【玩游戏学英语】轨道双子星评测第1期·可玩动漫的怀旧风

本文系用户投稿，不代表机核网观点

⚠️ 未经作者授权禁止转载

【玩游戏学英语】轨道双子星评测 第 1 期 · 可玩动漫的怀旧风
素材：IGN《Orbitals Review》（轨道双子星评测）
原文约 2,171 词，全篇拆 3 期，本期为第 1 期（开篇总评 + 视觉风格 + 角色塑造 + I.M. 主题）
难度定位：高中～六级通吃
使用提示：先读原文、先做题，答案和全文翻译在最后（⑦⑧），管住手别提前翻。
① 原文选段（约 620 词）
来源：IGN《Orbitals Review》节选（开篇 + 视觉风格 + 角色 + I.M. 主题）
Orbitals sets out to carve its own space in the co-op-only genre. This bold adventure takes the joyous camaraderie of split-screen puzzle solving and couples it with a striking throwback anime visual style that captured my attention from the very first frame. The actual puzzling never reaches for new or daring ideas in the same way, mostly content to emulate its contemporaries with familiar concepts rather than push the limits of what's possible in cooperative games, which can make it a bit predictable at times. But exploring the unknown bounds of space with a partner is still an endearing romp that was well worth the 10 hours it took to reach the end.
Orbitals is solely a two-player experience, but thankfully it has both local and online play, as well as a friend pass that allows you to give someone else a copy that's only playable with the original owner; similar to what developer Hazelight does for games like It Takes Two and Split Fiction. This flexibility is good because everything in Orbitals is designed for two people, and the coordination many puzzles require is further emphasized by the fact that you're able to see your partner's side of the screen at all times, regardless of whether you play locally or online.
It makes a stunning first impression before you even get to that action, with a stylized player select menu that takes all of the charm of the early 90's anime you would see on Toonami and distills it into a nostalgia that felt tangible. Instantly, I was transported back to those late nights staying up past my bedtime in my parent's wood panelled basement to catch an episode of Cowboy Bebop or The 08th MS Team; a portal into a world I wouldn't come to fully understand until much later in life.
Orbitals thrives in its ability to evoke that era of animation, and attempts to push it one step further by thrusting you into the roles of two protagonists with fitting archetypes – Maki, a disorganized and somewhat blindly optimistic hero, and Omura, a slightly more put together and calculated counterpart. Together, they often feel like two sides of the same quirky and curious coin. These two often bounced off of each other; when Maki's high energy and over-the-top enthusiasm would start to take over, Omura would come in and rationalize a situation or further assess the problem. It brought a necessary balance to the dynamic, keeping everything in line.
After their ship colony was nearly decimated by a powerful storm in space, both Maki and Omura were put into an I.M. – a machine that will reprint their bodies and keep their thoughts, emotions, and memories intact. Orbitals lightly touches on themes of what it means to be reprinted, with Omura making asides about if this is really him anymore after so many reprints, sometimes poking at these ideas philosophically but never fully wrestling with them. I wanted more from these ideas, especially as they come back around toward the end of Orbital's story, but they were never given time to fully flesh out that framework.
② 核心词汇表（18 个）
高考（3）
1. cooperative
音标：/kəʊˈɒpərətɪv/
词性：adj.
本文义：合作的，协作的（游戏类型：co-op-only 仅支持合作）
例句：This is a cooperative game where you and a friend must solve puzzles together.
例句翻译：这是一款合作游戏，你和朋友必须一起解谜。
2. puzzle
音标：/ˈpʌzl/
词性：n.
本文义：谜题，谜（本文指游戏中需要动脑的关卡）
例句：It took us half an hour to solve the puzzle on the math test.
例句翻译：我们花了半小时才解开数学考试里的那道题。
3. bold
音标：/bəʊld/
词性：adj.
本文义：大胆的，勇敢的
例句：The film director made a bold choice to end the movie with no music.
例句翻译：这位导演大胆地选择在电影结尾不放任何音乐。
四级（5）
4. contemporary
音标：/kənˈtemprəri/
词性：n./adj.
本文义：（名词）同辈/同时代的作品；（形容词）当代的
例句：Her paintings have been compared with those of her contemporaries.
例句翻译：她的画作经常被拿来和她同时代的画家相比较。
5. flexibility
音标：/ˌfleksəˈbɪləti/
词性：n.
本文义：灵活性，弹性
例句：Working from home gives me more flexibility to take care of my kids.
例句翻译：在家办公让我有更多灵活性照顾孩子。
6. rationalize
音标：/ˈræʃnəlaɪz/
词性：v.
本文义：合理化，理性地分析/评估
例句：She tried to rationalize her fear of flying by reading safety reports.
例句翻译：她试图通过读安全报告来理性地看待自己坐飞机的恐惧。
7. tangible
音标：/ˈtændʒəbl/
词性：adj.
本文义：可触摸的；明确的，真实的
例句：The excitement in the stadium was tangible as the game entered its final minute.
例句翻译：比赛进入最后一分钟时，体育馆里的兴奋感真实可感。
8. dynamic
音标：/daɪˈnæmɪk/
词性：n./adj.
本文义：（名词）动态，互动关系
例句：The dynamic between the two brothers changed when they moved to different cities.
例句翻译：两兄弟搬到不同城市之后，他们之间的相处模式变了。
六级（6）
10. camaraderie
音标：/ˌkæməˈrɑːdəri/
词性：n.
本文义：同志情谊，伙伴间的友情
例句：The long road trip built a sense of camaraderie among the four teammates.
例句翻译：那次长途旅行在四位队友之间建立起一种同志情谊。
11. distill
音标：/dɪˈstɪl/
词性：v.
本文义：蒸馏；提炼出……的精华
例句：The author distilled ten years of research into a single short book.
例句翻译：作者把十年的研究提炼成了一本薄薄的书。
12. nostalgia
音标：/nɒˈstældʒə/
词性：n.
本文义：怀旧，乡愁
例句：Old songs on the radio filled him with a warm feeling of nostalgia.
例句翻译：收音机里的老歌让他涌上一股温暖的怀旧之情。
13. archetype
音标：/ˈɑːkɪtaɪp/
词性：n.
本文义：原型，典型（叙事学概念）
例句：The brave hero and the wise old man are common archetypes in fantasy stories.
例句翻译：勇敢的英雄和睿智的老人是奇幻故事里常见的原型。
14. decimate
音标：/ˈdesɪmeɪt/
词性：v.
本文义：大量毁灭，严重破坏（原文为夸张修辞）
例句：A terrible disease decimated the population of the small village in the 1800s.
例句翻译：19 世纪一场可怕的疾病重创了这座小村庄的人口。
15. optimistic
音标：/ˌɒptɪˈmɪstɪk/
词性：adj.
本文义：乐观的
例句：Despite the bad news, she remained optimistic about the future.
例句翻译：尽管消息不好，她对未来依然保持乐观。
超纲（4，新闻与游戏高频，混个脸熟即可）
16. throwback
音标：/ˈθrəʊbæk/
词性：n.
本文义：复古，回归（指向过去风格致敬的作品）
例句：The film's music is a stylish throwback to the 1980s pop sound.
例句翻译：这部电影的音乐是 1980 年代流行风潮的时尚复古。
17. split-screen
音标：/splɪt skriːn/
词性：n.
本文义：分屏（合作游戏里两个玩家画面上下或左右分屏显示）
例句：We played the racing game in split-screen mode on one TV.
例句翻译：我们在同一台电视上用分屏模式玩赛车游戏。
18. counterpart
音标：/ˈkaʊntəpɑːt/
词性：n.
本文义：对应的人/物，对手方
例句：The Prime Minister will meet his French counterpart in Paris next week.
例句翻译：首相将于下周在巴黎会见法国总理。
③ 短语与搭配（8 个）
1. carve out (a space/place) 含义：开辟（自己的）位置/天地
原文出处：Orbitals sets out to carve its own space in the co-op-only genre.
写作拓展：She carved out a space for herself in the male-dominated industry.
2. set out to do 含义：着手做，决心做
原文出处：Orbitals sets out to carve its own space in the co-op-only genre.
写作拓展：We set out to climb the mountain before sunrise.
3. couple A with B 含义：把 A 与 B 结合/搭配
原文出处：couples it with a striking throwback anime visual style
写作拓展：Great movies couple strong story with great acting.
4. similar to 含义：与……相似
原文出处：similar to what developer Hazelight does for games like It Takes Two
写作拓展：Her handwriting is similar to her sister's.
5. bounce off of (each other) 含义：（人之间）相互影响、相互激发
原文出处：These two often bounced off of each other
写作拓展：The two comedians bounced off of each other all night.
6. poke at 含义：试探性地讨论/戳一下
原文出处：sometimes poking at these ideas philosophically
写作拓展：The teacher only poked at the topic, but didn't go deep.
7. wrestle with 含义：努力应对，挣扎于
原文出处：but never fully wrestling with them
写作拓展：He wrestled with the decision for weeks before saying yes.
8. flesh out 含义：充实，使……丰满/具体
原文出处：they were never given time to fully flesh out that framework
写作拓展：Please flesh out your proposal with more details before Friday.
④ 长难句拆解（3 句）
S1
Orbitals thrives in its ability to evoke that era of animation, and attempts to push it one step further by thrusting you into the roles of two protagonists with fitting archetypes – Maki, a disorganized and somewhat blindly optimistic hero, and Omura, a slightly more put together and calculated counterpart.
拆解：主干 Orbitals thrives in its ability to... and attempts to push it...——由 and 并列两个谓语（thrives 和 attempts）。第一个动词 evoke 后接 that era of animation（宾语）。第二个动词 thrust 接宾语 you，再接 into the roles of...（介词短语）。破折号后是两个同位语 Maki 和 Omura，分别带自己的同位语 a disorganized... 和 a slightly more...，进一步说明角色特征。读长句的关键是先抓主谓，再分层补信息。
考点：① and 并列两个谓语；② 介词短语作状语（into the roles of...）；③ 破折号引出双重同位语；④ 修饰语叠加（disorganized、somewhat、blindly 三层形容）。
译文：《轨道双子星》凭借唤起那个动画时代的能力而大放异彩，并试图更进一步——通过把你扔进两个有着恰到好处原型的角色里：Maki，一个有点混乱又盲目乐观的英雄；以及 Omura，一个稍微更稳重、更精打细算的对应角色。
S2
Instantly, I was transported back to those late nights staying up past my bedtime in my parent's wood panelled basement to catch an episode of Cowboy Bebop or The 08th MS Team; a portal into a world I wouldn't come to fully understand until much later in life.
拆解：主句 Instantly, I was transported back to...（我瞬间被带回）。those late nights 后面跟着现在分词短语 staying up past my bedtime... 作后置定语修饰 nights（熬夜熬过就寝时间）。to catch an episode 是目的状语。or 连接 Cowboy Bebop 或 08th MS Team 两个节目名。分号后 a portal into a world... 是前句的同位语（一个通往某个世界的入口），a portal 后跟一个省略 that 的定语从句 I wouldn't come to...。分号把"记忆被唤起"和"这段记忆的本质"切开。
考点：① 被动语态表"瞬间回到过去"；② 现在分词短语作后置定语；③ 不定式作目的状语；④ 省略 that 的定语从句；⑤ 分号引出同位语。
译文：那一瞬间，我被带回了那些深夜——我窝在父母那木质墙板的地下室里，熬过就寝时间去看一集《星际牛仔》或《高达第 08 MS 小队》；那是一扇通往某个世界的门，那个世界我到很久以后才真正读懂。
S3
Orbitals is solely a two-player experience, but thankfully it has both local and online play, as well as a friend pass that allows you to give someone else a copy that's only playable with the original owner; similar to what developer Hazelight does for games like It Takes Two and Split Fiction.
拆解：主句由 but 连接两个分句：前半句 Orbitals is solely a two-player experience（双人专属），后半句 it has both local and online play, as well as a friend pass。friend pass 后接 that 引导的定语从句（说明它的功能）。从句里又嵌套 copy that's only playable...（只对原主人有效的副本）。分号后 similar to what developer... 是一个省略句，类似"这和 Hazelight 在《双人成行》《分裂虚构》中做的事相似"，what 引导的从句作介词 to 的宾语。
考点：① but 转折；② as well as 表并列；③ 定语从句嵌套（that allows... / that's only...）；④ similar to + what 从句作宾语；⑤ 分号引出省略式补充。
译文：《轨道双子星》是彻头彻尾的双人游戏，但好在它同时支持本地和在线联机，还有一个"好友通行证"——你可以把这个游戏的另一个副本送给别人，但只有原主人在线时才能一起玩；这和开发商 Hazelight 在《双人成行》和《分裂虚构》里做的事情差不多。
⑤ 背景文化注释
● Toonami：1997 年开播的 Cartoon Network 动画节目时段，标志了 90 后美国少年接触日本动漫的起点（一段时间就叫"Adult Swim/Toonami 时光"）。
● Cowboy Bebop / 星际牛仔：1998 年渡边信一郎执导，融合爵士乐、黑色电影与太空歌剧的"成人向"动画神作，被很多人奉为"最伟大的动画之一"。
● The 08th MS Team / 高达第 08 MS 小队：1996 年起的机甲动画，以"地面真实系"著称，是高达系列里少见的写实风格作品。
● Hazelight Studios：瑞典独立工作室，《A Way Out》《It Takes Two》《Split Fiction》的开发商。他们首创了 friend pass 模式——一个朋友买游戏，另一个免费跟着玩，是合作游戏降低门槛的关键设计。
● archetype（叙事原型）：荣格心理学/叙事学概念，指反复出现的角色模板（英雄、导师、信使、阴影）。本作里 Maki 和 Omura 一个是"活力型主角"，一个是"理智型副手"，是经典搭配。
● I.M.（Imprinting Machine 重印机器）：本作的核心科幻设定——保留意识、重印肉体。"重印之后还是不是我？"是哲学层面的好问题，但作者认为本作只戳了一下，没真正展开。
⑥ 题目区
先做题，答案在 ⑧。
Reading Comprehension（阅读 4 题）
1. According to the opening paragraph, what is the author's main complaint about Orbitals?
A. It is too short to enjoy.
B. Its puzzles lack originality.
C. Its visual style is unappealing.
D. Its cooperative design is broken.
2. What does the friend pass feature allow players to do?
A. Share the game with a friend who can play independently.
B. Play online with random players.
C. Give a friend a copy that only works when the owner is online.
D. Transfer the saved data to another player.
3. The phrase "bounced off of each other" in Paragraph 4 most probably means ______.
A. physically hit each other
B. inspired and complemented each other's personalities
C. argued about everything
D. played different games from each other
4. According to the author, why are the themes about "reprinting" underwhelming?
A. Because Maki and Omura never talk about them.
B. Because the game only briefly touches them without deep exploration.
C. Because the characters don't believe in the I.M. machine.
D. Because the science behind it is unrealistic.
Translation（中译英）
5. 我俩搭档合作通关，每次遇到难题都互相启发，反而比一个人玩更有意思。（提示词：camaraderie、bounce off of each other）
⑦ 全文翻译
《轨道双子星》决心在"仅限合作"这一品类中开辟自己的一片天地。这款大胆的冒险，融合了分屏解谜的欢乐伙伴情谊，并配上一眼惊艳的复古动漫美术风格，从第一帧就抓住了我的注意力。实际的解谜却没有以同样的力度去追求新意或大胆的想法——它更满足于用大家熟悉的概念去模仿同辈作品，而不是去突破合作游戏的可能边界，这让它有时显得有点过于可预测。但是和一位搭档一起探索未知的宇宙边界，依然是一趟让人回味的欢乐旅程，10 小时走完一遍完全值得。
《轨道双子星》是彻头彻尾的双人游戏，但好在它同时支持本地和在线联机，还有一个"好友通行证"——你可以把这个游戏的另一个副本送给别人，但只有原主人在线时才能一起玩；这和开发商 Hazelight 在《双人成行》和《分裂虚构》里做的事情差不多。这种灵活性很贴心，因为游戏里的一切都是为两个人设计的，许多谜题对配合度的要求，被一个事实进一步放大：无论你是本地还是在线联机，你都能随时看到搭档那一侧的屏幕。
还没开始真正动手，它就给人惊艳的第一印象——一个风格化的角色选择菜单，把你在 Toonami 时代看过的 90 年代早期动漫的所有魅力，都蒸馏成一种可触摸的怀旧感。那一瞬间，我被带回了那些深夜——我窝在父母那木质墙板的地下室里，熬过就寝时间去看一集《星际牛仔》或《高达第 08 MS 小队》；那是一扇通往某个世界的门，那个世界我到很久以后才真正读懂。
《轨道双子星》凭借唤起那个动画时代的能力而大放异彩，并试图更进一步——通过把你扔进两个有着恰到好处原型的角色里：Maki，一个有点混乱又盲目乐观的英雄；以及 Omura，一个稍微更稳重、更精打细算的对应角色。他俩合在一起，感觉就像是同一枚既古怪又好奇的硬币的两面。这两人经常相互激发：当 Maki 那股高能的、过度的热情开始占据上风时，Omura 就会过来，理性地分析局面，或者进一步评估问题。这给两人的互动关系带来了必要的平衡，让一切都在可控范围之内。
在一次太空中的强烈风暴几乎把他们的飞船殖民地摧毁之后，Maki 和 Omura 双双被放进了一台 I.M.——一种能重印身体、保留他们思想、情感和记忆的机器。《轨道双子星》轻轻触碰了"被重印意味着什么"的主题：Omura 会不时插嘴，质疑经过这么多次重印之后，这究竟还算不算自己，有时从哲学层面戳一戳这些想法，但从来没有真正深入地与它们搏斗。我本来期望这些想法能展开得更多——尤其是在故事接近尾声时它们又回来过一次——但游戏始终没有给足时间，把这套框架充实起来。
⑧ 参考答案与解析
阅读
1. B。原文：The actual puzzling never reaches for new or daring ideas... mostly content to emulate its contemporaries with familiar concepts——解谜"无新意/只是模仿同辈"，选 B。
2. C。原文：give someone else a copy that's only playable with the original owner——只有原主人在线时才能一起玩，选 C。
3. B。Maki 高能过头时 Omura 上来理性分析，"给互动关系带来必要的平衡"，明显是相互启发/互补，而不是打人或吵架，选 B。
4. B。原文：sometimes poking at these ideas philosophically but never fully wrestling with them... never given time to fully flesh out that framework——只轻触而不深入，选 B。
中译英
参考译文：My partner and I worked together to finish the game; whenever we hit a tricky puzzle, we bounced ideas off of each other, which made it even more fun than playing alone.
踩分点：① worked together 表"合作完成"；② bounce ideas off of each other（bounce off of 用法到位）；③ 整体时态一致；④ 句式自然加分（用 whenever/which 引导从句）。
⑨ 本期一句话
Instantly, I was transported back to those late nights staying up past my bedtime in my parent's wood panelled basement to catch an episode of Cowboy Bebop or The 08th MS Team.
那一瞬间，我被带回了那些深夜——我窝在父母那木质墙板的地下室里，熬过就寝时间去看一集《星际牛仔》或《高达第 08 MS 小队》。
这一句是 90 后游戏玩家（和动漫迷）的"集体记忆杀"。注意 I was transported back to（我被带回了）这个被动语态特别有"瞬间穿越"的味道——作文写"回忆"主题时，把童年/中学/某次旅行的瞬间带出来，直接套用：
● Instantly, I was transported back to those summer afternoons playing hide-and-seek with my cousins.
● Instantly, I was transported back to the night my father first taught me to ride a bike.
下期预告：怀旧的开篇之后，该看看游戏里到底玩了什么——下一期「解谜、飞船与协作」，拆"早期教你基础机制 + 中段加入巧妙变奏 + 后期开始疲劳"的解谜公式。