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2011年ESL之餐饮娱乐 15 Playing in a Tournament

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15 Playing in a Tournament

GLOSSARY1

standings – rankings; a list of how good or strong people or teams are whencompared against each other

* We played pretty well last year, but we weren’t at the top of the standings.

to seed – to put an athlete or a team in a position based on the likelihood2 ofwinning

* The team is seeded 12th, but I have a feeling they’re going to do better thanthat.

in a bracket3 – a drawing showing which teams will play each other, with thewinners playing other winners until one final winner is left; a group of teams thatcompete against each other in a tournament

* It seems unfair that they’re in a bracket with kids who are so much bigger thanthey are.

tournament – a competition to determine which athlete or team is the best;championship

* That high school usually wins the annual basketball tournament.

double-elimination – a type of tournament competition where a team that losestwo games cannot win the tournament, but a team that has lost only one gamecould still win the tournament

* Blake was really disappointed he lost the tennis match, but he still has hope,since he’s playing in a double-elimination tournament.

out of contention4 – not longer being considered for something; not eligible5; notmeeting the requirements for something

* Xanda says the interview was terrible and he’s sure he’s out of contention forthe job.

title – the winning position in a tournament or championship

* If you want to win the title, you’ll have to practice more often.

round-robin rounds – a type of tournament or championship where every teamplays against every other team

* The round-robin rounds are interesting, because we get to meet all the otherplayers, but it involves playing a lot of games.

defending champion – the athlete or team that won a championship ortournament last year and is trying to win again this year

* Do you think the defending champion has an advantage, or does the defendingchampion face too much pressure to win?

to rank – to assign7 someone or something a position based on how good or bigit is

* This city was ranked number three on a list of the most polluted cities in thecountry.

season – the period of time when games are played for a particular sport eachyear

* Christopher played football last season, but this fall he wants to play soccerinstead.

injury – damage to one’s body; being hurt on one’s body

* Elyssa had a broken arm and wrist, a sprained8 ankle, and many other injuriesfrom playing sports when she was a kid.

run-in – a disagreement with someone; a fight with someone; a disagreeableencounter

* Ever since Mark had a run-in with the police, his girlfriend’s parents won’t lether date him.

let’s just say – a phrase used when one doesn’t want to provide a lot of detailsand is providing only a general statement about something

* - Were the test questions confusing?

* - Let’s just say that all my studying was a waste of time.

clash9 – an argument or disagreement due to people having different opinions orbeliefs about something

* How did they ever fall in love and get married, given their clashes10 on politics,religion, and parenting?

demanding – needing a lot of special attention and care; creating a lot of workfor other people

* Finnian is a very demanding patient, always asking for soup, massages11, extrablankets, special music, and more.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Which type of tournament would involve the greatest number of games?

a) A single-elimination tournament.

b) A double-elimination tournament.

c) A round-robin tournament.

2. Which statement describes the team’s performance?

a) Last year’s performance was better than this year.

b) Last year’s performance was weaker than this year.

c) Last year’s performance was about the same as this year.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

title

The word “title,” in this podcast, means the winning position in a tournament orchampionship: “College recruiters spend a lot of time talking with high schoolplayers who have won their regional title.” A “title” is also a deed, or legalownership of a piece of land and/or a building: “Were you nervous when yousigned the title documents for your first home?” When talking about people, a“title” can refer to the name of one’s job or the prefix12 that comes before one’s lastname: “The job doesn’t pay very well, but it has a great title: ‘Executive Vice-President of National Sales Management.’” Or, “After your wedding, did you askpeople to use the title ‘Mrs.’ or did you continue to use ‘Ms.’?”

clash

In this podcast, the word “clash” means an argument or disagreement due topeople having different opinions or beliefs about something: “Everyone expectsthe politicians to bring up clashes over job creation13 during the next debate.” A“clash” can also mean a short battle or fight: “The local police are reporting aseries of clashes with rebels14 in the mountains.” The phrase “a scheduling clash”

refers to a conflict when two things are supposed to happen at the same time,but cannot: “Jacques set up a meeting for Wednesday, but I couldn’t attendbecause I had a scheduling clash.” Finally, the phrase “color clash” refers to twocolors that look bad next to each other: “The paint colors they chose for theirhome created a terrible color clash.”

CULTURE NOTE

Types of TournamentsIn this episode15, we discussed two types of tournaments: double-eliminationtournaments and round-robin tournaments. But there are several other commontypes in U.S. sports. These include single-elimination, up and down, andconsolation tournaments.

“Whereas” (while, used for contrast) the double-elimination tournament makes itpossible for a team to still win the tournament even after it has lost one game, a“single-elimination tournament” makes that impossible. In a single-eliminationtournament, as soon as a team loses a game, it cannot win the tournament.

An “up and down tournament” is used when there isn’t very much time, or whenthere aren’t enough “courts” or “fields” (the places where the game is played) forall the teams. This is a common tournament type in elementary and junior highschools. All the teams play “simultaneous” (happening at the same time) gamesfor a specified16 period of time. When that time ends (even if individual gameshave not ended), the winners move “up” to a lower-numbered court or field andthe losers move “down” to a higher-numbered court or field. When thetournament ends, the winning team is in the lowest-numbered court or field.

A “consolation” tournament allows teams to continue to play even when it is clearthat they cannot win the tournament. As teams lose games in the main bracket,they are moved to a second bracket where they can continue to play againstother teams that have lost games. In this type of tournament, each team gets toplay at least two games.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT17

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 741: Playing in aTournament.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 741. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. Go there to download a Learning18 Guide for thisepisode that will help you improve your English as fast as possible.

This episode is a dialogue between Irene and Kent. It uses vocabulary we wouldtalk about in describing a formal competition or tournament. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Irene: How is your team doing in the standings?

Kent: They’re seeded sixth and they’re in a bracket with one of the best teams inthe tournament. Our team has already lost to them.

Irene: I thought it was a double-elimination tournament.

Kent: It is. That’s the only reason they’re not out of contention for the title.

Irene: Why did the organizers get rid of the round-robin rounds?

Kent: I think it’s because they wanted to cut down on the number of gamesoverall. I’m not sure.

Irene: Your team is the defending champion. What happened this year? Whyaren’t they ranked higher?

Kent: They didn’t have a very good season. There were a lot of injuries, and asthe coach, I had some run-ins with a couple of the new players. Let’s just say wehad some clashes in personality.

Irene: Isn’t there a game this afternoon?

Kent: Yeah, but I have to feed my team first. They won’t play until they get whatthey want.

Irene: What do they want?

Kent: Ice cream. Who knew six-year-olds could be so demanding?

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with Irene saying, “How is your team doing in thestandings?” The “standings” (standings – plural) means the list of how good aset of teams are. Standings always relate to the rankings: is your team in firstplace, in second place, in last place, and so forth6. So in any competition,especially a sports competition where you have different teams playing over along period of time, you will have standings – you will have rankings. Some willbe best, some will be worst. Well, one will be best and one will be worst – youget the idea.

Kent says that his team is seeded sixth and they’re in a bracket with one of thebest teams in the tournament. “To be seeded” comes from the verb “to seed”

(seed), which here means that you put an athlete or a team in a certain positionin a tournament so that the better the team, the more likely they are to advancein the tournament. It can be quite complicated20, but basically21 where you areseeded in a tournament determines whom you will be playing. Kent says that histeam is in a bracket with one of the best teams in the tournament. The best wayto understand a bracket is to take an example. Let’s say that you have eightteams, and you want to determine who is the best among the eight teams. Soyou have team A play team B; team C plays team D. The winner of the A-Bgame plays the winner of the C-D game. And then, for the other four teams – Eand F, G and H – E plays F, G plays H, and the winner of those games play eachother. Then finally, the winner of the A-B-C-D “bracket” or side of the tournamentplays the winner of the E-F-G-H side of the tournament. So, a “bracket” is the –you can think of it as the A and B is a bracket, or the A, B, C, and D could beconsidered a larger bracket or section of the tournament. Kent is saying that histeam is in a bracket with one of the best teams in the tournament. So if his teamis A and team B is the best team, well, he’s in a difficult bracket – or his team is.

A “tournament” is just another name for a competition to determine who is thebest person in this game, whatever the competition is about.

Irene says, “I thought it (meaning the tournament) was a double-eliminationtournament.” There are different kinds of tournaments – different kinds ofcompetitions to determine who is the best team or player. One kind is called a“double-elimination.” “Elimination” is when you lose and are out of thetournament. That is, you can no longer go forward. Now my example of the eight teams is what we would call a “single-elimination” tournament. That is, ifyou lose once that’s it, you don’t play anymore. In a double-eliminationtournament it’s more complicated. You actually have to lose two games beforeyou are eliminated22 from the tournament; that’s double-elimination.

Kent says yes, it is a double-elimination tournament. He says, “That’s the onlyreason they (meaning his team) is not out of contention for the title.” “To be incontention” (contention) means that you can still win; it’s still possible for you tobe the champion – the best player. “To be out of contention” is the opposite; it’sto be eliminated from the tournament or to be in a place where you can no longerwin first place. Kent says that his team is not out of contention for the title. The“title” here just means the winning position, first place, number one. “Title” hassome other meanings in English as well; take a look at our Learning Guide forthose.

So Irene then asks, “Why did the organizers (the people who organized or putthe tournament together) get rid of (or eliminate) the round-robin rounds?”

“Round-robin” (robin) is another kind of tournament; we’ve talked about singleeliminationand double-elimination. A “round-robin” tournament is where all ofthe teams play each other. So A plays B, A plays C, A plays D, A plays E, F, G,and H; all of the teams play each other. It’s a much longer kind of tournament,and usually only works23 when there are a smaller group of teams and when youhave a lot of time.

Kent says, “I think it’s because they wanted to cut down on the number of gamesoverall.” What Kent is saying is that he believes the organizers eliminated theround-robin rounds – that is, they got rid of them – because they wanted todecrease or cut down on the number of games overall19. “Overall” here means thetotal number of games. But then he says, “I’m not sure.”

Irene says, “Your team is the defending champion.” The “champion” is thewinner, the number one position, the person who wins the tournament.

“Defending” here means the person or the team that won it last time or last year.

So if the Dodgers24 win the World Series – my favorite baseball team – next yearthey would be the defending champions because they won it last year.

Unfortunately, they haven’t won it since I think like 1988, so they are not exactlydefending champions! But if they did win last year, then they would be thedefending champions this year, and if they win this year they would be thedefending champions next year, and so forth. Irene asks, “What happened thisyear? Why aren’t they ranked higher?” That is, why isn’t his team ranked or putinto a higher position in the tournament. “Rank” here is related25 to the idea ofbeing seeded in a tournament.

Kent says, “They didn’t have a very good season.” A “season” is the period oftime when games are played for that particular sport. The football season isfrom, I don’t know, late August to, say, January. The American baseball seasonis from April to October. Those are the months or the time periods when theteams play. Kent said, “There were a lot of injuries (meaning a lot of players gothurt), and as the coach, I had some run-ins with a couple of the new players.” A“run-in” is a disagreement with someone, a fight with someone. “I had a run-inwith my boss the other day.” That means I had a disagreement or an argumentwith my boss. Kent says he had a run-in with a couple of the new players on theteam. He says, “Let’s just say we had some clashes in personality.” Theexpression “let’s just say” is used when we don’t want to give the person a lot ofinformation about the topic; we don’t want to give them a lot of details, so we’retrying to make a general statement – a summary statement about whathappened. Kent says, “Let’s just say we had some clashes in personality.” A“clash” (clash) is an argument or disagreement between two people who havedifferent opinions or beliefs about something. “Clash” has a number of othermeanings; take a look at the Learning Guide for some additional26 explanations.

And of course, The Clash was a famous punk rock group back in the late 70searly80s when I was a young person, many years ago.

Irene says, “Isn’t there a game this afternoon?” Kent says, “Yeah (yes), but Ihave to feed my team first (he has to give them some food). They won’t playuntil they get what they want.” Irene says, “What do they want?” Kent says, “Icecream. Who knew six-year-olds could be so demanding?” “To be demanding”

means to need a lot of special attention and care, which usually creates a lot ofwork for other people to take care of you. Of course, we find out that the teamthat Kent is coaching is not an adult team; it’s a group of six-year-old children.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Irene: How is your team doing in the standings?

Kent: They’re seeded sixth and they’re in a bracket with one of the best teams inthe tournament. Our team has already lost to them.

Irene: I thought it was a double-elimination tournament.

Kent: It is. That’s the only reason they’re not out of contention for the title.

Irene: Why did the organizers get rid of the round-robin rounds?

Kent: I think it’s because they wanted to cut down on the number of gamesoverall. I’m not sure.

Irene: Your team is the defending champion. What happened this year? Whyaren’t they ranked higher?

Kent: They didn’t have a very good season. There were a lot of injuries, and asthe coach, I had some run-ins with a couple of the new players. Let’s just say wehad some clashes in personality.

Irene: Isn’t there a game this afternoon?

Kent: Yeah, but I have to feed my team first. They won’t play until they get whatthey want.

Irene: What do they want?

Kent: Ice cream. Who knew six-year-olds could be so demanding?

[end of dialogue]

This episode was written by the top-ranked podcast scriptwriter in all ofHollywood, Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us again here on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright27 2011 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 glossary of7xy     
n.注释词表;术语汇编
参考例句:
  • The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
  • For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便,我们在附录中也提供了术语表。
2 likelihood 91MxW     
n.可能,可能性
参考例句:
  • We must try our best to reduce the likelihood of war.我们必须尽最大努力减少战争的可能性。
  • I don't think there is any likelihood of his agreeing to it.我认为不会有他同意那件事情的可能。
3 bracket VWxzE     
n.托架,括号,等级;vt.套以括号,放在一起
参考例句:
  • The bracket came loose.托架松了。
  • Don't bracket me with him just because we work for the same company.别因为我和他在一家公司工作而把我们相提并论。
4 contention oZ5yd     
n.争论,争辩,论战;论点,主张
参考例句:
  • The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
  • The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道,争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。
5 eligible Cq6xL     
adj.有条件被选中的;(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的
参考例句:
  • He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
  • Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。
6 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
7 assign uvOzN     
vt.派,指派;分配,分派;指定或选定
参考例句:
  • It is possible to assign an exact date to this building.这座建筑物的确切年代是可以确定的。
  • It's difficult to assign any reason for the failure.失败的原因很难确定。
8 sprained f314e68885bee024fbaac62a560ab7d4     
v.&n. 扭伤
参考例句:
  • I stumbled and sprained my ankle. 我摔了一跤,把脚脖子扭了。
  • When Mary sprained her ankles, John carried her piggyback to the doctors. 玛丽扭伤了足踝,约翰驮她去看医生。
9 clash hOfzg     
vi.冲突,不协调,砰地相撞;n.冲突,不协调
参考例句:
  • There is a clash between two classes at 2 p.m. on Thursday.星期四下午两点有两堂课是冲突的。
  • The pot came down on the stone floor with a clash.锅“当”地一声掉到石地上。
10 clashes 0506c9e0513cc61cbf5f4a9982036f1e     
冲突( clash的名词复数 ); 不协调; (两群人之间的)打斗
参考例句:
  • Clashes broke out between police and demonstrators. 警方与示威者发生了冲突。
  • Several policemen were injured in the clashes. 几名警察在冲突中受伤。
11 massages b030e7c3b00c82eb88f73d42b2964831     
按摩,推拿( massage的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • At present the doctor is giving him daily massages to help restore the function of his limbs. 目前医生每天在给他按摩,帮助他恢复腿臂的功能。
  • His father massages his nose and chin. 他爸爸揉了揉鼻子和下巴。
12 prefix 1lizVl     
n.前缀;vt.加…作为前缀;置于前面
参考例句:
  • We prefix "Mr."to a man's name.我们在男士的姓名前加“先生”。
  • In the word "unimportant ","un-" is a prefix.在单词“unimportant”中“un”是前缀。
13 creation CzExH     
n.创造,创造的作品,产物,宇宙,天地万物
参考例句:
  • Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
  • The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。
14 rebels 34912fda12cbd2da49906ea8a70a44e7     
n.反政府的人( rebel的名词复数 );反叛者;造反者;叛逆者v.反抗政府( rebel的第三人称单数 );反抗权威
参考例句:
  • Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
  • The rebels went on an orgy of killing. 叛乱者肆意杀人。
15 episode Titzy     
n.(作品的一段)情节,插曲,系列事件中之一
参考例句:
  • The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
  • This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。
16 specified ZhezwZ     
adj.特定的
参考例句:
  • The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
  • It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。
17 transcript JgpzUp     
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书
参考例句:
  • A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
  • They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。
18 learning wpSzFe     
n.学问,学识,学习;动词learn的现在分词
参考例句:
  • When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时,常会从车上掉下来。
  • Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。
19 overall vJQxS     
n.工作服,工装裤;全面的,全体的
参考例句:
  • The shop assistant was wearing a white overall.那店员穿着白色的工作服。
  • How much will it cost overall?一共多少钱?
20 complicated 9vjzzD     
adj.错综复杂的,麻烦的,结构复杂的
参考例句:
  • The poem is so complicated that I cannot make out its meaning.这首诗太复杂,我理解不了它的意思。
  • This is the most complicated case I have ever handled.这是我所处理过的最为复杂的案子。
21 basically 7POyW     
adv.基本上,从根本上说
参考例句:
  • His heart is basically sound.他的心脏基本上健康。
  • Basically I agree with your plan.我基本上同意你的计划。
22 eliminated 032189ce07b823e109b2d94e716d61d4     
v.排除( eliminate的过去式和过去分词 );消除;除掉;干掉
参考例句:
  • He was eliminated in the first round of voting. 他在第一轮投票中被淘汰。
  • Her misspelling of that word eliminated her from the contest. 因为她把那个单词写错了,所以不能参加比赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 works ieuzIh     
n.作品,著作;工厂,活动部件,机件
参考例句:
  • We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
  • The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。
24 dodgers 755721a92560aef54a57a481bf981739     
n.躲闪者,欺瞒者( dodger的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a crackdown on fare dodgers on trains 对火车逃票者的严厉打击
  • But Twain, Howells, and James were jeeringly described by Mencken as "draft-dodgers". 不过吐温、豪威尔斯和詹姆斯都是被门肯讥诮地叫做“逃避兵役的人。” 来自辞典例句
25 related vkGzSv     
adj.有关系的,有关联的,叙述的,讲述的
参考例句:
  • I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
  • We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。
26 additional rJTyM     
adj.添加的,额外的,另外的
参考例句:
  • It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
  • I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。
27 copyright XZRyV     
n.版权,著作权
参考例句:
  • He retained the copyright of his book.他保留此书的著作权。
  • This company has a proprietorship of the copyright.这家公司拥有版权所有权。
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