（雅思课外精读）神仙打架苹果与Epic的纷争愈演愈烈

雅思托福考试是一个非常有难度的考试，相信很多在备考阶段的小伙伴们，每天都在关注一些雅思相关的消息。有同学问：【雅思课外精读】神仙打架？苹果与Epic的纷争愈演愈烈？今天，一起来看看吧。

Apples Epic dust-up苹果的史诗的纷争

Playing hard ball强硬手段

The worlds favourite computer game is taking on the worlds biggest technology firmEpic挑战苹果

1. It was a surgical operation worthy of the best Fortnite players. On August 13th Epic Games goaded Apple into booting its hit game from the App Store. Within an hour of Apples decision, Epic launched an antitrust lawsuit against the tech giant. Epics slick parody of Apples famous 1984 advert now cast its enemy as the oppressive, grey Big Brother.

这是一次大手术，值得《堡垒之夜》最好的玩家来做。8月13日，Epic Games公司终于使得APPLE在其应用商店禁止了这款热门游戏应用。在苹果公司做出决定后不到一个小时，Epic就对苹果提起反垄断诉讼。Epic巧妙地模仿了苹果公司著名的1984广告，把苹果塑造成为暴虐的黑道老大哥。

2. Epics provocation was to offer users alternative payment methods for ingame goodies. Those who bought 1,000 v-Bucks, the games internal currency, via the App Store would cough up $9.99. Buy directly from Epic, which would thus avoid the 30% cut that Apple takes from every in-app transaction, and you pay $7.99. This dodge violates the App Stores rules, hence the expulsion. The same day Fortnite was removed from Googles Play Store, which serves users of Android phones, for the same reason.

Epic的目的是让用户能够使用不同方式支付游戏内的各种产品。玩家可以通过Apple Store花9.9美元购买1000V币（一种游戏币），而从epic直接购买的话，玩家就不需要支付apple30%的抽成，只需要7.99美元。这种躲闪行为违反了apple store的规定，因此苹果公司下架了《堡垒之夜》。为Android手机用户提供服务的谷歌Play Store也下架了《堡垒之夜》。

3. At issue is the tight grip Apple exerts over its devices. The firm tries to ensure that the App Store is the only way for iPhone users to obtain software. This, Apple says, keeps apps kosher and secure. Critics allege that it stifles competition and allows Apple to hold app-sellers over a barrel. Unlike owners of Apple phones, Android users can buy software, including Fortnite, from various vendors, limiting Googles power; in 2018 Epic launched its own web-based store for pc games, where it takes a 12% cut from developers.

争论的焦点是苹果对其设备的严格控制。苹果公司试图确保App Store是iPhone用户获取软件的唯一途径。苹果公司表示，这可以保证应用程序的可靠性和安全性。批评人士称，这扼杀了竞争，使苹果得以控制应用程序销售商。与苹果手机用户不同，Android用户可以从不同的供应商购买各种软件包括《堡垒之夜》，这限制了谷歌对应用供应商的控制。2018年，Epic推出了自己的基于网络的电脑游戏商店，从开发者那里抽取12%的分成。

4. App developers and companies from Airbnb to Match Group have had run-ins with Apple similar to Epics. Complaints from Spotify, a music-streaming service, and Kobo, which makes an e-book reader, have led to an eu antitrust probe.

从Airbnb到Match Group，应用开发商和公司都曾与苹果发生过类似于Epic的冲突。来自音乐流媒体服务商Spotify和电子书阅读器制造商Kobo对苹果的投诉导致了欧盟的反垄断调查。

5. Shortly after Epic launched its lawsuit, Spotify and Match voiced their support for it. Epic claimed that a ban on Fortnite would threaten dozens of other iPhone games that have licensed its code. On August 17th Apple said the App Store would welcome Fortnite back if Epic shelved its payments ploy. Tim Sweeney, Epics feisty boss, is unlikely to give up that easily.

Epic发起诉讼后不久，Spotify和Match都表示支持。Epic声称，对《堡垒之夜》的禁令将威胁到其他几十款已经获得其代码许可的iPhone游戏。8月17日，苹果公司表示，如果Epic搁置支付策略，应用商店将欢迎《堡垒之夜》回归。Epic的老板蒂姆斯威尼争强好胜，不太可能轻易放弃。

精读解析

篇章结构P1：苹果禁止《堡垒之夜》，Epic起诉苹果。P2：禁止源起：Epic允许用户通过其他渠道付费。P3：Epic和苹果的纷争焦点是：苹果的垄断。P4：苹果的垄断在其他公司身上也发生过。P5：苹果和Epic的纷争很难善了。

重点单词

dust-up/dʌstʌp/ n. 骚动；吵闹，争吵

【例句】

The administration is downplaying the diplomatic dustup.

美国政府试图淡化这一外交骚乱。

hard ball n. 硬式棒球（等于baseball）；（为达到某种目的而采取的）强硬手段；刀剑搏杀

play hardball 采取强硬态度

【例句】

You wanna play hard ball? Im in game!

你要玩硬的，我奉陪！

surgical /s ɜ ː d ʒɪ k( ə )l/ adj. 外科的；外科手术的；(服装)治疗用的

【例句】

All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.

所有的外科手术器械在使用之前,必须消毒。

goad /g əʊ d/ n. （赶牲口用的）刺棒；刺激；激励vt. 刺激；激励；用刺棒驱赶；煽动

【短语】

goad on 煽动

【例句】

They goaded him on to break the window.

他们唆使他打破窗户。

antitrust /nt ɪ tr ʌ st/ adj. 反托拉斯的,反垄断的

【短语】

antitrust law 反垄断法；反托拉斯法；反独占法

antitrust policy 反托拉斯政策

【例句】

The US anti-trust regulators would never approve the deal.

美国反垄断监管机构从未批准过这项交易。

slick /sl ɪ k/ adj. 顺利而有效的, 不费力的；圆滑的, 油滑的；光滑的, 滑溜的

【例句】

Its precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.

我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。

parody /pr ə d ɪ / n. 滑稽的模仿诗文；拙劣的模仿;荒谬的替代物vt. 滑稽地模仿, 拙劣地模仿

【例句】

She has become a grotesque parody of her former elegant self.

她成为了以前那个举止优雅的自己的怪诞模仿品。

alternative / ɔ ː lt ɜ ː n ə t ɪ v/ adj. 两者择一的, 供替代的；不寻常的, 非传统性的；非正统的n. 取舍, 抉择, 可供选择的事物；选择的余地, 可供选择的机会

【例句】

This kind of newspaper is alternative press.

这种报纸是非正统性报刊。

cough up 咳出；勉强说出；被迫付出

cough it up 不情愿地付钱；勉强交出

【例句】

With a supreme effort Somervell managed to cough up the obstruction.

萨默维尔费了好大的劲儿才把肉屑咳出来。

dodge /d ɒ d ʒ / vt.vi. 闪躲n. 闪躲, 躲避；伎俩, 妙计

【例句】

I dodged herds of joggers and cyclists.

我躲闪着一群群慢跑者和骑自行车的人。

expulsion / ɪ ksp ʌ l ʃ ( ə )n/ n. 喷出, 排出；开除, 驱逐

【例句】

His bad behaviour resulted in his expulsion from school.

他的不良行为导致他被学校开除了。

exert / ɪ gz ɜ ː t/ vt. 运用，发挥；施以影响

【短语】

exert oneself 努力；尽力

exert an influence on 对产生影响

【例句】

He never exerts himself to help anyone.

他从未尽力帮助别人。

kosher /k əʊʃə / adj. 犹太教所规定允许的,合适的vt. 使合适

【例句】

The 4 were killed in anattack on a kosher supermarket.

四人是在犹太超市袭击中丧生的。

stifle /sta ɪ f( ə )l/ v. 使窒息；扼杀；藏匿n. （马等的）后膝关节；（马等的）后膝关节病

【例句】

The smoke stifled the fireman.

浓烟使消防队员窒息。

over a barrel受制于人，听从摆布

【例句】

They need us more than we need them，so weve got them over a barrel.

比起我们需要他们，他们更需要我们，所以我们可以控制他们。

He had me over a barrel because he knew my carefully-guarded secrets.

我受制于他，因为他掌握了我严守的秘密。

vendor /vend ə / n. 小贩；卖主；自动售货机

【例句】

She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.

她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。

license / ˈ lais ə ns/ vt. 批准, 许可, 颁发执照 n. 营业执照

【短语】

business license 营业执照；运业执照

license plate 牌照

drivers license 驾驶执照

driving license 驾照

【例句】

She was released after posting $100 cash bond and her drivers license.

交了100元现款保释金及驾驶执照以后，她获得保释了。

shelve / ʃ elv/ vt. 搁置，将某事放到一旁不予考虑

【例句】

Lets shelve the plan for a second.

让我们先把这个计划放在一边。

ploy /pl ɒɪ / n. 策略,手法

【例句】

He may find a last-minute rewinding ploy to keep both sides burbling a bit longer.

也许他还能找到缓兵之计，使两方继续谈判，但即使再拖下去，两国制的方针也很难真正实现。

feisty /fa ɪ st ɪ / adj. 活跃的；好争吵的；烦躁不安的

【例句】

Hollywood doesnt have a lot of good feisty roles for girls my age.

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