VOA慢速英语2021--大学篮球比赛提升学生精神

The American college basketball tournaments known as "March Madness" look a little different than they used to. There are very few fans watching the games in person. The players stay in safe areas called "bubbles²" in the states of Texas and Indiana.

But at least the games are happening. Last year, the tournaments were just about to start when the United States closed all public events to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The college tournaments include over 60 teams made up of college students. There is a tournament for men and a tournament for women. In U.S. cities with large colleges and universities, people would go out to eat, drink and watch the games on television.

When the tournaments were canceled last year, students were also sent home. Some students have yet to return to campus³. Others came back to a very different college life in autumn. They needed to stay apart from each other. They took classes by video call. They could not spend time with friends or eat in large dining rooms. Colleges, like the rest of the country, were trying to stop the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Group activities are a big part of the college experience. And students whose universities had good basketball teams in 2020 lost out on one of those experiences: cheering for their schoolmates in the tournaments.

Shane Hoffmann saw this at the University of Oregon. He is a sports writer for The Daily Emerald, the student newspaper. He said last year, the Oregon women's basketball team might have won the tournament. Three Oregon players were among the first eight players chosen by the professional teams of the WNBA, including Sabrina Ionescu, the first pick. Hoffmann called it "a huge bummer" to see the college basketball tournaments canceled.

"It did seem very, very gloomy⁴. I think people realized that was the last time they were able to see that phenomenal, phenomenal Oregon team, which is probably going to go down as one of the best ever."

This spring, things are a little less gloomy for Max Witty⁵, a student at Syracuse University in central New York. Witty said watching the games on television was a fun activity for students and others.

"It gives us a sense of maybe we are getting back to normal, maybe one day we can have that big game, maybe one day we'll be able to sit and watch it with a huge crowd in The Dome⁶, who knows?"

"The Dome" is the large building at Syracuse where 30,000 fans can watch the games and cheer for the team. Watching games there was one of the reasons Witty chose to go to Syracuse.

Syracuse recently lost to the University of Houston to end its season. But for a couple of weeks, Witty said being able to watch the games with a small group of friends was a "pick-me-up" after a difficult year.

Thomas Kollie is in his second year at the University of Alabama. The school, in the city of Tuscaloosa, is known for its winning football team and the 100,000 fans at the games. Kollie said he missed attending football games last year. With COVID-19 restrictions⁷, very few were permitted at the games and he could not get in.

This year, both the men's and women's basketball teams were in the college tournaments before losing in late March. Life in Tuscaloosa has also been different compared to 2020. Streets in the city have been filled with fans watching games as the state removed gathering⁸ limits.

In his fraternity house, Kollie has been watching sports events with as many as 25 friends.

"Now, like, actually being able to gather and watch the basketball games without fear of how many rules we're breaking, that's really cool. Because you're not sitting in constant fear about the cops⁹ coming and kicking everyone out in the middle of a game, or something like that."

Hoffmann went to Indianapolis, Indiana to write about the Oregon games. He said seeing the whole sports world shut down last year was "depressing¹⁰." But now, he is excited to see fans from all over the U.S. coming to see the games.

He said seeing families out in the city, wearing the colors of their favorite teams, made it seem like the U.S. is taking "a step in the right direction to ... normalcy again."

The final games of the college basketball tournaments are played on April 4 and 5.

Words in This Story

tournament –n. a sports competition or series of contests that involves many players or teams and that usually continues for at least several days

bubble¹ –n. a group created during the pandemic that prevents new people from entering

schoolmate–n. someone who goes to or went to the same school as you

pick–n. someone or something that is chosen

bummer –n. something that is unpleasant or disappointing

gloomy –adj. causing feelings of sadness

phenomenal –adj. very good or great : unusual in a way that is very impressive¹¹

sense –n. a particular feeling : an emotion that you are aware of

fraternity –n. an organization of male students at a U.S. college

cool–adj. often used to show approval¹² in a general way

cops –n. police officer

1 bubble   

n.泡，水泡，气泡；泡影，妄想；v.(使)起泡

参考例句：

• The water begins to bubble.水开始起泡了。
• Their hopes of success have burst like a bubble.他们成功的希望已经成了泡影。

2 bubbles   

泡( bubble的名词复数 )； 泡影； 肥皂泡； （欲表达的）一点感情

参考例句：

• Bubbles are rising from the bottom of the boiling water. 水泡从沸水的底部升到水面。
• The incorporation of air bubbles in the glass spoiled it. 玻璃含有气泡，使它质量降低。

3 campus   

n.大学校园，学校校园；大学　

参考例句：

• They spoke of the old days on the campus.他们谈起昔日的校园生活。
• The campus covers an area of twenty square kilometres.这个校园占地二十平方公里。

4 gloomy   

adj.阴暗的，阴沉的，令人沮丧的，阴郁的

参考例句：

• A few faint gleams of sunshine lit up the gloomy afternoon.几束隐约的阳光使阴暗的下午有些明亮。
• When I saw their gloomy faces,I knew something was wrong.当我看到他们沮丧的脸时，我知道出事了。

5 witty   

adj.机智的，风趣的

参考例句：

• Her witty remarks added a little salt to the conversation.她的妙语使谈话增添了一些风趣。
• He scored a bull's-eye in their argument with that witty retort.在他们的辩论中他那一句机智的反驳击中了要害。

6 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

7 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

8 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

9 cops   

n.堆，顶；警察( cop的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• As usual, the cops get the baddies in the end. 跟平常一样，警察最后把坏人都抓起来了。
• Somebody call the cops! 去个人报警啊！

10 depressing   

a.令人沮丧的；令人忧愁的

参考例句：

• Laundromat is really depressing. 自助洗衣店真闷。
• The retrospect was depressing. 回想起来令人沮丧。

11 impressive   

adj.给人深刻印象的，感人的

参考例句：

• This cinema is so impressive that we can't help crying.这影片如此感人以至我们禁不住流下泪来。
• The suit made him look especially impressive.他穿上这套衣服真精神。

12 approval   

n.赞成，同意；批准，认可

参考例句：

• The audience has expressed its approval.观众已经认可。
• The teacher signed his approval.老师做了手势表示同意。