Matador Dies at Spanish Bullfight

AS IT IS 2016-07-12 Matador¹ Dies at Spanish Bullfight

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A Spanish bullfighter died for the first time in over 30 years and several people were injured throughout Spain at bullfighting festivals.

Victor Barrio was a professional bullfighter, a matador in the Spanish language. He died after being injured by a bull²’s horn on Saturday.

He was participating in a bullfight in Teruel, a small town east of Madrid. Barrio was 29.

The bull weighed over 500 kilograms. Barrio was struck in the chest by the bull’s horn during the fight.

At the famous running of the bulls³ in Pamplona, two Spanish men were seriously injured by a bull’s horns and three others hurt their heads after falling.

Pamplona is a small city in northeastern Spain. It is a popular destination for tourists who come to run through the streets with the bulls. Later in the day, the bulls are in bullfights.

People dress in white clothing with red belts and scarves. They try to run close enough to the bulls to feel scared, but not so close that they get injured.

The death of the bullfighter and the other injuries prompted numerous comments on social media sites.

Some people expressed their sympathy for the matador. But many others used the news of the death and injuries to say that bullfighting is a cruel sport.

One person reminded us of the saying: “you mess with the bull, you get the horns.”

Another suggested that the death of the matador will help end the “supposed sport.”

Others reacted to the news that according to tradition, if a bull kills a matador, the bull and its mother will be killed to eliminate the bloodline.

One Twitter user called that “the dumbest thing ever.”

Words in This Story

belt – n. a band of material (such as leather) that is worn around a person's waist

festival – n. a special time or event when people gather to celebrate something

scarf – n. a long piece of cloth that is worn on your shoulders, around your neck, or over your head

horn – n. one of the hard pointed⁴ parts that grows on the head of some animals (such as cattle, goats, or sheep)

mess – v. to handle or play with (something) in a careless or foolish way

dumb – adj. not showing or having good judgment or intelligence : stupid or foolish

1 matador   

n.斗牛士

参考例句：

• The matador and bull performed wonderfully in the ring.斗牛士和公牛在斗牛场中进行阗精彩的表演。
• The matador had a narrow escape.这个斗牛士真是死里逃生。

2 bull   

n.公牛，买进证券投机图利者，看涨的人

参考例句：

• It's only a hair off a bull's back to them.这对他们来说，不过九牛一毛。
• Many dogs closed around the bull.很多狗渐渐地把那只牛围了起来。

3 bulls   

n.公牛( bull的名词复数 )；法令；力大如牛的人；（象、鲸等动物的）雄兽

参考例句：

• Riding bulls is always an exciting event at a rodeo. 骑公牛总是放牧人竞技会上激动人心的表演。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Two white bulls were sacrificed and a feast was held. 献祭了两头白牛，并举行了盛宴。 来自辞典例句

4 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。