Behemoth: South by Southwest

① At its launch in 1987, the music-focused event in Austin, Texas hosted about 700 people spread across 15 venues; there was a single keynote speaker.

② Now it's a sprawling, ten-day festival.

③ Music still plays a big part, but these days the 2,000 performers fill more than 100 venues.

④ The festival also showcases comedy, highlights innovations in technology and gaming, and even hosts film premieres.

⑤ The smorgasbord of options attracts 400,000 people from across the world, and brings in some $300m to the local economy.

⑥ The programme for this year's edition, which kicked off yesterday, includes insights into the do-it-yourself biology called biohacking, the role of librarians at the CIA, design in the age of algorithms and the future of psychedelic drugs.

⑦ Critics say the line-up does not justify the hours-long queues for food, crowd-safety worries or escalating attendance costs.

⑧ They liked it before it was cool.

▍生词好句

behemoth /bɪˈhi:mɒθ, ˈbi:hɪˌməʊθ/: n. 巨头；巨兽

-focused: adj. 聚焦于……的；重点在……的

venue /ˈvɛnju:/: n. 场所；场地

keynote speaker: 主讲人

sprawling /ˈsprɔːlɪŋ/: adj. 蔓生的；不规则伸展的

play a big part: 占据很大一部分；起到很大的作用；扮演很重要的角色

showcase /ˈʃəʊkeɪs/: vt. 展示；上演

highlight /ˈhʌɪlʌɪt/: vt. 突显

premiere /ˈprɛmɪɛ:/: n. 首映；首次登台

smorgasbord /ˈsmɔ:ɡəsbɔ:d/: n. （瑞典式的）自助餐；大杂烩

a smorgasbord of something: 各式各样的……

bring in: 带来

this year's edition: 今年这一届

kick off: 开始

insight /ˈɪnsʌɪt/: n. 见解

biohacking /ˈbaɪoʊhækɪŋ/: n. 生物黑客

algorithm /ˈalɡərɪð(ə)m/: n. 算法

psychedelic drugs /ˌsʌɪkəˈdɛlɪk, ˌsʌɪkəˈdi:lɪk/: 迷幻药物

line-up /ˈlʌɪnʌp/: n. 阵容

starting line-up: 首发阵容

substitute line-up: 补位阵容

justify /ˈdʒʌstɪfʌɪ/: vt. 成为……的正当理由；说不过去

queue /kjuː/: n. 队伍

escalating /ˈɛskəleɪtɪŋ/: adj. 逐步上涨的

attendance costs: 入场费；参加的费用