Another 29****,000 paid**** to**** watch the feed**** in**** cinemas,**** suggesting**** total streaming ticket**** sales of**** a little**** over**** 1.1m**** pounds****.**** Producing the live**** video cost**** about 250,000 pounds****.****
另有2.9万人付费在电影院观看转播，这意味着流媒体门票的总销售额超过了110万英镑。制作现场视频的成本约为25万英镑。
"There****'s nothing like**** being in**** the room****," says**** Steve Homer,**** the chief executive of**** AEG Presents****,**** a live****-events**** giant which promoted**** Little**** Mix's in****-person**** gigs****.**** But streaming has become**** "a good bolt****-on****".
"任何形式都比不过身临其境，"AEG Presents的首席执行官史蒂夫·荷马说。AEG Presents是现场演出行业的巨头，负责筹办小混混组合的现场演出。但流媒体已经成为"一个很好的附加形式"。
Some artists see it as more than that. As social media have squeezed musicians into ever shorter formats, an hour-long video-concert is "an opportunity to create beautiful long-form content", says Mr Salmon.
一些艺术家认为它不止于此。萨尔蒙认为，由于社交媒体已经将音乐人的表演压缩得越来越短，一小时的视频音乐会是"创造美好长篇内容的机会"。
constraint n.
1. 限制；限定；约束
（英文释义：a thing that limits or restricts sth, or your freedom to do sth）
【例】constraints of time/ money/ space 时间／资金／空间的限制
financial/ economic/ legal/ political constraints 财政／经济／法律／政治约束
2. 约束，严管
（英文释义：strict control over the way that you behave or are allowed to behave）
【例】At last we could relax and talk without constraint.
我们终于可以放松下来，无拘无束地谈话了。
【拓展】constrain v. 限制；限定；约束
【搭配】constrain sb from doing sth 限制某人做某事
【例】She felt constrained from continuing by the threat of losing her job.
由于受到失去工作的威胁，她感到很难再坚持下去。
Digital gigs also provide artists with more data about their fans. Meanwhile, a new breed of online gaming experience is allowing some artists to transcend the constraints of real-life shows.
数字演唱会也为艺术家们提供了更多关于粉丝的数据。与此同时，一种新型的网络游戏体验让一些艺术家突破了现实生活中表演的限制。
constraint n.
1. 限制；限定；约束
（英文释义：a thing that limits or restricts sth, or your freedom to do sth）
【例】constraints of time/ money/ space 时间／资金／空间的限制
financial/ economic/ legal/ political constraints 财政／经济／法律／政治约束
2. 约束，严管
（英文释义：strict control over the way that you behave or are allowed to behave）
【例】At last we could relax and talk without constraint.
我们终于可以放松下来，无拘无束地谈话了。
【拓展】constrain v. 限制；限定；约束
【搭配】constrain sb from doing sth 限制某人做某事
【例】She felt constrained from continuing by the threat of losing her job.
由于受到失去工作的威胁，她感到很难再坚持下去。
In**** concerts**** held**** on**** Fortnite****,**** an**** online**** video game****,**** Travis**** Scott has mutated into**** a giant and Ariana**** Grande**** has sprouted**** wings and let her fans**** ride**** flying**** unicorns****.****
在网络游戏《堡垒之夜》的演唱会上，特拉维斯·斯科特变成了巨人，爱莉安娜·格兰德长出了翅膀，还让粉丝们骑上了会飞的独角兽。
Roblox****,**** another gaming**** platform****,**** hosted**** a Wild**** West****-themed**** concert in**** which Lil Nas X appeared**** as**** a colossal**** cowboy****.**** Minecraft,**** a world-building**** online**** game****,**** has held**** music festivals.****
另一家游戏平台Roblox主办了一场以狂野西部为主题的演唱会，利尔·纳斯·X在演唱会上扮演了一个巨大的牛仔。世界建造类网络游戏《我的世界》举办了音乐节。
No one thinks such shows are substitutes for in-person performances, but they seem to be outliving the pandemic as an evolving entertainment category in their own right.
没人认为这样的节目可以取代面对面的表演，但作为一种不断发展的娱乐类别，它们似乎正凭借自己的力量在疫情中生存下来。
outlive v.
1. 比…活得长
【例】He outlived his wife by three years.
他比妻子多活了三年。
2. （在…结束或消失后）继续存在
【例】Their story, and the lessons we derive from it, will long outlive them.
他们的故事以及我们从中获得的经验教训，将长久地流传下去。
in one’s own right 凭借自己的能力
（英文释义：If someone is a successful or respected person in their own right, they are successful or respected because of their own efforts and talents rather than those of the people they are closely connected with.）
【例】She's a millionaire in her own right.
她本身就是一个百万富翁。
These varied formats and technologies hold out the tantalising prospect for fans--and concert promoters--of more opportunities to see artists perform. Life on the road is draining, especially for ageing stars or those with children.
这些不同的形式和技术为歌迷和演唱会主办方带来了一个诱人前景，让他们能够拥有更多机会欣赏艺术家们表演。在外奔波的生活让人精疲力竭，对于上了年纪或有孩子的明星而言更是如此。
hold out
1. 伸出（手或手里的东西）
【例】“I’m Nancy Drew,” she said, holding out her hand.
“我是南希·德鲁”，她边说边伸出手来。
2. 拒绝妥协
【搭配】hold out for sth
【例】I should have held out for a better deal.
我本应坚持要求更好的条件。
3. 寄予（希望）
（英文释义：If you hold out hope of something happening, you hope that in the future something will happen as you want it to.）
【例】He still holds out hope that they could be a family again.
他仍然希望他们能够再次成为一家人。
ABBA's virtual show is in some ways an extension of its early adoption of the music video in the 1970s, which helped the band become world-famous despite doing only a handful of international tours.
在某种程度上，阿巴乐队的虚拟演出是其在20世纪70年代早期采用音乐录影带的延伸，借助这种形式，当时的阿巴乐队在只有几次国际巡演的情况下得以闻名全球。
a handful of 一把;一小撮;少数
（英文释义：a very small number of people or things）
【例】There were only a handful of people there.
那里只有少数几个人。
"Voyage" can play to hundreds of thousands of fans a year for as long as the band members--or perhaps, one day, their estates--choose. In theory there is no limit to who could take advantage of this technology.
《航海》每年可以面向数十万歌迷进行演奏，时间长短由乐队成员决定，或者可能在未来某一天，由他们的遗产决定。理论上，谁都可以利用这项技术。
a handful of 一把;一小撮;少数
（英文释义：a very small number of people or things）
【例】There were only a handful of people there.
那里只有少数几个人。
Already Whitney Houston, who died in 2012, performs six nights a week in a Las Vegas hotel, in what the show's organisers describe as "holographic" form.
惠特妮·休斯顿于2012年去世，但是却能以演出策划者口中的"全息"形式出现在拉斯维加斯的一家酒店，每周表演六个晚上。
take a bow (在鼓掌声中)点头答礼；答谢；鞠躬答谢喝彩
（英文释义：If an actor or entertainer takes a bow, he or she shows appreciation of an audience's applause by bowing to them.)
【例】They ran to the center of the tent to take their bows.
他们跑到帐篷中央去鞠躬。
Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Maria Callas and Tupac Shakur have been brought back for similar posthumous concerts. The ABBA concert shows how to optimise the effect.
巴迪·霍利、罗伊·奥比森、玛丽亚·卡拉斯和图派克·夏库尔也曾被"请回来"参加过类似的追忆音乐会。阿巴乐队的演唱会展示了如何优化效果。
take a bow (在鼓掌声中)点头答礼；答谢；鞠躬答谢喝彩
（英文释义：If an actor or entertainer takes a bow, he or she shows appreciation of an audience's applause by bowing to them.)
【例】They ran to the center of the tent to take their bows.
他们跑到帐篷中央去鞠躬。
The proof of the show's persuasiveness came at the end of the premiere when, after a closing rendition of "The Winner Takes It All", the Abbatars departed and the real ABBA members came on stage to take a bow.
在首次公演接近尾声，《胜者为王》的闭幕表演结束后，Abbatars离开舞台，阿巴乐队真正的成员上台谢幕，这场演出的说服力在此时得到了证明。
take a bow (在鼓掌声中)点头答礼；答谢；鞠躬答谢喝彩
（英文释义：If an actor or entertainer takes a bow, he or she shows appreciation of an audience's applause by bowing to them.)
【例】They ran to the center of the tent to take their bows.
他们跑到帐篷中央去鞠躬。
It was the final trick played on the audience: the "real" band members turned out to be another illusion. They vanished and the real-real ABBA came on stage, to a wild ovation.
这是对观众耍的最后一个把戏："真正的"乐队成员原来是又一个幻像。他们消失后，货真价实的阿巴乐队出现在舞台上，迎接热烈的掌声。
play a trick on 开...的玩笑，捉弄...
（英文释义：behave in a deceptive or teasing way toward.）
【例】Kids will play a trick on you if you don't give them a treat.
如果你不款待孩子们，他们将会捉弄你。
"Voyage" had sold more than 300,000 tickets before its opening night; the 3,000-capacity London arena is almost fully booked for summer. A quarter of the tickets have been bought by fans overseas.
《航海》在首次公演当晚之前已经售出了30多万张门票；可容纳3000人的伦敦剧场的夏季门票几乎被预订一空，四分之一的门票已被海外歌迷购买。
play a trick on 开...的玩笑，捉弄...
（英文释义：behave in a deceptive or teasing way toward.）
【例】Kids will play a trick on you if you don't give them a treat.
如果你不款待孩子们，他们将会捉弄你。
If the Abbatars are a hit they may perform simultaneously in other cities: the advantage of virtual talent is that "you can just copy-paste them", says Svana Gisla, a producer of "Voyage".
如果Abbatars大受欢迎，他们或许可以同时在其他城市演出：虚拟人才的优势就在于"你可以直接对他们进行复制粘贴"，《航海》的制作人斯瓦娜·吉斯拉表示。
ponder v. 沉思；考虑；琢磨
【搭配】ponder about/ over/ on 仔细思考，考虑
【例】He pondered over the difficulties involved.
他仔细思考了有关的种种困难。
(What's more, she adds, "they don’t take days off and they don't get covid.") Entertainment companies have sent scouts to the show. It may give other ageing rock stars something to ponder.
（此外，她补充道，"他们不用休假，也不会感染新冠。"）娱乐公司已经派出星探去观看这场演出。这可能会给其他上了年纪的摇滚明星一些启发。
ponder v. 沉思；考虑；琢磨
【搭配】ponder about/ over/ on 仔细思考，考虑
【例】He pondered over the difficulties involved.
他仔细思考了有关的种种困难。
Ludvig Andersson, Benny's son and a producer of the show, is also trying to wrap his mind around the experience of working alongside a recreation of his 33-year-old father.
路德维格·安德森是本尼的儿子，同时也是该演出的制作人，他也在努力思考和他父亲33岁模样的重构影像一起工作的经历。
warp one’s mind around 思考，弄明白，理解清楚
（英文释义：to find a way to understand or accept；to comprehend something that one considers challenging, confusing, or a foreign concept.）
【例】I just couldn't wrap my mind around what had happened.
我就是弄不明白发生了什么事情。
Digitally capturing the band members reminded him of the "19th-century idea of a camera sucking out your soul…That’s exactly what we did."
用数字技术捕捉乐队成员的样子让他想起"19世纪的一个说法认为相机会吸走你的灵魂……而这正是我们所做的事情。"
warp one’s mind around 思考，弄明白，理解清楚
（英文释义：to find a way to understand or accept；to comprehend something that one considers challenging, confusing, or a foreign concept.）
【例】I just couldn't wrap my mind around what had happened.
我就是弄不明白发生了什么事情。
He**** has come**** to**** think of**** the Abbatars**** as**** individuals in**** their own right:**** a "combination**** of**** them**** being ABBA**** and them**** being themselves****…A ghost in**** the machine."
他开始把Abbatars看作独立的个体:"他们是阿巴乐队和他们自己的结合体……是机器中的幽灵。"
Whoever or**** whatever**** they**** are,**** the troupers****,**** immortalised**** in**** 120 terabytes,**** are destined**** to**** go**** on**** entertaining**** new audiences,**** frozen**** for ever**** in**** 1979****.****
无论他们是谁，无论他们是什么，这些以120太字节形式永存的演员，注定要一直保持着他们1979年的样子，不断地娱乐新的观众。
课后练习
What does the example of Little Mix’s tour show?
A. The tickets to live-streamed concerts will be more expensive.
B. Cinemas are facing the competition with popular music.
C. There is huge profit to be made from live-streaming.
D. Online gigs could become the dominant entertainment.
One of the attractions of digital concerts is ____.
A. the opportunity to share art on social media
B. the ability to reach a wider audience
C. the application of advanced technology
D. the magical experience unlike real-life shows
Virtual shows offer the possibility of ____.
A. replacing in-person performances with online gigs
B. shortening the distance between stars and fans
C. reinventing the visual effects of music video
D. recreating the charm of artists who have died
What does Svana Gisla think of virtual talent?
A. They can produce unexpected excitement.
B. They can give unlimited performances.
C. They can handle more styles than real singers.
D. They can appeal to the younger generation.
Ludvig Andersson regards Abbatars as ____.
A. a substitute for real-life singers
B. a superior form of entertainment
C. a legacy left by ABBA
D. an independent existence