亚马逊是美国电商巨头，在它的库房里有很多工人忙着发货。这个工作很辛苦也很乏味，所以亚马逊就尝试在工作流程中加入电脑游戏，既增加工作乐趣，又提高工作效率。
Turning work into game
by Greg Bensinger
Inside several of Amazon's cavernous warehouses, hundreds of employees spend hours a day playing video games. Some compete by racing virtual dragons or sports cars around a track, while others collaborate to build castles piece by piece.
Amazon /ˈæməz(ə)n/ n. 亚马逊（美国电子商务公司）
cavernous /ˈkæv(ə)nəs/ adj. 巨大洞穴般的
warehouse /ˈweəhaʊs/ n. 仓库
compete /kəmˈpiːt/ v. 竞赛
race /reɪs/ v. 赛跑、使赛跑
virtual /ˈvɜːtʃu(ə)l/ adj. 虚拟的
dragon /ˈdræɡ(ə)n/ n. 龙
sports car 跑车
track /træk/ n. 赛道
collaborate /kəˈlæbəreɪt/ v. 合作、协作
castle /ˈkɑːs(ə)l/ n. 城堡
But they aren't whiling the time away playing Fortnite and Minecraft. Rather, they're racing to fill customer orders, their progress reflected in a video game format that is part of an experiment by the e-commerce giant to help reduce the tedium of its physically demanding jobs. And if it helps improve the efficiency of work like plucking items from or stowing products on shelves, all the better.
while away 消磨时间
Fortnite 游戏《堡垒之夜》
Minecraft 游戏《我的世界》
progress /ˈprəʊɡres/ n. 进度、进展
reflect /rɪˈflekt/ v. 显示、表明
format /ˈfɔːmæt/ n. 格式
e-commerce /iːˈkɒmɜːs/ n. 电子商务
giant /ˈdʒaɪ(ə)nt/ n. 商务巨头、大公司
tedium /ˈtiːdiəm/ n. 冗长乏味
physically /ˈfɪzɪk(ə)li/ adv. 身体方面（由physical加后缀-ly变成副词）
demanding /dɪˈmɑːndɪŋ/ adj. 要求高的、耗时费力的
efficiency /ɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nsi/ n. 效率
pluck /plʌk/ v. 采、摘、捡出（这里指从很多货物中找到并取出想要的）
stow /stəʊ/ v. 存好、放好（指把货物放在正确的位置）
all the better 那就更好了
Developed by Amazon, the games are displayed on small screens at employees' workstations. As robots wheel giant shelves up to each workstation, lights or screens indicate which item the worker needs to pluck to put into a bin.
workstation /ˈwɜːkˌsteɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 工作区域（通常配有电脑终端）
wheel /wiːl/ v. 推着有轮子的东西前进
giant /ˈdʒaɪ(ə)nt/ adj. 巨大的
up to 指尽可能的靠近
indicate /ˈɪndɪkeɪt/ v. 指出、指明
bin /bɪn/ n. 大容器
The games simultaneously register the completion of the task, which is tracked by scanning devices, and can pit individuals, teams or entire floors against one another to be fastest, simply by picking or stowing real Lego sets, cell phone cases or dish soap.
simultaneously /ˌsɪm(ə)lˈteɪniəsli/ adv. 同时发生地
register /ˈredʒɪstə(r)/ v. 登记、记录
completion /kəmˈpliːʃ(ə)n/ n. 完成（由complete加后缀-ion变成名词）
task /tɑːsk/ n. 任务、工作任务
track /træk/ v. 跟踪（进展情况）
scan /skæn/ v. 扫描
device /dɪˈvaɪs/ n. 设备
pit someone against someone 让某人和某人竞争
individual /ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəl/ n. 个人、个体
entire /ɪnˈtaɪə(r)/ adj. 全部的、整个的
one another = each other
simply /ˈsɪmpli/ adv. 仅仅（表示强调）
Lego /ˈleɡəʊ/ n. 乐高（儿童积木玩具公司，也可指该公司生产的积木玩具）
cell phone case 手机壳、手机保护套
dish soap 洗洁精
The games are showing some early signs of success at Amazon. Workers said the games have indeed helped ease the tedium of the job, adding variety to tasks that otherwise can be physically demanding and monotonous.
ease /iːz/ v. 减轻、缓解
variety /vəˈraɪəti/ n. 变化、多样化
monotonous /məˈnɒt(ə)nəs/ adj. 单调乏味的
One worker said she had at times picked nearly 500 items off the roving shelves in one hour, egged on by the game pitting her against other pickers to compel a race car around a track. She said pickers and stowers compete with one another to complete video game tasks faster, meaning they are moving more real goods onto trucks that bring them to customers' doorsteps.
at times = sometimes
rove /rəʊv/ v. 漫游、徘徊
egg on 怂恿、撺掇
compel /kəmˈpel/ v. 迫使
doorstep /ˈdɔːstep/ n. 家门口的台阶（由door和step组成）
Amazon's experiment is part of a broader industry push to gamify low-skill work, particularly as historically low unemployment has driven up wages. Gamification generally refers to software programs that simulate video games by offering rewards, badges or bragging rights among colleagues.
push /pʊʃ/ n. 奋斗、努力
gamify /ˈɡeɪmɪfaɪ/ v. 游戏化（由game加后缀-ify变成动词）
historically /hɪˈstɒrɪk(ə)li/ adv. 历史上地（historically low指有史以来最低的）
unemployment /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt/ n. 失业（由employment加上表示否定的前缀un-）
drive /draɪv/ v. 驱使、推动
gamification /ˌɡeɪmɪfɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 游戏化
generally /ˈdʒen(ə)r(ə)li/ adv. 一般来说
refer to 指
simulate /ˈsɪmjuleɪt/ v. 模拟
badge /bædʒ/ n. 徽章
brag /bræɡ/ v. 自夸、自吹自擂
right /raɪt/ n. 权利
Target has used games to encourage cashiers to scan products more quickly, and Delta Air Lines used them to help train reservation agents, said Gabe Zichermann, who has consulted with companies on gamification and written three books on the topic.
Target /ˈtɑːɡɪt/ 是美国的零售企业
cashier /kæˈʃɪə(r)/ n. 收银员
Delta Air Lines 达美航空公司
reservation /ˌrezəˈveɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 预订、订票
agent /ˈeɪdʒ(ə)nt/ n. 代理人
consult /kənˈsʌlt/ v. 咨询
"This is most successful when the games are replacing tasks that are otherwise boring," Zichermann said. "Anything to reduce the drudgery（繁重而乏味的工作）, even the smallest amount, is going to give a bump to workers' happiness."
bump /bʌmp/ n. 增加
But the rush to gamify comes with risks, said Jane McGonigal, a video game designer who has studied workplace gamification. "Competition is only enjoyable for a short time," she said. "As soon as workers start underperforming against their colleagues, it becomes less fun and can actually be counterproductive."
rush /rʌʃ/ n. 仓促、匆忙
risk /rɪsk/ n. 风险
workplace /ˈwɜːkpleɪs/ n. 工作场所（由work和place组成）
competition /ˌkɒmpəˈtɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 竞赛
underperform /ˌʌndəpəˈfɔːm/ v. 表现不佳（由perform加上表示低于的前缀under-）
counterproductive /ˌkaʊntəprəˈdʌktɪv/ adj. 适得其反的（由productive加上表示反的前缀counter-）
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