“死了么”App火了

近日，一款名为“死了么”的App火了。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. Why did the app gain popularity weeks after its launch rather than immediately?

A. It initially lacked technical stability

B. The price model was changed from free to paid

C. Demographic conditions made its relevance increasingly visible

D. Media coverage deliberately delayed reporting on it

无注释原文：

Are You Dead?: The viral Chinese app for young people living alone

From: BBC

A new bleak-sounding app has taken China by storm.

Named Are You Dead? the concept is simple. You need to check in with it every two days – clicking a large button – to confirm that you are alive. If not, it will get in touch with your appointed emergency contact and inform them that you may be in trouble.

It was launched in May last year to not much fanfare but attention around it has exploded in recent weeks with many young people, who live alone in Chinese cities, downloading it in droves.

This has propelled it to become the most downloaded paid app in the country.

According to research institutions, there may be up to 200 million one-person households in China by 2030, Chinese state media outlet Global Times reports.

And it's those people that the app - which describes itself as a "safety company companion... whether you're a solo office worker, a student living away from home, or anyone choosing a solitary lifestyle" - is trying to target.

"People who live alone at any stage of their life need something like this, as do introverts, those with depression, the unemployed and others in vulnerable situations," said one user on Chinese social media.

"There is a fear that people living alone might die unnoticed, with no one to call for help. I sometimes wonder, if I died alone, who would collect my body?" said another.

Wilson Hou, 38, who lives around 100km (62 miles) from his family, says that is exactly why he downloaded the app.

He works in the capital Beijing. He returns home to his wife and child twice a week, but says he has to be away from them at the moment to work on a project and he mostly sleeps on site.

"I worry that if something happened to me, I could die alone in the place I rent and no-one would know," he said. "That's why I downloaded the app and I set my mum as my emergency contact."

He also added that he downloaded the app quickly after its release, fearing it would be banned because of the negative connotations around it.

Some have been quick to bash the app's less than cheery name - saying that signing up for it might bring ill fortune.

Others have called for it to be changed to something with a more positive spin, like "Are you ok?" or "How are you?".

And though the success of this app must be, in part, because of its catchy-sounding name, the company behind the app, Moonscape Technologies, has said it is taking on board the criticism of the current title and weighing up a potential name change.

The current name is a word play on a successful food delivery app called "Are you Hungry?". In Chinese, "Si-le-ma" sounds like the name of the food app "E-le-ma".

First launched as a free app, the app has now made its way into the paid category - albeit at the low price of 8 yuan ($1.15; £0.85).

Little is known about the founders of Are You Dead?, but they say they are three people who were born after 1995 who built the app from Zhengzhou in Henan with a small team.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为BBC官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Are You Dead?: The viral Chinese app for young people living alone

From: BBC

A new bleak-sounding app has taken China by storm.

一款听起来相当惨的新应用，近日在中国迅速爆红。

bleak /bliːk/ 1）表示“（地方）荒凉的；凄凉的”，英文解释为“If a place is bleak, it is empty, and not welcoming or attractive.”举个🌰：The house stands on a bleak, windswept hilltop. 这座房子坐落在一个饱受风雨侵袭的荒山顶上。

2）表示“（境况）惨淡的，无希望的”，英文解释为“If a situation is bleak, there is little or no hope for the future.”

take sb/sth by storm 表示“在（某处）大获成功；完全征服（一群人）”，英文解释为“to be suddenly extremely successful in a place or with a group of people”举个🌰：Her performance has taken the critics by storm. 她的表演完全征服了评论界。

Named Are You Dead? the concept is simple. You need to check in with it every two days – clicking a large button – to confirm that you are alive. If not, it will get in touch with your appointed emergency contact and inform them that you may be in trouble.

这款名为“死了么”的应用概念非常简单：使用者每两天需要点击一次一个大型按钮，向系统确认自己仍然活着；若未按时“报到”，系统便会联络你事先指定的紧急联络人，告知对方你可能出了状况。

appointed /əˈpɔɪn.tɪd/ 1）表示“被指定的，被委任的”，英文解释为“officially chosen for a job or responsibility”举个🌰：I'd like to introduce our newly appointed members of staff. 我来介绍一下我们刚任用的职员。

2）表示“已定好（日期、时间）的，已安排的”，英文解释为“(of a day or time) arranged for a meeting, etc. to happen”举个🌰：Ten minutes before the appointed time, he sat nervously outside her office. 离约定的时间还有10分钟， 他紧张地坐在她办公室外等着。

It was launched in May last year to not much fanfare but attention around it has exploded in recent weeks with many young people, who live alone in Chinese cities, downloading it in droves.

这款应用于去年5月低调推出，最初并未引起太多关注，但最近几周却迅速走红，许多独居在中国城市的年轻人纷纷下载使用。

1）表示“号角花彩，号角齐鸣（欢迎仪式等上奏的响亮短曲）”，英文解释为“a short loud piece of music that is played to celebrate sb/sth important arriving”

2）表示“大张旗鼓的宣传”，英文解释为“If something happens with a fanfare, it happens or is announced with a lot of publicity. If something happens without a fanfare, it happens without a lot of fuss or publicity.”举个🌰：The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

This has propelled it to become the most downloaded paid app in the country.

它一举成为中国下载量最高的付费应用。

propel /prəˈpel/ 表示“推动；驱动；推进”，英文解释为“To propel something in a particular direction means to cause it to move in that direction.”举个🌰：The tiny rocket is attached to the spacecraft and is designed to propel it toward Mars. 微型火箭附在宇宙飞船上，用来推进飞船飞向火星。The film propelled him to international stardom. 这部电影使他成为了国际巨星。

According to research institutions, there may be up to 200 million one-person households in China by 2030, Chinese state media outlet Global Times reports.

中国官媒《环球时报》引述研究机构数据指出，到2030年，中国的单人家庭数量可能高达2亿户。

And it's those people that the app - which describes itself as a "safety company companion... whether you're a solo office worker, a student living away from home, or anyone choosing a solitary lifestyle" - is trying to target.

而这正是这款应用的主要目标族群。该应用自我定位为“安全陪伴型应用”，并表示适用对象包括“独自上班的上班族、离乡求学的学生，或任何选择独居生活方式的人”。

表示“独自的，唯一的，单个的”，英文解释为“A solitary person or thing is the only person or thing in a place.”举个🌰：On the hill, a solitary figure was busy chopping down trees. 山上，有个人正忙着砍树。

"People who live alone at any stage of their life need something like this, as do introverts, those with depression, the unemployed and others in vulnerable situations," said one user on Chinese social media.

一名中国社交媒体用户表示：“在人生任何阶段独自生活的人都可能需要这样的东西，内向者、抑郁症患者、失业者，以及其他处于弱势状态的人也是如此。”

introvert 表示“性格内向者”，英文解释为“someone who is shy, quiet, and unable to make friends easily”

反义词：

📍extrovert 表示“性格外向的人”，英文解释为“an energetic happy person who enjoys being with other people”

vulnerable /ˈvʌl.nər.ə.bəl/ 表示“易受伤的；易受影响（或攻击）的；脆弱的”，英文解释为“able to be easily physically, emotionally, or mentally hurt, influenced, or attacked”举个🌰：I felt very vulnerable, standing there without any clothes on. 一丝不挂地站在那儿，我感觉自己不堪一击。

"There is a fear that people living alone might die unnoticed, with no one to call for help. I sometimes wonder, if I died alone, who would collect my body?" said another.

另一名用户写道：“人们害怕独居者死去却无人察觉、没有人能求助。我有时也会想，如果我一个人死了，谁会来为我收尸？”

Wilson Hou, 38, who lives around 100km (62 miles) from his family, says that is exactly why he downloaded the app.

38岁的威尔森（音译，Wilson Hou），居住地距离家人约100公里，正是出于这样的担忧而下载了这款App。

He works in the capital Beijing. He returns home to his wife and child twice a week, but says he has to be away from them at the moment to work on a project and he mostly sleeps on site.

他在北京工作。他每周会回家与妻子和孩子团聚两次，但目前因工作项目需要暂时离家，大多数时间都睡在工作地点。

"I worry that if something happened to me, I could die alone in the place I rent and no-one would know," he said. "That's why I downloaded the app and I set my mum as my emergency contact."

他说：“我担心如果我出了什么事，可能会一个人死在租住的地方，却没有人知道。这就是我下载这个应用的原因，我把妈妈设为紧急联络人。”

He also added that he downloaded the app quickly after its release, fearing it would be banned because of the negative connotations around it.

他还补充说，因为担心应用的名称带有负面含义可能会被禁，自己在应用推出不久后便迅速下载。

connotation /ˌkɒn.əˈteɪ.ʃən/ 表示“内涵意义；隐含意义；联想意义”，英文解释为“a feeling or idea that is suggested by a particular word although it need not be a part of the word's meaning, or something suggested by an object or situation”

Some have been quick to bash the app's less than cheery name - saying that signing up for it might bring ill fortune.

也有人很快批评这款应用的名字不够吉利，认为注册使用可能会招来厄运。

bash /bæʃ/ 表示“严厉批评，猛烈抨击”，英文解释为“to criticize someone severely”举个🌰：He kept bashing his employees. 他不停地抨击自己的雇员。

Others have called for it to be changed to something with a more positive spin, like "Are you ok?" or "How are you?".

另一些人则呼吁将名称改得更正面一些，例如“你还好吗？”或“最近怎么样？”。

spin /spɪn/ 作动词，表示“（使）（尤指快速）旋转”，英文解释为“to (cause to) turn around and around, especially fast”举个🌰：The earth spins on its axis. 地球绕地轴旋转。

作名词，1）表示“旋转；转动”，英文解释为“the movement of something turning round very quickly”举个🌰：I hit something on the road, which sent the car into a spin. 我轧到了路面上的什么东西，整个车直打转。

2）表示“（尤指政治上的）倾向性描述，导向性陈述”，英文解释为“a way of describing an idea or situation that makes it seem better than it really is, especially in politics”举个🌰：They have tried to put a positive spin on the situation. 他们尝试过将这个局面描述为具有正面意义。

📍spin (sb) a story/tale/yarn 表示“（为骗人或逗乐）杜撰故事，编造故事”，英文解释为“to tell a story, either to deceive someone or for entertainment”举个🌰：He spun some tale about needing to take time off work because his mother was ill. 他编了个瞎话，说他妈妈病了，他需要请假。They spun us a story about being in desperate need of money. 他们编了个瞎话，说他们急需用钱。

📍be spun into 演变为，转变为（将某些信息或情况转变或改编成另一种形式或叙述）

And though the success of this app must be, in part, because of its catchy-sounding name, the company behind the app, Moonscape Technologies, has said it is taking on board the criticism of the current title and weighing up a potential name change.

尽管这款应用的成功，某种程度上正是得益于其引人注目的名称，但开发公司“月景科技”（Moonscape Technologies）表示，已注意到外界对名称的批评，并正评估是否改名。

catchy /ˈkætʃi,ˈketʃi/ 表示“（乐曲、名字、广告）引人注意的；容易记住的；动人的”，英文解释为“If you describe a tune, name, or advertisement as catchy, you mean that it is attractive and easy to remember.”如：a song with catchy lyrics 歌词琅琅上口的歌曲。

weigh sth up表示“就…仔细考虑（利弊）；就…权衡”，英文解释为“to think carefully about the advantages or disadvantages of a situation before making a decision”举个🌰：I'm weighing up my options before I decide to apply for the job. 我在权衡自己的选择，然后再决定是否要申请那份工作。

weigh sb/sth up 表示“估计（形势）；评估（某人的能力、品质）”，英文解释为“to form an opinion about someone's abilities and character or a situation by thinking about him, her, or it carefully”举个🌰：I weighed up my chances of escape, and decided to wait for a better moment. 估量了一下逃跑的胜算有多大后，我决定等待一个更好的时机。

The current name is a word play on a successful food delivery app called "Are you Hungry?". In Chinese, "Si-le-ma" sounds like the name of the food app "E-le-ma".

目前的名称其实是一种文字游戏，影射一款成功的外卖平台“饿了么”；在中文中，“死了么”与“饿了么”的发音相近。

First launched as a free app, the app has now made its way into the paid category - albeit at the low price of 8 yuan ($1.15; £0.85).

这款应用最初为免费下载，如今已转为付费模式，但价格仍相当低廉，仅为8元人民币。

albeit /ɔːlˈbiː.ɪt/ 表示“尽管；虽然”，相当于“although”举个🌰：He finally agreed, albeit reluctantly, to help us. 尽管勉强，他最后还是同意帮助我们。

Little is known about the founders of Are You Dead?, but they say they are three people who were born after 1995 who built the app from Zhengzhou in Henan with a small team.

外界对“死了么”创办团队所知不多，他们表示自己是三名1995年后出生的年轻人，带领一个小团队在河南郑州开发了这款应用。

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