The National Geographic Geography Bee 國家地理地理知識競賽
「Bee」是一種針對學生的競賽，通常是拼字或數學比賽。美國最著名的比賽之一是每年由國家地理學會舉辦的「國家地理知識競賽」。比賽的「目的」（存在的理由）是提高學校和公眾對「地理」（研究地球表面、國家、文化等事物）的興趣。
Students in grades four through eight may “compete” (try to win) in the Bee. First, there are competitions in individual schools. Each school may identify one winner. Then those winners are asked to take a written test about geography. National Geographic “grades” (determines how many answers are correct) each test and chooses the “top” (with the highest scores) 100 students from each state to compete in the state competitions in March or April. Finally, the winner from each state goes to the National Geographic “headquarters” (the main building of a business or organization) in Washington, D.C. for the final National Geographic Bee competition in May.
四年級到八年級的學生可以參加比賽。首先，會在各個學校舉辦比賽，每所學校可選出一名優勝者。這些優勝者將參加地理筆試。國家地理學會會為每份考卷「評分」（判斷答案正確數量），然後選出每個州「頂尖的」（成績最高的）100名學生參加三月或四月的州級比賽。最後，每個州的優勝者將前往華盛頓特區的國家地理學會「總部」（企業或組織的主要建築）參加五月的總決賽。
The competition has been held every year since 1989. Each year it becomes more “intense” (serious and stressful). Many children study geography “all year long” (during an entire year) to compete. The competition is shown on public television. The questions are extremely difficult and most “viewers” (people who watch the competition) are “amazed” (very surprised in a good way) by the children’s knowledge of geography. The three top winners receive “scholarships” (money given to someone to pay for his or her education) of $25,000, $15,000, and $10,000.
這項比賽自1989年開始每年舉行，且每年變得更加「激烈」（嚴肅且壓力大）。許多孩子會「整年」（持續一整年）學習地理來準備比賽。比賽會在公共電視台播出，問題非常困難，多數「觀眾」（觀看比賽的人）都會對孩子們的地理知識感到「驚訝」（非常驚喜）。前三名的優勝者將獲得$25,000、$15,000和$10,000的「獎學金」（支付教育費用的金錢）。
重要單字
- 1. bee /biː/ — 比賽
- 2. geography /dʒiˈɒɡrəfi/ — 地理
- 3. compete /kəmˈpiːt/ — 競爭
- 4. grade /ɡreɪd/ — 評分
- 5. intense /ɪnˈtɛns/ — 激烈的
- 6. viewer /ˈvjuːər/ — 觀眾
- 7. amazed /əˈmeɪzd/ — 驚訝的
- 8. scholarship /ˈskɒləʃɪp/ — 獎學金
