世界杯又出"预测帝" 海龟预测巴西赢揭幕战

　　The animal oracle¹ predictions for the World Cup have begun, with host nation Brazil getting a vote of confidence from its chosen turtle tipster.
世界杯动物预言帝的神预测又要开始啦！海龟预言帝预测东道主巴西将取得胜利。

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By making a patriotic² choice of food, loggerhead turtle Big Head predicted Tuesday that the host nation will beat Croatia in the opening game of the World Cup on Thursday.
周二工作人员把食物挂在不同国家的国旗下，用赤蠵龟“大头”挑选食物的方式预测比赛结果。“大头”的预测表明，主办国巴西将在周四和克罗地亚的世界杯揭幕战中胜出。
Big Head is Brazil’s answer to Germany’s Paul the Octopus³, who started the psychic⁴ animal craze during the 2010 World Cup and spawned⁵ a slew⁶ of imitations around the world.
2010年南非世界杯期间，德国的章鱼保罗开启了世界杯战况动物神预测的热潮，随后世界各地都竞相模仿。今年，巴西请海龟“大头”出马，担任本届世界杯的预言帝。
At the Praia do Forte⁷ turtle sanctuary⁸ north of Salvador, the 25-year-old male sea turtle was given the choice between eating a fish hung from a Brazilian flag or a Croatian flag.
普拉亚多海滩位于巴西港市萨尔瓦多北部，这里是25岁的海龟“大头” 对本届世界杯进行预测的地方。工作人员在巴西国旗和克罗地亚国旗下分别放了一条鱼，让“大头”来选择。
After attempting to eat the fish hung from a football indicating a draw, Big Head chose the one representing Brazil.
起先“大头”在代表平局的足球下的鱼那里犹豫了一下，随后选择了代表巴西的那条。
The small crowd of onlookers⁹ cheered in appreciation¹⁰ of Big Head’s choice.
“大头”的选择赢得了在场人的赞赏和欢呼。（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 oracle   

n.神谕，神谕处，预言

参考例句：

• In times of difficulty,she pray for an oracle to guide her.在困难的时候，她祈祷神谕来指引她。
• It is a kind of oracle that often foretells things most important.它是一种内生性神谕，常常能预言最重要的事情。

2 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

3 octopus   

n.章鱼

参考例句：

• He experienced nausea after eating octopus.吃了章鱼后他感到恶心。
• One octopus has eight tentacles.一条章鱼有八根触角。

4 psychic   

n.对超自然力敏感的人；adj.有超自然力的

参考例句：

• Some people are said to have psychic powers.据说有些人有通灵的能力。
• She claims to be psychic and to be able to foretell the future.她自称有特异功能，能预知未来。

5 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

6 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

7 forte   

n.长处，擅长；adj.(音乐)强音的

参考例句：

• Her forte is playing the piano.她擅长弹钢琴。
• His forte is to show people around in the company.他最拿手的就是向大家介绍公司。

8 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

9 onlookers   

n.旁观者，观看者( onlooker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene of the crash. 在撞车地点聚集了一大群围观者。
• The onlookers stood at a respectful distance. 旁观者站在一定的距离之外，以示尊敬。

10 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。