Eagles Face Patriots in Super Bowl Sunday

Every year, more Americans gather around their televisions to watch the Super Bowl than any other single broadcast.

每年围在电视机前观看超级碗的美国观众人数都要超过其它单个电视节目。

Last year, almost 112 million viewers watched the New England Patriots defeat the Atlanta Falcons for the National Football League championship. It was the fifth Super Bowl win for the Patriots.

去年有近1.12亿观众观看了新英格兰爱国者队击败亚特兰大猎鹰队获得美国职业橄榄球大联盟冠军。这是爱国者队第五次赢得超级碗。

This Sunday, the Patriots will go for another. They will face the Philadelphia Eagles in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

这个周日，爱国者队将要力争再赢一次。他们将在明尼苏达州明尼阿波利斯市迎战费城老鹰队。

The Eagles have never won a Super Bowl, the championship game established in 1967.

老鹰队从未赢得过超级碗这项1967年成立的冠军赛。

Fans and experts consider the Eagles the underdog in the big game, meaning the team is widely expected to lose.

球迷和专家认为老鹰队是这场大赛中不被看好的一方（underdog），也就是说，大家普遍预期这支球队会输掉比赛。

The lack of confidence in the Eagles is partly the result of Tom Brady’s great record. The Patriots quarterback has led his team to five Super Bowl wins. He was named Most Valuable Player in three of those championship games. Last year, Brady helped his team recover from a 25-point deficit and win the game. Many consider him the best quarterback of all time.

对老鹰队缺乏信心的部分原因是因为汤姆·布雷迪（Tom Brady）的优秀战绩。这位爱国者队的四分卫带领这支球队五次赢得超级碗，并在其中三次冠军赛上被评为最有价值球员（MVP）。去年，布雷迪帮助球队逆转25分并赢得比赛。很多人认为他是史上最好的四分卫。

Nick Foles is the quarterback for the Eagles. Foles had a poor 2015 season with the St. Louis Rams and thought about retiring from the game. Last year, he joined the Eagles as a back-up quarterback. When starting quarterback Carson Wentz injured his knee, Foles took his place.

尼克·菲尔斯（Nick Foles）是老鹰的四分卫。菲尔斯2015赛季在圣路易斯公羊队表现糟糕，想到了退役。去年，他作为替补四分卫加入了老鹰队。当首发四分卫卡森·温兹（Carson Wentz）膝盖受伤时，菲尔斯取代了他的位置。

The Eagles under Foles, however, seem to enjoy being the underdog. After defeating the heavily favored Atlanta Falcons 15-10 in a playoff game, two Eagles players walked off the field wearing dog masks. One of them jokingly told reporters, “I don’t know if you heard: There was a little narrative this week that the media was pushing that evidently we were, like, not favored?”

然而，以菲尔斯为首的老鹰队似乎很喜欢作为不被看好的一方。在季后赛比赛中以15：10击败亚特兰大猎鹰队之后，两名老鹰队球员带着小狗面具离开了球场。其中一人开玩笑地对记者说：“我不知道你是否听说过：这个星期有些媒体说我们显然不被看好？”

The team then encouraged its fans to wear dog masks themselves to the next game. The “underdog” Eagles went on to beat the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 38 to 7. That win earned the Eagles its place in Super Bowl 52.

然后这支球队鼓励该队球迷戴上他们的小狗面具去看下一场比赛。这支“不被看好的”老鹰队接着以38：7的比分击败了明尼苏达维京人队。这场胜利让老鹰队进入了第52届超级碗比赛。

The Super Bowl broadcast is not only about the game, however. Many who watch are more interested in the half-time entertainment and the funny commercials aired during the game.

然而超级碗的直播不仅仅是球赛。很多观众对比赛中场休息时的娱乐活动和搞笑广告更感兴趣。

Singer Justin Timberlake is the star performer this year. It will be his third time on the Super Bowl stage.

歌手贾斯汀·汀布莱克（Justin Timberlake）是今年的表演嘉宾。这将是他第三次站上超级碗的舞台。

The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots have faced each other once before in a Super Bowl. The Patriots won that 2005 NFL championship game, 24 to 21.

费城老鹰队和新英格兰爱国者队以前曾经在超级碗遭遇过。爱国者队以24：21的比分赢得了2005年那场美国职业橄榄球大联盟的冠军赛。

Only one person who played then will return to the field this Sunday: New England Patriot Tom Brady.

只有一位参加了当年比赛的球员这个周日会重新回到场上，他就是新英格兰队的汤姆·布雷迪。

The Eagles are hoping for a different result this time.

老鹰队希望这次会有不同的结果。

I’m Caty Weaver.

Words in This Story

underdog - n. a person, team, etc.. that is expected to lose a contest or battle

confidence - n. a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed

mask - n. a covering use to diguise your face

narrative - n. a story that is told or written

commercial - n. an advertisement on radio or television