【一起听英语】你是赢家吗？

在所有的竞赛里，你是否是赢家？

Rob: Hello I’m Rob. Welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m joined today by Neil. Hello

Neil.

Neil: Hello Rob.

Rob: Now Neil, I have a question for you – do you think you are a winner?

Neil: You mean someone who has a lot of success in everything?

Rob: Well, not exactly – I'm just talking about competitions – do you have a lot of

success or luck in winning them?

Neil: Competitions? No, not at all. I don't think I've ever won a competition.

Rob: Ah, bad luck. That means you're not a 'comper'. That's an informal name for

someone who takes part in – or enters – competitions on an almost semiprofessional

basis. They spend a lot of time trying to win something.

Neil: You mean winning prizes – or free gifts.

Rob: I do. And Neil, you could win a prize if you can correctly answer today's

question. So, are you ready?

Neil: I'm ready.

Rob: Well, a lottery 1 is one kind of competition where the prize is money. The

biggest cash prizes can be won in the USA – but do you know what the

biggest ever cash prize to be paid in America is? Is it:

a) $590 million

b) $890 million

c) $1 billion

Neil: Well, things tend to be big in America, so I'm going to go for c) $1 billion

dollars.

Rob: I'd like to win that. We’ll find out if you are right or wrong later on. So let’s

talk more about 'compers' – people who regularly take part in competitions.

We could say they are hooked on – meaning addicted 2 to – taking part.

Neil: Yes, the lure 3 – or attractiveness – of winning big prizes means these people

just can't stop answering quiz questions, writing slogans and captions 4 or

solving puzzles.

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Rob: Some people go to great lengths – or put a lot of effort into winning

something – even if it's just a box of chocolates or a coffee mug. It's just the

excitement of winning.

Neil: But sometimes there are big prizes to win – a new car, a speedboat or a

holiday of a lifetime. The only problem is that these prizes are either not easy

to win or there are millions of people trying to win them.

Rob: I've certainly never won anything as fantastic as that – but one man who has

had plenty of good luck is Martin Dove, who is a retired 5 lecturer and an

expert 'comper'.

Neil: He certainly is. He's won a yacht, a racehorse and lots of smaller prizes too.

Let's hear from him now. Listen out for the names he says people have called

him…

Martin Dove, a 'comper':

I've been a comper for 40 years. It's like admitting some addiction 6 isn't it really! Some

people have called me the Master of Comping, the King of Comping, the Guru of

Comping, but it's just a word, it's just a phrase, it's just I was fairly high-profile.

Rob: So, he says he was fairly high-profile – that means he was often seen in

public, mentioned in newspapers, or appeared on television. And because he

was high-profile he got called a few nicknames…

Neil: …names like the master of comping – so someone who is very good or

skilled at it. And the king of comping – not an actual royal king but someone

is the best at doing something. And the guru of comping – that's someone

who other people respect and go to for advice about comping.

Rob: Well, he knows his stuff and he still checks out competitions on cereal boxes

and crisp packets for the next big win. He's even written books on the

subject and offered advice to other compers.

Neil: But comping has changed, Rob. There are lots of competitions to enter on

the internet now. Every webpage you look at seems to tempt 7 us with a

fantastic prize to be won.

Rob: That's true. But Martin Dove doesn't think that is necessarily a good thing.

Can you hear why?

Martin Dove, a 'comper':

The thing is now competitions are far easier to enter than they ever were. In the old

days I could spend a fortnight crafting a slogan and really working hard and really being

proud of it. Now all you have do is 'click, click, click, click, click' and because it only

takes 30 seconds to do, 20 minutes you can knock out 40 competitions. And you can get

a million entries now, so it's a million to one.

Neil: So, competitions online are easier to enter – you just have to click. Martin

said he could enter about 40 competitions in just 20 minutes!

Rob: But because it's so easy, more people enter and so the odds 8 – or chances of

winning are less. Sometimes, a one in a million chance of winning – a very 

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rare or unlikely chance. I wonder what your chances are of getting today's

question right Neil?

Neil: One in three maybe?

Rob: Maybe! Well, earlier I asked you what is the biggest ever cash prize to be

paid out in a lottery in the USA? Is it:

a) $590 million

b) $890 million

c) $1 billion

Neil: I said it was c) $1 billion

Rob: And you are wrong. It's actually only $590 million; that was won by an 84-

year-old woman in Florida last year. Neil, what's the biggest prize you've

ever won?

Neil: I think I once, about 10 years ago, won £10 on the British National Lottery.

Rob: Wow, that's a big win! Well, for getting today's question wrong you get the

consolation 9 prize of reminding us of some of the words that we've heard

today.

Neil: OK, we heard:

luck

comper

prizes

lottery

hooked on

the lure

slogans

high-profile

master

guru

the odds

one in a million

Rob: OK. Thanks Neil – you really are a winner. Well, we hope you’ve enjoyed

today’s programme. Please join us again soon for 6 Minute English from BBC

Learning English.

Both: Bye!