时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2008年(六月)


英语课

By Brian Padden
Washington
16 June 2008


The upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing will feature over 300 sporting events. While many events like swimming and basketball are dominated 1 by professional athletes, the games still showcase amateur 2 athletes. These competitors will probably never become rich or famous. They must balance work and training, and they struggle to pay for travel and other expenses. Still they persist 3 for the chance to pursue 4 the Olympic dream. As VOA's Brian Padden reports, the public identifies with these scrappy idealists. (Part 4 of 5)

South Africa's Marlon August is close to achieving his life-long dream to compete in the Olympics. "The best would be to get a medal at the Olympics," said August.

He recently qualified 5 for his country's Olympic Judo 6 team. To achieve that, he trained, every day, before and after work as an office assistant. He says his employer 7 has supported his dream. "I work for my mother, who is very understanding," said August. "She has known my dreams since I was very young, so she supports me. She pays me enough just to pay my bills. The rest I do by myself."
 






Steve Roush, 15 Apr 2008




Steve Roush is chief of sports performance with the U.S. Olympic Committee. He has been involved with the Olympics for over 20 years. He says he sees ordinary people, time and again, dedicating 8 their lives to winning a place on an Olympic team.

"I think it's the purity 9 of the Olympics that changes people's mindset," he said. "I also think there is a thing that I refer to as Olympic fever. And when you catch that, it's very hard to do anything but pursue it."

But Olympic fever is not always enough. Cambodian marathon runner Hem 10 Bun Ping receives some government support, approximately $30 a month. But he says he cannot afford the diet he needs to compete against professional athletes.

"I think that I cannot beat the athletes from the other countries," he said. "It's like comparing the sky and the earth, because we lack everything we need. But I will try my best. I don't think I will beat everybody else, but at least I hope to beat my personal best time."

American Olympic hopeful Sarah Trowbridge is more optimistic. In the early mornings, she and other top American rowers can be found rowing on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. They train there with U.S. national team coach Matt Madigan. "[The] Potomac Boat Club is one of the best, kind of [a] feeder program onto the national team," said Trowbridge. "They have really strong programs, coaches, a lot of good girls, so it's a really a good place to be if you are trying to make the national team."

Many boat club members support themselves by working for a high-tech 11 mapping company. The head of the company, Sean Gorman, is a one-time national rowing champion. He offers the rowers flexible hours so they can train. Gorman says employing these Olympic hopefuls is a good business decision. "We found the same characteristics that make people successful in rowing at a high level also make them great employees," he said.

Roush says while the inclusion of professional athletes has not hurt the Olympic games, the general public still favors those who are sacrificing so much - over the professionals.

"They don't embrace 12 them as they do the canoe 13 kayaker who is making $12,000 a year, and that's all they are making, yet they are able to pay for their training expenses, be able to travel world-wide, raise a family," said Roush. "People just identify with them and feel for them and I think get behind and support them."

Win or lose, Roush says these amateur athletes, when they compete in Beijing, will inspire a new generation of Olympic hopefuls, going for the gold.



1 dominated
受控的 -tive
  • As a child he was dominated by his father. 他小时候由父亲主宰一切。
  • His personality dominated over the other members of the committee. 他的人格影响委员会的其他成员。
2 amateur
adj.业余的,非专业的;n.业余爱好者
  • He made an amateur attempt to build a cupboard.他很外行地试做了一个碗柜。
  • Although Tom's only an amateur he's a first-class player.虽然汤姆只是个业余爱好者,但却是一流的高手。
3 persist
v.持续,存留;坚持不懈,执意
  • The bad weather will persist all over the country.这种坏天气将在全国各地持续下去。
  • His strength of will enabled him to persist.他的意志力使他能坚持下去。
4 pursue
vt.继续,从事;追赶,追踪;追求
  • He began to pursue an easy and comfortable life.他开始追求安逸舒适的生活。
  • This is the path that we shall continue to pursue.这是我们要继续走的道路。
5 qualified
adj.合格的,有资格的,胜任的,有限制的
  • He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
  • We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。
6 judo
n.柔道
  • The judo is a kind of fighting sport.柔道是一种对抗性体育活动。
  • Which is more important in judo, strength or techniques?柔道运动中,力量和技术哪个更重要?
7 employer
n.雇用方,雇主
  • My employer deducted ten pounds from my wages this week.我的雇主从我本周的工钱中扣除了十英镑。
  • His monthly salary is paid into the bank by his employer.他的月薪由雇主替他存入银行。
8 dedicating
v.奉献( dedicate的现在分词 );(为表示感情或敬意将著作、乐曲、艺术作品等)题献给(某人、某事业等)(to);(在书、音乐或作品的前部)题献辞;以…供奉
  • With confidence, you will find pleasure in serious dedicating life. 有了信心,你就会在严肃的献身生活中找到乐趣。 来自互联网
  • The Beauty Queen spends her time dedicating parks and bursing homes. 她为自己的事业贡献了毕生的精力。 来自互联网
9 purity
n.纯净,纯洁,纯度
  • She was a woman of purity and goodness.她是一位纯洁善良的妇女。
  • The white colour is a symbol of purity.白色是纯洁的象征。
10 hem
n.贴边,镶边;vt.缝贴边;(in)包围,限制
  • The hem on her skirt needs sewing.她裙子上的褶边需要缝一缝。
  • The hem of your dress needs to be let down an inch.你衣服的折边有必要放长1英寸。
11 high-tech
adj.高科技的
  • The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展,这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
  • The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。
12 embrace
vt.拥抱;包括;包围,环绕;n.拥抱,怀抱
  • He held her to him in a warm embrace.他热列地拥抱她。
  • The hills embrace the village.山丘环绕着村庄。
13 canoe
n.独木舟;vi.乘独木舟,划独木舟
  • They slid the canoe down to the water.他们使小舟滑到水中。
  • It is only the second time he has been in a canoe.这仅是他第二次乘小游艇。
学英语单词
abstruseness
accomodation bulkhead
aged egg
amph-
andre malrauxes
anteromedian seta
assch-
audio oscillator
audit capability
bailbond
bass-bar
bilge area
Borel covering theorem
building area quota
CF II
chest leads
circumscribed cylinder
closure system
cobbard
crewel-works
criduchat syndrome
cuckoo-flower
deckboard
depot and warehouse
disease spread
domineering
effect a change
elasto-plastic theory
electro arc depositing
electrochemical corrosion test
electronic energy migration
family Castoridae
feature
flat plate shaped grain
formulate criteria
grit reservoir
Hokurabin
homocholane
inactivated vaccine
income tax accounting
incremental loading
input parameter
ironside
kerwin
krugs
Mansuur
manual-reset relay
mechanical paper tape reader
mesophils
mountain belt
nidls
ning-hsia
oak chestnut
one-nature
one-phase relay
oriental beetles
orium
output low current
overwhelming winner
Palos Heights
peaces out
person-related activities
philistia
pillemers
pinault
polish ... up
portable ph meter
pre-menarcheal
premixings
punniness
radar compartment
residual percentage crimp
ristic
robespierres
scud-cs
seleniscope
simple stack
spot indicator
STAG (steam and gas turbine)
stellite stainless steel
stercus
sterile filling
symbolize
take the offer
those've
to wipe up the ground with someone
toll dialing trunk
total image
typical day
under-training
underlying cause of death
undrinks
union link
unoften
unpaid draft
upen
upward stabilization
USUHS
webvertising
xanthochilus
YERSINIOSES
yttrium aeschynite