Alexander Rodriguez, a.k.a. A-Rod, is one of the world’s greatest baseball players. He plays for the New York Yankees, after starting his career with Seattle and Texas. He holds a long list of baseball records. He is the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs. He will get $30 million if he breaks the all-time home run record of 762.
Rodriguez was born in 1975 in New York City to Dominican parents. He loved baseball when he was growing up and was a star player at school. He was the USA Baseball Junior Player of the Year and the Gatorade national baseball student athlete of the year. In 1993, Alex was the first ever high school player to try out for Team USA.
Rodriguez was signed by the Seattle Mariners. He made his major league debut aged 18, becoming the youngest position player in Seattle history. He quickly set many Seattle club records and in 1996 was the Major League Player of the Year. In 2000, he signed with the Texas Rangers in what was the most lucrative contract in sports history.
Rodriguez joined the New York Yankees in 2004. In 2007, he became the first player in history to have at least 35 home runs, 100 runs, and 100 RBI in 10 consecutive seasons. His success has brought criticism from the press. He told a magazine: "When people write about me, I don't know if it's because I'm good-looking [or] I make the most money.”
1 mariners
海员，水手(mariner的复数形式)
参考例句：
Mariners were also able to fix their latitude by using an instrument called astrolabe. 海员们还可使用星盘这种仪器确定纬度。
The ancient mariners traversed the sea. 古代的海员漂洋过海。
2 debut
n.首次演出，初次露面
参考例句：
That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。
3 aged
adj.年老的，陈年的
参考例句：
He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。
4 rangers
护林者( ranger的名词复数 ); 突击队员
参考例句：
Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗? 来自超越目标英语 第3册
Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册
5 lucrative
adj.赚钱的，可获利的
参考例句：
He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。
6 consecutive
adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的
参考例句：
It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。
