VOA标准英语2015--Top 5 Songs for Week Ending March 21

Top 5 Songs for Week Ending March 21

We’re setting free the five most popular songs in the Billboard¹ Hot 100 pop singles chart, for the week ending March 21, 2015.

It had to happen: just when we were getting comfortable with one new title per week, the machinery² breaks down. It’s the same old songs this time around - luckily, they’re pretty good songs!

Let’s start in fifth place, where Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney tread water with “FourFiveSeconds.” Rihanna made fashion history this week…by becoming the first black woman to represent the French fashion house Dior. Women’s Wear Daily reports that Rihanna will appear in a video and print campaign, appearing this North American spring. She’s already promoted Balmain fashions, and was named a creative director for Puma³ shoes.

Staying put in fourth place is Ellie Goulding (Golding) with “Love Me Like You Do.” which has topped charts from Australia to Finland. Here in the States, Ellie joined The Voice as a musical advisor⁴ on Adam Levine’s team. Adam says she’s easy to talk to and had a big influence on his team.

Speaking of Adam Levine, he and the rest of Maroon⁵ 5 hang onto third place with “Sugar.”  Adam Levine and his crew have been pumping out hits since 2002…but did you know they’ve been around considerably⁶ longer? The group formed in 1994 as Kara’s Flowers, and released one album, The Fourth World, in 1997. Four years later, they regrouped, re-named themselves, and the rest is chart history.

Up in second place is Ed Sheeran, who this week proved he’s one of the nicest guys in pop music. I’ll fill you in after “Thinking Out Loud.”

On March 15, Joe Irvine, a contestant⁷ on the New Zealand X Factor, was bullied⁸ unmercifully by judges Natalia Kills and Willy Moon. They lost their jobs…and Joe got a nice tweet from Ed. He said “don’t worry about what anyone else says. Enjoy yourself with it, that’s what singing is about.”

Up at number one, it’s Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars for a 10th big week with “Uptown Funk.” It’s only the 29th song in Hot 100 history to last that long at the top…and the chart has been around since 1958!

Can they make it 11 weeks? We’ll find out next time.

1 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

2 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

3 puma   

美洲豹

参考例句：

• The police and the volunteers combed the forest for the lost puma from the zoo.警察和志愿者们在森林里到处寻找动物园迷失的美洲狮。
• A businessman on a fishing trip saw the puma up a tree.一位商人去钓鱼，看见那只美洲狮在树上。

4 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

5 maroon   

v.困住，使（人）处于孤独无助之境；n.逃亡黑奴；孤立的人；酱紫色，褐红色；adj.酱紫色的，褐红色的

参考例句：

• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks.埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。
• Robinson Crusoe has been marooned on a desert island for 26 years.鲁滨逊在荒岛上被困了26年。

6 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

7 contestant   

n.竞争者，参加竞赛者

参考例句：

• The company will furnish each contestant with a free ticket.公司将为每个参赛者免费提供一张票。
• The personal appearance and interview of the contestant is another count.参加比赛者的个人仪表和谈话也是一项。

8 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》