VOA慢速英语2015 猫王的两架飞机即将拍卖

 

Elvis Presley's Airplanes for Sale 猫王的两架飞机即将拍卖

January 8 is the birthday of American rock and roll legend Elvis Presley. He would have turned 80 years old on January 8. But, he died 1977 at the still young age of 42.

Elvis mania¹ is still widespread in America. People go to shows featuring Elvis look-a-likes. 

Hundreds of thousands go to Memphis, Tennessee, each year to visit his home and burial place, Graceland.

People also get excited about Elvis memorabilia -- his belongings², objects he touched, any of his writings and other things related to the man called the King of Rock and Roll.

On Friday, someone might get a huge piece of Elvis history.

On that day, the company Julien's Auctions⁴ will hold a special sale of Elvis Presley’s two airplanes. The special sale is called an auction³. That is a public sale where objects are sold to the person or people who offer the most money.

The planes have been on public view at Graceland for 30 years. They are currently not airworthy.

The Lisa Marie was Presley’s first jet. It is also the bigger of the two. It could fly up to 28 passengers.

Presley bought it in 1975 for $250,000. Then he spent $300,000 more on repairs and making the inside beautiful. It has an area for sleeping, a conference room for meetings, and a bar -- a place for making and enjoying alcoholic⁵ drinks.

The Lisa Marie was named after Presley’s daughter. The plane is rare. There were only 65 of the same kind ever made.

The singer purchased his second jet while waiting for work to be finished on the Lisa Marie. The Hound Dog II could fly eight to 10 passengers.

Julien’s Auctions is based Beverly Hills, California. Officials with the company say they expect the planes to sell for $10 million and $15 million.

The company also says the buyer may purchase land near Graceland to keep and show the jets. An agreement between Graceland and the jets' current owners is set to expire at the end of April. The identity of the owners has not been released.

Graceland, Elvis Presley's home in Memphis, Tennessee, is a popular tourist attraction for Elvis fans all over the world. (Aug. 2010)

Words in This Story

legend – n. a famous or important person who is known for doing something extremely well

mania – n. extreme enthusiasm for something that is usually shared by many people

memorabilia – n. objects or materials that are collected because they are related to a particular event, person, etc.; things collected as souvenirs

jet – n. a fast airplane that has one or more jet engines

expire – v. to end; to no longer be valid after a period of time

1 mania   

n.疯狂；躁狂症，狂热，癖好

参考例句：

• Football mania is sweeping the country.足球热正风靡全国。
• Collecting small items can easily become a mania.收藏零星物品往往容易变成一种癖好。

2 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

3 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

4 auctions   

n.拍卖，拍卖方式( auction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They picked up most of the furniture at auctions in country towns. 他们大部分的家具都是在乡村镇上的拍卖处买的。 来自辞典例句
• Our dealers didn't want these cars, so we had to dump them at auctions. 我们的承销商都不要这些车子，因此我们只好贱价拍卖。 来自辞典例句

5 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。