2006年VOA标准英语-Four US Teams Seek College Basketball Immo

By Jim Stevenson
Indianapolis, IN
31 March 2006

 
LSU guard Darrel Mitchell
  

The U.S. men's college basketball national championship tournament has surprises each year.  But this year's competition has been especially exciting and unpredictable.  All four regional top seeds have been eliminated, and an unlikely 11th seed has reached the Final Four teams with a legitimate¹ shot at a national title on April 3 in Indianapolis.

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Each team that has reached this year's so-called Final Four has taken a very different path to the end of the single-elimination tournament, which began with 65 teams.  Unheralded George Mason University, located just outside the nation's capital, has made the most surprising run.  With no wins in previous tournament appearances, the team from the northern Virginia school knocked off the past two national champions and another team that was in the Final Four last year.

George Mason coach Jim Larranaga says his team took a simple approach.

George Mason's head coach Jim Larranaga  
  
"We never saw ourselves as a number one seed, or number 11 seed, or a 16th seed," he said.  "That number was truly irrelevant².  Once you get on the court it is about performance and execution.  It is about keeping things simple and not trying to do things beyond our own capabilities³."

George Mason will have to upset a strong Florida team on Saturday if it is to reach the championship game Monday night.  Despite playing with a young team this season, Florida started winning immediately with 17 consecutive⁴ victories.  The experience of sophomores⁶ in starring roles added confidence to talent.  Florida enters Saturday's semifinal game in Indianapolis with nine straight wins in March, with seven of the wins in postseason games. 

Vendor⁷ at stadium where NCAA tournament is being played   
  
Youth and size have been the hallmark of Louisiana State University's team, which eliminated the overall top seed Duke.  LSU coach John Brady says his team quickly grew up.

"Sometime along the way in this season, the youngness of our team had gotten lost in the winning," he said.  "But we started the year with three freshman⁸ on the floor and a sophomore⁵ and only one senior on the team in Darrell Mitchell.  We come off the bench with two freshman and a junior.  So for us to be where we are at this particular time is certainly a little surprising to me."

LSU, which has inspired local fans after the devastation⁹ to their state from Hurricane Katrina, will play the University of California at Los Angeles.  UCLA has a storied college basketball history and holds a record 11 national championship titles.  UCLA brushed aside a few major and several minor¹⁰ injuries this season to win its first (Pac-10) conference regular-season championship since 1997.  The UCLA team is large and physical, and coach Ben Howland is hoping their rough-and-tumble style of play will earn the school's first national championship since 1995.

1 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

2 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

3 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

5 sophomore   

n.大学二年级生；adj.第二年的

参考例句：

• He is in his sophomore year.他在读二年级。
• I'm a college sophomore majoring in English.我是一名英语专业的大二学生。

6 sophomores   

n.（中等、专科学校或大学的）二年级学生( sophomore的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We are freshmen and they are sophomores. 我们是一年级学生，他们是二年级学生。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Over half the students in the course are sophomores. 听这门课的一大半是二年级学生。 来自辞典例句

7 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

8 freshman   

n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女)

参考例句：

• Jack decided to live in during his freshman year at college.杰克决定大一时住校。
• He is a freshman in the show business.他在演艺界是一名新手。

9 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。