VOA标准英语2010-Exhibit on Musical Group ABBA Opens in Lo

The world's first official exhibit dedicated¹ to the pop music group ABBA opened in London in January. ABBAWORLD has attracted tens of thousands of visitors of all ages. The display promises extraordinary insight into the group. Spectators can even try their hand at performing alongside members of the band.

For an ABBA fan, it's a dream come true, the chance to join the 70s pop group on stage thanks to hologram technology.

Displays in 25 rooms take visitors on the group's journey, from their victory in the 1974 Eurovision song contest to an annual competition that launched the group's first major hit across Europe, Waterloo.

"It is the biggest collection of its kind," Wladimir Sardinha, spokesman for the official European ABBA fan club, explained. "They donated to this exhibition, Benny, Bjorn, Agnetha and Frida.  They gave some personal items to this exhibition."

The exhibit follows the success of the group --  two married couples -- as record sales reached nearly 400 million worldwide.

Across Europe, Australia and eventually the United States, their catchy² tunes³, experiments with recording⁴ technology and daring costumes made them, for several years, Sweden's second biggest export, after automaker Volvo.

"We have met our first girlfriends and boyfriends listening to their music, so we have a lot of memories together with ABBA," Swedish journalist Torsten Blomquist says his countrymen are proud of ABBA.

After scores of hits, including Mamma Mia and Dancing Queen, as well as nine albums, the group disbanded. Industry analysts⁵ note that both couples divorced but there were musical differences too.  

Recently, with the film Mamma Mia and earlier the stage musical, a new generation has discovered the group -- and the exhibit.  

"I liked it a lot," one fan said. "It was very interesting to find out about their past." "It was like going back, 20, 30 years, going back in my life," said another fan. "I felt young again."  "I am more of a fan, having come here today and spent like six hours listening to the music than I was before I came," another fan stated.

The exhibit moves to Australia in a few months. Organizers are making plans for other cities, before it goes on permanent display in the Swedish capital Stockholm. 

More than 35 years after the pop group became famous, for fans, the magic of ABBA lives on.
 

1 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

2 catchy   

adj.易记住的，诡诈的，易使人上当的

参考例句：

• We need a new slogan.The old one's not catchy enough.我们需要新的口号，旧的不够吸引人。
• The chorus is very catchy to say the least.副歌部分很容易上口。

3 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。