美国国家公共电台 NPR Changes

Changes

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0005:43repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser¹ to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST: 

Our next two contestants² will turn and face a strange music parody³ game, so let's meet them. First up, Kaiya Lyons. You're a law fellow at the American Constitution Society in D.C.

KAIYA LYONS: That's right, yeah.

EISENBERG: Kaiya, what inspired you to defend civil rights?

LYONS: I've wanted to be a lawyer since I was four. I was one of those really weird⁴ kids who woke up one day and decided⁵ what I wanted to be. But, yeah, I'm really passionate⁶ about women's rights. I heard a Martina McBride song once when I was 8 and I was like, yes, that needs to be done (laughter).

EISENBERG: Which one?

LYONS: I don't know. It's like that one with the music video where there's, like, a burning house - "Independence Day" is that the one?

EISENBERG: Yeah, sure, that's it.

LYONS: And I was like, that's not cool.

EISENBERG: Very good. Your opponent is JJ Maxwell. You work in communications for a design firm. Welcome.

J J MAXWELL: Thank you.

EISENBERG: JJ, your tech firm developed an Ada Lovelace robot. Now, I know Ada Lovelace is known as the first computer programmer. What's an Ada Lovelace robot?

MAXWELL: Oh, yeah, she's amazing. We just had her in New York, and now she's going to Beijing, but she - we programmed her to look at your face and then go around and silently judge you and then draw your portrait for a take home and look at it like a real artist. We're basically "Westworld" in, like, 20 years.

(LAUGHTER)

MAXWELL: So get ready, yeah.

EISENBERG: The silently judged thing, how do you program that?

MAXWELL: You know, again, I'm the communications media. I'm more street smarts for the company so...

EISENBERG: OK, got it.

MAXWELL: ...I guess if she gets really testy⁷ I just say - go tell everybody, it's fine. Just, you know, let her be.

EISENBERG: Do you like interacting - have you interacted with Ada?

MAXWELL: Oh, yeah, we have had a really special bond in the last couple months, and it's deep and it's real.

EISENBERG: OK.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Remember, Kaiya and JJ, the first of you who wins two of our games will move on to our final round at the end of the show. Let's go to your first game. So your first challenge is a parody music game about changes - Jonathan Coulton.

JONATHAN COULTON: Yes. So we rewrote David Bowie's song "Changes" to be about things that change or get changed.

(LAUGHTER)

MAXWELL: OK.

COULTON: Buzz in when you know what I'm singing about and the winner will be one step closer to moving on to the final round at the end of the show. Are you ready?

LYONS: Oh, yeah.

MAXWELL: Ready.

COULTON: OK. Here we go. (Singing) Still don't know what I was waiting for as it makes the night last long but it just slipped my mind. And every time I thought I'd sprung ahead, it seems instead I fell behind.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Kaiya.

LYONS: Daylight savings⁸ time.

COULTON: Yes, correct.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: (Singing) So I turned on my ignition and the engine got too hot from the lack of lubrication. I meant to change this but I forgot.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Kaiya.

LYONS: Alternator - is that a thing in a car?

COULTON: That is definitely a thing in a car. That is not what we're looking for. JJ, do you know the answer?

MAXWELL: Changing the oil.

COULTON: Changing the oil, that's right.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: (Singing) Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes - turn your laptop on - ch-ch-changes - your login should be pickier. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes - turn your laptop on - ch-ch-changes. Hey, Mom, you have to make it trickier⁹. It's way too easy, just one, two, three, four.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Kaiya.

LYONS: Changing your password.

COULTON: You got it, changing your password.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Do you know what your mom's password is?

LYONS: I know what it is for most things because I use her DirecTV password to watch anything so (laughter)...

EISENBERG: Oh, yeah. Does she know that you use her DirectTV password?

LYONS: If she doesn't she does now 'cause she's over there, so...

EISENBERG: OK.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: JJ, are you familiar with your parents' passwords?

MAXWELL: My mom uses mine and the Netflix queue gets pretty weird.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Tell me more, JJ.

MAXWELL: Yeah, it's a lot of, like, rom-coms and also, like, any HDTV that can be there. But then she'll go get, like, dark on the good stuff. I'm like, mom, you're binge watching "Daredevil?" You're retired¹⁰ now, it's cool. Yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: (Singing) And these archetypes that you spit it on when you tell the jokes you do. They're just trying to fix the darkness. Who cares how many it takes to unscrew?

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: JJ.

MAXWELL: Lightbulb.

COULTON: Yeah, that's right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: We've never heard from the point of view of the filament¹¹.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: I'm just saying technically¹², first, to change your light bulb, you have to unscrew the lightbulb. Nobody talks about it. I'm just trying to raise awareness¹³.

EISENBERG: That's true. That's true.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: This is your last clue.

(Singing) Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, turn and face your face, ch-ch-changes. Don't tell me that gray is getting noticed now. Ch-ch-ch-changes, turn and face your face, ch-ch-changes. A shame that I can hide it, and I know how. Time may change me, but not on my head.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: JJ.

MAXWELL: Hair, gray hair.

COULTON: Yeah, hair color. Yes, that's what we're looking for,

MAXWELL: OK.

(APPLAUSE)

ART CHUNG: Art Chung, how did our contestants do?

CHUNG: Well done, JJ, you're one step closer to moving on to the final round.

(APPLAUSE, SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 contestants   

n.竞争者，参赛者( contestant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The competition attracted over 500 contestants representing 8 different countries. 这次比赛吸引了代表8个不同国家的500多名参赛者。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency. 两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 parody   

n.打油诗文，诙谐的改编诗文，拙劣的模仿；v.拙劣模仿，作模仿诗文

参考例句：

• The parody was just a form of teasing.那个拙劣的模仿只是一种揶揄。
• North Korea looks like a grotesque parody of Mao's centrally controlled China,precisely the sort of system that Beijing has left behind.朝鲜看上去像是毛时代中央集权的中国的怪诞模仿，其体制恰恰是北京方面已经抛弃的。

4 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

7 testy   

adj.易怒的；暴躁的

参考例句：

• Ben's getting a little testy in his old age.上了年纪后本变得有点性急了。
• A doctor was called in to see a rather testy aristocrat.一个性格相当暴躁的贵族召来了一位医生为他检查。

8 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

9 trickier   

adj.狡猾的( tricky的比较级 )；（形势、工作等）复杂的；机警的；微妙的

参考例句：

• This is the general rule, but some cases are trickier than others. 以上是一般规则，但某些案例会比别的案例更为棘手。 来自互联网
• The lower the numbers go, the trickier the problems get. 武器的数量越低，问题就越复杂。 来自互联网

10 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

11 filament   

n.细丝；长丝；灯丝

参考例句：

• The source of electrons in an electron microscope is a heated filament.电子显微镜中的电子源，是一加热的灯丝。
• The lack of air in the bulb prevents the filament from burning up.灯泡内缺乏空气就使灯丝不致烧掉。

12 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

13 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。