2023级《经济学人》导读 阶段二 | Free exchange

1. Free exchange

2. Confessions of a spiritual opium-eater

-----How bad are video games for your grades and wages? Chinese students provide an answer

2. Sacrifice to the digital gods

2. When you regain consciousness, you set off in search of your lost sibling, exploring seven beguiling worlds (one of which resembles a Chinese national park). 当你恢复意识时，你开始寻找你失去的兄弟姐妹，探索七个诱人的世界（其中一个类似于中国国家公园）

· beguiling adj.  : charming or enchanting , often in a deceptive way 诱人的

· resemble vt. : have a similar appearance or quality in common with 类似

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In 2019 China's government limited children under 18 to an hour and a half of online game-time a day during the school week . In 2021 it went further, permitting only three hours a week. The limits were part of a crackdown on consumer-tech firms that horrified entrepreneurs and investors. Still, parents around the world will be keen to know whether they did any good.

1.In 2019 China's government limited children under 18 to an hour and a half of online game-time a day during the school week . In 2021 it went further, permitting only three hours a week. 中国政府将18岁以下儿童在学校一周内每天的网络游戏时间限制在一个半小时以内。2021年，变得更加严格，每周只允许三个小时。

· go further 更进一步

2. The limits were part of a crackdown on consumer-tech firms that horrified entrepreneurs and investors. Still, parents around the world will be keen to know whether they did any good.这些限制是对消费科技公司打击行动的一部分，这一行动让企业家和投资者感到震惊。尽管如此，世界各地的家长们将会热衷于了解这些限制是否有好处。

· a crackdown on consumer-tech 对消费科技公司的打击

crackdown n. ： a series of severe measures to restrict undesirable or illegal people or behavior 打击

consumer-tech 消费科技

指与消费者日常生活相关的科技产品和技术领域，包括智能手机、平板电脑、智能手表等电子设备以及相关的软件和服务。

· horrify entrepreneurs and investors 震惊企业家和投资者

horrify v. : filled with horror ; shock greatly 使恐惧，使震惊

· be keen to 热衷于

Part 2 (para4-6) : Research on the impact of gaming

overview

It tells some background information of this research and especially focuses on its data , including the collection and the specific data on phone hours  .

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Those curious will find some clues in a remarkable new study by Panle Jia Barwick and Chao Fu of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as Siyu Chen of Jinan University and Teng Li of Sun Yat-Sen University. It sheds light on the impact of gaming (and other mobile-phone habits) on the grades, well-being and job-market success of Chinese students. To tease out such effects the researchers make use of the government's imposition of time limits and the arrival of Genshin Impact. They show that mobile-phone apps are contagious : students will use their phone more if roommates do. The study also demonstrates some digital harm: grades suffer along with a graduate's initial job offers.

1.Those curious will find some clues in a remarkable new study by Panle Jia Barwick and Chao Fu of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as Siyu Chen of Jinan University and Teng Li of Sun Yat-Sen University. 那些好奇的人会在一项引人注目的新研究中找到一些线索，这些研究是由威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校的潘勒·贾·巴维克和傅超，以及暨南大学的陈思雨和中山大学的李腾组织实施。

· remarkable adj. ： striking 引人注目的

2. It sheds light on the impact of gaming (and other mobile-phone habits) on the grades, well-being and job-market success of Chinese students. 该研究揭示了游戏（和其他手机习惯）对中国学生成绩、幸福感和就业市场成功的影响。

· shed light on 使……清楚地显出；阐明；解释

shed vt. : （ of a tree or plant ) allow (leaves or fruit ) to the ground 

· well-being 福祉，通常用来表示一个人的幸福、健康和舒适的状态，类似于幸福感。

· job-market 就业市场

3. To tease out such effects the researchers make use of the government's imposition of time limits and the arrival of Genshin Impact.为了理清这些影响，研究人员利用了政府的时间限制和原神出现的影响两个因素进行研究。

· tease out  such effects 理清这些影响

tease vi. :  gently pull or comb (tangled wool, hair, etc.) into separate strands 梳，拉顺

将物品梳理整齐、归置有序，这一表述同样可形象地应用于对复杂情形的剖析与整理。

· imposition n. :  the action or process of imposing something or of being imposed 施加，要求

4. They show that mobile-phone apps are contagious : students will use their phone more if roommates do. The study also demonstrates some digital harm : grades suffer along with a graduate's initial job offers. 他们表明，手机应用程序具有传染性：如果室友使用手机，学生也会更多地使用手机。这项研究还展示了一些数字危害：成绩会随着毕业生最初的工作机会一起变差。

· contagious adj. : (of a disease) spread from one person or organism to another, typically by direct contact 有传染性的

这里用带有疾病性质的传染一词，生动表达数据危害（digital harm )不良影响。

· demonstrate vt. : give a practical exhibition and explanation of (how a machine , silks , works..) 示范操作

· suffer along with 与...一起遭受

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What sets the study apart is the data. The authors have access to the university records of thousands of undergraduates who enrolled at a mid-tier university in an unnamed southern province from 2018 to 2020. More remarkable, they also have access to mobile-phone records-calls made, apps used, locations visited--for millions of subscribers. Because customers provide their national identity number when they register for a phone, the researchers can match the university records of 6,430 students to their phone data. By looking at their calls, they can map out their friendship networks, even before they arrived at university. And by consulting course schedules and class locations, they are also able to chart where students were meant to be each hour of the week.

1. What sets the study apart is the data. The authors have access to the university records of thousands of undergraduates who enrolled at a mid-tier university in an unnamed southern province from 2018 to 2020. 让这项研究与众不同的是数据。作者有机会访问数千名2018年至2020年在南方某省一所中等层大学注册的本科生的大学记录。

· set sth apart 使...与众不同

· enroll at  mid-tier university 在中等大学注册

enroll vi :  officially registered as a member of an institution or a student on course 登记、注册

· unnamed southern province 南方某省

2.More remarkable, they also have access to mobile-phone records-- calls made, apps used, locations visited-- for millions of subscribers. Because customers provide their national identity number when they register for a phone, the researchers can match the university records of 6,430 students to their phone data. 更值得注意的是，他们还可以访问数百万用户的手机记录——拨打的电话、使用的应用程序、访问的位置。

· remarkable adj. ：worthy of attention 值得注意的

· subscriber n. : a person receives a publication regularly by paying advanced订户、用户

· register for 登记

3.By looking at their calls, they can map out their friendship networks, even before they arrive at university. And by consulting course schedules and class locations, they are also able to chart where students were meant to be each hour of the week. 通过查看他们的电话，他们甚至可以在到达大学之前就绘制出他们的友谊网络。通过查阅课程表和上课地点，他们还能够绘制出学生一周中每小时的计划。

· map out 规划、绘制

· consult vt. : engaging in the business of giving expert  advice to people work in professional  or technical  area 咨询

· chart vt. : record the progress or development of 绘制

· be meant to be  应该是

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The data provide a detailed portrait of undergraduate life. Students spend 30 hours a month on mobile-phone apps, including 12 hours on games. But these averages mask wide variation. A third of the students use their phones at least 210 hours a month-equivalent to 7 hours a day-and a third spend 30 hours a month on games. After the arrival of Genshin Impact, the average student arrived at their study hall 18 minutes later and returned to the dorm 25 minutes earlier, according to the data from their phones . Those treasure chests were not going to open themselves.

1. The data provide a detailed portrait of undergraduate life. Students spend 30 hours a month on mobile-phone apps, including 12 hours on games. 数据详细记录了本科生的日常生活。学生每月花30小时在手机应用上，包括12小时在游戏上。 

· portrait n.  : a painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving of a person, especially one depicting only the face or head and shoulders 肖像 

在给定的上下文中，“portrait”指的是对本科生生活的详细描绘、记录。这里并不是传统意义上的人物肖像画，而是用“portrait”这个词形象地表达数据就像一幅画像一样呈现、记录出了本科生的生活状态。

2.But these averages mask wide variation. A third of the students use their phones at least 210 hours a month-equivalent to 7 hours a day-and a third spend 30 hours a month on games. 但是这些平均值掩盖了巨大的差异。三分之一的学生每月至少使用手机210小时，相当于每天7小时，三分之一的学生每月花30小时在游戏上。 

· variation n. : a change or slight difference in condition, amount, or level, typically within certain limits: regional variations in house prices  差异、变化 

3.After the arrival of Genshin Impact, the average student arrived at their study hall 18 minutes later and returned to the dorm 25 minutes earlier, according to the data from their phones . Those treasure chests were not going to open themselves.原神到来后，根据他们手机上的数据，发现一般学生在18分钟后到达他们的自习室，早25分钟回到宿舍。如果他们没有去玩游戏，那些宝箱是不会自己打开的。

· study hall 自习室

· dorm n. : a dormitory 宿舍

Part 3 ( para7-10) : Results and conclusions

overview It shows the result of the research including the impact on students social lives and grades and gives some hypothetical impact of extending limitations. 

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Gaming can be a way to retreat from the people around you . Yet the scholars show that app use is social. Extroverted students use games more than their less outgoing peers. Students who report more game-time also report better relationships with roommates. Phone habits spread. A student's use of apps is correlated with their roommates’ use, and this correlation seems to reflect causation, How else to explain why a student's use of apps in college correlates with even their roommates' pre-college use? 

1.Gaming can be a way to retreat from the people around you . Yet the scholars show that app use is social.  游戏可以成为一种远离周围人的方式。然而，学者们表明应用程序的使用是有社交性质的。  

· retreat from 从...退出、逃避、远离

2.Extroverted students use games more than their less outgoing peers. Students who report more game-time also report better relationships with roommates. 外向的学生比不太外向的同龄人更喜欢玩游戏。报告游戏时间更多的学生也报告说与室友的关系更好。 

· extroverted adj. : outgoing and socially confident 外向的

3.Phone habits spread. A student's use of apps is correlated with their roommates’ use, and this correlation seems to reflect causation. How else to explain why a student's use of apps in college correlates with even their roommates' pre-college use? 手机习惯传播广泛。学生对应用程序的使用与室友的使用相关，这种相关性似乎反映了因果关系，但是如何解释为什么学生在大学使用应用程序甚至与室友大学前的使用情况相关？ 

· phone habits spread 手机习惯传播广泛

· causation n. : the action of causing sth 因果关系 

· be correlated with / correlate with 与...相关

correlate vi. : have a mutual relationship or connection , in which one thing affects or depends on another ( n. correlation )

· pre-college use 上大学前的使用情况

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One difficulty in capturing the effects of phone habits is reverse causality: students doing badly at school may seek escapist comfort. In addition, an independent source of stress, such as homesickness or loneliness, might simultaneously hurt a student's grades and glue them to their phone, without the phone itself harming their grades. The researchers therefore exploit two factors that affected phone use but not grades. One was the appearance of Genshin Impact. The other was the government's curbs on gaming. These limits affected only a few of the students directly : 92% of them were already 18 when the rules began. But the regulation did affect their underage friends. And since gaming is contagious, a reduction in their friends' usage curtailed their own.

1.One difficulty in capturing the effects of phone habits is reverse causality : students doing badly at school may seek escapist comfort. 捕捉手机习惯影响的困难之一是反向因果关系：在学校表现不好的学生可能会寻求逃避现实的安慰。

· capture vt. : take into one's profession or control by force 捕捉

· reverse causality 反向因果关系

reverse adj. : going in or turned towards the direction opposite to that previously stated 反向的 

causality n. : the relationship between cause and effect 因果关系

· seek escapist comfort 寻求逃避现实的安慰

escapist adj. :providing or seeking distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially in the form of entertainment or fantasy 逃避的

2.In addition, an independent source of stress, such as homesickness or loneliness, might simultaneously hurt a student's grades and glue them to their phone, without the phone itself harming their grades.此外，独立的压力来源，例如想家或孤独，可能同时伤害学生的成绩并使他们精力集中在手机上，而手机本身不会损害他们的成绩。

· an independent source of stress 独立的压力来源

· simultaneously adv. : at the same time 同时

· glue ... to.... 全神贯注于

glue vi. : (be glued to)  be paying very close attention to (something, especially a television)

“glue”作名词时表示“胶水”；用作动词时，指将某人黏附在……，寓意使人与……紧密贴合，表现出目不转睛、全神贯注之态。

3.The researchers therefore exploit two factors that affected phone use but not grades. One was the appearance of Genshin Impact. The other was the government's curbs on gaming.因此，研究人员利用这两个影响手机使用但不影响成绩的因素来进行研究。一个是原神的出现。另一个是政府对游戏的限制。

· exploit vt. : make full use and derive benefit from 开发、发现

· one's curb(s) on sth 对...的限制

curb n. :  a check or restraint on something 控制、限制

4.These limits affected only a few of the students directly : 92% of them were already 18 when the rules began. But the regulation did affect their underage friends. And since gaming is contagious, a reduction in their friends' usage curtailed their own.这些限制只直接影响了少数学生：规则开始时，92%的学生已经18岁了。但是这项规定确实影响了他们未成年朋友。既然游戏具有传染性，减少在朋友间的使用，便降低了自身的使用频率。

· underage adj. ： too young to engage inleagal activities 未成年的

· contagious adj. : (of a disease) spread from one person or organism to another, typically by direct contact 具有传染性的

· a reduction in usage curtailed 使用的减少降低了

usage n. : the action of using sth or the fact of being used. 使用

curtail vt. : reduced in extent or quantity 降低、限制

para 9 

The findings are best conveyed by imagining two nearly identical students, one of whom spends twice as much time gaming as the other. The gamer' s grades, on a scale from 0 to 100, would be 0.8 points lower. Because averages are clustered in Chinese universities, that would reduce their class ranking by 10 percentile points.Now imagine two identical students with contrasting roommates: one set spend twice as much time on gaming apps as the other set. That would lower a student's grade average by 0.4 points, partly because it would encourage the student to spend a bit more time gaming as well, reducing their rank by 5 percentile points.

1.The findings are best conveyed by imagining two nearly identical students, one of whom spends twice as much time gaming as the other. The gamer' s grades, on a scale from 0 to 100, would be 0.8 points lower. 构想一个场景我们就能发现，在两个条件几乎相同的学生，当其中一个人花在游戏上的时间是另一个人的两倍的时候，发现玩游戏的学生的成绩，在 0 到 100 的评分范围内，会低 0.8 分。

2. Because averages are clustered in Chinese universities, that would reduce their class ranking by 10 percentile points. Now imagine two identical students with contrasting roommates : one set spend twice as much time on gaming apps as the other set. 在中国大学，学生的成绩平均值比较集中。这将使他们的班级排名下降10个百分点points。现在想象两个相同的学生有截然不同的室友：一组在游戏应用上花费的时间是另一组的两倍。 

· be clustered in  集中在，形成群

cluster vi. :   form a cluster or clusters 形成群

· class ranking 班级排名

· percentile n. : each of the 100 equal groups into which a population can be divided according to the distribution of values of a particular variable.百分比

3. That would lower a student's grade average by 0.4 points, partly because it would encourage the student to spend a bit more time gaming as well, reducing their rank by 5 percentile points.这会使学生的平均成绩降低 0.4 分，部分原因是这也会促使学生在玩游戏上花费更多一点的时间，同时使他们的排名降低 5 个百分点。

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What if gaming limits were extended to undergraduates? The authors estimate it would cut a student's monthly game time from 12 hours to under eight, partly because friends and roommates would also play less. The restraint would raise their grades and lift their wages after graduation by 0.9% or 48 yuan ($6.80) a month.Games like Genshin Impact, which are free to play, exact a real cost. For some spiritual opium-eaters, intent on discovering other kinds of treasure, even lost wages may seem a small sacrifice.

1. What if gaming limits were extended to undergraduates? The authors estimate it would cut a student's monthly game time from 12 hours to under eight, partly because friends and roommates would also play less. 如果游戏限制扩大到本科生会怎么样？作者估计，这将把学生每月的游戏时间从12小时减少到8小时以下，部分原因是朋友和室友也会玩得更少。

· cut.....game time 减少游戏时间

2. The restraint would raise their grades and lift their wages after graduation by 0.9% or 48 yuan ($6.80) a month.Games like Genshin Impact, which are free to play, exact a real cost. For some spiritual opium-eaters, intent on discovering other kinds of treasure, even lost wages may seem a small sacrifice.这种限制将提高他们的成绩，并在毕业后每月把他们工资提高 0.9%，即 48 元（6.80 美元）。像《原神》这样的免费游戏实际上也有代价。对于一些精神上的“鸦片吸食者”（指沉迷游戏的人）来说，他们一心想要发现其他类型的财富，即使失去工资，可能也只是一个小小的牺牲。

· raise their grades 提高成绩

· lift their wages 提升工资

· opium-eater 吸食鸦片者，这里指沉迷于手机游戏等游戏里的人

· intent on 专注于、致力于