VOA慢速英语2015 超级碗星期天:爱国者队、海鹰队和凯蒂·佩里

 

Superbowl Sunday: The Patriots¹, the Seahawks and Katy Perry, Too 超级碗星期天:爱国者队、海鹰队和凯蒂·佩里

More than 100 million Americans will be doing the same thing this Sunday.  Many will break into laughter at the same time, or cry out in moments of shared emotional suffering. And everyone will eat and drink.

This event does not involve a church, mosque² or temple but for many the experience is almost religious. So, have you guessed what is happening February 1 in America?

If you said the Super Bowl, you got it right!

The Super Bowl is the yearly championship game of professional American football. This year the battling teams are the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.

The Teams, The Town

It is not the first championship game for either team. In fact, the Seahawks are the defending champions. They won last year’s Super Bowl for the first time. They had been to the game one other time, in 2006.

The Patriots have won three Super Bowls. They have been to eight. And, the team has not had a losing season, a season where it lost more games that it won, since the year 2000.

This year the game will be played in Glendale, Arizona. It is a desert area and the weather there on game day is expected to be sunny and about 27 degrees Celsius³.

Watching men catch balls, run and crush each other to prevent a touchdown is not all the audience expects from a Super Bowl.

It is also famous for its halftime music show. Last year, the singer Bruno Mars performed along with the Red Hot Chili⁴ Peppers.

The Entertainment

This year the headliner is pop singer Katy Perry.

The 30-year-old Perry spoke⁵ last week to ESPN the Magazine. She expressed excitement about her Super Bowl appearance. "I feel like I've outdreamt my dream," she said.

Katy Perry shot to fame in 2008 with hits like "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold." Much of her music urges girls to be strong and independent like, "Roar."

Rock and roller and “Hunger Games” actor Lenny Kravitz will also perform at the show. He released his tenth studio album, “Strut,” in September of last year.

Ads: Thirty Seconds for $4.5 Million

The other popular entertainment provided for Super Bowl audiences are television advertisements. A 30-second commercial during the game costs a company $4.5 million this year. Who can pay those amounts? Many companies do in order to reach the largest television audience of the year. 

Anheuser-Busch is a traditional buyer. The famous beer maker⁶ purchased seven 30-second spots, this year, more than any other advertiser. The ship transportation company Carnival⁷ Corporation is showing a commercial during the Super Bowl for the first time.

Most of the Super Bowl commercials are meant to make people laugh. The web company GoDaddy.com is famed for its humorous advertising⁸. However, this year GoDaddy withdrew its planned commercial after protests from animal protection groups. 

The commercial featured a puppy that was being sold online. Protesters argued that on-line sales of animals leave them at risk of abuse and worse. This week, GoDaddy announced it would air a different ad.

NFL Message Control

The National Football League owns the Super Bowl game. Last year, the league faced an angry public and protests after player Ray Rice hit his girlfriend, now wife, in the face. The incident

was captured on video. The NFL suspended Rice and the Baltimore Ravens⁹ team dismissed him.

The NFL will use 30 seconds during the Super Bowl for a public service announcement to fight abuse against women and family violence.

Words in This Story

touchdown – n. American football: a score that is made by carrying the ball over the opponent's goal line or by catching¹⁰ the ball while standing¹¹ in the end zone

audience – n. a group of people who gather together to listen to something (such as a concert) or watch something (such as a movie or play): the people who attend a performance

halftime – n. the period of rest between the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half in games like football and basketball

headliner – n. the main performer in a show or concert 

commercial – n. an advertisement on radio or television

puppy – n. a young dog

1 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

2 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

3 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

4 chili   

n.辣椒

参考例句：

• He helped himself to another two small spoonfuls of chili oil.他自己下手又加了两小勺辣椒油。
• It has chocolate,chili,and other spices.有巧克力粉，辣椒，和其他的调味品。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

7 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

8 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

9 ravens   

n.低质煤；渡鸦( raven的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Wheresoever the carcase is,there will the ravens be gathered together. 哪里有死尸，哪里就有乌鸦麇集。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A couple of ravens croaked above our boat. 两只乌鸦在我们小船的上空嘎嘎叫着。 来自辞典例句

10 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。