节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-02-25
难易度:Low
关键字:athletic, champion, no doubt, definitely, mascot, 7th inning stretch
Hello, everyone.
My name is Gabe.
And my name is Carolyn.
Welcome to Studio Classroom.
Today we are continuing our lesson called Super Sports, Super Fan!
And what sports do you like playing?
What sports do you like watching?
Well, in yesterday's lesson we learned about American football and Super Bowl
Sunday.
Today we will talk about some other sports that are popular in America.
So what are we waiting for?
Open up your magazine and let's get started.
(Music).
Super Sports, Super Fan!
After football season, "March Madness" begins.
The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) tournament begins with 68
men's college basketball teams.
They play until the field is reduced to the "Final "Four." The winning team
becomes the national champion.
The NBA (National Basketball Association) All-Star Game is also held in
February.
The best players from all the teams play in this game.
Baseball is no doubt America's national sport.
From grandpas to young kids, whole families go to ball games together.
(Music).
(Chinese).
Thank you, Michelle.
We will talk a little more about baseball later, but right now, let's go to
another sport - basketball.
Many people love basketball. Do you?
Well, after football season, it's time for March Madness.
Now why is it called March Madness?
What are they upset about?
They're not upset about anything.
"Mad" is not only another word for upset or angry, but it could also mean crazy.
Have you seen Alice in Wonderland?
A famous character is the Mad Hatter.
He is a little crazy if you ask me.
You're right about that.
And here "madness" is referring to the craziness of this upcoming basketball
season.
Madness here also could mean excitement.
And March Madness is when the NCAA, or the National Collegiate Athletic
Association, college basketball teams take part in a month-long tournament.
Hey, maybe that's why it's called March Madness.
They want to determine the best of 68 basketball teams in just one month.
March Madness this year starts on March 8 and will end on April 7.
May the best team win.
Yes! And many athletes will participate in this athletic tournament.
You see the key word athletic in your magazine, which describes things involving
physical activity.
You could describe someone as being very athletic.
I have a few athletic friends who play sports every chance they get.
An athletic person exercises a lot and stays fit.
Now that person is an athlete, someone who competes in sports or other physical
activities like basketball or football.
And 68 college basketball teams will compete in March Madness.
Well, now let's talk about the word "college" for a minute.
When I ask people in Taipei what they will do after senior high school, many of
them say they will go to university.
But they could say they plan to go to college.
Right. There are differences between colleges and universities.
But in conversation, it's normal to say, "Where will you go to college?" or I
went to college at this or that school.
I went to a university, Azusa Pacific University.
But even so, I still tell people I went to college.
Saying you are going to college is not worse than saying you're going to a
university.
Good point.
Well, back to March Madness.
Sixty-eight college basketball teams play against each other.
They play until the field is reduced to the "Final Four." That is the final four
teams.
But I see an interesting word here: field.
Gabe, I thought basketball was played on a court, not a field.
Well, you're right, it is.
The field in our lesson has a different meaning.
Here it refers to the members of sports teams who are actively playing a sport.
Think of this kind of field as something you can add to or take away from.
Well, by the end of March Madness, many teams are taken away from the playing
field.
The field is reduced to the Final Four.
And when you reduce something, that means you make it less, or there are fewer
of something.
So we use this word a lot in English.
The numbers of teams playing for the NCAA is reduced from 68 to four.
You could reduce the size of something.
If you wrote too much for your homework project, you just need to reduce the
amount of words.
And of course there are certain things that people want to reduce.
I hear people talking about reducing their waist size.
That means they want to become thinner or lose weight.
Something I don't want to reduce is the amount of money in my bank account.
Oh, I agree with you there.
And the teams of March Madness are reduced from 68 to the Final Four.
Of course the winning team becomes the national champion - quite a big honor and
accomplishment.
So that is college basketball.
But we also read about the NBA All-Star Game.
Of course many from the NCAA hope to one day play in the NBA.
The current NBA season started on October 29 of last year and is going until
June.
Many people love watching the NBA.
Do you watch NBA games, Gabe?
Well, not really.
Sometimes people ask me which basketball team I like, and I never know what to
say.
I don't know much about many of them.
Well, me, neither.
I do like certain players, though, but that has more to do with their life
values and choices than it does with the game of basketball.
Well, I feel the same way.
Anyway, friends, I know many of you love different basketball players.
Is there anyone you like to follow in the NBA?
Find some time to talk about it in English.
Well, now it's time for us to move on to baseball.
And Liz wants to share something with us in the Grammar Gym.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym, friends.
My name is Liz.
And here's today's Grammar Tip sentence:
From grandpas to young kids, whole families go to ball games together.
Notice how the sentence begins with the phrase: from grandpas to young kids.
That phrase describes the kinds of people who were included in these families.
Sometimes when we're talking about a mixed group of people or things, we want to
include information like the variety of people or things in that group.
In the case of today's sentence, the writer is pointing out that all kinds of
people, the old and the young, go to ball games together.
So when you're talking about a group of people or things, and you want to point
out the variety or types within this group,
you can begin your sentence with: from type one to type two.
For example:
From large English sheepdogs to tiny Chihuahuas, all kinds of dogs could be seen
at the dog show.
Or: From thick slices of roast beef to delicate little pastries, our choices at
the buffet were amazing.
If you'd like to see some more example sentences, they're available in today's
Grammar Tip section in your Studio Classroom magazine.
And friends, that's it for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you nexttime.