No Second Fiddle 音樂迷捍衛名貴提琴
Alan Johnston, BBC News
Is the Stradivarius the best?
媒體英語會帶大家一起學習 BBC 撰稿人在報道世界大事時常用到的單詞和短語。
Background: 世界上最名貴的小提琴是意大利提琴制造家, 史特拉第瓦裡(Stradivari)所制的提琴。這些古董琴以完美的音質著稱,其中一把珍藏提琴去年創下了近1千萬英鎊的成交紀錄。但在美國近期的一次試驗中,結果顯示名貴古董提琴未必比現代提琴好。這一結論引起了位於北意大利史特拉第瓦裡故鄉的不滿。
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For generations lovers of classical music have believed that when it comes to the violin, there is nothing finer than the sound of a Stradivarius. But research in America has challenged the mystique surrounding the famous old instruments.
Tests involving more than 20 professional violinists were conducted in a hotel in Indiana. The violinists were made to wear goggles that blinded them.
They couldn't tell whether they were playing an antique Stradivarius, or a brand new instrument. And most of the musicians decided that they liked the new ones best.
But they've been unimpressed by this in a place called Cremona, the home town of the Stradivarius violin. At the instrument museum there, a spokesman said the American survey was no more than "media hype".
He said that for hundreds of years the world of music had recognised the quality of the Stradivarius.
Glossary 詞匯表 (收聽發音, 請單擊英語單詞)
- when it comes to (someting)
- 談起什麼東西的時候
- to challenge (something)
- 挑戰什麼
- the mystique
- 神秘,奧秘
- the goggies
- 眼罩
- brand new
- 全新的
- to like (something) best
- 最喜歡
- to be umimpressed by (something)
- 未受感動的
- the home town
- 家鄉
- media hype
- 媒體炒作
- to be recognised
- 被認為是