近段时间，冰桶挑战在全球范围内火热进行中，那么冰桶挑战比赛是什么呢?这个游戏其实是一个的筹款项目，为对抗肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症(ALS)筹款，并引起更多人对该疾病的关注。英语学习爱好者可以详细阅读下面这篇英语文章，从而更好地了解这个比赛。

　　If you logged on to weibo over the weekend, chances are your newsfeed was flooded with videos of US celebrities drenching themselves in ice water. It seems everyone is getting in on the fun, from popular singers like Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake, to high-ranking of tech executives including Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.

　　如果你周末上了微博，你也许已经被美国名人们“冰水浇头”的新闻刷频了。社会各界的名人似乎都参与其中，既有流行歌手泰勒•斯威夫特和贾斯汀•汀布莱克，也有科技界大佬比尔•盖茨和马克•扎克伯格。

　　Is it some kind of new, cool way to cope with the summer heat? Of course not.

　　这难道是应对酷暑的炫酷新方法?当然不是。

　　It’s a fundraising game called the Ice Bucket Challenge, and it aims to raise awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

　　这个名为“冰桶挑战”的游戏其实是一个的筹款项目，为对抗肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症(ALS)筹款，并引起更多人对该疾病的关注。

　　The challenge’s premise is straightforward. It involves daring a person to dump a bucket of ice water over their head within 24 hours, or donate money toward fighting ALS. Even if a person completes the challenge, they’re more than welcome to donate money anyhow.

　　挑战的内容十分简单：接受挑战的人需要在24小时内将一桶冰水从头浇下，否则就要为对抗ALS捐款。人们即使完成了挑战，当然也可以进行捐款。

　　Once a person completes the challenge, they’re supposed to issue the same challenge to several other people, usually three, which is why the challenge has been growing and growing.

　　完成挑战的人还可以再点三个人进行挑战。而这正是越来越多的人参与进来的原因。

　　Buckets of money

　　卓有成效

　　Since the beginning of June, the game has spread across social media timelines and late-night talk shows in the US. According to Facebook, more than 15 million people so far have posted, commented, or liked a post about the challenge. It has raised more than $2.3 million (14 million yuan) to support research for the illness.

　　“冰桶挑战”自今年6月，开始在美国社交媒体和夜间脱口秀节目中兴起。在Facebook上，发布挑战视频、评论或点赞的人数已超过1500万人。筹得研究资金230多万美元(约合1400万人民币)。

　　As for the origins of the craze, new data from the Facebook data science team heavily supports one theory: that the ice bucket challenge originated with Pete Frates, a former captain of the Boston College baseball team. Frates, 29, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012, can no longer speak and uses a wheelchair. After Frates posted his own ice bucket challenge video on July 31, the game took off and has now become one of the biggest stunts in the online community.

　　至于这项狂热活动的起源，Facebook数据科学团队的新数据认为：波士顿大学棒球队前队长皮特•弗雷茨是第一个“浇冰水的人”。今年29岁的弗雷茨在2012年检查出患有渐冻人症，现在的他已经无法说话，行动只能依靠轮椅。今年7月31日，弗雷茨在网上发布了自己“冰桶挑战”的视频，随后该挑战就一发不可收拾，现在已经是网上最引人注目的活动。

　　Seeing celebrities take on the ice bucket challenge is entertaining, but it’s even better watching them do it with a twist. Here are three celebrities who got creative.

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