生活英语口语 第 7 课：American’s Favorites 美国人的爱好- 3

B: Kobi Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, they are the Los Angeles Lakers’ star players. 科比·布雷恩和奥尼尔，他们可是洛杉矶湖人队的明星球员。

A: Oh. 哦。

B: Wait a second. He shoots, he scores! 等等。他投篮，得分了。

A: All right! 好的。

B: Here comes Jordan, though. 乔丹上场了。

A: Wow, Michael Jordan’s slam-dunks are beautiful things to watch. 哇，迈克·乔丹的灌篮可是精彩。

B: Yeah. He’s older, so he doesn’t slam, as much as he did when he was younger, but when he does, it’s still amazing. 是呀，虽然年纪大了一些，也不想以前那么频繁地灌篮，但每一次出手，照样很精彩。

A: Which team do you think will win? 你觉得那个队会赢？

B: The Lakers. Jordan is the only good player Washington has. 湖人队。乔丹可是华盛顿拥有的唯一的好球员。

Americans call football “soccer” because they call American football “football.美国人称足球（football）为soccer, 因为football在美国英语中意为“橄榄球”。”

Don’t let the names of the games fool you, though, they are very different. 他们之间大相径庭，因而不要被名字糊弄。

American football is more like rugby than football. Except for one or two special plays, players use their hands to carry or throw the ball.美式足球与其称之为足球，倒不如称之为橄榄球。除了一两个特殊的球之外，球员们都是用手带球或投球。

Usually only one player throws the ball, he is called the quarterback. 通常只有一个球员传球，这个队员就是四分卫。

The quarterback tries to lead his team’s offense down a 100-yard (a little less than 100 meters) field by passing (throwing) the ball or giving it to another player who runs with it. 四分卫试图带领自己队的进攻队员沿着100码长（略短于100米）的球场传球或带球。

If the quarterback’s team carries the ball across the 100th yard, then they score a touchdown. 如果四分卫这方成功地带球穿过100码的球场，那边获得触地得分。

The defense tries to keep the offense from scoring touchdowns by grabbing the player with the ball and pulling him to the ground. 防守方则尽力阻止进攻方获得触地得分，他们可以擒抱带球的球员并把他拖到地上。

If the offense cannot move 10 yards forward in four plays, it must give the ball to the other team. 如果在四次发球机会内进攻方都不能带过10码的场地，球将交由另一方控制。