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The Great Tomato Showdown 蕃茄大战开打啦！

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Spain is a popular tourist destination for many reasons: great art and museums, gorgeous beaches, not to mention world-famous architecture. But it’s not to admire the scenery that, on the last Wednesday of August, up to 50,000 tourists descend on the town of Buñol. They’re there, instead, to take part in the world’s largest tomato fight!

西班牙是一个热门的观光胜地，理由多不胜数，像是伟大的艺术与博物馆、漂亮的海滩，更别提举世闻名的建筑物了。但在八月的最后一个星期三，多达五万名的游客可不是到布诺这个小镇欣赏风景的，而是为了到那里参加世界上最盛大的蕃茄大战！

Oddly enough, the festival of La Tomatina begins not with a tomato, but with a ham. At about 10 a.m., the assembled crowd must get someone up a greased pole where a ham waits at the top. Freeing the ham is the cue for the delivery of over 100 tons of tomatoes, and then the battle is ready to commence. The streets and the crowd are soon covered with red, sticky tomato pulp, and anyone with a baseball cap or camera – stereotypical badges of the tourist – is a surefire target. But even in the midst of this anarchy, safety matters. Goggles are strongly recommended for all participants, and tomatoes must be softened by squashing them before being thrown. Exactly one hour after it begins, the madness ends. Fire trucks turn their hoses on the mess, but as the trucks are more concerned with cleaning the town than the people, many participants wash in the nearby Buñol River.

说来奇怪，蕃茄节最先登场的不是蕃茄，而是火腿。早上十点左右，聚集的群众必须想办法让某个人爬上一根油油滑滑的竿子，取下顶端的火腿。成功解救火腿是一个信号，随后便有100吨的蕃茄运达，接着，大战便准备要开打了。街道和群众很快便覆上又红又黏的蕃茄果泥，且任何戴着棒球帽或拿着相机的人一定会成为攻击目标，因为那就是观光客最典型的样子。但即使在这样一片混战当中，安全还是很重要。所有参加者最好都应该戴上护目镜，而且蕃茄一定要先捏软才能丢。从大战开始一小时整后，这些疯狂活动便会落幕。消防车会对着这片混乱喷洒水柱，只是他们比较在意小镇是否清理干净，而不太管人们身上的脏污，所以很多参加者都会到附近的布诺河去清洗。

The origins of the festival are obscure: all that’s known is that some tomatoes were thrown at a religious festival in 1945 and that things took off from there. Of course, history is probably far less important to those involved than the chance to enjoy some messy fun and give new meaning to the phrase “paint the town red.”

这个节庆的起源不明，只知道在1945年的一个宗教庆典上，有人丢了几颗蕃茄，后来这个习俗就开始流传至今了。当然，对那些参加者而言，历史或许不甚重要，最重要的是有机会可以享受一场有趣的混战，且赋予「染红整座城」（英文引申义为「寻欢作乐」）这个俚语一个新的解释。

−by Barry Hall

Vocabulary

单词发音

destination [͵dɛstəˋneʃən] n. 目的地，终点

not to mention 更不必说

architecture [ˋɑrkə͵tɛktʃɚ] n. 建筑风格; 建筑式样

up to 多达

oddly enough 说也奇怪

assemble [əˋsɛmb!] v. 集合，召集，聚集

cue [kju] n. 信号

commence [kəˋmɛns] v. 开始；着手

target [ˋtɑrgɪt] n. 攻击的目标

in the midst of 在...之中

soften [ˋsɔfən] v.（使）变软

nearby [ˋnɪr͵baɪ] n. 在附近

origin [ˋɔrədʒɪn] n. 起源；由来

obscure [əbˋskjʊr] adj. 模糊的；含糊不清的

More Information

单词发音

showdown [ˋʃo͵daʊn] n. 摊牌；最后的一决雌雄

admire [ədˋmaɪr] v. 欣赏

take part in something 参加, 出席 to participate in something

grease [gris] v. 涂油脂于

pulp [pʌlp] n. 果肉；果泥

cap [kæp] n. 无边便帽

badge [bædʒ] n. 标记；象征

surefire [ˋʃʊr͵faɪr] adj. 一定成功的；不会失败的

anarchy [ˋænɚkɪ] n. 无秩序；混乱; 无政府（状态）

goggle [ˋgɑg!] n.（复）护目镜

squash [skwɑʃ] v. 把……压扁（压碎）；挤压

fire truck 救火车

hose [hoz] n. 软管；水龙带

paint the town red【口】到酒吧(或夜总会等处)寻欢作乐  to go out and enjoy yourself in the evening, often drinking a lot of alcohol and dancing

Reading Questions

1. What is the biggest attraction of the tomato fight for the participants?

A. The tomato fight has fascinating historical origins.

B. The tomato fight happens in the midst of beautiful architecture.

C. Participants have the opportunity to make a mess.

D. Participants have the chance to win a valuable prize.

2. What do participants do during the festival?

A. They try to free a tomato at the top of a pole.

B. They take part in a massive food fight.

C. They deliver tons of tomatoes to a nearby river.

D. They turn their hoses on to all the tourists.

3. According to the passage, what would be wise for tourists to do during the festival?

A. Try to become an easy target.

B. Wear baseball caps.

C. Wear special badges.

D. Hide their cameras.

Tomato-throwing Festival

 Answer