VOA标准英语2013--Top 5 Countdown for Week Ending August 31

 

Top 5 Countdown for Week Ending August 31

We’re exploring the five most popular songs in the Billboard¹ Magazine Hot 100 pop singles chart, for the week ending August 31, 2013.

There’s movement in our Top Five! We even get an all-new song. Let’s begin at the beginning, where Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z hold in fifth place with “Holy Grail.” 

On August 25, Justin was in Jay’s hometown of Brooklyn, New York for the MTV Video Music Awards. He took home Video Of The Year honors for “Mirrors,” while also receiving the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. He even briefly² reunited with his old band mates in ‘N Sync. 

Slipping a slot to number four goes Imagine Dragons with “Radioactive.” This band has gone from worst to first. As a struggling band in Las Vegas, Nevada, these guys once played to half-empty casino showrooms. They return to casino work on August 30 - this time with a sold-out gig at the Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey³.

Miley Cyrus sure caused a commotion⁴ Sunday night at the MTV Awards. She retreats a slot to third place with “We Can’t Stop.” Appearing Sunday at the VMAs, Miley gave the evening’s most outrageous⁵ performance, complete with plenty of risqué moves and very little clothing. The next day, the Internet exploded with comments from both home viewers and fellow performers. Of course, it’s all great publicity⁶ for Miley’s Bangerz album, out on October 4.

Our all-new song is by Katy Perry, who rockets from 85th to second place with “Roar.”

Katy’s Prism album hits the market on October 22, and she sets the stage with the first single, which sold more than half a million copies in its first week.

Not even Katy, however, can unseat the champs: Robin⁷ Thicke, T.I. and Pharrell spend an 11th week at number one with “Blurred Lines.” It’s only the 18th time a single has topped the Hot 100 for 11 weeks or longer…and the chart’s been around since 1958. Destiny’s Child was your last 11-week champ in 2000 with “Independent Women Part 1.” 

That’s it for now, but you know how it works - come back next week for an all-new lineup. 

 

1 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

2 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

4 commotion   

n.骚动，动乱

参考例句：

• They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵，引起了一阵骚乱。
• Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间，整条街道变得一片混乱。

5 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

6 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

7 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。