英语听力精选进阶版 6058
时间：2019-01-25 作者：英语课 分类：英语听力精选进阶版
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been won by a singer from Serbia with a powerful ballad 1 about an estranged 2 lover. But it was a disappointing night for the UK, whose team tied with France in joint 3 second-last place.
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition between more than 40 European countries, which is broadcast live on television throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
Each participating country sends one musical act to the competition to sing a song. Once all the acts have performed, each country awards points to the singers they liked best – these points are usually based on phone and text message votes sent in by viewers in the various countries.
However, the contest has faced mounting criticism in recent years as countries have tended to vote for their neighbours and "friends" rather than judging each entrant on their merits.
This process, known as "block voting", often sees Scandinavian, Baltic and Balkan countries voting for each other while other countries receive few votes or even no points at all – the dreaded 4 "nul points".
But some commentators 5 say the competition should not be taken too seriously and that national partisanship 6 is all part of the fun.
Whatever the result, the Eurovision Song Contest is always a spectacle featuring camp acts, baffling lyrics 7 and incomprehensible titles such as "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" and "Ding-A-Dong".
The competition has acted as the springboard for a few successful musical careers and many failed ones.
Eurovision winners who have gone on to superstardom include Abba, who won the competition in 1974 with the hit song "Waterloo", and Celine Dion, who won the competition in 1988 representing Switzerland despite being a French–Canadian.
GLOSSARY 词汇表
ballad 民谣
estranged lover 离异的情人
tied with 并列;平手
broadcast 广播
musical act 表演曲目; 表演团体
text message votes 短信投票
mounting criticism 越来越多的批评
tended 有…倾向
merits 成绩
block voting 盟友互投票
Scandinavian 斯堪的纳维亚(的)
Baltic 波罗的海(的)
Balkan 巴尔干(的)
nul points 零分
national partisanship 国家派系
spectacle 壮观的场面
camp acts 夸张的表演
springboard 跳板
baffling lyrics 难懂的歌词
superstardom 超级明星的地位
- This poem has the distinctive flavour of a ballad.这首诗有民歌风味。
- This is a romantic ballad that is pure corn.这是一首极为伤感的浪漫小曲。
- He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
- The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。
- 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。
- The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
- He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》
- Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
- Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Her violent partisanship was fighting Soames's battle. 她的激烈偏袒等于替索米斯卖气力。
- There was a link of understanding between them, more important than affection or partisanship. ' 比起人间的感情，比起相同的政见，这一点都来得格外重要。 来自英汉文学