‧ 標題單字
figure (n.) 人形玩偶，action figure (phr.) 是關節可活動的人形玩偶
‧ More than just toys
不只是玩具而已
◎「公仔」是廣東話的玩偶 ‧ 標題單字 figure (n.) 人形玩偶，action figure (phr.) 是關節可活動的人形玩偶 ‧ More than just toys 不只是玩具而已 |
They have 1)tattoos and 2)piercings all over their bodies. They 3)sport shaved heads, earrings, and beards. They also carry 4)surfboards and have 5)attitudes. And they're dolls! Welcome to the new age of action figures.
他們全身都有刺青和穿洞。他們秀出光頭、耳環和鬍子。他們也帶著衝浪板，表現出敵視態度。而且他們是玩偶！歡迎來到公仔的新時代。
‧ 本段單字
1) tattoo (n.) 刺青
2) piercing (n.) 穿洞，刺穿
3) sport (v.) 炫耀，誇示
4) surfboard (n.) 衝浪板
5) attitude (n.) 態度，（美俚）敵對態度
2.
Coming largely out of Hong Kong, the newest 1)trend in 2)collectable figures has taken off! These new plastic figures look like your friend or the kid next door. The new dolls are hot items because they represent the generation buying them. And they aren't just ordinary toys. These figures have rich colors and very 3)precise details.
收集公仔的最新潮流主要來自香港，而且已經形成風潮！這些新的塑膠人偶看起來就像你的朋友或鄰居的小孩。這些新娃娃成為熱門商品，因為它們能代表購買它們的這一代。而且它們不只是普通的玩具，這些人形玩偶有豐富的色彩與非常精確的細節。
‧ 本段單字
1) trend (n.) 趨勢，潮流
2) collectable (a.) 可收藏的，當名詞為收藏品
3) precise (a.) 精確的
3.
Figures like Fat Cap and Thinbone are 1)street-smart and wear the latest fashions. Some dolls are lazy and just 2)hang out while others are in trouble with the law and hide their faces. Most are between 3 and 8 inches tall. But all figures find thousands of fans and buyers among the twentysomething hip-hop generation.
Fat Cap和Thinbone這類公仔都有在街頭打混的經驗，身穿最新流行的服飾。有些公仔很懶，閒蕩度日，也有些公仔有法律糾紛，所以矇著臉。大多數的公仔是三到八吋高，但所有公仔都在二十來歲的嘻哈世代擁有數以千計的愛好者和買家。
‧ 本段單字
1) street-smart (phr.) 能夠在街頭討生活的
2) hang out (phr.) 遊蕩，閒晃
4.
A leading creator of these figures is 31-year-old Michael Lau of Hong Kong. Lau's career took off with his famous Gardener street-figures series. Lau says his figures are "1)inspired from whatever is around me." His Gardeners are a 2)gang of young 3)dudes led by a 4)skate-boarder named Maxx. They have a 5)soaring value as collectables as only 500 to 1,000 of each are made. This is part of the attraction of owning one. One of his figures, Tatto, sold for $19.20 in 1999. Today he's worth $500 in New York!
公仔的頂尖創造者之一是三十一歲的香港人劉建文。在他著名的Gardener街頭公仔系列推出後，劉建文的事業就扶搖直上。他說他那些公仔「靈感都是來自我周遭的事物。」他的Gardener系列是一群年輕的紈褲子弟，老大是一個溜滑板的小子名叫麥斯。由於每種款式只有五百個到一千個，所以它們的收藏價值不斷飆升。這也是讓人想擁有公仔的原因之一。他的一個公仔Tatto在一九九九年的價錢是十九塊兩毛美金，但是今日在紐約的身價卻高達五百美元！
‧ 本段單字
1) inspire (v.) 賦予……靈感
2) gang (n.) 一群，一夥
3) dude (n.) （俚語）男人，花花公子
4) skate-boarder (n.) 溜滑板者
5) soaring (a.) 高漲的
5.
Lau's 1)urban art is created from 2)sketches, 3)sculpted in 4)clay, 5)modeled from plastic parts and sold with accessories. His new vinyl series is called Crazychildren and most dolls cost $80 to $90. "He has a 6)distinctive, original style that no other toy designer has," one toyshop manager said.
劉建文的城市藝術是從草圖開始創作、用黏土雕刻、以塑膠零件做成模型，然後加上配件一起銷售。他新推出的乙烯基製品系列稱為 Crazychildren，售價大多在八十到九十美元之間。有位玩具店經理說：「他有一種獨特、原創的風格，那是其他玩具設計師沒有的。」
‧ 本段單字
1) urban (a.) 城市的
2) sketch (n.) 素描
3) sculpt (v.) 雕刻，雕塑
4) clay (n.) 黏土
5) model (v.) 做模型
6) distinctive (a.) 獨特的，特殊的
6.
Other designers, like Lau's friend Eric So, have released their own collections. So, 33 and also from Hong Kong, became famous from his Bruce Lee figures set. So said: "I wanted to present the Bruce Lee 1)philosophy to young people … be hard working, 2)aggressive and open-minded." So's other creations are also 3)limited-run and expensive.
其他的設計師，例如劉建文的朋友蘇勳，也推出了自己的作品。蘇勳現年三十三歲，也是香港人，以他的李小龍公仔系列聞名。蘇勳說：「我希望能把李小龍的人生哲學介紹給年輕人……要努力工作、積極進取、觀念開放。」蘇勳的其他創作也是限量發行，價格昂貴。
‧ 本段單字
1) philosophy (n.) 哲學
2) aggressive (a.) 積極的
3) limited-run (a.) 限量生產的
7.
Many Internet sites offer the figures, and this has spread buyers of the hip collectables to all corners of the world. Be on the 1)lookout for new, cool figures in the action-toy world!
現在有許多網站供應這些公仔，這也使得這些時髦收藏品的買家遍及世界各個角落。請留心注意活動玩具世界裡最新最酷的公仔吧！
‧ 本段單字
1) lookout (n.) 注意