VOA标准英语2015--Top 5 Songs for Week Ending Feb. 14

Top 5 Songs for Week Ending Feb. 14

We’re anointing the five most popular songs in the Billboard¹ Hot 100 pop singles chart, for the week ending February 14, 2015.

Maroon² 5 scores its eighth career Top Five hit, as “Sugar” jumps a notch³ to fifth place. The Grammy Awards were handed out on February 8, but Adam Levine, Maroon 5's lead singer, isn’t done with awards season: he has another performing appointment in two weeks. On February 22, lead singer Adam will perform at the Academy Awards. He’ll sing the Best Original Song nominee⁴ “Lost Stars,” from the movie Begin Again…in which Adam made his feature film acting⁵ debut⁶.

Taylor Swift treads water in fourth place with her former chart-topper “Blank Space.” Taylor popped up at the Grammy Awards, and made peace with an old adversary⁷ when she posed for a photo with Kanye West. You may remember that back in 2009, Kanye crashed her acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards, claiming that her trophy⁸ should have gone to Beyonce.

Holding in third place is Hozier with his two-million selling hit "Take Me To Church."  Last Sunday, Hozier failed to make good on his Song Of The Year Grammy nomination⁹. Not to worry, though: he’s on a big North American headlining tour. The Irish star is headlining a North American tour extending into May…interspersed with appearances at the Coachella Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Blues¹⁰ Fest, and Australia’s Byron Bay Blues Festival. Welcome to the big time, Hozier!

Speaking of touring, Ed Sheeran is collecting plenty of new stamps in his passport. Ed continues to hold the runner-up slot with “Thinking Out Loud.” He's touring Europe through February 27, when he hits Oman. After that it’s on to India, Qatar, Dubai, China, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand. Then, after only one week’s rest, Ed tours South America! Stardom is tough, people.

Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars are your top stars for a fifth week with “Uptown Funk!” Mark says his new album signals a new phase of his career. Mark says Uptown Special consists of music he wants to listen to. He tells Britain’s Metro¹¹ newspaper that he initially¹² didn’t know whether people even wanted to hear his new album. Now, he says its success has surpassed his wildest dreams.

One week, five hits…and now it starts all over again! Join us in seven days 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 maroon   

v.困住，使（人）处于孤独无助之境；n.逃亡黑奴；孤立的人；酱紫色，褐红色；adj.酱紫色的，褐红色的

参考例句：

• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks.埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。
• Robinson Crusoe has been marooned on a desert island for 26 years.鲁滨逊在荒岛上被困了26年。

3 notch   

n.(V字形)槽口，缺口，等级

参考例句：

• The peanuts they grow are top-notch.他们种的花生是拔尖的。
• He cut a notch in the stick with a sharp knife.他用利刃在棒上刻了一个凹痕。

4 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

7 adversary   

adj.敌手，对手

参考例句：

• He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
• They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。

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 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

10 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

11 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

12 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。