Back to War 鍥炲埌鎴樹簤鏃朵唬

Thousands of UK gamers queued into the night for the launch of what may be the world鈥檚 most anticipated video game.

Video game retailers opened at midnight to sell the first copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a game which is widely expected to shatter sales records.

The latest instalment in the Call of Duty franchise was officially launched in the UK at a cinema in Leicester Square in the heart of London鈥檚 West End, a site usually reserved for the premiere of Hollywoodblockbusters.

Actors dressed as soldiers patrolled the square while British celebrities joined gamers to take part in multiplayer sessions of the game.

The game, which is tipped to sell more than a million copies in the UK in its first week of release, features astonishinggraphics and exciting gameplay as the playertakes on a group of ultra-nationalist Russian terrorists.

Predictably, the game has provoked a certain amount of criticism as it is extremelyviolent and features a controversial scene in which civilians are killed at an airport.

One British MP has attacked the game in the press, describing his "absolute shock" at the violence portrayed in the game.

However, another MP has defended the game by setting up a group on a social-networking website which describes itself as "unashamedly pro-video games" and which aims to "discuss how UK video gamers can find their voice in newspapers and government".

More cynical observers have said that the game鈥檚 developers deliberately included the scene in which civilians are massacred in order to stir up controversy, knowing that this will generate a huge amount of free publicity.

Whatever people鈥檚 views on violence in computer games, the game is flying off the shelves around the UK and is expected to generate $400m (2,700m yuan) globally for its publishers.

• midnight [´midnait]   n.午夜；漆黑   (初中英语单词)
• release [ri´li:s]   vt&n.释放；放松；赦免   (初中英语单词)
• player [´pleiə]   n.游戏的人；选手   (初中英语单词)
• amount [ə´maunt]   n.总数；数量 v.合计   (初中英语单词)
• criticism [´kritisizəm]   n.批评；评论(文)   (初中英语单词)
• extremely [ik´stri:mli]   ad.极端地；非常地   (初中英语单词)
• violent [´vaiələnt]   a.强暴的；猛烈的   (初中英语单词)
• violence [´vaiələns]   n.猛烈；暴力(行)   (初中英语单词)
• knowing [´nəuiŋ]   a.会意的，心照不宣的   (初中英语单词)
• whatever [wɔt´evə]   pron.&a.无论什么   (初中英语单词)
• computer [kəm´pju:tə]   n.计算机；电子计算器   (初中英语单词)
• launch [lɔ:ntʃ]   vt.发动 n.发射；汽艇   (高中英语单词)
• warfare [´wɔ:feə]   n.战争；斗争；竞争   (高中英语单词)
• shatter [´ʃætə]   v.毁坏 n.粉碎；碎片   (高中英语单词)
• hollywood [´hɔliwud]   n.好莱坞   (高中英语单词)
• astonishing [əs´tɔniʃiŋ]   a.令人惊讶的   (高中英语单词)
• deliberately [di´libərətli]   ad.故意地；慎重地   (高中英语单词)
• controversy [´kɔntrəvə:si]   n.争论；争吵   (高中英语单词)
• shelves [ʃelvz]   shelf的复数   (高中英语单词)
• officially [ə´fiʃəli]   ad.以职员身份；正式   (英语四级单词)
• setting [´setiŋ]   n.安装；排字；布景   (英语四级单词)
• generate [´dʒenəreit]   vt.创造；发生；引起   (英语四级单词)
• franchise [´fræntʃaiz]   n.选举权；特许权   (英语六级单词)
• cynical [´sinikəl]   a.讥诮的；冷嘲的   (英语六级单词)