2007年VOA标准英语-The Police Reunite for Concert Tour

By Doug Levine
Washington
21 March 2007

It's official! The Police are back and they're going on tour. As VOA's Doug Levine tells us, the group's appearance at February's Grammy Awards was just a preview of their long-awaited reunion.

Andy Summers, Sting and Stewart Copeland of The Police

Performing "Roxanne" before a worldwide television audience at the Grammys on February 11, The Police ended years of speculation¹ that the band would ever reunite. The day after, members of the Police, singer and bassist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland announced plans to embark² on a world tour beginning in May.

Sting, who has enjoyed the most success as a soloist³, said the shows would consist of "three guys on stage." 

 "They will look simple but spectacular,"  he said. The announcement was made during a break in rehearsals⁴ at the famed Whiskey a Go-Go nightclub in Los Angeles.

The tour is being touted⁵ as a celebration of the group's 30th anniversary. Formed in Britain in 1977, The Police rose from punk-rock obscurity to winning multiple Grammy Awards and selling out stadiums around the world. Together only seven years, The Police parted ways following their "Synchronicity Tour" of 1984.

Since their breakup, the Police have surprised fans with an occasional concert. They performed three shows on the Amnesty International tour in 1986, at Sting's wedding in 1992, and at their induction⁶ ceremony into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Tickets to the Police Reunion Tour are selling out fast. To meet the demand, promoters are busy adding dates to include Mexico, South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The North American leg of the tour opens in Canada on May 28. The Police are slated⁷ to perform at one of the Live Earth concerts on July 7.

Part of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to WaterAid, an organization dedicated⁸ to bringing safe drinking water to impoverished⁹ regions around the world.

1 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

2 embark   

vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机

参考例句：

• He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
• Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。

3 soloist   

n.独奏者，独唱者

参考例句：

• The soloist brought the house down with encore for his impressive voice.这位独唱家以他那感人的歌声博得全场喝彩。
• The soloist had never performed in London before.那位独唱者过去从未在伦敦演出过。

4 rehearsals   

n.练习( rehearsal的名词复数 )；排练；复述；重复

参考例句：

• The earlier protests had just been dress rehearsals for full-scale revolution. 早期的抗议仅仅是大革命开始前的预演。
• She worked like a demon all through rehearsals. 她每次排演时始终精力过人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

6 induction   

n.感应，感应现象

参考例句：

• His induction as a teacher was a turning point in his life.他就任教师工作是他一生的转折点。
• The magnetic signals are sensed by induction coils.磁信号由感应线圈所检测。

7 slated   

用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Yuki is working up an in-home phonics program slated for Thursdays, and I'm drilling her on English conversation at dinnertime. Yuki每周四还有一次家庭语音课。我在晚餐时训练她的英语口语。
• Bromfield was slated to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 布罗姆菲尔德被提名为美国农业部长。

8 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

9 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》