节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-01-14
难易度:Low
关键字:cooperate, penalty, midcourt line, center circle, jump ball, three-point
line, shoot, key, paint, fr
So far we've learned just a few terms from this Basketball Terms lesson.
And there's more to come.
But let's review what we know already.
The midcourt line divides the basketball court into two halves.
And what is in the middle of the midcourt line?
The center circle.
What happens in the center circle the very beginning of a game?
A jump ball, where possession is decided when two players from either team try
to hit the ball towards their team.
What else can we learn from this lesson?
Let's find out now in the second reading.
Basketball Terms.
Each end of the court has a basket and a three-point line.
When players throw the ball into the basket from behind that line, they score
three points.
If they shoot the ball from anywhere in front of the line, they score two
points.
The area under each basket is called the key.
Since the key is sometimes painted a different color, it is also called the
paint.
At the "top" of each key is the free-throw line.
Players stand behind this line when shooting free throws or foul shots if there
has been a penalty.
We're continuing to find out about the basketball court.
We see each end of the court has a basket and a three-point line.
Of course, this is basketball, so you know the basket is your goal.
That's what you should be shooting your basketball into.
And this is a three-point line.
There's a big, curved line that's called the three-point line.
What happens here, Nathanael?
Well, the three-point line is a large curve around the basket.
And if we continue to read in the article, it will describe what it does in the
game.
When players throw the ball into the basket from behind that line, they score
three points.
And if they shoot the ball from anywhere in front of the line, they score two
points.
OK. There are two different phrases here: throw the ball, and shoot the ball.
If you shoot the ball, you are definitely going to throw it towards the basket.
You throw it towards the basket, of course, you're taking a shot.
But if you throw the ball, you could be shooting, or you could be passing to
another player.
So shoot is more specific than throw.
We're going to talk about a different area of the court now in the next part of
the article.
What does it say, Carolyn?
It says the area under each basket is called the key.
Since the key is sometimes painted a different color, it is also called the
paint.
Well, it's very interesting that they call it a key.
I thought a key was something you use to open a door.
Yeah. Actually, what helps me remember it is because it kind of has a shape like
a keyhole, like an old-fashioned keyhole.
You kind of have that shape there.
That's why I think it's called the key.
Or that's... that's what helps me remember what it is called.
But what about you, Nathanael?
Yes, that is true.
The shape is like a keyhole.
But it's also called the paint, kind of a fun name for it, because it's painted
a different color.
Continuing in the article says: At the top of each key is the free-throw line.
Now Gabe, what is the use of the free-throw line?
Good question.
Players stand behind this line when shooting free-throws or foul shots if there
has been a penalty.
And Carolyn, what is the difference between a free-throw and a foul shot?
Well, a free-throw is when you get two shots behind this line and you can get
one point for each basket you make.
A foul shot, you only get one chance to make one point.
And as soon as you finish shooting your basket, the ball goes immediately back
into play, and the other team tries to score points again.
All right.
Thank you for telling us the difference between those two kinds of shots.
Now you see that word "foul." You might hear that word often when you're playing
basketball.
That means there has been a penalty.
Someone did something wrong or that they should not have done, that is a
penalty.
That's also one of our Word Bank words.
So a "penalty" in a sport game is when you do something wrong, something against
the rules of that game.
Where else might you use that word "penalty," Nathanael?
Well, a penalty can also be a kind of fine.
If you do something wrong, according to the law, your penalty, your punishment
might be some money that you have to pay - a fine.
That's right.
That's actually how I usually think about the word "penalty." I know of a school
that teaches English, and they're very good at what they do.
They have a very unique penalty.
For every word that you say in Chinese, you have to give a certain amount of
money.
So you don't want to pay that penalty, so you try to speak as much English as
possible.
And I think that people that go to that school, actually, their English improves
quite quickly when they practice their English.
Well, how else might you use that word "penalty," Carolyn?
Well, it's interesting that you said "pay" a penalty because that's a really
common phrase that we use.
When we say that you have to have some sort of punishment you're going to pay
for it with a penalty.
So maybe you have to work harder or you have to do something again, and you have
to pay the penalty for your mistakes.
That is right.
Well, remember that word "penalty." It's very closely related to the word "foul"
in a basketball game.
Earlier in this lesson, there's a word there I want to talk about.
It is the word "top." At the top of each key is the free-throw line.
And you see that word has these marks around it - the "top." Those are in
quotations.
Those are quotation marks.
Nathanael, what does that mean?
Well, the top of the key is not like the highest part of the key exactly, but
think about one end of the basketball court.
So the top of the key is farther from the end.
The top is far from the end.
So you shoot from the top of the key, the farthest point from the basket.
Thank you very much.
And sometimes in English in writing, you might write something like that.
You have quotations around something for an idea that you want to communicate.
Even if it's not really saying that it's the top, it's not really the top like
higher than something else, but it communicates that idea.
So you use quotation marks.
Right now it's time for us to join Steve and Ken in the Info Cloud.
Hello, guys.
Hi, guys.
Hi, teachers.
Friends, when we talk about places where sports are played, we need to know the
right terms for these places.
Ken, give us an example.
OK. Uh, our lesson today mentions the basketball court.
So "court" is one.
That's right.
Besides basketball, other sports such as tennis, badminton, volleyball, squash
and racquetball all play in a court.
Have you noticed that most of the sports you mentioned use either a net or a
racket?
That's right.
That is one special feature of court sports.
They often involve a net, like in basketball, or a racket, like in racquet ball.
Or both, like in tennis.
Hmm, good one.
Now moving on to a much larger playing ground, we have field.
A field, as the name suggests, is outdoors and is always big.
Sports that use a field include baseball, football and soccer.
And rugby! Let's not forget that one even though it's not very popular in the
U.S.
And cricket.
That's even less popular than rugby in the U.S.
And both are played on a field.
Steve, what about something that's even larger than a field?
What do we call that?
Hmm... Oh, you must be thinking of a stadium.
A professional sport like Major League Baseball and NFL Football are played in
stadiums.
And professional basketball is usually played in an arena.
Arenas are often very large and have seating for several thousand fans.
But unlike stadiums, they're usually covered by a roof.
Good point, Ken.
(Chinese).
Thank you, gentlemen.
Well, right now, friends, it's time for us to go and enjoy some time with
Michelle.
She is waiting for us in the Language Lab.
(Chinese).
And let's get back to teachers.
Well, friends, we've talked a lot about basketball today.
You've learned some different basketball terms that you can use and put into
practice for the next time you are playing basketball.
So let's review some of these terms.
There's a long, curved line around each basket, and that is called what?
That's right - the three-point line.
And inside the three-point line is an area called the key under the basket.
The key is also sometimes called the paint because it can be painted a different
color.
Another line you will see on a basketball court is right in the middle dividing
the court into two.
And that is called the midcourt line.
And in the middle of the midcourt line is the center circle.
The center circle is pretty important because that's where the game begins with
a jump ball.
Well, hang on, Carolyn.
Hang on to the ball because you're going to give us a jump ball in a minute.
But first, we need to say goodbye to our dear friends here.
Come back next time to come enjoy another lesson about basketball terms at
Studio Classroom.See you next time.