英语听力精选进阶版 14135

BBC Learning English 

Words in the News  

29 August 2012 

Air guitar championships 

Transcript: 

The 17th annual Air Guitar World Championships have taken place in Finland. 

Eighteen contestants² battled in front of an audience of 5000 for the ultimate prize for imaginary instrumentalists. 

In the first round, they have to play a song of their choice; those who make it through to the next stage perform a number chosen by the judges.  

This year's winner was Justin "Nordic Thunder" Howard from the USA. 

Vocabulary: 

air guitar 

imaginary guitar played by a person in time to a real song 

contestants  

people who take part in a competition 

instrumentalists 

people who play a musical instrument 

the first round 

the opening stage of a competition 

number 

song or piece of music 

Exercise: 

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from BBC news reports.  

Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly. 

air guitar/contestants/ instrumentalists/the first round/number 

1. Trott and former X Factor __________ Stacey Solomon started Sky Ride Birmingham, which allowed residents to ride through traffic-free streets. 

2. More than 2,000 music festival goers in Wiltshire have set a new world record for the largest __________ ensemble³. 

3. Ibragimova, 25, was described by The Guardian⁴ as "one of the most technically⁵ gifted and charismatic __________ of the age" after the Manchester shows. 

4. This year sees the sixtieth anniversary of Nellie's death and there's a rare chance to see her most famous __________ , 'My mother said', performed live onstage. 

5. "I went into Wimbledon this year having lost in __________ of Queen's. That was meant to be a horrible preparation, but Wimbledon worked out fine. So there's no reason why that can't happen here."  

Answers: 

1. Trott and former X Factor contestant¹ Stacey Solomon started Sky Ride Birmingham, which allowed residents to ride through traffic-free streets. 

Source: London 2012: Laura Trott takes part in Birmingham cycling event 

2. More than 2,000 music festival goers in Wiltshire have set a new world record for the largest air guitar ensemble. 

Source: Womad festival crowd sets new air guitar world record 

3. Ibragimova, 25, was described by The Guardian as "one of the most technically gifted and charismatic instrumentalists of the age" after the Manchester shows. 

Source: Violinist Alina Ibragimova bewitches historic venues 

4. This year sees the sixtieth anniversary of Nellie's death and there's a rare chance to see her most famous number, 'My mother said', performed live onstage. 

Source: Remembering one of the best-loved stars of the music hall 

 5. "I went into Wimbledon this year having lost in the first round of Queen's. That was meant to be a horrible preparation, but Wimbledon worked out fine. So there's no reason why that can't happen here."  

Source:   Andy Murray seeks first major win at US Open after London glory 

1 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。

2 contestants   

n.竞争者，参赛者( contestant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The competition attracted over 500 contestants representing 8 different countries. 这次比赛吸引了代表8个不同国家的500多名参赛者。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency. 两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ensemble   

n.合奏(唱)组；全套服装；整体，总效果

参考例句：

• We should consider the buildings as an ensemble.我们应把那些建筑物视作一个整体。
• It is ensemble music for up to about ten players,with one player to a part.它是最多十人演奏的合奏音乐，每人担任一部分。

4 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

5 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。