VOA标准英语2013--Top 5 Songs for Week Ending August 24

 

Top 5 Songs for Week Ending August 24

We’re taking a look at the five most popular songs on the Billboard¹ Magazine Hot 100 pop singles chart, for the week ending August 24, 2013.

Last week, there was plenty of movement in the Top Five - ah, those were the days!

This week we return to stagnation², as nothing, and I mean nothing, moves. Nevertheless, there’s music to be played, so let’s open in fifth place with Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake with “Holy Grail.”  The all-star pair just finished their joint³ North American tour, and on November 1, Jay will perform his first-ever show in the Middle East. He’ll be in Abu Dhabi to celebrate the Grand Prix weekend; Muse⁴ and Depeche Mode will also perform. 

?Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams also hold in fourth place with their global hit “Get Lucky.” The two acts just collaborated⁵ on another song - the track “Lose Yourself To Dance,” which will be the next single from Daft Punk’s Random⁶ Access Memories album. 

Staying put at number three is a band which once played to half-empty casino showrooms in Las Vegas - times have changed. Imagine Dragons holds steady with “Radioactive” from the Night Visions album. The guys in the band say they first heard themselves on the radio last year. They were speeding back to Los Angeles from the desert, where they’d just shot the video for their song “It’s Time.” Lead singer Dan Reynolds says their huge success has been totally unexpected - but very welcome.

Still cruisin’ in second place is Miley Cyrus, with “We Can’t Stop.” Her fourth album Bangerz has been scheduled for an October 8 release, putting it slightly ahead of competing albums from Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. Miley did suffer one setback⁷ this week: Ellie Goulding knocked her off the U.K. pop singles throne with her latest hit “Burn.” 

It’s nothing but blue skies and green lights for Robin⁸ Thicke's - “Blurred⁹ Lines” featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams. It rules the Hot 100 pop singles chart for a 10th week. "Blurred Lines" is the first double-digit singles champ since 2011, when Rihanna also spent 10 weeks at the top with “We Found Love.”

That’s it for now, but new songs are on the way and next week’s chart could undergo a shake-up…you just never know! 

1 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

2 stagnation   

n. 停滞

参考例句：

• Poor economic policies led to a long period of stagnation and decline. 糟糕的经济政策道致了长时间的经济萧条和下滑。
• Motion is absolute while stagnation is relative. 运动是绝对的，而静止是相对的。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 muse   

n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感

参考例句：

• His muse had deserted him,and he could no longer write.他已无灵感，不能再写作了。
• Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.很多报纸都在揣测总统的命运。

5 collaborated   

合作( collaborate的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• We have collaborated on many projects over the years. 这些年来我们合作搞了许多项目。
• We have collaborated closely with the university on this project. 我们与大学在这个专案上紧密合作。

6 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

7 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

8 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

9 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》