VOA标准英语2008年-Foreign Cheerleaders Spark Controversy in India

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
02 May 2008

In India, controversy¹ has erupted around foreign cheerleaders brought in to provide entertainment for a newly-launched cricket tournament. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, many of the cheerleaders have donned more modest dresses following objections from conservative Indians.

When organizers of the Indian Premier² League inaugurated their tournament two weeks ago, they were hoping to give Indians what they love most - a thrilling mix of cricket along with some lively song and dance.

Both came with a variation.

The game being played is a fast-paced, shortened version of traditional cricket. The contest is between newly-created cricket teams owned by top Bollywood stars or big businessmen.

The team owners brought in foreign cheerleaders to turn the matches into a glitzy event. One team owner flew in the cheerleaders for the American-style football team the Washington Redskins. Others brought in cheerleaders from Eastern Europe.

Dressed in American-style in shorts and bikini tops or mini skirts, the cheerleaders danced in packed stadiums as cricketers hit the big shots.

The dancers were meant to appeal to a section of urban India that is young, earns large salaries, thanks to an economic boom, and is ready to enjoy whatever the world has to offer.

But much of India remains³ conservative. And as television beamed images of the scantily-clad, dancing cheerleaders into Indian homes, strident objections began being voiced.

They came from politicians like Nitin Gadkari, president of the opposition⁴ Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra state.

"The cheer girls dance with half dress which is not good for Indian culture…The way they dress, definitely it is vulgar, because the way in which they showing their body, it is really a vulgar-ness," said Gadkari.

As the murmurs⁵ became louder, team owners decided⁶ to tone down the dresses of their cheerleaders. One team made them exchange their short dresses for more modest ankle-length pants, another made them don black stockings with their short skirts. One team sent back the cheerleaders, saying it might switch to a band of drummers.

But many spectators are wondering what the fuss is all about. They said the mix of sport and cheerleaders was just good fun.

"I think it is a good idea, I mean why not? It is just a bit silly that everyone is chasing after them, it is not such a big deal," says this spectator.

"I think its fine, everything in limit is fine, I am all for cheerleaders, it is all done in a very good humor and good spirit," says another spectator.

The controversy has not ended. Some say India, where women generally dress modestly, is not ready for the cheerleaders. Others point out that no one objects to Bollywood heroines - often dressed in skimpy clothes - dancing to sensual numbers in Hindi films.

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 murmurs   

n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕

参考例句：

• They spoke in low murmurs. 他们低声说着话。 来自辞典例句
• They are more superficial, more distinctly heard than murmurs. 它们听起来比心脏杂音更为浅表而清楚。 来自辞典例句

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。