英语听力精选进阶版 6201

An Ancient Game Played in Orkney 奥克尼群岛上的古代游戏

Imagine a game of football played not with 11 but hundreds of players on each side; contested not on a soft field of grass but on cold, hard flagstone streets; and where there are no rules and no referee¹ to control the surging mass of bodies.

Though it might sound like something from the Middle Ages, in fact just such a game of mob football is played every year in Scotland.

Known as The Ba’, the game is played each Christmas Day and New Year’s Day through the narrow, winding² streets of the town of Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland.

To onlookers³ it can be impossible to tell where the ball is amongst the huge scrum of players who risk of cracking ribs⁴ and breaking limbs to try and score a match-winning goal.

The men and boys of Kirkwall are divided into two teams of ‘Uppies’ and ‘Doonies’ depending on which part of the town they come from.

There are no goalposts or goalkeepers, and the two sides compete to score a goal by transporting the Ba’, which is a cork-filled, leather ball, to the other end of town.

Games can last for hours as the heaving ruck of players struggle to gain ground in either direction, though the ball can suddenly burst out of the pack and into a small side street.

The game has its roots in more violent forms of street football which have taken place in towns across Britain since Roman times, though these days injuries are surprisingly uncommon⁵.

Nonetheless, shopkeepers whose premises⁶ line the streets take no chances and board up their doors and windows to prevent them being smashed by the sheer weight of bodies who funnel⁷ through the narrow streets.

Finally, when a goal is scored, the Ba’ itself is awarded to a key member of the side who can proudly display the trophy⁸ in their window, but not before a celebratory festive⁹ drink with the team.

Glossary 词汇表

flagstone 石板 

surging mass 蜂拥而上的群众 

Middle Ages 中世纪 

mob 一群乱民 

winding streets 蜿蜒的街道 

huge scrum 并列争球的大片人群 

cracking ribs 折断的肋骨 

breaking limbs 折断的四肢 

goalposts 门杠 

cork-filled 充满软木塞的 

heaving ruck 拼命斯抢的人群 

gain ground 夺得优势 

burst out 迸发出 

pack 一窝人/一帮人 

has its roots 来源于 

premises 营业场所 

board up 用木板封起来 

sheer weight （人群的）

自身重量 funnel 涌入（狭窄的街道） 

festive 节日的

1 referee   

n.裁判员．仲裁人，代表人，鉴定人

参考例句：

• The team was left raging at the referee's decision.队员们对裁判员的裁决感到非常气愤。
• The referee blew a whistle at the end of the game.裁判在比赛结束时吹响了哨子。

2 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

3 onlookers   

n.旁观者，观看者( onlooker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene of the crash. 在撞车地点聚集了一大群围观者。
• The onlookers stood at a respectful distance. 旁观者站在一定的距离之外，以示尊敬。

4 ribs   

n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

5 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

6 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

7 funnel   

n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集

参考例句：

• He poured the petrol into the car through a funnel.他用一个漏斗把汽油灌入汽车。
• I like the ship with a yellow funnel.我喜欢那条有黄烟囱的船。

8 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。

9 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。