VOA标准英语2010年-You'll Get a Bang Out of This Story

Looks like the auto¹ on the right, which already looks the worse for wear, is about to get zapped once again.

There's a really destructive form of entertainment being staged in many parts of the United States. It's  called the demolition² derby. The derbies are a huge hit at county fairs, where they draw big paying crowds, and there's a regular circuit of these loud and smelly events throughout the Midwest.

The noise comes from old, stripped-down cars, with powerful engines roaring, bashing into one another in a stadium or rodeo arena³.  The smell comes from burning oil and transmission fluid, leaking from crippled cars.

The rules are simple: the last car running wins. When the starter drops a flag, everybody begins backing up and banging into each other or trying to get out of the way.

Carol M. Highsmith
A wonderful demolition derby car candidate. Just knock out the windshield, take the gas tank inside, and off you go.

Notice that we said BACKING into each other. Eighty percent of the event is spent in reverse gear. The drivers - both men and women - must look over their shoulders as they search out an opposing car to ram⁴. That's because a car's most vulnerable targets - the engine and radiator⁵ - are up front. 

The gas tanks and batteries are removed and placed in the safer back seat, and the doors get extra bracing⁶. There are no windshields, so there's nothing to break and cut the driver.

Obviously these old junkers are not allowed on the highway.

Prize money is modest - maybe $1,000 to the winner - just enough to find more old clunkers to tinker with.

Junkers line up, rear ends facing the arena, before the start of a demo derby event at a county fair.

Some drivers spend months building a car that will last 10 minutes in the ring before being destroyed. Then they salvage⁷ parts, keep the motor, and tow what's left to the junkyard.

What's the appeal of all this destruction? Demo derby drivers and fans alike say it's an adrenaline rush, and it's the one place where drivers can wreak⁸ total havoc⁹ on the cars around them and not get pulled over by a police cruiser.

 

1 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

2 demolition   

n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹

参考例句：

• The church has been threatened with demolition for years. 这座教堂多年来一直面临拆毀的威胁。
• The project required the total demolition of the old bridge. 该项目要求将老桥完全拆毁。

3 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。

4 ram   

(random access memory)随机存取存储器

参考例句：

• 512k RAM is recommended and 640k RAM is preferred.推荐配置为512K内存，640K内存则更佳。

5 radiator   

n.暖气片，散热器

参考例句：

• The two ends of the pipeline are connected with the radiator.管道的两端与暖气片相连接。
• Top up the radiator before making a long journey.在长途旅行前加满散热器。

6 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

7 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

8 wreak   

v.发泄；报复

参考例句：

• She had a burning desire to wreak revenge.她复仇心切。
• Timid people always wreak their peevishness on the gentle.怯懦的人总是把满腹牢骚向温和的人发泄。

9 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。