The Battle of the Oranges

If someone invited you to go to Europe for a vacation, you might decide to pack some clothes, a few pairs of shoes, your toothbrush, and a comb. If you plan to stop by the town of Ivrea in northern Italy in February, however, you might want to bring some extra soap and shampoo (洗发剂). Every year, thousands of people come to this small town to witness one of the oddest and messiest battles in the world. It is known as “Battaglia delle Arancee”. That means the Battle of the Oranges.

The Battle of the Oranges is a three-day long festival. People travel from all over the world to watch it. No one seems to agree on exactly how this food fight got started. Some believe it is based on a battle between the locals and the nobility (贵族) in 12th-century Italy. Others think it was inspired by an argument between the commoners (平民) and the ruling lords (贵族) in the 19th century. Regardless of how it began, the tradition is being carried on today in very sticky ways.

To prepare for the battle, 57,000 crates (装货箱) of rotten oranges are ordered from Sicily. These oranges were scheduled to be thrown away. Now they have a new purpose. People divide up into teams. Each team wears their own type of wild and colourful uniform. Those wandering around with red hats on are there just to watch, so no one throws fruit at them.

During the battle, one team rides in a horse-drawn (马拉的) carriage. It is filled with oranges. The other team is on the ground. When the signal is given, the teams begin tossing (扔) the stinky (有臭味的), sticky fruit at each other. When the throwing is done, judges decide who had the best aim, who wore the most unusual uniforms, and who managed to avoid running into the horses.

Once the battle is over, the city celebrates with a big parade. Then, visitors go home and the real work begins. More than 100 people come into the city. They are there to clean up the incredible mess left behind. Soon, all traces of the battle are over—until February returns again next year.

Reading Comprehension

Choose the correct answer for each question.

1. Where does the Battle of the Oranges take place?

A. In western Italy.

B. In southern Italy.

C. In northern Italy.

D. In eastern Italy.

2. How long will the Battle of the Oranges festival last?

A. For one day.

B. For two days.

C. For three days.

D. For four days.

3. What do people prepare for the battle?

A. 57,000 crates of rotten oranges.

B. Wild and colourful uniforms.

C. A horse-drawn carriage.

D. All of the above.

4. Which statement is NOT true about the festival?

A. People who watch it come from all over the world.

B. Those wandering around with yellow hats on are there just to watch.

C. We don’t know exactly how this food fight got started.

D. Once the battle is over, the city celebrates with a big parade.

5. What will happen after the visitors go home?

A. The judges decide who had the best aim.

B. Everyone has a comfortable bath.

C. The city celebrates with a big parade.

D. People will come to clean up the mess left behind.

答案：CCDBD

Vocabulary 基础词

pack [pæk]

v. 捆扎；包装；打包 n. 小包；包裹；纸袋，纸盒；背包；一群

例 Tom refused to pack his belongings. 汤姆拒绝把自己的东西打包。

messy [ˈmesi]

adj. 棘手的，难办的；凌乱的；肮脏的

英 dirty and/or not neat

记 来自mess(n. 混乱；肮脏)

battle [ˈbætl]

n. 战役，战斗；较量；斗争 v. 搏斗，斗争；战斗

记 与bottle(瓶子)一起记

搭 battle with/against 与…抗争

festival [ˈfestɪvl]

n. 节日

搭 Spring Festival 春节

exactly [ɪɡˈzæktli]

adv. 确实如此；正好；确切地，精确地

记 词根记忆：ex(表加强)+act(做)+ly(…地)→不断做以求精确→精确地

fight [faɪt]

[fought-fought] n./v. 打仗，战斗；打架；争论

搭 a fight to the death/finish 一场进行到底的战斗

tradition [trəˈdɪʃn]

n. 传统；惯例

记 词根记忆：tra(=trans，转移)+dit(给予)+ion(表名词)→代代相传→传统

搭 follow a tradition 遵循传统

carriage [ˈkærɪdʒ]

n. 马车；运输；(火车的)客车厢

记 联想记忆：carri(看作carry，运送)+age→用马车运载→马车

judge [dʒʌdʒ]

n. 裁判员；法官 v. 断定；判断；评判；审判

搭 judging by/from... 根据…判断

unusual [ʌnˈjuːʒuəl]

adj. 特别的，不寻常的；与众不同的

记 词根记忆：un(不)+usual(平常的)→不平常的→不寻常的

celebrate [ˈselɪbreɪt]

v. 庆祝

记 词根记忆：celebr(荣誉)+ate(表动词)→庆祝荣誉→庆祝

例 People of this district celebrate the national day by dancing in a circle. 这个地区的人们围成一圈跳舞来庆祝国庆节。

parade [pəˈreɪd]

n. (庆祝)游行 vi.游行

记 词根记忆：para(旁边)+de→展示给旁边的人看→游行

搭 a victory parade 一场胜利游行

Vocabulary 进阶词

inspire [ɪnˈspaɪə(r)]

vt. 鼓舞；激起；给…以灵感

英 to give sb the desire, confidence or enthusiasm to do sth well

搭 be inspired by 受…鼓舞

regardless [rɪˈɡɑːdləs]

adv. 不顾；无论如何，不管怎样

英 paying no attention, even if the situation is bad or there are difficulties

记 组合词：regard(关心)+less(少)→很少关心→不管怎样

搭 regardless of 不管

sticky [ˈstɪki]

adj. 黏性的；(天气)湿热的；难办的，棘手的

记 词根记忆：stick(粘贴)+y(…的)→黏性的

schedule [ˈʃedjuːl]

vt. 安排；列入，收进(清单等) n. 时刻表；清单；工作计划；日程安排

英 to arrange for sth to happen at a particular time

例 The lectures are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday. 讲座安排在星期二和星期四。

wander [ˈwɒndə(r)]

v. 徘徊，闲逛，漫步；偏离正道；走神，(神情)恍惚

记 联想记忆：他在十字路口徘徊(wander)，想知道(wonder)下一步该怎么走

搭 wander from/off 偏离…

manage [ˈmænɪdʒ]

v. 努力完成，设法做成；操纵，控制；管理

记 词根记忆：man(手)+age(表行为)→用手做→操纵

搭 manage to do... 设法完成…

incredible [ɪnˈkredəbl]

adj. 不可相信的，难以置信的；极好的；极大的

记 词根记忆：in(不)+cred(相信)+ible(能…的)→不可相信的

mess [mes]

n. 凌乱 vt. 弄脏；搞乱

搭 make a mess of... 把…搞得一塌糊涂

trace [treɪs]

vt. 追踪，追查；追溯；描摹 n. 痕迹，迹象；微量

记 联想记忆：描绘(trace)车轮的痕迹(track)

搭 trace back to 追溯到… without (a) trace 无影无踪 LrhjVJLPbJqX5rVpZbhiFdUWjKTf0Tfpu63Wapl7nDVX+Sgjgj6xFVz+1UKtIx1P