常春藤解析英語 1 The Mighty, Mighty Mascots 吉祥

The Mighty, Mighty Mascots　吉祥物

by Christine Newton

Wearing a bright yellow jumpsuit, white face paint, and a long-sleeved red and white shirt, he isn't a new fashion icon. His bright red hair, nose, and mouth make him a natural in his position as the Chief Happiness Officer for the McDonald's Corporation. As the mascot for the company, Ronald McDonald is easily recognized by 96 percent of school children in the US. For the most part, this "spokesclown" is loved, and helps improve company recognition, which in turn, translates into increased profits.

Mascots have existed for thousands of years. Historically, they have been animals that men admired. Native American Indians carved mascots into their totem poles, hoping to attain a cheetah's speed or a bear's strength. Even now, mascots are symbolic of the qualities we would like to possess.

For the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China has chosen mascots known as the Five Friendlies. Each of the four animals (fish, panda, antelope, and swallow) represents a unique athletic ability and offers a special blessing from China to the world. At the center of the group stands Huanhuan the Olympic flame, representing passion for sport and the unity of all nations through the Olympic Games.

In sports, teams treasure their mascots and often view them as lucky charms. In business, mascots are used to attract attention and impact a customer's perception about a company. Fast-food icon Ronald McDonald can attest to this fact.

Recently, Taipei began searching for a mascot. Which animal would best represent this progressive capital city? With its extensive system of underground tunnels and more than two million inhabitants bustling through its streets, offices, and apartments, Taipei's mascot would have to be the busy, intelligent, and hardworking ant.

1. What do the mascots for the 2008 Olympic Games represent?

(A) Various athletic attributes and the spirit of the host nation.

(B) The feeling of competing against yourself to be the best.

(C) The friendly attitude of the Chinese government.

(D) The five events that will be held at the 2008 Olympics.

2. Why are mascots important in the world of business?

(A) They can help make products of better quality.

(B) They can increase sales as more people identify the company.

(C) They can make customers laugh and help them relax while watching commercials.

(D) They can provide customers with someone to speak with when they shop.

3. Which of the following would be an appropriate mascot for a soccer team?

(A) A fast-rolling ball with feet, a friendly smile, and a love for soccer.

(B) A plump hamburger-eating clown with the ability to juggle.

(C) A smart dolphin that is swimming fast.

(D) A cute little bird that is happily chirping.

精解字詞詞組

1.recognize vt. 辨認(rèn)，辨識

例： It was hard to recognize him since he lost so much weight.

(他瘦了這么多，我都認(rèn)不出他來了。)

2.translate into...　　轉(zhuǎn)化成……

例： I'd like to see how my theory would translate into a policy.

(我想看看自己的理論如何變成政策。)

3.profit n. 利益 & vi. 獲益

profit from...　　自……獲益

例： None of us will profit from a war with that country.

(我們沒有人可以從和那個國家交戰(zhàn)中獲益。)

4.be symbolic of...　　象征……

例： I gave my mother 18 roses for Mother's Day. They're symbolic of my love for her.

(母親節(jié)時我送給媽媽十八朵玫瑰，象征我對她的愛。)

5.possess vt. 擁有

例： Sandy possesses all of the skills needed to be manager, but she just isn't ready for the responsibility.

(珊蒂具備所有當(dāng)經(jīng)理的技能，只不過她尚未準(zhǔn)備好承擔(dān)這項責(zé)任。)

6.represent vt. 代表

= stand for...

例： The bonus represents how much the boss appreciates your hard work .

(獎金代表老板對你辛勤工作的感謝之意。)

7.blessing n. 祝福;賜福

a blessing in disguise　　塞翁失馬，焉知非福

例： Losing my wallet was a blessing in disguise because I married the man that found it.

(那次掉錢包實在是塞翁失馬，焉知非福，因為后來我嫁給撿到錢包的男人。)

8.attract (one's) attention　　引起(某人的)注意

例： Samantha did everything she could to attract Stan's attention.

(莎曼珊竭盡全力想引起史丹的注意。)

9.impact vt. 沖擊，影響

例： Hurricane Katrina impacted the entire economy in the United States.

(卡翠娜颶風(fēng)沖擊了美國整體經(jīng)濟(jì)。)

10.attest to...　　證明……

例： I can attest to the fact that Bill is honest.

(我可以證明比爾是個誠實的人。)

11.bustle vi. 匆忙;忙碌

例： Many motorcycles bustled through the street.

(許多機(jī)車疾駛過街道。)

12.compete against...　　和……競爭

例： You shouldn't even try to compete against Robert. He's the best speaker in our class.

(你根本不該和羅伯特競爭。他是全班最強的演說者。)

13.identify vt. 認(rèn)出，辨識

例： Tom is color-blind. He can't identify green and red.

(湯姆是色盲。他無法分辨綠色和紅色。)

單字小鋪

1. mascot n. 吉祥物

2. jumpsuit n. 連身衣

3. natural n. 天生好手

4. spokesclown n. 代言小丑

* 本字由 spokesperson 衍生而來。

5. recognition n. 辨認(rèn)，辨識

6. historically adv. 歷史上

7. totem pole n. 圖騰柱

8. cheetah n. 獵豹

9. antelope n. 羚羊

10. unity n. 團(tuán)結(jié)，統(tǒng)一

11. lucky charm n. 護(hù)身符

12. perception n. 觀感，看法

13. progressive a. 進(jìn)步的

14. extensive a. 廣闊的

15. inhabitant n. 居民

16. attribute n. 特質(zhì)

17. commercial n. 電視廣告

18. plump a. 胖嘟嘟的

19. juggle vi. 雜耍

20. chirp vi.(鳥)鳴叫

詞組小鋪

1. for the most part　　大體而言

2. in turn　　接著，依次

中文翻譯&標(biāo)準(zhǔn)答案

身穿鮮黃色連身衣，臉上涂著白漆，搭配一件紅白相間的長袖襯衫，他可不是什么新的流行偶像。他閃亮的紅發(fā)、紅鼻子和紅嘴巴作為麥當(dāng)勞企業(yè)的親善大使形象可說是恰如其份。美國百分之九十六的學(xué)童可以輕易認(rèn)出麥當(dāng)勞叔叔(Ronald McDonald)。大致上說來，這位代言小丑受到大家的喜愛，有助于提升企業(yè)辨識度，因而轉(zhuǎn)化成更高利潤。

吉祥物已經(jīng)存在好幾千年。在歷史上，他們是人們所崇拜的動物。美國印地安人將吉祥物雕刻到圖騰柱上，希望能擁有獵豹的速度和熊的力量。即使現(xiàn)在，吉祥物仍舊象征我們希望擁有的特質(zhì)。

2008年的奧運即將在北京舉辦，中國選擇了五個福娃作為吉祥物。這四種動物(魚、熊貓、羚羊和燕子)各自代表運動員獨特的運動能力，并獻(xiàn)上中國對全世界的祝福。在福娃群正中間站的是名叫『歡歡』的奧林匹克圣火，代表對運動的熱情和全世界借著奧運達(dá)到的大同境界。

在運動中，運動隊伍很珍惜自己的吉祥物并將其視為幸運符。在企業(yè)中，吉祥物被用來吸引注意力并影響消費者對一家公司的觀感。麥當(dāng)勞叔叔這位快餐偶像即印證了這個事實。

近來，臺北市開始在尋找吉祥物。哪種動物最能代表這個蓬勃發(fā)展的首都呢?有著廣大的地下隧道，以及兩百多萬名居民在街道、辦公室和公寓間忙碌穿梭，臺北市的吉祥物或許可以用忙碌、聰明和勤勞的螞蟻來代表吧。

1. 2008 年奧運的吉祥物代表著什么?

(A) 各種運動特質(zhì)和主辦國的精神。

(B) 要勝過自己達(dá)到最好的感覺。

(C) 中國政府友善的態(tài)度。

(D) 2008 年奧運所要舉行的五個項目。

題解： 文中第三段提到 2008 年在中國舉辦的奧運吉祥物，四個福娃代表了運動員的體能特質(zhì)，并表示中國對全世界的祝福，可知 (A) 應(yīng)為正選。

2. 為何吉祥物對企業(yè)很重要?

(A) 他們有助于制造質(zhì)量更好的產(chǎn)品。

(B) 愈多人認(rèn)出該公司，公司的銷售量就會隨著增加。

(C) 它們讓顧客在看廣告時開心并且?guī)椭潘伞?/p>

(D) 它們可以作為顧客在購物時的聊天對象。

題解： 文中第一段說被提升的企業(yè)辨識度可以轉(zhuǎn)化成更高的利潤，可知 (B) 應(yīng)為正選。

3. 以下何者適合作為足球隊的吉祥物?

(A) 一個長著腳快速旋轉(zhuǎn)的球，面帶友善的笑容和對足球的熱愛。

(B) 一個會雜耍、吃著漢堡的胖小丑。

(C) 一只游得很快的聰明海豚。

(D) 一只快樂啾啾叫的可愛小鳥。

題解： 熱愛足球的球最適合作為足球隊的吉祥物，故選 (A) 。

標(biāo)準(zhǔn)答案： 1. (A)　2. (B)　3. (A)