The Kingdom of Lego|乐高王国

The Kingdom of Lego

by Olivia Wycech

The evolution of the ultimate toy

　　No matter where people are from, Lego reminds them of their childhood. It was a carpenter from Denmark who first _(1)_ the colorful blocks to the world in 1932. The biggest difference is that they were made of wood then. Ole Kirk Christiansen eventually called his company Lego, _(2)_ is Dutch for play well. It wasn't until 1949 that his company began producing the iconic interlocking toys in plastic. Since then, these small, stackable blocks have been synonymous _(3)_ quality, creativity, and versatility. They may have begun as simple toys, but they have evolved _(4)_ a subculture. Now, Lego supports movies, games, competitions, and even amusement parks. For these reasons, Lego has remained one of the world's most _(5)_ companies.

　　Perhaps the company's value system has something to do with it. The company works with the mindset that only the best is good enough. Christiansen came up with the idea to _(6)_ his employees to see quality as the most important value at Lego. The company still works with this in mind when they design toys for children, teenagers, and even _(7)_ adults with a knack for design.

　　Nowadays, the Lego business is different from _(8)_ it used to be. The company produces famous cities, whole kingdoms, replicated movie sets, and even Bluetooth-powered moveable robots. Lego is even used as teaching tools in classrooms and as a form of _(9)_ for children with social difficulties. With all the changes that Lego has undergone  over the years, one thing has remained the same—their interlocking system. The bricks today are still compatible with those from several decades ago, _(10)_ them the ultimate timeless toy.

 

(A) what (B) into (C) making (D) introduced (E) keen

(F) which (G) with (H) reputable (I) therapy (J) encourage

 

乐高王国

终极玩具的进化

　　不管你来自哪里，『乐高』都会让大家回想起自己的童年。乐高最早是由一位来自丹麦的木匠于 1932 年将这种彩色的积木介绍给全世界。它与现在最大的区别就是，当时的乐高积木是用木头制成的。欧里．柯克．克里斯汀森最后称他的公司为『乐高』，这在荷兰话中的意思就是『好好玩吧』。直到 1949 年，欧里的公司才开始以塑胶生产这种具指标性的组装玩具。从那时开始，这种体积小、又可堆栈的积木就等同是质量、创意以及多用途的代名词了。它们刚开始时可能只是很简单的玩具，但如今已经演变为一种次文化。现今，乐高不但资助拍电影、游戏、竞赛，甚至是游乐园。基于这些理由，乐高一直是全球最负盛名的公司之一。

　　也许该公司的价值体系与其颇具盛名有关。该公司的营运观念就是『只有最好的才够好。』克里斯汀森想出了这么一个点子，鼓励他的员工在公司时把质量视为最重要的基准。乐高在为孩子们、青少年甚至热衷玩具且有设计本领的成人们设计玩具时，仍然会将这项原则牢记在心。

　　目前，乐高的营运与从前很不一样。该公司制造出了著名的城市、整个王国、复制电影的场景，甚至还有以蓝芽系统驱动的移动机器人。乐高玩具甚至还被用来当成教室里的教材，以及对社交困难孩童的一种治疗方式。经过了这几年乐高所进行的这些变革，只有一样东西至今仍维持不变，那就是拼砌组装系统。今日的积木仍可和几十年前的积木组在一起，如此让乐高成了永不过时的终极玩具。

答案： 1. D 2. F 3. G 4. B 5. H

6. J 7. E 8. A 9. I 10. C