VOA标准英语2008年-Nebraska Youth Wins US National Geographic Bee

By Jeffrey Young
Washington
22 May 2008
 

An 11-year-old from Lincoln, Nebraska has won the 2008 National Geographic¹ Bee with a flawless quiz score. Akshay Rajagopal is only the second winner in the Bee's 20-year history with a perfect performance. The win earned the six-grader $25,000 and a trip to the next international Geographic Bee competition. VOA's Jeffrey Young was there.

Some National Geography Bee questions come straight from today's headlines.

Alex Trebek, Natioinal Georgrphic Bee host and moderator asked: "In May of 2008 -  this year - the largest Chinese earthquake in over 50 years occurred in Sichuan Province. Name the capital of the province, which is located about 50 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake."

Other Bee questions are, for most people, beyond even a good guess.

Trebek: "Makoca is a type of music popular in which country, which lies north of the island of Bioko?

It did not matter how obscure² the question was to 11-year-old Akshay Rajagopal of Lincoln, Nebraska. He knew the answers. All of them. And that is how he pocketed the top prize of $25,000.

Trebek: "Cochabamba is the third-largest conervation [aggregation of urban communities] in what country?" "Hunter, you wrote down 'Honduras?'

Akshay answered "Bolivia."

Trebek: "Cochabamba is the third-largest conervation in the country of -  Bolivia! That means that Akshay is our champion! For the second, second year in a row, ladies and gentlemen, the National Geographic Bee champion is a student who has not missed one question. [He] Didn't miss one in the preliminary³ rounds yesterday. [He] Did not miss one today. Akshay, way to go!"

Akshay Rajagopal's victory came in stages. First, he had to be the winner at his school, then, at the state level. Then came the trip to Washington, D.C. and besting 54 other contestants⁴, one from each of the U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia. The ten top contestants made it to the final round.

Ashkay says he used a lot of things for learning⁵ about the world, "I study a lot by watching DVDs, and I study a book called Grollier's Lands and People."

Now Askay Rajagopal and the second and third place finishers move on to the international round of the National Geographic Bee, where they will go up against teams from countries all over the globe.

1 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

2 obscure   

adj.微暗的，难解的，不著名的，（语音学）轻音的；vt.使...阴暗，隐藏，使...含糊，成为含糊的元音；n.暗淡，模糊

参考例句：

• The point of his speech is obscure.他发言的要点模糊不清。
• The joke did not obscure the underlying seriousness of his point.玩笑并没有掩盖他的观点隐含的严肃性。

3 preliminary   

n.初步行动，准备，初步措施；adj.初步的，开始的，预备的

参考例句：

• They are taking preliminary steps in preparation for a possible war.他们正在为应付一场可能的战争做初步的准备。
• A physical examination is a preliminary to joining the army.体格检查是参军的初步。

4 contestants   

n.竞争者，参赛者( contestant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The competition attracted over 500 contestants representing 8 different countries. 这次比赛吸引了代表8个不同国家的500多名参赛者。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency. 两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。