北美棒球联赛拉开序幕

26 北美棒球联赛拉开序幕

DATE=4-9-01
TITLE=THIS IS AMERICA #1059 - Major League Baseball
BYLINE=George Grow

       VOICE ONE:
The Major League Baseball season opened in North America last week. I'm Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Sarah Long. Baseball in the United States is our report today on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.
(CUT ONE: "Take Me Out to the Ball Game")
VOICE ONE:
Millions of people are happy about the start of the North American baseball season. For the next seven months, many newspapers will be filled with stories about the games and players.
This season's Opening Day game was played April first in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This was the first time the Major League Baseball season opened in the United States (1) territory. Large crowds will attend baseball games in many cities in the United States and Canada. This year, the American cities of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Milwaukee, Wisconsin have opened new sports (2) stadiums for their baseball teams.
VOICE TWO:
Perhaps no other sport has become as deeply rooted in American life as baseball. And none has created so many popular traditions. There are many poems, songs, books and films about baseball. Famous players of the past and present are as well- known to Americans as the country's great scientists, writers and political leaders.
People of all ages play baseball in the United States. There are thousands of baseball teams across the country. There are school teams, company teams and teams supported by religious groups.
People who work at the headquarters¹ of the Republican² Party play baseball against workers from the Democratic³ Party. People who work at the White House for President Bush play against reporters for the media. Baseball has even become part of the English language. For example, Americans may admit to "striking⁴ out" when we fail to do something we want to do.
(MUSIC BRIDGE)
VOICE ONE:
Americans love baseball. Part of the reason is that they have been playing it for more than one- hundred- fifty years. No one knows for sure when the modern game of baseball began. Many people believe baseball developed from a game called "(3) rounders." People in America played it in the Eighteen- Hundreds. Over time, the rules changed and the game began to be called baseball.
Some historians⁵ say Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Eighteen-Thirty-Nine. Others say Alexander Cartwright invented it. Cartwright developed a list of baseball rules in Eighteen-Forty-Five. He also formed the first baseball team, the New York Knickerbockers, that same year.
VOICE TWO:
The early baseball players were not paid. In Eighteen-Sixty-Nine, a team from Cincinnati, Ohio, became the first baseball team to pay its players. Other teams soon began paying their players. Baseball had become a business.
The first group of professional baseball teams was formed in Eighteen-Seventy-Six. This new (4) National League had eight teams. Four were from the eastern part of the United States. Four were from the central part. The National League is still active today. The other professional major league, the American League, was formed in Nineteen-Oh-One.
VOICE ONE:
American radio stations started broadcasting baseball games in the Nineteen-Twenties. Later, money from radio broadcasts helped baseball teams survive during the great economic depression in the Nineteen-Thirties.
In Nineteen-Thirty five, teams began adding electric lights around baseball fields. This made it possible for people to attend games at night.
VOICE TWO:
In Nineteen-Forty-Seven, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American player in (5) modern Major League Baseball history. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers⁶. Before that, blacks played in a separate league. They did not receive the money or (6) fame that white players enjoyed.
As time passed, more African-Americans played on Major League Baseball teams. And many baseball players from Latin⁷ America and Asia joined teams. Over the years, baseball changed in other ways. Television began showing Major League games. Some teams changed cities. New teams were added.
VOICE ONE:
Today, thirty baseball teams play in the American and National leagues. Each league has three groups of teams, or divisions⁹. One team in each league is from a city in Canada. Each team plays one- hundred- sixty- two games before the season ends.
Then, in October, the teams that won the most games compete in (7) playoff games. The winner of those games is the league (8) champion. Finally, the two league champions play each other in the World Series. The first team to win four games in the World Series becomes the champion of North American baseball.
(MUSIC BRIDGE)
VOICE TWO:
In Nineteen-Ninety-Four, many people were angry with Major (9) League Baseball. Players who were paid high wages went on strike. The players and team owners refused to compromise¹⁰. Part of the baseball (10) season and all of the championship games were (11) cancelled.
The next year, the start of the season was delayed. When play finally began, many people stayed away from the games. People who had always loved the sport said they no longer cared much about it. Now, however, Americans have forgotten about the strike. And large numbers of young people are interested in the sport.
VOICE ONE:
However, money remains¹¹ an important (12) issue for Major League Baseball. Many people believe the players are paid too much money. The lowest-paid players earn two- hundred- thousand dollars a year. The (13) average salary for baseball players is almost two- million dollars a year.
A few months ago, a player named Alex Rodriguez made news by signing an agreement with the Texas Rangers¹² baseball team. The agreement made Rodriguez the richest player in baseball history. The team will pay him more than twenty- five- million dollars a year during the next ten years. Several other players on other teams will earn almost twenty- million dollars a year.
VOICE TWO:
At the same time, some teams say they need help to compete with teams in larger cities that earn more money. The Minnesota Twins team, for example, paid its players the lowest average wages. The team paid a total of about fifteen- million dollars to all its players.
But the New York (14) Yankees team paid its players more than any other team - a total of one- hundred-thirteen- million dollars. Last year the Yankees won their third World Series championship in three years. The Twins finished last in their division⁸.
VOICE ONE:
Last summer, an independent committee completed an eighteen-month study of the economic issues facing Major League Baseball. The study confirmed the large and growing economic differences among the teams. It said this is causing a lack of competitive¹³ (15) balance in baseball.
Five years ago, team owners and a union representing the players signed a labor¹⁴ agreement. The study said the agreement is failing to correct the economic differences and improve the balance of (16) competition.
Former United States Senator¹⁵ George Mitchell served on the committee. He says Major League Baseball has created a system in which the only teams with a chance of winning must earn a lot of money and spend a lot on wages. Mister¹⁶ Mitchell says that is not in the best interests of (17) baseball teams, players or (18) fans.
VOICE TWO:
Committee members proposed¹⁷ reforms to reduce the economic differences among rich and poor teams. They proposed that each team share at least forty percent of all the money it earns. They also (19) proposed a competitive balance tax. The tax would target teams that spend more than eighty- four- million dollars a year on player wages.
Under the proposal¹⁸, half the money spent over that amount would be given to the poorer teams. In (20) exchange, those teams would be required to spend at least forty- million dollars on player wages. No official action has been taken on the proposals¹⁹.
VOICE ONE:
Major League Baseball will face an important test at the end of the season. That is when the labor (21) agreement between players and team owners will end. Will there be another strike? Or can the two sides reach an agreement?
For now, the sound of "play ball" is being heard at baseball stadiums and fields across North America. And millions of Americans are enjoying the return of baseball.
(CUT TWO: "Take Me Out to the Ballgame")
VOICE TWO:
This program was written by George Grow. It was produced by Cynthia Kirk. I'm Sarah Long.
VOICE ONE:
And I'm Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA

注释：
(1)　　 territory [5terit[ri]n.领土；版图；领地
(2)　 stadium [5steidi[m]n.体育场；运动场
(3) rounder [ 5raund[ ]n.圆场棒球
(4) national [ 5nAF[n[l ]adj.国家的, 民族的
(5) modern [ 5mRd[n ]n.现代人, 有思想的人adj.近代的, 现代的
(6) fame [ feim ] n.名声, 名望v. 使有名望, 盛传
(7) playoff[ 5pleiR:f ](双方得分相等时的)最后决赛
(8) champion [5tFAmpi[n]n.斗士；冠军
(9) league[5li:g]n.社团，联盟
(10) season [5s:zn]n.季节，（四）季；节令
(11) cancel [5kAns[l]v.放弃；宣称无效
(12) issue [5isju:]n.发行；出版
(13) average[5Av[ridV]n.平均；平均水平
(14) Yankee[5jANki]n.美国佬,北方佬
(15) balance [5bAl[ns]n.天平；平衡
(16) competition[kRmpi5tiF[n]n.竞争
(17) baseball [5beisbR:l]n棒球运动
(18) fan[fAn]n热心的追随者,影迷
(19) proposed[pr[5p[uzd]a.被提议的
(20) exchange [iks5tFeindV]n交换，互换
(21) agreement [[5gri:m[nt]n.一致；同意

1 headquarters   

n.司令部，指挥部；总部，总店

参考例句：

• Several great guns from the headquarters are coming to see us today.总部的几个大人物今天要来看我们。
• The bank has its headquarters in Pairs.这家银行的总行在巴黎。

2 republican   

n.拥护共和政体的人； adj.共和政体的，（Republican）共和党人，（Republican）共和党的

参考例句：

• Some families have been republican for generations.有些家庭世代都支持共和党。
• A third candidate has entered the contest for the Republican nomination.第三个候选人已经加入角逐共和党提名的行列。

3 democratic   

adj.民主的；民主主义的，有民主精神的

参考例句：

• Their country has democratic government.他们国家实行民主政体。
• He has a democratic work-style.他作风民主。

4 striking   

adj.显著的，惹人注目的，容貌出众的

参考例句：

• There is a striking difference between Jane and Mary.简和玛丽之间有显著的差异。
• What is immediately striking is how resourceful the children are.最令人注目的是孩子们的机智聪明。

5 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

6 dodgers   

n.躲闪者，欺瞒者( dodger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a crackdown on fare dodgers on trains 对火车逃票者的严厉打击
• But Twain, Howells, and James were jeeringly described by Mencken as "draft-dodgers". 不过吐温、豪威尔斯和詹姆斯都是被门肯讥诮地叫做“逃避兵役的人。” 来自辞典例句

7 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

8 division   

n.区分，分开，除法，公司，部门，师(军队里)

参考例句：

• Have you learnt division?你学会除法了吗？
• The division commander ordered that we start the attack before dawn.师长令我们在拂晓前发起攻击。

9 divisions   

n.分开( division的名词复数 )；分界线；分歧；分离

参考例句：

• The country's political divisions are deep-seated. 这个国家的政治分歧根深蒂固。
• The country's political divisions are deep-seated. 这个国家的政治分歧根深蒂固。

10 compromise   

n.妥协；妥协方案；vt.损害；vi.妥协，让步

参考例句：

• The spokesman made it clear that no compromise was yet in sight.发言人表明，目前还不会妥协。
• The probable outcome of the talks is a compromise.会谈的结果很可能是妥协。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

13 competitive   

adj.竞争的，比赛的，好竞争的，有竞争力的

参考例句：

• Some kinds of business are competitive.有些商业是要竞争的。
• These businessmen are both competitive and honourable.这些商人既有竞争性又很诚实。

14 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

15 senator   

n.参议员，评议员

参考例句：

• The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
• The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。

16 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

17 proposed   

被提议的

参考例句：

• There is widespread discontent among the staff at the proposed changes to pay and conditions. 员工对改变工资和工作环境的建议普遍不满。
• an outcry over the proposed change 对拟议的改革所发出的强烈抗议

18 proposal   

n.提议，建议；求婚

参考例句：

• I feel that we ought to accept his proposal.我觉得我们应该接受他的建议。
• They could not gain over anyone to support their proposal.他们无法争取到支持他们建议的人。

19 proposals   

n.提议( proposal的名词复数 )；推荐；求婚；赞成提案

参考例句：

• The director has given her assent to the proposals. 负责人已表示同意提案。
• The police gave the proposals their full backing. 警方对这些提案给予全力支持。