节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-02-21
难易度:Medium
关键字:witness, neck and neck, install, hook, stock car, checkered flag
Today we're talking about NASCAR, National Association Stock Car Auto Racing,
which maybe you have not heard before but it's very popular in the United
States.
And one of its most famous races is the Daytona 500, a 500-mile race for cars in
Daytona, Florida.
Let's learn more about this race in this reading.
The Daytona 500.
A Close Finish.
In 1959, in the first Daytona 500 three cars were neck and neck as they flew
past the checkered flag.
Since race officials didn't have their own camera, they asked reporters for
photos to determine the winner.
The photos showed that Lee Petty had won the race by a few feet!
He was declared the winner three days after the race.
Ever since, cameras have been installed at the finish line.
Gaining Popularity.
The race was first broadcast on national TV in 1979, giving many Americans their
first exposure to stock car racing.
Thousands of new fans quickly became hooked on this fast, loud and dangerous
sport.
The 55th Daytona 500 is about to start.
Drivers and fans alike are eager to hear the race's famous starting line:
"Gentlemen, start your engines!".
Well, we start here with an interesting story about the first Daytona 500.
In 1959, in the first Daytona 500 three cars were neck and neck as they flew
past the checkered flag.
Carolyn, I didn't know cars had necks.
Well, I don't think they do.
Here it's just a phrase, "neck and neck." And it is one of our key word phrases
here.
And it doesn't mean that the cars have necks.
It means that they were very close together, not close in distance but racing
along the track, you couldn't tell who was in front.
Now what are some other times that you might use this phrase, "neck and neck,"
Nathanael?
Well, if you were talking about a race, you could probably say something like:
They were neck and neck for the whole race until the last lap when one of them
slowed down.
All right.
So you could talk about physical races where people are racing against each
other or rats.
Of course I've never seen a rat race, but they could be neck and neck as well.
Or you can also talk about competition between maybe some companies.
Some companies are neck and neck like... but you never know who's going to win.
You might be neck and neck in that way as well.
But if you wanted to know what a checkered flag looked like, it's something like
this.
This pattern is called checkered.
So this is a checkered flag.
Oh, yes.
And that flag that Nathanael is holding is something that we use here in the
studio at Studio Classroom to let us know when to start our lesson.
But Carolyn, when do you use the checkered flag in a Daytona 500 race, at the
beginning or at the end?
Well, for racing, you see the checkered flag at the end of the race.
And it is used to show that the race is over and someone has crossed the finish
line.
The race is over.
With the checkered flag, you can know that.
Well, let's continue with our article.
Since race officials didn't have their own camera, they asked reporters for
photos to determine the winner.
I was talking with Carolyn about this earlier.
Is there a special term for this at the end of a race when there's a camera?
Well, because they needed pictures, they needed photos, it can be called a photo
finish because finish, the end of a race,
and you need pictures to see who won because everyone is too close.
They were neck and neck.
It was a photo finish.
A photo finish.
Well, Nathanael, what did these photos show?
They showed that Lee Petty had won the race by a few feet.
That is a very close race, definitely a photo finish.
Definitely a photo finish, and you couldn't tell that especially with the speeds
at these cars were racing at.
He won by only a few feet.
He was declared the winner three days after the race.
That's a good phrase that you might need to know, for a race, someone is
declared the winner.
That means everyone now knows this person is the winner.
Well, Carolyn, how does our article continue?
It says: Ever since, cameras have been installed at the finish line.
So that would be very helpful.
They don't have to ask reporters to please give them photos.
They now have their own cameras at the finish line to take these pictures.
That's right.
Well, we see these words "ever since" at the beginning there.
Let's take a look at those.
They're extra words I want to talk about: ever since.
That means an event happened and it changed something for the future - so "ever
since" cameras have been installed at the finish line.
I could also say I've loved that restaurant ever since you took me there the
first time.
Well, we see here in this sentence: Ever since cameras have been installed at
the finish line...
Carolyn, can you tell us about that Word Bank word, "installed"?
Yes. So here we have "installed." And that means to put something in place.
Maybe you want to install a new sink in your kitchen because you have a leak.
What's another way you can use the word "install," Nathanael?
Well, you could say that your car has been installed with a new engine since
we're talking about car racing.
Let's go on with our article.
"Gaining Popularity" is the next heading.
And after that it says:
The race was first broadcast on national TV in 1979, giving many Americans their
first exposure to stock car racing.
And I think Liz has something to say about that sentence in the Grammar Gym.
Hi there, friends.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz.
We've been talking about the Daytona 500 and how the first broadcast was in
1979, giving many Americans their first exposure to stock car racing.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Our focus is on the phrase "first exposure to." It is a more formal way to say:
first time to experience.
So today's sentence just means that broadcast in 1979 gave many Americans their
first opportunity to experience stock car racing.
Let's have a look at some more example sentences.
Sarah's concert last night was her first exposure to performing in public.
Or: Jason's first exposure to cross-cultural communication was when he went on a
study-abroad program.
Friends, if you have a copy of this month's magazine, be sure to check out
today's Grammar Tip section for more examples.
That's it for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
Thank you, Liz.
Well, continuing we find: Thousands of new fans quickly became hooked on this
fast, loud and dangerous sport.
Well, let's take a look at that Word Bank word.
It is "hooked." What are you hooked on?
If something hooks you, that mean it grabs your attention.
Maybe you become addicted.
People become addicted to this fast, loud and dangerous sport.
What kinds of things do people become hooked on, Carolyn?
Well, you could be hooked on a type of music.
Maybe you hear a popular song on the radio and you are hooked, you can't stop
listening to it.
Nathanael, what are you hooked to?
Well, there are some TV shows I'm pretty hooked on to.
I really want to know what's going to happen next.
All right.
Well, I would love to get hooked on something like surfing.
I think it's a great sport.
It's a lot of fun to go to the beach anyway.
It'll be fun to get hooked on that sport.
We continue.
The 55th Daytona 500 is about to start.
Drivers and fans alike are eager to hear the race's famous starting line:
Gentlemen, start your engines!
And we see this word here in that sentence "alike." Now you see this that it
says drivers and fans alike.
That means they're making a similarity between drivers and fans.
How else could you use that word, Carolyn?
Well, you could say that men and women alike enjoy watching NASCAR.
Now let's take some time to zoom over to the Language Lab.
All right.
(Chinese).
And let's get back to our teachers.
Well, NASCAR is a popular sport in America.
But Gabe, do you think that it takes much skill to drive a race car?
Are you serious?
Yeah! I think it takes a lot of skill to drive a car that fast.
What about you, Carolyn?
I think that race car driving, you need to be in good shape and you need to know
how to handle your vehicle properly so that you don't get into a wreck.
It takes a lot of skill.
Now we thank you for joining us here on Studio Classroom and learning about
NASCAR racing today.
And we hope to see you next time.
Bye-bye.
Goodbye.