英文短篇故事（纽约）485 Baseball Fans Balk at Prices

 　　The number of fans attending Yankees games this spring has decreased from last year. In a TV interview, a Yankees spokesman¹ listed various reasons for the decreased attendance². He said, "Well, first of all, there's the weather. Spring has been cold and rainy. In fact, most people would say that we haven't even had a spring yet. We were still having winter weather in mid-May. Next, our sluggish³ national economy is hurting attendance. Then, of course, two of our star players are injured. Plus, many fans are watching NBA and NHL playoffs." Watching the interview with his dad, Irwin said, "He gave us every reason but the real one. Prices! Every year ticket prices and concession⁴ prices go up. Nowadays, a beer costs me what I used to pay for a beer, a hot dog, a bag of peanuts, and a ticket!" His dad said, "And, way back when, parking!"

1 spokesman   

n.发言人，代言人

参考例句：

• The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
• They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。

2 attendance   

n.出席，出席人数，护理，照料

参考例句：

• The attendance of this class never dropped off.这个班的出席人数从未下降。
• The young man danced attendance on his rich aunt.这个年轻人小心侍候他有钱的姑妈。

3 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

4 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。