节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-08-29
难易度:Medium
关键字:host, athletic, surgeon, parallel, disabled, spinal cord, mascot
Welcome back, everybody.
I hope you had a good break.
The word "Paralympics" combines the word "Olympics" with the prefix "para-",
P-A-R-A, which means beside or to come alongside of.
You'll recognize this prefix from other English words such as paramedic,
paralegal and parallel,
a vocabulary word found in this next section of the lesson which we'll pick up
on line 11.
(Music).
The Summer Paralympics 2012.
Surgeons Sir Ludwig Guttman organized the games for World War II veterans with
spinal-cord injuries.
The competition was first held in 1948 on the opening day of the Olympics.
In 1952, Dutch participants made the Stoke Mandeville Games an international
competition.
The 1960 games, held in Rome, included athletes from 23 countries.
Considered the first Paralympics, it fulfilled Guttman's dream of creating a
"parallel Olympics" for athletes with disabilities.
This year's Paralympic mascot is named Mandeville in honor of the Stoke
Mandeville Games.
(Music).
So we're learning about the Paralympics.
And we learned that London, England, specifically,
has a very special and unique historical bond with the Paralympics because one
of the very first competitions for disabled people started there.
That's right.
It began in Stoke Mandeville, England.
And so here we're going to learn a little bit about the history of how this
began.
That's right.
Now the man who started it was a surgeon, and his name was Sir Ludwig Guttman.
He organized the games for World War II veterans with spinal-cord injuries.
So he's a surgeon.
We need to know what that means so we understand why he would do this.
All right. Well, a "surgeon" is a doctor who operates on people.
That means generally you, well, cut people open and perform medical operations
inside their bodies.
It's a very special doctor.
That's right.
They're very specially trained.
It's a very high-level of being a doctor, takes a lot of schooling.
Now he put these on for World War II veterans.
Now a veteran is someone who has served in a war.
And here we know that that would be World War II.
OK. And so these people since they served in the war, they came out of that war
with injuries, specifically spinal-cord injuries.
Now we see the beginning of the word "spine" in "spinal cord." And that is your
back.
The line that goes down the middle of your back.
So what is a spinal cord?
Well, the "spinal cord" is all of the nerves that are kind of wrapped around
each other.
They make like kind of the shape of a rope or a cord.
The nerve endings all wrapped together and go up to the center of your spine
through those bones.
So they're protected by the bones.
But if you have some sort of back injury, you can injure your spinal cord.
Right. And if your spinal cord is injured, friends, then sometimes that means
that you lose the ability of your legs.
Or you can lose the ability of your arms because so many nerve endings, Ryan,
are in your spinal cord.
Right, yeah, depending on where it happens.
And so these people with disabilities, well, they would not be able to join the
Olympics and run like most people would.
That's right.
So he started the competition.
The competition was first held in 1948 on the opening day of the Olympics.
OK. So this happened on the opening day of the Olympics.
And the opening day means the very first day that something begins.
That's right.
We usually see the opening ceremonies on the opening day.
So that's when these got started.
Well, in 1952, Dutch participants made the Stoke Mandeville Games an
international competition.
So started in 1948, and then in 1952, it became international.
Yeah, just four years later.
And it looks like, Kaylah, they were still called the Stoke Mandeville Games,
not the Paralympics.
That's right.
So it's first called the Stoke Mandeville Games.
Well, then in 1960, the games were held in Rome.
And by then they included athletes from 23 different countries.
Wow, so it really spread very quickly.
Now friends, remember, this was started for World War II veterans, people that
no longer had the use of their legs or of their arms.
And so they had special games designed for them to compete with each other.
And so this became very popular.
It spread very quickly.
That's right.
Now these have grown past just being for veterans.
Yes, absolutely.
This is for now anyone who has those disabilities.
Now this competition was considered the first Paralympics.
And it fulfilled Guttman's dream of creating a parallel Olympics for athletes
with disabilities.
OK. So it allowed him to see his dream through for these parallel Olympics.
Now something that is "parallel," one definition is that it is very similar or
it happens at the same time as something else.
That's right. It happens at the same time, so they're doing the same things.
Well, this year's Paralympics mascot is named Mandeville in honor of the Stoke
Mandeville Games.
So even though it's called the Paralympics now, it is honoring where it came
from.
Right, because that mascot is named Mandeville.
And so a "mascot" is a person who is dressed like an animal,
or maybe something else in a costume in order to represent an organization or a
company.
That's right.
And you can see a picture of this mascot on page 50 in your Studio Classroom
magazine.
That is Mandeville standing right there.
OK, so you can see him there.
Now friends, join us tomorrow because we have a lot more to tell you about the
Paralympics.
Now before then, though, let's visit the Chat Room.
Hey, Bryan, I'd like to return this book.
OK.
Wow, another book on war.
You sure are interested in war, aren't you?
Did any of your family members ever serve in the military?
Well, my father and my uncles all performed their military service in Taiwan.
How about you?
Well, my grandfather was a World War II vet.
A World War II vet?
I'm not sure what you mean by that.
"Vet" is short for veteran.
And I think we should turn to Doris for a clearer explanation of what a veteran
is.
OK.
Any person who has served in the military may be called a veteran.
And those soldiers who have served in a specific war are called veterans of that
war.
So you might talk about World War II veterans, for instance.
A veteran can also be a person who is experienced at something.
Veteran actors, veteran policemen and veteran baseball players are all
experienced in their line of work.
I like the way Doris explained those two kinds of veterans.
But I'm still thinking about the way you used "vet" earlier.
Isn't "vet" another name for an animal doctor?
Yes, it is.
That person is called a veterinarian or "vet" for short.
Ah, right, veterinarian.
Now I remember.
Now that's a hard word to say.
I know. That's why most people just say "vet" for short.
So to be clear, my grandfather saw action in World War II.
He did not take care of any animals.
Got it.
Boy, when it comes to learning English, I'm definitely not a veteran.
I feel like the opposite, which is uh...
A novice?
No, Ken. You're definitely past that stage.
Thanks for the encouragement, Bryan.
(Chinese).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And we're running out of time.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Bye-bye.
Thank you, Michelle.
So today, friends, we looked into the where and the when of the first
Paralympics.
Tomorrow we'll look at some of the sports Paralympic athletes play as they go
for the gold.
Everyone, don't forget about our Rapid Review GEPT on page 56.
If you plan on taking the GEPT, it's great practice.
Now if you're not planning on taking the GEPT, it's still worth doing it because
it will reinforce new vocabulary,
increase your comprehension, and it's a great way to chart your English
progress.
So check it out and then join us tomorrow for more of the 2012 Summer
Paralympics.
Takecare.