节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-03-07
难易度:Medium
关键字:parallel, location, issue, category, Paralympics, disability
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And I'm Carolyn.
We're glad you are joining us for today's lesson.
It's called the 2014 Winter Paralympics.
Wait a minute.
Don't the Paralympic Games start soon?
Gabe, they start today.
Oh! Well, then today is a good day to talk about it.
Open your magazine to the 2014 Winter Paralympics, and let's get started.
(Music).
The 2014 Winter Paralympics.
The Olympics may be over, but don't put your flags down yet.
The International Paralympic Committee welcomes you to Sochi, Russia, for the
Paralympic Games.
I'm sure there are questions, so let's get started with this informative
meeting.
What does Paralympic mean?
Think of the word parallel mixed with the word Olympic - next to or with the
Olympics.
The Paralympics are competitions that take place after the Olympics but in the
same location for athletes with disabilities.
What kind of disabilities do the athletes have?
Some athletes have lost limbs due to illness or injury, and others have poor
vision.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
Thank you, Michelle.
Let's get right into it, the 2014 Winter Paralympics.
And as you know, the Winter Olympics are over, but now we're learning about the
Paralympics.
And right away we read: The Olympics may be over, but don't put your flags down
yet.
Wait, flags? Why flags?
Well, when you say "put the flags out," that means you are pleased that
something has happened,
so our author says don't put your flags down or don't put them away.
Ah, that's right.
Even though the regular Olympics are done, you can continue to celebrate with
something else: the Paralympics.
So keep your flags out.
Now the Olympics may be over, but don't put your flags down.
Let's take a look at the sentence pattern: it may be... but...
It's like saying although or even though.
So when will you use this pattern?
You could say: We may be losing right now, but the game is not over.
We could still win.
Or he may be the most popular guy in our class, but he's not very nice.
You know one of my favorite quotes from the movie Forrest Gump is: I may not be
a smart man, but I know what love is.
There he used the word "not." I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is.
So the Olympics may be over, but don't put your flags down yet.
We read: The International Paralympic Committee welcomes you to Sochi, Russia,
for the Paralympic Games.
Committee, what does that mean?
A committee is a group of people who are officially in charge of doing
something.
So in this case, the International Paralympic Committee is in charge of
organizing the Paralympic Games.
Right. And there are committees of all kinds and sizes.
Have you ever been the member of a committee?
Hmm. Well, this committee welcomes you to Russia. And we read: Let's get started
with this informative meeting.
That's a great phrase: let's get started.
Sometimes we say that on our show, don't we?
Well, sure we do.
At the beginning, sometimes we say let's get started or let's begin.
They mean the same thing.
There's a similar phrase that means let's go or let's leave.
Can you guess what it is?
I can.
Let's get going.
Yes! Sometimes "let's get going" can also mean let's get started.
So let's get going with this informative meeting.
And there's a lot of information to cover in this informative meeting.
Now we've used an important word a lot today: Paralympic.
We read about its meaning here.
Think of the word parallel mixed with the word Olympic.
Actually, para-, P-A-R-A, is a Greek word that means beside or alongside.
And as the regular Olympics just finished recently, the Paralympics really are
alongside or right after the Olympics.
And what do we learn about them?
The Paralympics are competitions that take place after the Olympics but in the
same place for athletes for disabilities.
OK, so they take place after the Olympics.
That means they happen afterward.
Right. If you ask, "When will this event take place?" you are asking when it
will happen.
If you tell me the party took place last night, I know that the party was last
night.
Well, what kind of disabilities do Paralympic athletes have?
We read here that some athletes have lost limbs due to illness or injury.
Wait, what is a limb?
Well, it's an arm or a leg.
We have four limbs: two arms and two legs.
Birds also have limbs: their legs and wings.
The limb of a dolphin would be its flipper.
So many living creatures have limbs.
And some people have lost limbs or perhaps were born with limbs missing.
I'm sure you've heard of Nic Vujicic, the Australian motivational speaker who
was born without any of his limbs.
I have.
His life is so encouraging to many people.
If you ever think about giving up, look up Nic Vujicic videos online, and his
words and story will encourage you.
Now his name's a little bit difficult, so that's N-I-C, V-U-J-I-C-I-C.
I agree, it's very encouraging.
So back to the Paralympics, some athletes have lost limbs because of illnesses
or injuries, and others have poor vision.
Wait a minute, poor vision.
Carolyn, is that just a nice way of saying blind?
Well, yes and no.
It could be referring to people who are blind, but not all athletes with poor
vision are completely blind.
However, you brought up a good point.
Is it OK to call people who can't see blind?
It's a good question.
And later in our lesson we'll see the phrase: vision-challenged.
Is that the politically correct way to talk about people who can't see?
Ah, you used a great phrase: politically correct.
Let's listen to what Steve and Ken have to say about this in the Information
Cloud.
Why does our author describe athletes as vision challenged?
Why not use the time-honored and simpler word blind?
Because that would be politically incorrect.
Back in the 1980s, the politically correct movement started as an attempt to
correct social and political problems caused by prejudice.
On the agenda: targeting language that was considered offensive to certain
groups of people.
Like the word blind, deaf and handicapped.
Once considered acceptable, these words are now considered offensive because
they carry negative connotations.
They suggest that people with physical disabilities are helpless, unproductive
members of society.
Which they most certainly are not.
So instead of blind, we now say vision-challenged, which suggests that people
who can't see aren't any less of a person, they're just different.
And that's good.
But there's always a danger people will take the movement too far.
For example, if a person becomes offended because we've described him as short,
should we, in an effort not to offend, describe him as vertically-challenged?
Good point, Ken.
Let's be reasonable.
Also, friends, remember! It doesn't take long for words to develop new
connotations, including politically correct words.
So keep correct by keeping an up-to-date style book handy.
(Chinese).