VOA常速英语2008年-Patriots Aim for Perfection at Super Bowl

By Parke Brewer¹
Phoenix²
02 February 2008

This year's U.S. National Football League Championship game, The Super Bowl, is expected to be one of the most watched in history.  That is because for only the second time in 42 Super Bowls, a team comes in undefeated.  VOA Sports Editor Parke Brewer reports from the western U.S. state of Arizona, where Sunday's game will be played in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale.

The New England Patriots³ are one win away from a perfect ending to their NFL season.  They won all 16 of their regular season games and both of their playoff games to reach Super Bowl 42.

Their opponent is the New York Giants, a team the Patriots beat by only three points in the last game of the regular season.  But most observers are predicting a more lopsided New England victory this time, as star Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw an unusual three interceptions in that game.

Brady says he and his teammates are well aware of what is at stake this time.

"It's the biggest game in all of our lives, to tell you the truth - my life, our entire team, our coaches…  We're going to be remembering this game for as long as we live," he said.  "Win or lose, we're either going to have great memories of this experience, or we're going to look at it truly as a missed opportunity.  There are not too many teams in the history of the NFL - none as a matter of fact - that have been 18-0 going into this game."

The last team to complete an undefeated season and a Super Bowl victory was the Miami Dolphins in 1972.  But the NFL's regular season was two games shorter then, so they came into the Super Bowl at 16-0.  The New England Patriots truly will make history with a win over the New York Giants.

1 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

2 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

3 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。