VOA标准英语2009年-Records are Made to Be Broken

Ted¹ Landphair | Washington, DC 30 November 2009

A Washington, D.C., free transit² newspaper called the Express specializes in short, breezy lifestyle items. Its readers turn to Page 2, in particular, where the Express prints goofy little stories and photographs each day. Burglars getting stuck in chimneys – that sort of thing.

 

The other day, three of the items on Page 2 had to do with attempts to break world records. Not arduous³ sports achievements, but oddball activities recorded by Britain's Guinness Book – and more recently, Web site – of World Records.

In one of the record-setting events mentioned in the Express, some folks in East Providence⁴, Rhode Island, got together and created the world's longest string of beads⁵ – red and white ones in a 411-meter long strand⁶. Readers also saw some happy chefs in Lebanon. They had just broken the record for the largest dish of tabbouleh, a Middle Eastern salad. But the topper was Sean Murphy's achievement. This Lansing, Michigan, pet-store owner succeeded in stuffing 16 live Madagascar hissing⁷ cockroaches⁸ into his mouth, shattering the old record of 11, set by someone, somewhere, who no doubt is still getting over the experience.

This is said to be the world's largest rocking chair, in Natty⁹ Flat, Texas. If it isn't it's gotta be close. Texas probably has a world-record cowboy to sit in it, too

Then the next day, continuing its apparent Guinness World Record binge, the Express showed a photo of thousands of people shimmying and shaking outside an arena¹⁰ in Los Angeles. They were taking part in a mass, worldwide re-enactment of the late singer Michael Jackson's video Thriller¹¹, for which the world record for the number of dancers stood at 13,597.

These stories leave one wondering whether all these people have real lives. But the bigger question is: Why do they do such things? Is a moment of weird¹² fame enough to make one put 16 large vermin in his mouth? Sean Murphy said he wanted to do something cool for a YouTube video. Sort of a 21st-century version of George Mallory's famous reply when a reporter asked him, in 1924, why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, the world's highest peak. Said Mallory, who would die in the effort: Because it's there.
 

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

3 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

4 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

5 beads   

n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链

参考例句：

• a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
• Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。

6 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

7 hissing   

n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The steam escaped with a loud hissing noise. 蒸汽大声地嘶嘶冒了出来。
• His ears were still hissing with the rustle of the leaves. 他耳朵里还听得萨萨萨的声音和屑索屑索的怪声。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕

8 cockroaches   

n.蟑螂( cockroach的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At night, the cockroaches filled the house with their rustlings. 夜里，屋里尽是蟑螂窸窸瑟瑟的声音。 来自辞典例句
• It loves cockroaches, and can keep a house clear of these hated insects. 它们好食蟑螂，可以使住宅免除这些讨厌昆虫的骚扰。 来自百科语句

9 natty   

adj.整洁的，漂亮的

参考例句：

• Cliff was a natty dresser.克利夫是讲究衣着整洁美观的人。
• Please keep this office natty and use the binaries provided.请保持办公室整洁，使用所提供的垃圾箱。

10 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

11 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

12 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。