VOA慢速英语:Pure 'Madness' on Words to the Wise

短语讲解：

1. It begins in the middle of March.

in the middle of 在…的中间
例句：I was in the middle of the back row
我在后排的中间。

2. But March Madness refers to the wild nature of the tournament.

refer to 参考; 指的是; 涉及
例句：I mention this point now in passing and shall refer to it again.
这一点现在顺便提一下，以后还会讲到。

3. There are so many teams and a lot of games ending at the same time -- dramatic endings, especially!

at the same time 同时; 一起; 但是; 然而
例句：Never before has the industry had to cope with war and recession at the same time
这个行业以前从未有过必须同时应付战争和萧条的经历。

4. They start out with 68 teams, and then it gets down to the championship game, which doesn't actually happen in March.

start out 启程，出发; 开始[着手]做
例句：I'll start out to write my paper tomorrow.
我计划明天写读书报告。

5. There's a tradition where the winning team takes scissors and cuts down the net so that they can put it in their trophy case back at their university for future generations of fans to admire.

cut down 减少; 裁短
例句：He cut down on coffee and cigarettes, and ate a balanced diet
他喝咖啡和吸烟都比以前少了，饮食也均衡了。