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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
MELBOURNE - On one side is the 'haaah', and on the other is the 'aaagh', and in between, a bit of tennis. Welcome to the scream queen final, where every shot will be heard around the world.
In a match-up dreaded1 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka, two of the game's most notorious shriekers, will contest the Australian Open final on Saturday.
The timing3 is unfortunate, coming just days after the WTA launched a crackdown on the unladylike grunting5 which has long been a source of debate and innuendo6.
And stereo screaming from either side of the net may prove too much for the jocular Australian crowd, which joined in en masse with Azarenka's distinctive7 exclamations8 during her late-night win over Casey Dellacqua.
Australia's Channel Seven TV will be on hand with its Whoo! Meter, which has already clocked Azarenka at 91.4 decibels9 - the equivalent of a passing truck.
Headline writers have gone to town, with the Herald10 Sun calling the pair the "squeal11 deal" and Britain's Independent saying they are vying12 to be crowned "princess of wails13".
Tennis website www.thetennisspace.com listed a compendium14 of descriptions, with highlights including "the mating call of a peacock", "a balloon being deflated15" or "a woman about to give birth to triplets".
The Age's Richard Hinds16 recalled Peter Ustinov's famous quip about Monica Seles: "I would hate to be in the next room on her wedding night."
"Some say the grunt was invented in Nick Bollettieri's tennis laboratory where, convinced a noisy expulsion would help a player hit the ball harder, the famed coach played soundtracks from pornographic movies near the test tubes in which his 'Deci-belles' were incubating.
"Others are adamant17 the shriek2 was secretly encouraged by the WTA Tour marketing18 department, which hoped to keep spectators awake during early-round matches."
The WTA was concerned enough to take action, admitting that "some fans find it bothersome".
"Everyone who watches tennis knows grunting is a part of the game, and we are aware that some fans find it bothersome," the body said.
"We are currently in the process of exploring how to reduce excessive grunting, especially for younger players just starting out."
点击收听单词发音
1 dreaded | |
adj.令人畏惧的;害怕的v.害怕,恐惧,担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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2 shriek | |
v./n.尖叫,叫喊 | |
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3 timing | |
n.时间安排,时间选择 | |
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4 grunt | |
v.嘟哝;作呼噜声;n.呼噜声,嘟哝 | |
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5 grunting | |
咕哝的,呼噜的 | |
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6 innuendo | |
n.暗指,讽刺 | |
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7 distinctive | |
adj.特别的,有特色的,与众不同的 | |
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8 exclamations | |
n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 );感叹;感叹语;感叹词 | |
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9 decibels | |
n.分贝( decibel的名词复数 ) | |
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10 herald | |
vt.预示...的来临,预告,宣布,欢迎 | |
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11 squeal | |
v.发出长而尖的声音;n.长而尖的声音 | |
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12 vying | |
adj.竞争的;比赛的 | |
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13 wails | |
痛哭,哭声( wail的名词复数 ) | |
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14 compendium | |
n.简要,概略 | |
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15 deflated | |
adj. 灰心丧气的 | |
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16 hinds | |
n.(常指动物腿)后面的( hind的名词复数 );在后的;(通常与can或could连用)唠叨不停;滔滔不绝 | |
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17 adamant | |
adj.坚硬的,固执的 | |
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18 marketing | |
n.行销,在市场的买卖,买东西 | |
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19 squeals | |
n.长而尖锐的叫声( squeal的名词复数 )v.长声尖叫,用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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