常春藤解析英語 11 The Fast and Furious of Formula
by Jerri Graham
In a blaze of color and noise, millions of dollars' worth of cars speed around the course. Fans leap to their feet and cheer as the world-class drivers put their pedals to the metal on the city streets. Nowhere else but on the Formula One circuit can this scene be played out. For over half a century, Formula One has been the quintessential sport for those with a need for speed, roaring engines, and excitement.
Auto racing started to take shape back in 1894, when the first race was held in Paris. A year later in the US, Frank Duryea set a record when he traveled 87.48 km in 10 hours and 23 minutes. This record is nothing in comparison to the death-defying speeds of Formula One (F1) racing today, where cars can travel in excess of 300 km/h. F1 is the world's premier class of automobile racing that outshines all the others. The races are part of a series known as the Grand Prix. Held in various countries, these races are either held on tracks built specifically for racing or on closed-off city streets. In 2007, 17 countries will play host to Grand Prix races with the season opener taking place in Australia.
Formula One racecars are a far cry from what the average driver has parked in their garage. With an open cockpit, single seat, and high-tech gadgets, they do not come cheap. Building a car can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and a maintenance crew can annually cost millions. Teams are either owned by the super-wealthy or sponsored by major corporations with very deep pockets.
單字小鋪
1. furious a. 猛烈的
2. circuit n. 跑道
3. quintessential a. 經(jīng)典的
4. death-defying a. 挑戰(zhàn)死亡的
5. premier a. 首要的，第一的
6. specifically adv. 特別地
7. closed-off a. 封鎖的
8. cockpit n. 駕駛員坐艙
9. gadget n. 精巧的機(jī)械或裝置
10. maintenance n. 維修
11. corporation n. 大企業(yè)，大型公司
12. deep pockets n. 財富
have deep pockets 財力雄厚
詞組小鋪
1.millions of dollars' worth of... 價值數(shù)百萬元的……
2.put the pedal to the metal 風(fēng)馳電掣
3.be played out 上演，演出
4.set a record 創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄
break a record 打破紀(jì)錄
5.in comparison to/with... 和……相比
精解字詞詞組
1. blaze n. 火焰;光輝;(感情的)爆發(fā)
in a blaze of anger/fury 在憤怒∕盛怒之下
例： In a blaze of anger, the actor threw down his script and walked off the set.
(盛怒之下，那名演員丟下劇本，走出拍攝現(xiàn)場。)
2. leap to one's feet 跳起來
例： My mother leapt to her feet when the doorbell rang.
(我媽媽一聽到門鈴就跳了起來。)
3. take shape 成形
例： Our vacation plans are finally taking shape.
(我們的渡假計劃終于成形了。)
4. in excess of... 超過……
例： The pitcher's fastball traveled at speeds in excess of 90 mph.
(那名投手的快速球超過時速九十英里。)
5. outshine vt. 勝過，使黯然失色
例： When it comes to academics, Walter outshines everyone in our class.
(說到學(xué)業(yè)成績，華特比我們班上任何人都好。)
6. play host to... 主辦……
例： China will play host to the Olympics in 2008.
(中國將主辦二○○八年奧運(yùn)。)
7. be a far cry from... 和……大不相同
例： The sashimi we get here is a far cry from what we can get in Japan.
(這里的生魚片和日本的截然不同。)
8. sponsor vt. 贊助
例： Our company sponsored the young scholar's trip overseas.
(本公司贊助那位年輕學(xué)者的海外之旅。)
中文翻譯
爆發(fā)色彩與聲音，價值數(shù)百萬元的賽車在場上奔馳。當(dāng)世界級的車手在街道上風(fēng)馳電掣之際，賽車迷們興奮地雀躍喝采。這樣的景象只有在一級方程式賽車的比賽現(xiàn)場才看得到。超過半個世紀(jì)以來，一級方程式賽車對那些追求速度、狂嘯的引擎和刺激的人而言一直是經(jīng)典的運(yùn)動。
第一場比賽于 1894 年在巴黎舉辦，賽車競賽于是成形。一年后在美國，法蘭克.杜依爾以十小時二十三分跑出 87.48 公里打破紀(jì)錄。這個紀(jì)錄和現(xiàn)在時速超過三百公里，挑戰(zhàn)死亡速度的一級方程式賽車(F1)比起來當(dāng)然是小巫見大巫。F1 是世界首級的四輪賽車，傲視所有同類型的其它比賽。這項(xiàng)比賽是格蘭披治大賽系列賽的一部分。這些比賽在不同國家展開，不是在比賽專用的跑道上舉行就是在城市中封街舉辦。2007 年，有十七個國家將合辦格蘭披治大賽，而季開幕賽將于澳洲舉行。
一級方程式的賽車和一般駕駛在自家車庫里停放的車子大相徑庭。方程式賽車有開放式駕駛座、單人坐椅和高科技的儀器，所費(fèi)不貲。一輛車的造價可能高達(dá)數(shù)十萬美元，而維修團(tuán)隊(duì)可能每年要花上數(shù)百萬元。賽車隊(duì)不是超級富翁所持有，就是由財力雄厚的大公司所贊助。
