英语单词大师：Broadway

 AA:   I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble, and this week on Wordmaster: a track from the original Broadway cast recording¹ of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

RS:   The show is a musical satire² of spelling competitions and the pressure to go to Washington 鈥?where, in real life, the best young spellers compete in the National Spelling Bee. VOICE:   Ms. Peretti. Please spell syzygy.

RONA:   S-y-z-y-g-y. Syzygy?

VOICE:   We have a winner!

RONA:   Oh, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

CHIP:   At the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeMy parents keep on telling meJust being here is winning.

AlthoughI know it isn't so.

RONA:   But it's a very niceVery, very nice ...

RONA, CHIP:   Very, very niceVery nice beginning.

RONA:   Our winner here last year: Chip Tolentino.

SCHWARZY:   Ms. Peretti!

RONA:   And our youngest competitor, Logainne Schwarzandgrubeniere.

CONEYBEAR:   At the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling game -- Bee!

I'll stand when they announce my name:

RONA:   Leaf Coneybear.

CONEYBEAR:   And try and keep from shaking.

SCHWARZY:   AlasHis shaking will not passCONEYBEAR/CHIP/RONA/SCHWARZY: 'Cause it's a very big, Very fraught³ Simple but it's notIt's a very big undertaking⁴.

RONA:   Returning after last year's tragic⁵ setback⁶, William Barfee.

BARFEE:   It's pronounced Barfee, there's an accent egue.

RONA:   I'm not sure who this girl is.

MARCY:   Marcy Park. Recent transfer.

SCHWARZY:   Winner's destination: Washington, D.C.

CHIP/SCHWARZY:   Plasma⁷ TVIn a fancy hotel.

MARCY/CHIP/SCHWARZY:   Where they treat you well.

ALL:   All because you love to spell.

We spell.

RONA:   It's a marvelous memoryIf you win the spelling bee.

One's life improves from A to ZThe minute you are crowned here.

I see a trophy⁸ held by me!

And when I wonDid I swell⁹?

Oh the stories I could tell!

But braggarts don't do wellAround here.

OLIVE:   Hi, I'm Olive Ostrovsky. Do you know where I check in?

BARFEE:   Shut up!

CONEYBEAR:   At the 25th AnnualWe memorize the manual ...

ALL:   About how to spell these words.

Words that require thought.

People think we're automatons¹⁰. But that is exactly what we're not.

MARCY:   We hear the word.

SCHWARZY:   We breathe.

CONEYBEAR:   We wait.

ALL:   Unlike idiots we ideate.

RONA:   To ideate is to form an image or idea, to thinkCONEYBEAR:   At the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ...

SCHWARZY:   We feel no animosity.

SCHWARZY/OLIVE:   And yet our heads are spinning.

BARFEE:   We areThe slightest bit bizarre.

MARCY:   But since the time is now ...

CONEYBEAR:   Holy cow!

SCHWARZY:   We shall make a solemn vowTo concentrate on winning.

ALL:   We concentrate on winning.

At the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeWe speak so damn convincingly.

RONA:   They're nervous but they're grinning.

GIRLS:   It seemsWe're living out our dreams.

BOYS:   Which is a very niceVery nice, very very very niceALL:   Very nice, very niceVery very very niceVery niceBeginningRONA:   25th AnnualSPELLERS:   25th AnnualALL:   Putnam County Spelling Bee!

RS:   The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is on stage in New York and San Francisco.  A national tour is scheduled to begin later this year.

AA:   And that's Wordmaster for this week -- online at voanews.com/wordmaster.  Our e-mail address is [email protected].  With Rosanne Skirble, I'm Avi Arditti.

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 satire   

n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品

参考例句：

• The movie is a clever satire on the advertising industry.那部影片是关于广告业的一部巧妙的讽刺作品。
• Satire is often a form of protest against injustice.讽刺往往是一种对不公正的抗议形式。

3 fraught   

adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的

参考例句：

• The coming months will be fraught with fateful decisions.未来数月将充满重大的决定。
• There's no need to look so fraught!用不着那么愁眉苦脸的！

4 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

5 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

6 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。

7 plasma   

n.血浆，细胞质，乳清

参考例句：

• Keep some blood plasma back for the serious cases.留一些血浆给重病号。
• The plasma is the liquid portion of blood that is free of cells .血浆是血液的液体部分，不包含各种细胞。

8 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。

9 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

10 automatons   

n.自动机，机器人( automaton的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These docile lunatic automatons are no more trouble to their guards than cattle. 对警卫来说，这些驯良的，机器人般的疯子和家畜一样不会带来多大的麻烦。 来自辞典例句
• For the most part, automatons are improved while they are off. 对大多数移动机器来讲，它们是在关机状态下得以改良的。 来自互联网