VOA慢速英语2016 肯尼亚长跑运动员代表美国队征战奥运会

AS IT IS 2016-07-27 Kenyan Runners Find Place on US Olympic Team 肯尼亚长跑运动员代表美国队征战奥运会

Three Kenya-born long-distance runners will be competing at the Rio Olympics this August for Team USA.

三名肯尼亚长跑运动员将代表美国队参加8月的里约奥运会。

Paul Chelimo, Shadrack Kipchirchir and Leonard Korir will be wearing the USA uniform in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Paul Chelimo, Shadrack Kipchirchir和 Leonard Korir将穿美国队服亮相巴西里约热内卢。

Because they are soldiers in the U.S. Army, the runners were able to apply for and receive U.S. citizenship 1 without waiting the usual three or five years.

因为他们是美国军队的士兵，这些长跑运动员无需等待三到五年时间就能申请并拿到美国公民身份。

Chelimo will compete in the 5-kilometer race in Rio de Janeiro.Kipchirchir and Korir will run in the 10-kilometer race.

Chelimo将参加5公里的竞赛。Kipchirchir 和 Korir则参加10公里的长跑。

All of the runners competed at the recent Olympic Trials in the state of Oregon.They made the team by finishing in the top three in their events.

所有运动员都参加了俄勒冈州的奥运选拔赛。他们取得了各自项目的前三名，拿到奥运会的门票。

The Kenya-born athletes had attended universities in the U.S. and were members of their school’s track and field teams.

这些在肯尼亚出生的运动员都在美国上大学，是各自学校田径队的队员。

Kipchirchir went to Oklahoma State University.Korir went to Iona College outside of New York City.Chelimo went to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Kipchirchir就读于俄克拉荷马州立大学。Korir就读于纽约市郊的爱欧纳学院。Chelimo是北卡罗来纳大学格林斯博罗分校的学生。

When it came time to decide what they would do after school, enlisting 3 in the U.S. Army seemed like a good idea.

毕业后面临做什么的选择，应征入伍似乎是好主意。

Dan Browne is a former Olympic athlete.He coaches the runners in the Army’s World Class Athlete Program. Browne said top athletes who are looking to stay in the U.S. enlist 2 in the military because they can become citizens sooner.

Dan Browne是前奥运会运动员。他是美国陆军世界级运动员项目的培训教练。Browne说想要留在美国的顶级运动员选择参军是因为可以很快拿到公民身份。

Korir said people in Kenya love to run.So it made sense that he and his countrymen would try to continue their careers.

Korir说肯尼亚人都喜欢奔跑。所以他和同胞们想要继续他们的事业是说得通的。

“In Kenya, running is like soccer in Brazil,” he said.

“在肯尼亚，奔跑就像是巴西的足球一样，”他说。

Chelimo, 25, joined the Army in 2014.He is a water treatment specialist.Korir will turn 30 later this year.He is a motor transport operator 4.Kipchirchir is 27.He is a financial management technician 5.

Chelimo今年25岁，2014年参军。他是一名水处理专家。Korir今年末即将30岁。他是一名货运司机。Kipchirchir今年27岁。他是一名财务管理专员。

Browne says the athletes can be paid, perform their military duties and also prepare for major competitions like the Olympics.

Browne说运动员们都有报酬，履行他们的军事职责，同时也能准备大型竞赛，如奥运会。

All of the athletes in the program are great ambassadors 6 for the Army, Browne said.“They represent sacrifice, determination, loyalty 7, commitment 8 - all of our ethos.”

该项目的所有运动员都是美国军队的形象大使，Browne说。“他们代表牺牲、决心、忠诚、奉献的精神，这都是我们的民族精神。”

Some members of the international track and field community are concerned about how easy it is for athletes to change countries.

国际田径组织的一些成员担心运动员改变国籍太过容易。

Sebastian Coe, a famous British runner, is the president of the organization that governs international track and field.He and other track and field leaders will meet during the Rio Games to discuss whether it is too easy for athletes to change their citizenship.

著名的英国长跑运动员Sebastian Coe是国际田联主席，国际田联是管理国际田径赛事的组织。他和其他组织领导者将会在奥运会期间会面，讨论运动员改变国籍是否太过容易。

The Kenyan-American runners believe they have worked hard to represent the U.S.After he qualified 9 for the Olympics, Kipchirchir said he still performed duties like other soldiers in the U.S. Army.

肯尼亚裔美国运动员认为他们努力了很久才能代表美国出赛。Kipchirchir说他在获得奥运会参赛机会后，仍然和美国军队的其他士兵一样履行自己的职责。

Kipchirchir and some of the other runners live in Beaverton, Oregon.Beaverton is home to the athletic 10 company Nike.They will often train with athletes who are paid to represent Nike.

Kipchirchir和其他运动员住在俄勒冈州的比佛顿。比佛顿是运动公司耐克的总部所在地。他们经常和耐克的运动代言人一起训练。

“Their job is just running,” Kipchirchir said.“They concentrate on just running.”

“他们的工作就是奔跑，” Kipchirchir说。“他们的注意力就集中在跑步上。”

But Kipchirchir says he is a soldier, first.

但Kipchirchir说，他首先是个士兵。

In all, there will be 10 athletes at the Rio Games who are serving in the Army.Another runner, a race walker, four shooters and a modern pentathlon competitor will join the three runners from Kenya for the games.

总之，出征里约奥运会的美国队中一共有十名在役运动员。除了这三名来自肯尼亚的运动员外，还有一名运动员参加竞走，四名参加射击，一名参加现代五项。

Words in This Story

trial – n. a test of the ability of an athlete to perform in a competition

enlist – v. to sign up (a person) for duty in the army, navy 11, etc.

determination – n. a quality that makes you continue trying to do or achieve something that is difficult

ethos – n. the guiding beliefs of a person, group, or organization