VOA标准英语2009年-Italy Consumed by Lottery Fever

Lottery¹ fever is gripping Italy, as millions of people dream their ticket will be the winner of Europe's record-breaking jackpot. Italy's SuperEnalotto top prize has climbed to $194-million and Italians and foreigners alike are making sure they have a ticket for Monday evening's draw.

Italians have been trying for months to guess the SuperEnalotto's winning six-number combination. No one has managed, since January. This has driven the winning prize to an all-time high for Europe.

Chances of guessing the correct combination are an astronomical² 622-million-to-one. Fausto Rossi is a former bank employee who is now retired³. He plays lotto every week.

He says he dreams that he will win.

And, the dreams continue when you ask players what they would do if they won such a huge amount of money. Rossi says that some people are prone⁴ to lose their minds if they find out they have won such an enormous jackpot.

Rossi says if he were to win, it would be time for a little reflection. Then maybe he would give some of the prize to charity and use some money for travel or for a boat cruise. He says he would invest the money.

Tourists in Italy have also been playing the SuperEnalotto. And, foreigners have been coming across the border to try their luck, as well. They have been arriving from Slovenia, France and Austria. In Germany, a major tabloid⁵ newspaper has sponsored a competition, awarding a chance to win free flights to Italy simply to buy tickets for the lotto drawings.

Rossi says it is a good excuse for a flight to Italy.

But he says there is one thing he would like to change in the lottery. He says the jackpot has become much too high and he looks for a way of giving more people the opportunity of winning more.

For the time being, the dream continues, with just one euro. That is the cost of a ticket for a chance to become a multimillionaire.

1 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

2 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

3 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

4 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

5 tabloid   

adj.轰动性的，庸俗的；n.小报，文摘

参考例句：

• He launched into a verbal assault on tabloid journalism.他口头对小报新闻进行了抨击。
• He believes that the tabloid press has behaved disgracefully.他认为小报媒体的行为不太光彩。