词汇大师--F-u-n With Broadway's

　　AA:   I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble, and this week on Wordmaster: a track from the original Broadway cast recording¹ of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."
RS:   The show is a musical satire² of spelling competitions and the pressure to "go to Washington" 鈥?where, in real life, the best young spellers compete in the National Spelling Bee.

　　VOICE:   Ms. Peretti. Please spell "syzygy."
RONA:   S-y-z-y-g-y. Syzygy?
VOICE:   We have a winner!
RONA:   Oh, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
CHIP:   At the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
My parents keep on telling me
Just being here is winning.
Although
I know it isn't so.
RONA:   But it's a very nice
Very, very nice ...
RONA, CHIP:   Very, very nice
Very nice beginning.
RONA:   Our winner here last year: Chip Tolentino.
SCHWARZY:   Ms. Peretti!
RONA:   And our youngest competitor, Logainne Schwarzandgrubeniere.
CONEYBEAR:   At the 25th Annual
Putnam County Spelling game -- Bee!
I'll stand when they announce my
name:
RONA:   Leaf Coneybear.
CONEYBEAR:   And try and keep from shaking.
SCHWARZY:   Alas³
His shaking will not pass
CONEYBEAR/CHIP/RONA/SCHWARZY:
'Cause it's a very big,
Very fraught⁴
Simple but it's not
It's a very big undertaking⁵.
RONA:   Returning after last year's tragic⁶ setback⁷, William Barfee.
BARFEE:   It's pronounced Barfee, there's an accent egue.
RONA:   I'm not sure who this girl is.
MARCY:   Marcy Park. Recent transfer.
SCHWARZY:   Winner's destination: Washington, D.C.
CHIP/SCHWARZY:   Plasma⁸ TV
In a fancy hotel.
MARCY/CHIP/SCHWARZY:   Where they treat you well.
ALL:   All because you love to spell.
We spell.
RONA:   It's a marvelous memory
If you win the spelling bee.
One's life improves from A to Z
The minute you are crowned here.
I see a trophy⁹ held by me!
And when I won
Did I swell¹⁰?
Oh the stories I could tell!
But braggarts don't do well
Around here.
OLIVE:   Hi, I'm Olive Ostrovsky. Do you know where I check in?
BARFEE:   Shut up!
CONEYBEAR:   At the 25th Annual
We memorize the manual ...
ALL:   About how to spell these words.
Words that require thought.
People think we're automatons¹¹.
But that is exactly what we're not.
MARCY:   We hear the word.
SCHWARZY:   We breathe.
CONEYBEAR:   We wait.
ALL:   Unlike idiots we ideate.
RONA:   To ideate is to form an image or idea, to think
CONEYBEAR:   At the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ...
SCHWARZY:   We feel no animosity.
SCHWARZY/OLIVE:   And yet our heads are spinning.
BARFEE:   We are
The slightest bit bizarre.
MARCY:   But since the time is now ...
CONEYBEAR:   Holy cow!
SCHWARZY:   We shall make a solemn vow¹²
To concentrate on winning.
ALL:   We concentrate on winning.
At the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
We speak so damn convincingly.
RONA:   They're nervous but they're grinning.
GIRLS:   It seems
We're living out our dreams.
BOYS:   Which is a very nice
Very nice, very very very nice
ALL:   Very nice, very nice
Very very very nice
Very nice
Beginning
RONA:   25th Annual
SPELLERS:   25th Annual
ALL:   Putnam County Spelling Bee!
RS:   "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is on stage in New York and San Francisco.  A national tour is scheduled to begin later this year.
AA:   And that's Wordmaster for this week -- online at voanews.com/wordmaster.  Our e-mail address is [email protected].  With Rosanne Skirble, I'm Avi Arditti.

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 satire   

n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品

参考例句：

• The movie is a clever satire on the advertising industry.那部影片是关于广告业的一部巧妙的讽刺作品。
• Satire is often a form of protest against injustice.讽刺往往是一种对不公正的抗议形式。

3 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

4 fraught   

adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的

参考例句：

• The coming months will be fraught with fateful decisions.未来数月将充满重大的决定。
• There's no need to look so fraught!用不着那么愁眉苦脸的！

5 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

6 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

7 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

8 plasma   

n.血浆，细胞质，乳清

参考例句：

• Keep some blood plasma back for the serious cases.留一些血浆给重病号。
• The plasma is the liquid portion of blood that is free of cells .血浆是血液的液体部分，不包含各种细胞。

9 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。

10 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

11 automatons   

n.自动机，机器人( automaton的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These docile lunatic automatons are no more trouble to their guards than cattle. 对警卫来说，这些驯良的，机器人般的疯子和家畜一样不会带来多大的麻烦。 来自辞典例句
• For the most part, automatons are improved while they are off. 对大多数移动机器来讲，它们是在关机状态下得以改良的。 来自互联网

12 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。