美国国家公共电台 NPR You've Got To 'Comb' Together To Solve This One

 

LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST: 

After a momentous¹ week in news, let's tune² out of politics for just a moment and tune into The Puzzle.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Will Shortz is the puzzle editor of The New York Times and WEEKEND EDITION's puzzlemaster.

Good morning, Will.

WILL SHORTZ, BYLINE³: Good morning, Lulu.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Remind us of last week's puzzle.

SHORTZ: Yeah, it came from listener Peter Collins of Ann Arbor⁴, Mich., - sounded a little more complicated than it was. I said, take the first and last names of a famous comedian⁵. The first three letters of the first name plus the first letter of the last name, in order, spell the name of a god in mythology⁶. The fourth letter of the first name plus the second through fourth letters of the last name, in order, spell the name of another god. Who's the comedian and what gods are these? And the answer was Martin Short, which works out to Mars and Thor.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Mars and Thor. We received nearly 1,100 responses. And the winner is Michael Konopka of Akron, Ohio.

Congratulations.

MICHAEL KONOPKA: Thank you.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So how long have you been playing The Puzzle?

KONOPKA: I've been playing The Puzzle off and on since the postcard days when I was a young kid listening to it in my parents' car on the way to church on Sunday.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Wow. And I hear solving this week's puzzle was a family effort. How did you do it?

KONOPKA: It was. So my wife, Catherine, she started thinking of names of gods that were four letters. And we came up with - thought that Mars, M-A-R, would be the most likely to be a first name. And I got Martin Short from that. But it was really my son, Will, who kept reminding us to enter - that I kept forgetting. And so it was the last day that I entered. And luckily enough, I was selected.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Glad that he pressured you because you are our winner today. And are you ready to play The Puzzle?

KONOPKA: Yes, I am.

SHORTZ: All right, Michael and Lulu, today I brought a game of categories based on the word combs. And you probably know how this works. I'm going to give you a series of categories. For each one, name something in it starting with each of the letters, C, O, M, B, S. For example, if the category were three-syllable boys' names, you might say Christopher, Oliver, Mathias, Benjamin and Sebastian. Any answer that works is fine, and you can give the answers in any order.

KONOPKA: OK.

SHORTZ: So your first category is musical instruments.

KONOPKA: Let's go with...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Cello⁷?

SHORTZ: Cello, excellent.

KONOPKA: Oh, yes. Oh, oboe.

SHORTZ: Oboe, yes.

KONOPKA: Bongo drums.

SHORTZ: Bongo, good - M and S.

KONOPKA: Maracas.

SHORTZ: I'll give you maracas - marimba, mandolin. And all you need's an S. And I can...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Saxophone.

KONOPKA: Saxophone. Yeah, OK.

SHORTZ: Nice job. Category number two is cities in Florida.

KONOPKA: We'll go Orlando, Miami.

SHORTZ: Yes.

KONOPKA: Boca Raton.

SHORTZ: Yes.

KONOPKA: C and S.

SHORTZ: Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I'm actually from Florida and I'm blanking (laughter).

KONOPKA: OK. Wait, isn't there, like, a Sealand (ph) or - I can't remember. Trying to think of C.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Cape⁸ Canaveral.

KONOPKA: Oh, there's a good one.

SHORTZ: OK, Clearwater, Cocoa Beach. There are several others. And all you need's an S. And what's the one...

KONOPKA: Oh, Sebring, Sebring.

SHORTZ: Sebring, OK.

KONOPKA: I think there is.

SHORTZ: And St. Petersburg, St. Augustine and Sarasota would work. All right, try this one - wild mammals in America.

KONOPKA: Cougar⁹.

SHORTZ: Good.

KONOPKA: Badger¹⁰.

SHORTZ: Badger, nice. I didn't think of that one.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Otter¹¹?

SHORTZ: O, M and S.

KONOPKA: Mountain lion.

SHORTZ: Otter, yes. Mountain lion, yes. All you need's an S.

KONOPKA: Mammals...

SHORTZ: And there's an S that runs around my yard all the time.

KONOPKA: Skunk¹²?

SHORTZ: Skunk, OK. I was going for squirrel...

KONOPKA: Oh.

SHORTZ: ...But skunk's also good. And here's your last category - people and things seen in a church.

KONOPKA: Choir¹³.

SHORTZ: Good.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Organ.

SHORTZ: Organ, good.

KONOPKA: Musial (ph). Missal. Bible.

SHORTZ: OK, also minister. Bible is good. All you need's an S.

KONOPKA: Let's go string guitar?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I would say sacraments.

SHORTZ: String guitar.

KONOPKA: Sacraments, yes.

SHORTZ: Sacraments, nice. And I had stained glass window. OK, nice job.

KONOPKA: Thank you.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Those were fun, actually. I enjoyed that, although being from Florida, it's embarrassing that I didn't get more of those. For playing our puzzle today, you'll get a WEEKEND EDITION lapel pin as well as puzzle books and games. You can read all about it at npr.org/puzzle.

Michael, what member station do you guys all listen to there?

KONOPKA: Two stations - WKSU, that's 89.7, and WCPN 90.3

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Michael Konopka of Akron, Ohio, thanks so much for playing The Puzzle today.

KONOPKA: Thank you very much for having me.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: All right, Will, what's the challenge for next week?

SHORTZ: Yeah, it's an unusual one. It comes from Dan Pitt of Palo Alto, Calif. The numbers 5,000, 8,000 and 9,000 share a property that only five integers altogether have. Identify the property and the two other integers that have it. So again, the numbers are 5,000, 8,000 and 9,000. They share a property that only five integers altogether have. What's the property and what other two integers have this?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: When you have the answer, go to our website, npr.org/puzzle, and click on the Submit Your Answer link. Just one entry per person, please. And our deadline for entries is Thursday, January 26, at 3 p.m. Eastern. So include a phone number where we can reach you at that time. If you're the winner, we'll give you a call, and you'll get to play on the air with the puzzle editor of The New York Times and WEEKEND EDITION's puzzlemaster, Will Shortz.

Thanks so much, Will.

SHORTZ: Thank you, Lulu.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

2 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。

5 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

6 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

7 cello   

n.大提琴

参考例句：

• The cello is a member of the violin family.大提琴是提琴家族的一员。
• She plays a melodious cello.她拉着一手悦耳的大提琴。

8 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

9 cougar   

n.美洲狮；美洲豹

参考例句：

• I saw a cougar slinking toward its prey.我看到一只美洲狮正在潜随猎物。
• I have never seen a cougar.我从未见过美洲豹。

10 badger   

v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠

参考例句：

• Now that our debts are squared.Don't badger me with them any more.我们的债务两清了。从此以后不要再纠缠我了。
• If you badger him long enough,I'm sure he'll agree.只要你天天纠缠他，我相信他会同意。

11 otter   

n.水獭

参考例句：

• The economists say the competition otter to the brink of extinction.经济学家们说，竞争把海獭推到了灭绝的边缘。
• She collared my black wool coat with otter pelts.她把我的黑呢上衣镶上了水獭领。

12 skunk   

n.臭鼬，黄鼠狼；v.使惨败，使得零分；烂醉如泥

参考例句：

• That was a rotten thing to do, you skunk!那种事做得太缺德了，你这卑鄙的家伙！
• The skunk gives off an unpleasant smell when attacked.受到攻击时臭鼬会发出一种难闻的气味。

13 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。