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
OK. Welcome back from the break, friends.
Here's a question.
If you are good at tennis, does that mean you're automatically good at
badminton?
Well, not necessarily.
You know, it's been said that interchanging weapons in fencing is a lot like
switching between racket sports.
Each fencing weapon requires adjusting to different equipment, different game
tempos and different target areas to hit the opponent.
OK. Let's return to the reading and learn more about the three different kinds
of swords used in fencing on line 9.
Grab Your Sword!
But foils are small with thin, flexible blades while epees are long with thin,
stiff blades.
The sabre has a flat blade, and its guard only protects part of the hand.
Each fencing event requires strength and speed.
But each event also has its own special rules, traditions and style of fighting.
Foil requires strong defensive skills.
Epee uses good timing and sword control.
Sabre is very aggressive and requires both speed and strength.
Friends, today we are looking at the gentlemen's sport of fencing.
Now we know that the verb is... the noun is fencing, so you "fence." And then
the person who does that is then a fencer.
So this is how the word is conjugated into different places.
Exactly. So the people who hold those swords and fight with them in fencing are
the fencers.
And we just got finished telling you about the three different kinds of fencing:
the foil, the epee and the sabre.
And we learned that each one of those events is named after the sword that is
used in it.
So not all swords are the same, and therefore each event is different as well.
OK. Now let's take a closer look at the difference between these three swords.
First, we've already seen the epee has a guard that can protect the fencer's
hand.
Now how are foils different?
Well, foils are the same.
They do have a guard that protects the hand as well.
So what makes them different?
They're similar in that way, but they are different.
Now the way they're different is the foils have a small and very thin blade that
is flexible.
That's right.
The foils they are very thin and very small, and they have blades that are
flexible.
Now first, let's talk about what a blade is.
OK. Well, a "blade" is the flat part of a knife or a sword, and it's usually
used as a tool or a weapon.
So if you think about a knife, that long, thin, sharp edge is called the blade.
That's right.
Most knives have two different sides of the knife.
The top of the knife is not sharp.
That is not the blade of the knife.
The very bottom would be considered the blade, the sharp part.
That's right.
So these blades, though, they're probably not sharp like a knife.
They're instead used... for the sport they're not that sharp.
This one, on the foil, you have the protected hand, and then you have a thin and
flexible blade.
OK, yeah.
In fact, friends, take a look at page 14, you'll see a picture of someone
holding the sword here.
And that is a foil sword.
And you see the handle that is protecting his hand.
You'll also see the long part that comes out.
That is the blade, and it bends a little bit.
That's because it is flexible.
That's right.
That word "flexible" means it can move without being broken.
It has some ability to move.
Though if you bend it in half, it will still break.
That's true, Kaylah.
OK. So we've seen what foils are like, they are thin, they're flexible.
Now we're going to look at the epees.
They are long and they are also thin but their blades are stiff.
That's right.
We already saw the similarity in the foil and the epee and that they have the
protective handpiece.
But these blades are stiff. That's what makes them different.
They're not going to move and bend the same way that a foil would.
Right. Stiff is the opposite of flexible.
That means it is not able to bend or move very easily.
OK. So we've looked at the first two.
Now let's move on and look at the sabre.
Now what makes it different is it has a flat blade and its guard only protects
part of the hand.
In our pictures of the foil, Ryan, we see that there's a large protective piece
over the entire hand for the foil, and it would be the same for the epee.
But the sabre is a little bit different.
Yeah. The sabre's guard is shaped a little bit differently and it doesn't
protect the entire hand the way the other two do.
Now also take a look at the blade on the... uh, on the epee and on the foil,
you'll see that it's very thin.
Well, if you look at the blade on the sabre, it's flat.
Yep, that's right.
Actually the foil and the epee blade is thin, but it's kind of round.
Now the sabre blade is flat and a little bit wider then.
OK, so here's the difference between the swords.
Now let's see each sword then has a different kind of style and what you have to
do.
Let's look at what makes them different and what you need.
OK. So yes, you have different swords, different events.
Each fencing event requires strength and speed.
OK. So here's how they're similar.
You need to be fast and you need to be strong.
And that makes sense.
Ryan, if someone's coming at you with a sword, you need to be able to defend
yourself very quickly.
So that means you need to be able to move quickly and with strength because
they're going to come at you hitting.
Exactly. But of course, friends, this isn't just people throwing swords all over
the place trying to hit each other.
There are rules.
And each event has its own special rules and traditions and a style of fighting.
Now that makes sense.
Your rules are what you have to follow to make the event work,
and also has its own traditions, where it comes from, why it's done this way,
and a different style, how you move.
And let's see what these styles require.
OK. Foil requires strong defensive skills.
Something that is defensive is trying to protect itself.
So in fencing, you are trying to keep the other person's sword from hitting you
so that they don't score.
OK. Well, if you look over at page 14 again, you can see a really good defensive
move at the top of the page.
"Defensive" means you are protecting against something.
And so the person whose sword is down and blocking, that's the defensive move.
OK. And the epee uses good timing and sword control.
So you have to make sure you're doing it just right.
The sabre is very aggressive and requires both speed and strength.
Now "aggressive" is very forceful, very strong and maybe a little bit violent.
So it's definitely a different kind of sport to match the blade.
All right.
Now friends let's go visit the Information Station.
You know, Bryan, I once had a fencing class in college.
I didn't know that, Bill.
So did you like it?
I loved it!
I imagined I was a famous fencer like we see in the movies.
Well, to learn about some other famous fencers, let's go to...
Information Station.
Maybe some of our views know of fencing because of Johnny Depp's character Jack
Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Or they may be familiar with Zorro, the masked swordsman from Mexico, most
recently played by Antonio Banderas.
Some other famous people were fencers also.
Winston Churchill, the great Prime Minister of England, loved fencing.
As did Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, whose face
is on Mount Rushmore.
Fencing has been an Olympic sports since 1896.
And over the years, three countries, France, Italy and Hungary have dominated
the competition.
Italian fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti won 14 medals - the most of all time.
And Ildiko Ujlaky-Rejto of Hungary is the top medal winner for women with seven
medals.
Well, you know, Bryan, let me show you some of my fencing moves.
This is called a lunge.
Ha!
Yes. And you score a point in fencing by touching your opponent's body.
That's called a touch.
That's right, Bryan.
Now, to defend, I block my opponent like this... ha!
This is called a parry.
You look pretty good, Bill.
Maybe you'll be in a movie sometime.
I don't know about that, Bryan.
But I do know that we'll see everybody here next time at...
Information Station.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And that concludes our Language Tips today.
I'll see you soon.
Bye-bye.
Thank you, Michelle.
We appreciate that.
Friends, if you've never used a sword before, maybe you should consider fencing.
Beginners, young and old, find fencing improves balance, coordination and mental
quickness.
And all you need to get started is a sense of adventure.
Now before I go, let me remind you about a feature on our Studio Classroom
website called Quick Bites.
What they are are videos actually two for each lesson.
One video gives a quick summary, and the other some extra information related to
the article.
Check them out and then join us tomorrow for more fast and exciting fencing.
Until then, take care.