American Icons

Last week on the program I was discussing a list of the top American icons. When you look up the word “icon” you’ll find synonyms like “picture” and “image,” but for the purposes of this list a national icon is somebody who will remind people of their country only by mentioning their name.

To look up. Buscar (en una lista, libro)

What criteria was used to compile the list? Only real people can be on the list; no fictional characters were allowed, so you won’t find Homer Simpson for example.

To compile. Recopilar

Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, made the list. He began his career in radio and later became a Hollywood actor, but politics were his calling. He served two terms in the White House.

Calling. Vocación

Term. Mandato (en la política)

Ernest Hemingway is on the list too. He’s considered to be the greatest American fiction writer of the 20th century. He drove an ambulance during World War I and he was a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War and World War II. He supposedly committed suicide during a bout of depression in 1961.

Supposedly. Se supone que

Bout. Ataque (enfermedad)

Frank Sinatra (or Ol’ Blue Eyes) the most popular crooner of all time, made the list. As a young man he wanted to be become a journalist, but by the time he was working as a sports reporter his singing career began to take off. In the 1950’s he formed the “Rat Pack,” an unofficial entertainment group with Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford…and the rest is history.

To take off. Despegar, empezar a tener éxito

From the world of sports, Michael Jordan’s on the list. He’s from Brooklyn, played college basketball at the University of North Carolina (where he led his team to the NCAA championship), and was drafted into the NBA as a guard for the Chicago Bulls.

I was lucky enough to see him play at the old Chicago Stadium before it was torn down to build the United Center, where the Bulls play today. That was before he gave up basketball for baseball, in 1993, and went to play for the Chicago White Sox’ farm team. We all know the result of that experiment! He was soon back wearing a Bull’s uniform, eventually leading his team to six NBA championships and winning the MVP award five times.

College. En los Estados Unidos, se usa la palabra “college” para indicar la universidad

Guard. Escolta

To tear down (it’s irregular! Tear/tore/torn). Derribar

To give up. Dejar

Farm team. "La cantera”, a team’s secondary club, used for providing training for younger and less experienced players.

MVP. Most Valuable Player

Published by: Drew Crosby