Super Sundays|超级星期天

Super Sundays

by Marcus Maurice

This year, the Super Bowl happened on February 3.

　　Some people use Sunday as a day of rest. Others use it as a day to worship a religious deity. In the United States, Sundays from September to February are for football. The National Football League (NFL) has been around since 1920 and is one of the most successful sports leagues in the world. There are 32 teams in the league, and each of them plays a 16-game schedule in 17 weeks with one bye week for rest. After the season concludes, the top 12 teams battle it out in a four-week playoff. The final two teams play for the NFL championship in the Super Bowl, but only one team walks away with the Vince Lombardi trophy.

　　Super Bowl Sunday in America inevitably leads to many game-watching parties, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, and eating a lot of finger food like hot dogs, Buffalo wings, and pizza. As a matter of fact, Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest day for food consumption in the US after Thanksgiving. The Super Bowl is traditionally the most-watched TV event of the year. In 2011, the Super Bowl had 111 million viewers and was the most-watched TV program in the US ever. Advertising during the Super Bowl is extremely expensive, but most companies pull out all the stops to plug their products so that people are talking about their commercials the next day at the office.

　　In Taiwan, American football is not as popular as baseball or basketball, but there are still places that show the Super Bowl live for sports fans. Did you get to cheer on a team while watching the Super Bowl on February 3?

     1.     How old is the NFL?

(A) 93 years old.

(B) One hundred and 20 years old.

(C) 20 years old.

(D) Five years old.

     2.     What is a bye week?

(A) The beginning of the playoffs.

(B) The time when NFL players say goodbye to their families.

(C) The first week of the season.

(D) A week when teams don't have to play a game.

     3.     Who gets the Vince Lombardi trophy?

(A) Vince Lombardi.

(B) The best team in the NFL that year.

(C) The MVP of the Super Bowl.

(D) The coach of the year.

     4.     According to the article, what is NOT done on Super Bowl Sunday?

(A) Consuming a lot of food.

(B) Going to church.

(C) Attending a party.

(D) Watching interesting TV commercials.

超级星期天

今年的超级杯于 2 月 3 日举行。

　　有些人会利用星期天来休息。有些人则会利用这天来祭拜各个宗教的神明。在美国，9 月到 2 月的每个星期天都是属于美式足球的日子。国家美式足球联盟（NFL）自 1920 年就已成立，它是全世界最成功的运动联盟之一。全联盟有 32 支队伍，每支队伍都排定要在 17 周内出战 16 场比赛，其中有一周是各队轮流休息。季赛结束后，由战绩前 12 名的球队进行为期 4 周的季后赛。最后闯进决赛的两支队伍会在『超级杯』中争夺 NFL 冠军头衔，而只有一支队伍能抱走隆巴迪奖杯。

　　美国的『超级杯星期天』不可避免地带动了许多观看球赛的聚会、畅饮啤酒以及享用像是热狗、辣烤鸡翅和披萨等小吃。事实上，『超级杯星期天』是全美国除了感恩节之外食物消耗量第二多的节日。超级杯在传统上是全年最多人收看的电视转播赛事。2011 年，有 1 亿 1 千 1 百万人收看超级杯，而它也成了美国史上最多人收看的节目。在超级杯期间打广告的费用相当昂贵，但大多数的公司却竭尽所能地一再宣传他们的商品，这样大家隔天就会在办公室讨论他们的广告。

　在台湾，美式足球并不像棒球或篮球那么受欢迎，但仍有一些地方会为球迷提供超级杯的现场直播。你在 2 月 3 日观看超级杯时有为某支队伍加油打气了吗？

答案： 1.   A   2.   D   3.   B   4.   B

 

　　超级杯的历史与两个足球联盟有关，当时美式足球是分开两个联盟，分别是美国美式足球联盟以及国家美式足球联盟。第一届超级杯，旧称 AFL-NFL

世界冠军赛（AFL-NFL World Championship Game），于 1967 年 1 月 15 日举行，由 NFL 冠军与竞争对手美国美式足球联盟（American Football League，AFL）冠军来争夺『职业美式足球世界冠军』（World Championship of Professional Football）。在两个联盟于 1970 年合并为美国联会（AFC）和国家联会（NFC）后，超级杯便成为了 NFL 的冠军赛。比赛时间在一月中下旬及二月初，但近年的比赛都在 2 月初的第一个星期日进行比赛。

　　文斯‧隆巴迪带领绿湾包装工赢得首两次的超级杯，他在 1969 年 9 月 3 日突然病逝，因此其奖杯就以他的名字为名。（数据源：维基百科）