March Madness Enthralls Basketball Fans

    It’s known as "March Madness."  That is the nickname for the annual(年度) men’s college basketball tournament that decides the champion from among the United States’ largest [Division 1] colleges and universities. The closely followed tournament and why it evokes¹ such passion in fans.
    In this year’s tournament preview issue, Sports Illustrated  magazine called March Madness "the most exciting three weeks in sports."It has truly become the equivalent of the excitement generated around the rest of the world in the knockout phases of football’s World Cup.
    This year, the National Collegiate Athletic² Association （联合会协会）[NCAA] added four additional schools to the field, so the single-elimination tournament now features 68 teams. The madness comes from the thrilling upsets and buzzer³-beating winning baskets, the school pep bands playing court-side and the painted faces of the loud, passionate⁴ fans.
    On the very first full day of games - March 17 - Richmond University of Virginia, Morehead State University of Kentucky and Gonzaga University in the state of Washington all scored upsets to advance, while Temple University of Philadelphia and last year’s runner-up Butler University from Indiana, won on last-second shots.
    Butler survived its opener with a thrilling win over Old Dominion⁵ University from Virginia. Here is how Westwood One's Scott Graham called the finish.
    "Shot is up, and it’s good! Shot counts at the buzzer! A wild scramble⁶ for the basketball! Butler came out of the pack with it, and the game-winning shot as time expires here in Washington!"College basketball historian and author John Feinstein told VOA it’s these types of games that make March Madness what it is.
    "There is something magical about it. You watch the first game here in Washington, goes right to the buzzer [up to the last moment of play] and a kid makes the play. And Butler pulls out a game, and then you’re following scores around the country, and Morehead State beats Louisville [in a huge upset], and Princeton has a chance to beat Kentucky. And it’s just so much fun not knowing what’s going to happen next, right through to the championship game."Feinstein said, in recent years, there have been so many thrilling games between large and small schools because of rules that allow star players to leave for the professional ranks after only a year or two of college. Those top players tend to go to the larger schools, which makes it necessary to constantly recruit to fill their places, while players at the smaller schools tend to stay through graduation and gain valuable experience playing together for a longer period.
    "You have seniors, who may not be as talented as freshmen⁷ and sophomores⁸ at the power schools, but they’re more experienced. They may be a little calmer under fire," said Feinstein.
    Feinstein said that’s what he and the fans love about it, because it is not always the same teams that advance, as is usually the case with American football at the collegiate（大学的学院的） level.
    For instance, the University of Cincinnati in Ohio made the tournament field for the first time in six years. Student Nathan Brock said that was a cause for celebration on campus. He entered his university’s lottery⁹, won the right to purchase tickets and told VOA he drove nine hours to the nation’s capital to see his school play.
    "For me, I’ve been a student there for five years. I’m about to graduate, so I’ve been through [following] this team since a mixed first year, and it’s just been a ride, you know. The first year was kind of rough [for the team], and then we’ve gotten better every year, every year, so to be in the NCAA tournament is big for me," said Brock.
    In addition to following their favorite teams, fans also compete with each other in guessing which teams will advance each round and make it to the finals.
    University of Missouri alumna¹⁰ and big fan Susie Barnelly said she bought her tickets from a broker¹¹, paying about four times face value so she could experience the excitement of March Madness in person.
    "It’s great. It’s the energy of basketball. It’s watching my Missouri Tigers, and it’s an exciting time. It’s great."After three weeks of "March Madness" with games played across the country, the so-called Final Four will gather in Houston, Texas, for the semifinals on April 2. The championship game also will be played there two nights later.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 evokes   

产生，引起，唤起( evoke的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• Each type evokes antibodies which protect against the homologous. 每一种类型都能产生抗同种病毒的抗体。

2 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

3 buzzer   

n.蜂鸣器；汽笛

参考例句：

• The buzzer went off at eight o'clock.蜂鸣器在8点钟时响了。
• Press the buzzer when you want to talk.你想讲话的时候就按蜂鸣器。

4 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

5 dominion   

n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图

参考例句：

• Alexander held dominion over a vast area.亚历山大曾统治过辽阔的地域。
• In the affluent society,the authorities are hardly forced to justify their dominion.在富裕社会里，当局几乎无需证明其统治之合理。

6 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

7 freshmen   

n.（中学或大学的）一年级学生( freshman的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We are freshmen and they are sophomores. 我们是一年级学生，他们是二年级学生。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• University freshmen get lots of razzing, but they like the initiation. 大一新生受各种嘲弄，但是他们对这种入门经验甘之如饴。 来自辞典例句

8 sophomores   

n.（中等、专科学校或大学的）二年级学生( sophomore的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We are freshmen and they are sophomores. 我们是一年级学生，他们是二年级学生。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Over half the students in the course are sophomores. 听这门课的一大半是二年级学生。 来自辞典例句

9 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

10 alumna   

n.女校友，女毕业生 (pl.alumnae)

参考例句：

• I came across a old alumna in the street this morning.今天早上我在街上碰见一位老校友。
• My alumni and alumna are present at my birthday party.我的男校友和女校友都出席了我的生日聚会。

11 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。