Weird Butterfly Ceremony

課文：

Many people think the Nintendo Company originated around 1983, the same year the Mario Brothers made their debut and began fighting New York sewer creatures. But actually, the Japanese company started in 1889. Back then, computers and computer games were a long way off; nonetheless, the company’s first product, handmade playing cards, was very popular.

originate：發源、來自、產生、引起
debut：首次露面、首次問世（t 不發音）
sewer：下水道、污水管
creature：生物、動物
a long way off…：離…還差得遠呢
nonetheless：但是、仍然
handmade：手工的

Nintendo soon cornered the market in playing cards after beginning to produce plastic cards in 1953. But a 1956 trip to the U.S. convinced the CEO there wasn’t much room for growth in that market, so he began experimenting with other projects, including toy-making. Sure enough, the card market began its decline around 1962, and the company fought to stay in business.

corner the market：壟斷市場、獨占市場
corner：把…逼入絕境
convince：確信的
CEO：執行長、首席執行官
experimenting：實驗、試驗
sure enough：果然如此、果真
decline：衰退、降低、下降
fought：（= fight）
stay in business：留在商界

A profitable change

A wise decision in 1965 to hire an assembly-line maintenance worker who enjoyed inventing mechanical toys helped turn things around for Nintendo. After the company produced and marketed Gunpei Yokoi’s extending toy hand, Ultra Hand, they sold over one million units within the first year. Yokoi went on to create many profitable electronic toys that helped the company eliminate its debt and commence making money again.

profitable：有利的、有用的
assembly-line：生產線、裝配線
inventing：發明、創造
mechanical：機械的
turn things around：扭轉乾坤
extending：延長、延伸
ultra：超級、極
eliminate：排除、消除
debt：借款
commence：開始

文法：
A wise decision … to … helped…（…的明智決定，協助…）

特別補充：
think back on…：回想…
who’d have thought / guessed?：誰曾想到？
got out of business：停業、關閉
make one’s debut：某人初次登台
commencement：開端、開始