节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-04-02
难易度:High
关键字:tackle, umpire, squad, scope
Hello again.
Today we're continuing a lesson called Competitive Fire - The Game of Beep
Baseball.
So far we learned how runs are scored in this sport.
A batter must tag a base before a fielder gets the ball.
By the way, do you know how baseball players keep in touch?
They touch base every once in a while.
That was just a little joke.
Well, back to competitive fire, why is our lesson called competitive fire,
anyway?
Like a fire, this sport is spreading to different parts of the world.
Let's learn more about beep ball right now.
Competitive Fire - The Game of Beep Baseball.
A growing sport.
In America, teams look forward to the annual National Beep Ball Association
World Series.
Last year the association's lone foreign squad, the Taiwan Homerun, defeated the
Austin Blackhawks to claim the championship for the second year in a row.
The sport's international scope doesn't end there.
In recent years, beep baseball has taken off in Europe as well, proving that
fans and players worldwide love this exciting and physical sport.
All right.
(Chinese).
And now let's go to our teachers.
Thank you, Michelle.
So beep baseball is not just an American sport.
Right. It really is taking off all over the world.
But in America, we read, teams look forward to the annual National Beep Ball
Association World Series.
So just like a regular baseball, there is a World Series for beep ball every
year.
It's the national association, so you would think that it just included American
teams.
But no. Actually, the association has a team from halfway around the world -
Taiwan.
And that is so cool.
The Taiwan Homerun is the name of the team.
And we see that they are the lone foreign squad.
What does that mean?
That means they are the only one.
You see the word "lone" in the word "alone," which, of course, means by itself.
Have you ever seen the movie The Lone Ranger or heard the song Lone Star?
When people use the word "lone" to describe something, often it means that thing
might be kind of lonely or they have to accomplish something on their own.
But in our lesson, lone is not a negative thing.
It just means it's the only one, which is actually more of an honor.
And just last year the Taiwan Homerun defeated the Austin Blackhawks to claim
the championship for the second year in a row.
And when you claim a championship, that means you win! You are the champion.
They have been champions for two years in a row.
And that's great.
But right now it's time for us to learn something with Steve and Ken in the
Information Cloud.
Rows and columns both refer to how things are arranged either vertically or
horizontally.
Now these two words are often confused with one another because people just
don't know the difference between them.
And today, we'll set the record straight.
Rows are arranged horizontally from left to right while columns are arranged
vertically from top to bottom.
A good way to remember the difference is when speaking of rows, think of a row
garden where the plants grow lengthwise across the field.
It is not possible to go up because a field is flat and two-dimensional.
And for a column, think of a column in architecture.
It goes up and down the building.
In today's text, the phrase "in a row" is used to describe events or things that
happen right after each other.
Basically it's another way of saying things are sequential.
And since this phrase deals with sequences, it always follows a number.
The team has lost seven games in a row or seven times consecutively.
And since rows are straight, we can also use the word "straight" to describe
sequential events.
Another way to say a team lost seven games in a row is it lost seven games
straight.
(Chinese).
Thank you, guys.
As you can see, there's another way of talking about doing something three times
in a row: doing something three times straight.
And perhaps the Taiwan Homerun will have won three times straight by the end of
this year.
Now let's see how far this sport has spread around the globe.
We read: The sport's international scope doesn't end there.
It doesn't end with America and Taiwan.
Right. The scope is getting wider and wider.
The scope is the range or how much something includes.
For example, nobody knows the scope of our universe.
But the scope of beep baseball is getting wider.
We read it doesn't end there.
We can use the word "end" to mean the limit of something.
For example, the lesson doesn't end here.
There's still more to learn.
Well, I wish it didn't end here, but actually, there is a limit even to our
lesson at Studio Classroom.
It is time for us, of course, to review with a review skit.
And then we'll join Linda for the Editor's Summary.
What's that beeping sound?
Is that your cellphone or an alarm?
No... That's my baseball.
Your baseball! Very funny.
What is it, really?
I'm serious! It's for a game called beep baseball.
It's a sport designed for visually impaired players.
Oh. So players must be careful and easygoing.
Not at all.
Beep ball players show intensity that rivals that of professional athletes.
Really!
So what are the basics of this beep ball?
Well, the ball beeps during the game.
The beep is a cue to batters and fielders.
And what about the pitcher and catcher?
Can they see?
Yeah. They're called spotters.
They're on the same team as the batter.
How does that work?
Well, the pitcher says, "Ready... pitch!" before he throws.
That signal helps the batter time his swing.
And allows the fielders to anticipate the ball.
Exactly.
If the batter hits the ball, he runs to the base.
But how does he know where to go?
Uh, good question.
The base makes a buzzing sound.
If the runner touches it before a defensive player has the ball, the batter
scores a run. Yay!
Wow! Beep ball sounds like an exciting game.
Yeah. Beep ball sounds like beep-beep-beep.
Um, your baseball is beeping again.
No. That is my cellphone alarm.
Your alarm?
Yeah. It's time to play ball.
So, in beep baseball, how do the batters know where to run?
Well, the bases buzz, and the batter runs toward that sound.
The base itself is a large padded cone.
So if a batter is running very fast, they might tackle the base and end up on
the ground.
But we see that the batter isn't the only one.
The fielders often have to dive to the ground to stop the ball.
Then they have to hold it up for the umpire to see.
And of course, to get the batter out, they have to do this before the runner
gets to the base.
And beep baseball is popular in many places around the world, like Taiwan,
Europe and the United States.
You know, I'd really like to see a game sometime.
Thank you, Linda.
Well, would you be interested in watching a game of beep baseball?
You know, I would.
I like the idea of finding creative ways to be inclusive, especially with
popular sports like baseball.
I'm glad that they have found a way that even blind people can play baseball.
Me, too.
Well, I hope you... you've enjoyed our lesson today.
And we'll see you next time right here on Studio Classroom.
See you then.
(Music).