节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-02-08
难易度:Low
关键字:line, palace, competition, bring to an end, biathlon, Paralympic Games
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And my name is Carolyn.
And today we are continuing our lesson on The 2014 Winter Olympics.
You heard right!
Our lesson is a tour.
Yesterday we went to the opening ceremony and watched the Olympic torch arrive.
Then we went to the coast where the skating competitions will be held.
We have a lot more to see and do today.
So open up your magazines as we start with the first reading of our lesson... I
mean, uh, tour, about taking the train.
The 2014 Winter Olympics.
The train.
All right, everyone, it's just a 30-minute ride from the coast to the mountains.
When Sochi was chosen to host the Olympics, this train line was added to the
city.
Many of the buildings we visited on the coast were built for the games, too.
The stadium we visited yesterday, the Iceberg Skating Palace, and many hotels
here are new.
Now let's enjoy the ride.
(Chinese).
Thank you, Michelle.
Well, in this part of our tour, the guide tells us a little more about the
changes that have occurred in Sochi as they prepared for the Olympics.
And do you know what we're doing now?
We're going on a train.
I love going on train rides.
This is so much fun.
Too bad the train ride is only 30 minutes.
Yes. Well, for you, that might be a shame, but for most people who want to get
from one event to the other, this is a pretty convenient trip.
All right, all right. I suppose that is true, Carolyn.
Gabe, don't be disappointed.
You just used a great phrase: all right.
If someone says, "All right," it could have several different meanings.
Like when I just said "All right," I meant OK or that I agreed with what Carolyn
said.
But in the article, it's used a different way.
The tour guide says "all right" to get our attention and let us know that there
is going to be a change.
In this case, we are moving from one place, the coast, to another place, the
mountains.
All right.
Well, let's continue with the tour.
We learn that this train line is new and was added when Sochi was selected to
host the Olympics.
Not only is the train line new, many buildings, hotels and event locations are
new as well.
They certainly are.
Now I think that Steve and Ken want to share some more with us about how cities
are chosen to host the Olympic Games.
Well, let's go to the Information Cloud.
What does it take to become an Olympic host city?
Well, basically a city needs to convince Olympic officials that it will do a
great job playing host.
Not an easy task.
You're right, Ken.
A host city needs plenty of buildings, buildings for the sporting events and
buildings to accommodate all the thousands of international athletes,
tourists, journalists, politicians and spectators.
And if there aren't enough suitable buildings already standing, city officials
need to show Olympic officials their plans to build what is still lacking.
A city's security policies, transportation infrastructure and local weather
conditions also factor heavily in Olympic officials' decisions.
Interestingly, a city's enthusiasm is also a major concern.
Olympic officials will actually poll a candidate city's population to see if
they are excited about hosting the games.
That's right, because if the local citizens themselves don't want the Olympics,
how could the city be a good host?
Now why would a city ever put itself through all this trouble?
After all, it takes a lot of money and hard work to host an Olympic event.
Well, cities do it for pride, for a chance to be in the world's spotlight and as
a way to create jobs.
(Chinese).
Thank you, guys.
Wow! They have been very busy preparing for all of the people that will come to
watch and participate in the games.
That's right.
And for now, our guide wants us to enjoy the ride.
Well, before we do that, let's talk about that phrase: to enjoy the ride.
This phrase is used when you want someone to relax and appreciate what is going
on around them.
So perhaps someone is riding a plane or a train for the first time, you can tell
them to sit back and enjoy the ride.
They don't need to be worried but should enjoy the experience.
And this could also be used when talking about other things.
For example, life.
Life is something that is given to us by God, and we should enjoy this time by
pleasing Him.
If someone is not happy with their life, you could tell them they need to enjoy
the ride and do what pleases God.
That's a great idea, Gabe.
And now it's time for us to enjoy the ride on this train.
See you in abit.