U2, the world's most popular rock band, started as a group of students in east Dublin, Ireland, looking to make their voices heard. In 1976, drummer Larry Mullen posted a notice at school about starting a band. Soon thereafter, Paul Hewson (now known as Bono), Dave Evans (The Edge), and Adam Clayton joined forces, and U2 was born.
U2's first success came in 1978, when they won a talent contest and were awarded an opportunity to record a demo. The band spent the next few years recording and struggling to become known. In 1983, in the midst of a country torn apart by conflict, U2 released its third album, War. One of its most famous tracks, "Sunday Bloody Sunday," is about a massacre that took place in Northern Ireland. The songs on this album showed the band's ability to write powerful music about the world they lived in.
The band's popularity soon took off, and by 1984, they were selling out concerts around the world. Their success was attributed not only to their loud, energetic, and visually stunning performances, but also to their diverse styles of music that appealed to a wide range of fans.
Their most famous album to date, The Joshua Tree, was released in March of 1987. Heartrending songs such as the rock ballad "With or Without You" soared to the top of the charts, and U2 was featured on the cover of Time magazine.
Nowadays, U2 is still rocking the charts. Due to their legendary success, they were recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, ensuring U2's place in history.
1. demo n. 試聽帶
2. conflict n. 衝突
3. massacre n. 大屠殺
4. popularity n. 受歡迎；聲望
5. energetic a. 充滿活力的
6. stunning a. 令人驚奇的
7. diverse a. 多樣的
8. heartrending a. 令人心碎的
9. ballad n. 民謠；流行抒情歌曲
10. soar vi. 高升
11. the charts n. 音樂排行榜
12. legendary a. 傳奇的
1. be awarded sth 被授與／獲頒……
2. struggle to V 努力／奮力（做）……
3. in the midst of... 在……中間；正值……的時候
4. take off 起飛
5. a wide range of... 範圍廣泛的……
6. to date 迄今，到目前為止
1. join forces 合作，同心協力
例: The two companies will join forces for a profitable joint venture.
（這兩家公司將合作成立可獲利的合資企業。）
2. be torn apart 遭蹂躪，被分裂
tear apart.../tear...apart 使……分裂；將……撕裂
例: Gary tore my heart apart when he left me for that girl he works with.
（蓋瑞為了女同事棄我而去，我的心都碎了。）
3. be attributed to N/V-ing 歸因於……
例: Edward's good looks can be attributed to his mother who was a former beauty queen.
（愛德華的俊美可歸功於他曾是選美佳麗的母親。）
4. appeal to... 吸引……
例: We're certain that this new CD will appeal to all listeners both young and old.
（我們確定這張專輯會老少咸宜。）
5. be inducted into... 引進……；就任……
induct [ In`dVkt ] vt. 引導；使正式就任
例: My sister was inducted into the National Honor Society when she was a senior in high school.
（我姐姐高三時就成為國家榮譽學會會員。）
全球最受歡迎的搖滾團體U2起始於愛爾蘭東都柏林的一個學生團體，期望大家聽見他們的聲音。1976年，鼓手賴瑞•穆倫在學校張貼公告，號召合組一個樂團。不久，保羅•休森（也就是『波諾』）、大衛•伊凡斯（被團員稱為『刀子』）和亞當•克雷頓陸續加入，U2於是成軍。
U2的第一次成功在1978年。他們在才藝競賽中脫穎而出，並獲得錄製試唱帶的機會。接下來，樂團花了幾年的時間灌錄唱片，並努力讓自己家喻戶曉。1983年，在國家飽受衝突之際，U2推出了第三張專輯《戰爭》。其中最有名的一首歌 《血腥星期天》講述的是發生在北愛爾蘭的大屠殺。這張專輯的歌曲表現出該團為其置身的世界創作出動人音樂的功力。
U2的人氣快速竄升。1984年，他們全球巡迴演唱會的門票銷售一空。其成功不僅僅因為他們吵鬧、充滿活力的音樂和充滿視覺驚奇的表演，也因為他們多元化的音樂型態，吸引著廣大的樂迷。他們截至目前最有名的專輯《約書亞樹》於1987年3月發行。悲傷的歌曲，如抒情搖滾民謠《有沒有你》，快速榮登排行榜冠軍，而U2也成了《時代雜誌》的封面人物。
直至今日，U2的搖滾樂依舊稱霸各大排行榜。由於U2傳奇性的成功，最近他們也擠進搖滾名人殿堂之列，確保了U2的歷史地位。
from 常春藤解析英語雜誌
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