节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-03-08
难易度:Medium
关键字:thrill, foremost, awareness, barrier, snowboard
Hello, everyone.
My name is Gabe.
And I'm Carolyn.
And welcome to Studio Classroom.
Today we are continuing a lesson about the 2014 Winter Paralympics.
Yesterday we learned that the Paralympics are competitions for people with
disabilities.
Have you ever watched Paralympic events on TV?
Or even better, have you seen them live?
Say, do the Paralympics ever change from year to year?
You're in luck, Gabe.
Our lesson today will answer that question.
Friends, open up your magazine and let's get started.
(Music).
The 2014 Winter Paralympics.
Are there any new events this year?
Actually, there is a thrilling addition this year - snowboarding, which will be
included under alpine skiing.
There will be medal events for standing and sitting snowboard categories.
Who should we keep an eye on?
Speaking of snowboarding, Evan Strong from Hawaii will be competing this year.
He didn't start snowboarding until an accident took his left leg.
Now he's the world's foremost para-snowboarder and a favorite to win the
standing event.
We also don't want to forget Olena Iurkovska, a Ukrainian athlete with 15
Paralympic medals, including five golds.
She has competed in sitting events for both biathlon and cross country skiing,
having lost her legs to illness.
(Chinese).
Thanks, Michelle.
Well, Gabe, your question is answered right at the beginning of our lesson - Are
there any new events this year?
You're right about that, Carolyn.
And we read that there is a thrilling addition this year - snowboarding.
If something is thrilling, that means it's exciting, and it keeps you excited.
And many people are excited or thrilled about snowboarding.
Have you ever been snowboarding, Gabe?
Well, you know, there aren't a lot of opportunities to go snowboarding where we
live in Taipei.
But I did get a chance to try it a couple of times while I was in university.
It's a lot of fun.
I actually prefer snowboarding over skiing.
What about you, Carolyn?
Well, I've never actually tried snowboarding.
I've been skiing once, and my sister decided to go snowboarding instead.
And she loved it.
Well, I recommend that you try snowboarding if you have a chance sometime.
And of course we read here that snowboarding will be included under alpine
skiing.
It's under alpine skiing. What does that mean?
Well, if you remember at the end of yesterday's lesson, we started discussing
some events like ice sledge hockey and wheelchair curling.
Alpine skiing is another event in the Paralympics.
It includes snowboarding.
So snowboarding is included in the alpine skiing category.
And when we use the word "under," that means you can expect to find it in a
certain place.
There are many ways to use this word.
Right.
For example, let's say you are looking for the definition of the word
"snowboard" in the dictionary.
Since that word starts with an S, it will be listed under S words.
Good. Or let's say I made a reservation at a restaurant.
When I arrive, I might tell the host, we made a reservation under the name Gabe.
Or maybe you are shopping online for necklaces, and you need to look under
accessories.
Accessories will include necklaces.
So snowboarding is included under alpine skiing.
And we read on that there will be medal events for standing and sitting
snowboard categories.
Now wait, what's a medal event? An event made out of medal?
No, no, silly.
That's a quick way to say an event in which medals are given to the winners.
Of course gold goes to the first place, silver to second place and bronze to
third.
And of course most competitions at this level are medal events.
Now let's get into the next section:
Who should we keep an eye on?
But before we do that, let's look at the phrase: to keep an eye on something.
That means you pay special attention to something.
In this section we will learn about some people you should watch carefully to
see how they perform and how they improve.
Right. But we can use that phrase in other ways, too.
For example, whenever I leave to go on vacation, I have someone keep an eye on
my pet cats.
Of course that will also include feeding them.
So to keep an eye on something could mean to take care of something, or it could
mean to make sure something stay safe.
Like if I'm at a restaurant with some friends, and I need to go to the restroom,
I might tell my friends to keep an eye on my bag for me.
So this phrase really can be used in a lot of different ways.
But here in our lesson, we are learning about people we should keep our eyes on.
And we read: Speaking of snowboarding, Evan Strong from Hawaii will be competing
this year.
Hey, I like that phrase: speaking of.
We say it as a transition between two subjects that are related.
You could say it in your own talking, or you could say it to bring up a subject
after someone else speaks.
Right. For example, I love playing drums.
Speaking of drums, I went to a concert recently, and my favorite drummer Vinnie
Colaiuta was there, I was so excited.
Cool! Did you get his autograph?
Yes, I did. And I even got a picture of him.
Well, I'm sure that was an unforgettable experience.
Hey, speaking of concerts, there's a great concert coming up, and I hope I can
get tickets for it.
Great. Now see if you can find a time to use this phrase today in your English
conversations.
Well, let's jump ahead now.
Later in our lesson we will see the word "allow" a couple of times.
Steve and Ken have something they want to share with us about that word.
So let's visit the Information Cloud now.
Often one language will make a distinction that another language doesn't.
If someone is to be married, for example, Chinese makes a distinction that
English does not.
Right. If a man marries a woman, one word is used - (Chinese).
If a woman marries a man, it's a different word - (Chinese).
Now let's take a look at a distinction that English makes between let and make.
OK. "Let" means you can if you want to, it's your choice, your decision.
As an example, I might say Brian's mother lets him stay up late to play video
games.
"Let" is similar to the word "allow." Brian is allowed to stay up late if he
wants to.
Right. But where "let" implies permission given, "make" implies there's no
choice.
Let's replace let with make and see how the sentence's meaning changes.
Brian's mother makes him stay up late to play video games.
See? Rather than something Brian can't do if he wants, the new sentence makes
playing video games something Brian must do.
He is being forced to play.
So if you mean permission given, use "let"; if you mean there's no choice, use
"make" - because there is a distinction.
(Chinese).