美国国家公共电台 NPR Billies Seen

Billies Seen

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0007:36repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser¹ to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST: 

Now, let's meet our next two contestants². First up, Stephanie Hagadorn, you work with Watson the supercomputer.

STEPHANIE HAGADORN: I do.

EISENBERG: OK. So if you don't know, Watson the supercomputer is the supercomputer that played "Jeopardy³" and won. Do you think Watson will one day wake up and the computers will take over the world?

HAGADORN: Yes.

EISENBERG: OK.

HAGADORN: I'll just say yes.

EISENBERG: Yeah.

HAGADORN: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

JONATHAN COULTON: Thanks for thinking about it at least.

EISENBERG: But you're working with the supercomputers. Now, I don't work with supercomputers. That sounds like a very intense thing. I work with, like, a stupid handheld, at the very best. But a supercomputer is a whole different...

COULTON: I'm right here, Ophira.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Your nickname is handheld.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: I can't - I can't tell that story right now.

EISENBERG: But Watson is still emotionally stunted⁴, you would say?

HAGADORN: He can perceive emotion really well and, like, how people write and speak. But he's not so funny himself...

EISENBERG: Good.

HAGADORN: ...At the moment.

EISENBERG: Good. Yeah, I don't...

HAGADORN: Hilarious⁵.

EISENBERG: I don't need competition from Watson.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Your opponent is Alyssa Sable⁶. You recently just switched jobs and now you work at a babysitting agency.

ALYSSA SABLE: Yeah, I do a nanny agency in Austin.

EISENBERG: Alyssa, you own two dogs. That's - OK, as a dog lover, I love knowing that, but they are both deaf and you've taught them sign language.

SABLE: Yes and no.

EISENBERG: OK.

SABLE: I mean (laughter), both of them were rescue dogs, so they came to us with a little bit of sign language knowledge. But for the things that we want them to know then, yeah, we definitely go through and try to teach new things.

EISENBERG: OK, so what are some of the newer commands?

SABLE: So we have a Great Pyrenees and we do this for crate⁷.

EISENBERG: Crossing you're wrists.

SABLE: Crossing our wrists and so she'll just go straight into her kennel⁸. And then she does this for sit. It's kind of complicated because we've got...

EISENBERG: Kind of pursing your fingers together and pulling down.

SABLE: Yeah, pursing your fingers. And then if you do a fist forward that's it for the other one. So it's a little bit (laughter)...

EISENBERG: Oh, they have different signs.

COULTON: They speak different languages.

(LAUGHTER)

SABLE: They speak totally different languages. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

EISENBERG: Well, your first game is a music parody⁹ game called Other Billies Who Are Also Not My Lover.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Jonathan Coulton, what is this about?

COULTON: Well, we rewrote Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" to be about other famous people and fictional¹⁰ characters named Billie. So buzz in to guess which Billie I'm singing about, and the winner will be one step closer to the final round at the end of the show. You ready?

SABLE: Yes.

COULTON: OK. Here we go. (Singing) Such a singer, a music queen from the New York scene, sang jazz and blues¹¹ and what's in between, like "God Bless The Child," "Strange Fruit," nicknamed Lady Day.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

HAGADORN: Billie Holiday?

COULTON: That's right, Billie Holiday.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Just a side bonus question that is not worth any points at all, do you know Billie Holiday's real name?

HAGADORN: I do not.

EISENBERG AND COULTON: William Holiday.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: We've been working together too long, Ophira.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: (Singing) Long Island where his career began, 50-year-long span. He said to call him the piano man. He might be right. Always in a New York state of mind.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Stephanie.

HAGADORN: Billy Joel.

COULTON: Yeah, you got it.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: (Singing) This guy played Gale¹² Sayers' best friend in "Brian's Song." He advertised for Colt 45. Used to own the Falcon¹³, then he gambled it away. But on his feet he'll land, oh, his name's Calrissian.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Stephanie.

HAGADORN: Billy Dee?

COULTON: Billy Dee...

HAGADORN: Williams.

COULTON: Yes.

(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: I feel most of the listeners are hearing that clue would go, what - what? Oh. Yeah. They're just, like, who, what, what. Oh, yeah, Lando. Yeah.

COULTON: (Singing) That coal miner's kid does ballet. He's just a boy in England, give him a chance 'cause the kid just wants to dance.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Stephanie.

HAGADORN: Billy Elliot.

COULTON: Oh, yeah.

(APPLAUSE)

SABLE: I'm not fast enough (laughter).

COULTON: (Singing) Outlaw¹⁴ from the 19th century, man of infamy¹⁵. When Sheriff Garrett caught up with him his hand was grim. Boyish face, he was dead at 22.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Stephanie.

HAGADORN: Billy the Kid?

COULTON: You got it.

(APPLAUSE)

SABLE: I think Stephanie's up (laughter).

COULTON: I think Stephanie's got Watson in her buzzer¹⁶ thumb.

(LAUGHTER)

HAGADORN: Practice.

COULTON: It's nice being friends with a supercomputer when you go on a game show, huh?

HAGADORN: It's pretty good, pretty good.

COULTON: Pretty good.

SABLE: I'm blaming it on Watson (laughter).

COULTON: (Singing) She was a singer at age 15, British music scene. She switched to acting¹⁷ and scored a coup¹⁸ on "Doctor Who," where she played a companion named Rose.

EISENBERG: Oh, this is where we find...

COULTON: We found a chink in the armor...

EISENBERG: ...The little pockets.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Rose? Rose on "Doctor Who," no?

HAGADORN: Never seen it.

SABLE: I know, me too. I've never watched it.

(LAUGHTER, BOOING)

SABLE: We got booed.

HAGADORN: Booed.

COULTON: Oh, boy.

HAGADORN: Just take it in.

SABLE: I like "Harry¹⁹ Potter" a lot though, does that help?

EISENBERG: Yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Who is it, everybody? Billie Piper is the name of the actor.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: You guys don't care?

EISENBERG: Take it in.

COULTON: You hate "Doctor Who."

EISENBERG: Take it in.

COULTON: You hate Dr. Who and everything he stands for.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: They literally²⁰ are saying, Doctor Who?

COULTON: Dr. Who?

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: That's - yeah, exactly.

COULTON: This is your last clue. (Singing) "SNL," then he played Harry. In "City Slickers," rode a horse with no fuss 'cause he still looks marvelous.

(LAUGHTER, SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Alyssa.

SABLE: OK, I know it starts with Billy.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: You're halfway²¹ there, Alyssa.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: (Laughter).

SABLE: I thought it'd come to me.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: (Laughter) I want you to get this so badly.

SABLE: (Laughter) I do, too. I just want one.

EISENBERG: It's like Billy and then something. And if I were to add, it could be, like, Billy something light or Billy something meth or...

(LAUGHTER)

SABLE: Oh, Billy Crystal.

COULTON: Yeah.

EISENBERG: Yes.

(CHEERING, APPLAUSE)

COULTON: I knew it was in there. I knew it was in there. I'm glad we stuck with it. Thank you, Alyssa.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

COULTON: Art Chung, I think I know the answer, but how did our contestants do?

(LAUGHTER)

ART CHUNG: Stephanie, well done. You're one step closer to the final round.

(APPLAUSE, SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 contestants   

n.竞争者，参赛者( contestant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The competition attracted over 500 contestants representing 8 different countries. 这次比赛吸引了代表8个不同国家的500多名参赛者。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency. 两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

4 stunted   

adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的

参考例句：

• the stunted lives of children deprived of education 未受教育的孩子所过的局限生活
• But the landed oligarchy had stunted the country's democratic development for generations. 但是好几代以来土地寡头的统治阻碍了这个国家民主的发展。

5 hilarious   

adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed

参考例句：

• The party got quite hilarious after they brought more wine.在他们又拿来更多的酒之后，派对变得更加热闹起来。
• We stop laughing because the show was so hilarious.我们笑个不停，因为那个节目太搞笑了。

6 sable   

n.黑貂；adj.黑色的

参考例句：

• Artists' brushes are sometimes made of sable.画家的画笔有的是用貂毛制的。
• Down the sable flood they glided.他们在黑黝黝的洪水中随波逐流。

7 crate   

vt.(up)把…装入箱中；n.板条箱，装货箱

参考例句：

• We broke open the crate with a blow from the chopper.我们用斧头一敲就打开了板条箱。
• The workers tightly packed the goods in the crate.工人们把货物严紧地包装在箱子里。

8 kennel   

n.狗舍，狗窝

参考例句：

• Sporting dogs should be kept out of doors in a kennel.猎狗应该养在户外的狗窝中。
• Rescued dogs are housed in a standard kennel block.获救的狗被装在一个标准的犬舍里。

9 parody   

n.打油诗文，诙谐的改编诗文，拙劣的模仿；v.拙劣模仿，作模仿诗文

参考例句：

• The parody was just a form of teasing.那个拙劣的模仿只是一种揶揄。
• North Korea looks like a grotesque parody of Mao's centrally controlled China,precisely the sort of system that Beijing has left behind.朝鲜看上去像是毛时代中央集权的中国的怪诞模仿，其体制恰恰是北京方面已经抛弃的。

10 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

11 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

12 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

13 falcon   

n.隼，猎鹰

参考例句：

• The falcon was twice his size with pouted feathers.鹰张开羽毛比两只鹰还大。
• The boys went hunting with their falcon.男孩子们带着猎鹰出去打猎了。

14 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

15 infamy   

n.声名狼藉，出丑，恶行

参考例句：

• They may grant you power,honour,and riches but afflict you with servitude,infamy,and poverty.他们可以给你权力、荣誉和财富，但却用奴役、耻辱和贫穷来折磨你。
• Traitors are held in infamy.叛徒为人所不齿。

16 buzzer   

n.蜂鸣器；汽笛

参考例句：

• The buzzer went off at eight o'clock.蜂鸣器在8点钟时响了。
• Press the buzzer when you want to talk.你想讲话的时候就按蜂鸣器。

17 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

18 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

19 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

20 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

21 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。