Dancing into old age

Dancing into old age

NB: This is not an accurate word-for-word transcript 1

 

Dima:Hi, welcome to this edition of 6 Minute English with me, Dima Kostenko

Jackie:and me, Jackie Dalton. 

Dima:As usual, I'll be relying on your help with the language Jackie. But first, I'd like to ask you a question…

Jackie: Responds

Dima:How do you see yourself when you've grown quite a bit older than you are now? What kind of person do you think you'll be?

Jackie: Responds (active - not very active; hobbies -what likely hobbies? travelling? other activities? family? etc.)

Dima:Well, I suppose we'll have to wait a few decades before we find out for sure -but this brings us nicely to the topic of this programme. Today we'll be talking about old age - and how some people just refuse to grow old gracefully 2. 

Jackie:  'To grow old gracefully' - this is a common way of saying to become more tolerant 3（宽容的，容忍的）, accepting and patient about your age, and to know and accept the limitations of what your body can do.

Dima: And while some people do exactly that, others are the opposite: they do everything they can to challenge their new, older selves. They take up activities that their peers（平辈） from the past generations didn't dare to dream of! Like for example modelling, or even ballet dancing…

Jackie:  Ballet dancing? Surely you don't mean dancing on stage, in front of an audience? 

Dima:  That's exactly what I mean Jackie! John Lowe, a grandfather of 11 who we'll be hearing from in a moment, has had his stage debut 4（初次登场） in a production by a dance company in Ely in eastern England. His performance in Prokofiev's classic ballet, The Stone Flower, drew quite a bit of media attention last year. And all that thanks to his rather respectable 5 age… And here comes my question to you Jackie. How old do you think he was at the time: a) nearly 70 b) almost 80 c) close to 90? 

Jackie:  Answers 

Dima:  We'll check your answer later but first let's hear from the man himself. John, formerly 6 a soldier, a teacher and a theatre company manager, says it wasn't until some ten years ago, after a long period abroad, that the ballet bug 7 really took hold of him. 

Jackie:  'The ballet bug really took hold of him' -in other words, he became very passionate 8 about learning and practising ballet dancing. 

Dima:  As you listen, look out for these words and expressions: 

Jackie:  'Tap'. 'Tap' is a type of dance in which you mark the rhythm by the noise of your dancing shoes on the floor. And the expression 'ever since' - a very common term used to say that something that's continuing even now was started by a certain event, or situation in the past. Most often you will hear this expression in sentences that use the present perfect or, like in this example, the present perfect continuous. That's 'tap' and 'ever since'. Ready? Listen: 

 

 

Clip 9 1      0'11"

When I returned to this country, I asked if I could do tap and ballet at the local dance school in Ely. They said, 'of course you can!' Well, I was seventy-nine then and I've been doing it ever since.

Jackie:John says, when he went to the local dance school in Ely, he asked if he could do ballet and tap dancing. Even though he was 79 then, the answer was - yes, and so he's been dancing there ever since. 

Dima:With practice, he's developed a better flexibility 10 and strength, and he finds it very difficult to understand why many of his contemporaries decide to let themselves go!

Jackie: 'To let themselves go' - a useful set phrase that means to allow themselves to become less attractive or less healthy.

Dima:John says, there is a sure way of staying fit regardless of your age. And that is - ballet dancing!

Jackie:Listen to him again and try to answer this question: according to John, what is the reason why many men in Britain wouldn't want to take up ballet? Here is your clue: listen out for a word that means womanlike. 

 

Clip 2      0'12"

I recommend it to anybody. Of course, men in this country, they think it effeminate（女人气，柔弱的） to dance. I don't find it effeminate. I used to box for the army, so that's not effeminate!

Jackie:So why aren't many men in this country keen on ballet dancing? Well according to John, the answer is they don't feel it's something a man should do

-it's too womanlike, and the word he used was 'effeminate'.

Dima:   Now, before we hear the answer to this week's question, could you go through some of today's key words and phrases again Jackie? 

Jackie:  We began with to grow old gracefully, a commonly used expression meaning to become more tolerant, accepting and patient about your age. Then we had the expression the ballet bug really took hold of him, that's when you become very passionate about learning and practising ballet dancing.  We mentioned tap dancing, or simply tap - a type of dance in which you mark the rhythm by the noise of your dancing shoes on the floor. And then we heard the phrase ever since, a very common way of saying that something that is continuing even now was started by a certain event, or situation in the past. We had the expression to let yourself go, meaning to allow yourself to become less attractive or healthy, and then the adjective effeminate -in other words womanlike.  

Dima:  Thanks Jackie. Finally, back to the question I asked you earlier. I asked how old John was when he had his stage debut? 

Jackie:  I'm quite good/not too good at doing sums…(79 about ten years ago so… ) 

Dima:  Quite a character! I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. Until next week.  

Both:  Goodbye!  (本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

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1
transcript

  
 


n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书


参考例句：





A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。












2
gracefully

  
 


ad.大大方方地；优美地


参考例句：





She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。












3
tolerant

  
 


adj.容忍的，有耐力的


参考例句：





She's tolerant toward those impudent colleagues.她对那些无礼的同事采取容忍的态度。
A tolerant person usually has breadth of mind.有宽容精神的人通常胸襟开阔。












4
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。












5
respectable

  
 


n.品格高尚的人；adj.值得尊重的，人格高尚的，不少的


参考例句：





She seems respectable enough.她看上去挺体面的。
His savings were just enough to pay for a respectable funeral.他的存款刚好够办一个体面的葬礼。












6
formerly

  
 


adv.从前，以前


参考例句：





We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。












7
bug

  
 


n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器


参考例句：





There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。












8
passionate

  
 


adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的


参考例句：





He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。












9
clip

  
 


n.夹子，别针，弹夹，片断；vt.夹住，修剪


参考例句：





May I clip out the report on my performance?我能把报道我的文章剪下来吗？
She fastened the papers together with a paper clip.她用曲别针把文件别在一起。












10
flexibility

  
 


n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性


参考例句：





Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。