VOA慢速英语2020 日本推出世界最"迷你"魔方

Smallest Rubik’s Cube Ever Goes on Sale in Japan

An extremely small Rubik's Cube has gone on sale in Japan for 198,000 yen¹, or about $1,900.

日本推出款非常小的魔方，售价为19.8万日元（约合1900美元）。

Advertised as a "super-small" Rubik's Cube, it was created to mark the 40th anniversary of the box-shaped puzzle in Japan.

广告中称，这款“迷你”魔方是为了纪念这款盒状魔方在日本发售40周年而设计的。

The cube measures just 9.9 millimeters by 9.9 millimeters, and weighs 2 grams.

这个立方体的边长仅9.9毫米，重2克。

The puzzle is made of metal and comes with a box for its display, says MegaHouse Corporation, a business of Japan's Bandai Company.

据日本万代公司旗下的MegaHouse公司介绍，这款魔方由金属制成，并配有一个展示盒。

The Rubik's Cube is very small but playable. People can buy it now and expect shipment beginning in December.

魔方体积非常小，但是不影响使用。人们现在就可以购买，预计12月开始发货。

Erno Rubik of Hungary invented the Rubik's Cube in the 1970s. At the time, he was an architecture professor. An American company, Ideal Toys, turned the puzzle into a hit product in the 1980s. It was an immediate² hit in Japan, where more than 4 million were sold in the first eight months after it went on sale in July 1980. By 1982, more than 100 million Rubik's Cubes were sold worldwide.

匈牙利的Erno Rubik在20世纪70年代发明了魔方。当时，他是一名建筑学教授。20世纪80年代，美国理想玩具公司(Ideal Toys)将这款玩具变成了热销产品。魔方传入日本后一炮而红，1980年7月上市后的头八个月就售出了400多万件。到1982年，全球售出了1亿件魔方。

The new tiny cube was shown this week at an exhibit in Tokyo organized by the Hungarian Embassy. The exhibit also includes an artwork made with Rubik's Cubes. The show ends on November 9.

这款新魔方本周在东京由匈牙利大使馆组织的展览上展出。展览还包括用魔方制作的艺术品。展览将于11月9日结束。

Norbert Palanovics, the Hungarian Ambassador to Japan, said he tells anyone who will listen about the Rubik's Cube. He said it represents the small, simple but intelligent qualities of the country that he is so proud of.

匈牙利驻日本大使诺伯特·帕拉诺维奇(Norbert Palanovics)表示，他会告诉所有愿意听魔方故事的人。他说，魔方代表了这个国家细微、简单但聪明的品质，他引以为傲。

"The Rubik's Cube is part of our everyday life, here in Japan, too, and inspires everyone," he said.

他说，“魔方是我们日常生活的一部分，在日本也是如此，它会激励每个人”。

1 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。