节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-11-02
难易度:Low
关键字:sword, blade, defensive, aggressive, guard
Hi, everybody.
Welcome to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
Thanks for joining us today.
My name is Steve.
Well, grab your swords, everyone.
In this month's SPORTS feature, we're taking a look at the fast, fun, exciting,
and yes, safe sport of fencing.
Now fencing's roots go way back to medieval times.
Back then it was taught and practiced as a method of self-defense.
But as time passed, it became a form of vigorous exercise as well as a way to
teach discipline, respect and honor.
Now why don't we jump into today's reading "Grab Your Sword!" on page 14.
Grab Your Sword!
A look at the fast, exciting sport of fencing.
Two serious men stand facing each other.
They're holding swords.
But don't worry - this isn't a fight to the death.
It's the sport of fencing.
Fencing was once a way for gentlemen to settle disagreements.
But over time, it has become a fast, safe and exciting sport.
Modern fencing includes three types of sword fighting: foil, epee and sabre.
Each type, or event, is named after the kind of sword used in it.
The foil and epee have guards to protect the fencer's hand.
(Music).
Hello, friends.
Thank you so much for joining us here in the studio.
My name is Kaylah.
My name is Ryan.
Friends, we are looking at our SPORTS article right now.
And we're not talking about any normal sport, are we, Kaylah?
No, we are not.
Today we are talking about a very special kind of sport that actually comes from
an old way of fighting.
That's right.
Our article is called: Grab Your Sword!
Now where might you usually hear this?
Well, a "sword," let's define that word so we know what we're talking about.
A sword is a weapon with a long, sharp metal blade and a handle that is used.
Now it used to be used in the past as a weapon, but now it's actually used as a
sports equipment tool.
Exactly. So a sword can refer to any long blade that is used as a weapon or in a
sport.
But right now we're not talking about using any kind of sword.
We're going to talk about the sport of fencing; and it's very fast and very
exciting.
Now fencing... sound... you see the word "fence" in there, it does not have to
do with that.
Fencing is actually the sport of competing with swords.
And you can see pictures of people fencing at the top of your page in your
Studio Classroom magazine.
OK, so we're talking about sword fighting here, and we're going to start looking
at a scenario or a story.
We see: Two serious men stand facing each other.
OK. Now sometimes it might be kind of funny to think of two men just standing
looking at each other.
But fencing is a gentlemen's sport, which means it's thought of as being very
proper and older and more sophisticated.
Usually more wealthy people do participate in fencing.
That's true.
That's why we use the word "serious." Of course, we know that means it's not
funny, they're paying close attention.
And you see they're holding swords.
But don't worry - they are... it's not a real fight... it's not actually a fight
to the death.
That's right.
Now this is a term that we... that used to happen all the time - gentlemen to
settle a disagreement.
When they're fighting, instead of just hitting each other around, true
gentlemen, men of stature,
men of importance would meet for a fencing match and would fight to the death.
OK. So this was a way for, as Kaylah said, gentlemen or strong, caring men to
settle disagreements.
That's right. Now, so there would be a fight to the death, you said.
A disagreement means they... they don't agree.
They are not... and they don't think the same thing.
And a fight to the death means exactly that.
Right.
If you're fighting and then... you don't stop fighting until the other person
dies, it's a fight to the death.
Now fencing is not a fight to the death.
You simply... we'll talk about how it works, but you point your sword at someone
and it's actually not as sharp as a normal sword, so they don't die.
That's right.
Now it used to be considered this, but now it's just the sport of fencing.
Now we said this was a way to settle a disagreement.
We know a disagreement is when they do not agree.
So how do you settle?
What does that mean?
OK. If you settle something, that means you decide and you stick to that
decision.
So if they had a disagreement, they did not agree to each other, if they settle
it, that means they decide who is right and then they don't change their mind.
Now this phrase here "fencing was once a way," when we say "was once," it was in
the past but is not now.
But over time, it has become a fast, safe and exciting sport.
OK. So it is, of course, if you're using a sword, it's going to be exciting and
it's very fast.
If you ever see people moving swords and hitting them together, sword fighting
is very exciting; but it's also safe.
That's right. It's safe.
If you look in your magazine, you can see pictures of some of the safety
equipment that they wear so they don't actually fight to the death.
It's more of a challenge of your skill and your ability to be an athlete.
Yes, it is.
It's now considered a sport.
And you can see, if you look at these pictures, people are wearing outfits so
they are protected when they play the sport.
It's very safe.
That's right.
Now modern fencing includes three types of sword fighting.
So it's not just one kind, there's many different kinds.
And we see there are three here, and that's called the foil, the epee and the
sabre.
OK. On the next page, page 15, you can see descriptions of each of these three
different types of fencing and we'll describe them to you in a little bit.
OK. So we find three different names.
Now each type, or event, because they're different competing events, is named
after the kind of sword that is used in it.
OK. So the name of the event is the same as the name of the sword that they
hold.
Now the foil and epee have guards to protect the fencer's hand.
OK, a guard.
A "guard" is a device that protects something from danger or from harm.
So if you look at a picture on page 14 in your magazine, the sword is coming at
you.
But you see that there is a guard, a protective metal piece blocking the hand.
Yeah, so it protects the hand from something dangerous, and that something
dangerous is the other person's sword.
All right.
We're going to learn all about how these sports work as soon as we're done
visiting the Chat Room.
Hi, Ken.
Hey, Bryan.
Hey, I just saw a poster near the front door.
It said that the fines for overdue books have been reduced?
Yes, you read it right.
With the new policy, you don't have to pay any fines until a book is more than
five days overdue.
Wow! This means I can read a lot without worrying so much about returning them a
day or two late.
Hey, I guess your boss listened to your suggestion after all.
Yes, he did. But it wasn't easy.
I fought tooth and nail to get that policy changed.
Hmm, I understand you fought hard, but you didn't really bite anyone, did you?
Of course not, Ken.
I fought hard, but I'm not an animal.
"To fight something tooth and nail" means to fight hard and use all of your
energy to get the result you want.
Hmm, that's quite a creative idiom.
When you said that, I had a picture in my mind of two large bears fighting each
other.
Great imagination, Ken.
That is what it feels like sometimes when you fight hard to change policies or
traditions.
I remember fighting tooth and nail to persuade my science professor to let me
retake a test.
Did it work?
Yes. He ended up allowing the entire class to retake the test since everyone
failed.
I'm glad you spoke up and got what you wanted.
Yeah, me too.
Hey, speaking of fighting, I was reading a story about two men that had a fight
to the death.
Does that mean they both die fighting?
No. But it does mean they fought until one of the men died.
And that is a very serious way to handle a disagreement, don't you think?
Yeah. I'm glad that tradition is now part of history.
And thanks for fighting hard to change that policy.
I'm going to save a lot of money.
Glad I can help.
Thanks.