节目资讯
刊物:空中英語教室
日期:2012-04-25
难易度:High
关键字:extreme sport, inflatable, designated, sphere, contradiction
Welcome back, everybody.
We are looking at four very different sports with one thing in common: That is
their ability to deliver a thrill.
Now maybe one reason globe riding is so thrilling is because the bouncing globe
riders don't have any control of where they go.
Or should I say where they roll?
Let's find out more on line 7.
(Music).
Unusual Sports.
Roll down a track of your choice in a "globe" consisting of a sphere inside a
sphere.
Choose one with a harness inside called a zorbit or one called a zydro that
contains water.
Either way, it's a rolling good time!
Land sailing.
Perhaps you have longed to sail but don't like water.
Try it on land!
While land sailing may sound like a contradiction, the sport goes back thousands
of years to ancient Egypt.
Inventors throughout history have created land vehicles powered by sails.
Modern land sailing uses a small, one-person vehicle with three wheels and a
triangular sail.
So get on a land yacht and sail along at up to three times the wind's speed.
The record speed is 187 kilometers per hour.
Well, we are talking about Unusual Sports.
And I definitely think that rolling down a hill in a giant inflatable globe
counts as an unusual sport.
I would have to agree with you, Kaylah.
And you can actually roll down a track of your choice.
Now if you talk... think about tracks, it could be just a path.
So there are different paths that you can choose from.
That's right.
So we said you can do this, you can participate in this unusual sport with the
company Zorb in different places around the world.
But you need to make sure you go to a designated area where these tracks do
exist.
And you can choose which track you want, and you have a globe.
That's the ball that you're in.
It consists of a sphere inside a sphere, Kaylah.
OK. So let's talk about the word "sphere" so we'd know what this means.
Well, a sphere, a globe, a ball are all the same shape.
It is the circle, the three dimensional circle.
So if you think about a sphere inside a sphere, you have a small circular shape
inside a large circular globe shape.
So you got an extra cushion of space.
That's right.
And you can choose one with a harness inside.
A harness is something that has ropes, and it holds you in, and makes sure that
you don't fall out or get hurt.
That's right. Maybe if you've been rock climbing, you've worn a harness.
It's what you connect to for safety reasons.
Well, this has a sphere within a sphere, and you can use the hardware with a
harness inside of it.
And that's called a zorbit.
Or you can use one called a zydro that contains water!
Wow! This is getting really exciting, Kaylah.
There's one that even has water.
So you have different choices here.
You have the one with the harness inside, and you have one with water.
That's right, so it's safe either way.
You can use the harness with straps, or you can use the water because water acts
as a nice cushion of protection.
And both of these are ways to protect yourself.
But no matter what, either way, it's a rolling good time!
It's a rolling good time.
Sometimes we use this sort of phrase just to express that something is a lot of
fun.
In this case, we have that word - they're "rolling" - because we are rolling
down a hill.
So we say it's a rolling good time.
That's right.
Or maybe if you were out swing dancing, you would say it's a swinging good time.
So use this when you speak to talk about how much fun something is by simply
putting the verb at the beginning.
Well, Kaylah, we have another Unusual Sport to talk about.
And that is land sailing.
And you are maybe thinking of a sailboat when we have the word sailing there.
You go out on a sailboat, and the wind lifts you.
It's powered by the wind.
But this, we're actually talking about land sailing.
That's right.
Brandon, I can't think of any boats that go on land.
So let's figure out what exactly is land sailing.
Well, perhaps you have longed, or you have this desire, to sail, but you don't
like water.
Well, how about trying it on land?
Now I have a hard time understanding that some people don't like water.
I know that's true, but I love being in the water.
So I enjoy regular sailing.
But maybe you can't swim and you want to try sailing, so try it on land.
It's safer.
That's right.
But it sounds kind of strange, land sailing.
It may even sound like a contradiction.
If something is a "contradiction," it's kind of like saying two opposite things
at the same time.
Right, Kaylah?
That's right.
It's when one thing is the complete opposite of something else.
So you could say "a really bright night." That's a contradiction because night
usually is dark, and bright means there's a lot of light.
So that's a contradiction, just like land and sailing seem like a contradiction.
Yes, it seems like a contradiction.
But actually the sport, it goes back thousands of years to ancient Egypt.
I had no idea.
I... I didn't either.
That's so creative.
The Egyptians are a very smart people, and so it doesn't surprise me they came
up with something this interesting.
Well, inventors throughout history have created land vehicles powered by sails.
So we learn a little more about the history.
That's right.
They use sails - that's that big piece of cloth that catches the wind to move
them.
Well, modern land sailing uses a small, one-person vehicle with three wheels and
a triangular sail.
So there you get a description of what it looks like.
It's triangular... it has triangular sails.
And we see that you can get on a land yacht and sail along at up to three times
the wind's speed.
So it goes quite fast.
That's right.
You can see pictures of this on page 47 in your Studio Classroom magazine.
Well, the record speed for this land sailing is 187 kilometers per hour.
That is some very fast land sailing.
Well, it's time for us to watch a video, and then listen to the Chat Room.
(Music).
Hey, Ken. What do you have there?
Hi, Bryan.
It's a flier for that new amusement park that opened last year.
It looks like it has a lot of really fun rides.
Oh, cool.
I've wanted to go there for a while now.
It does look like fun.
But I've got a question.
The flier says that you are sure to have a rolling good time.
What does that mean?
It's just a way of saying that you'll have a very good time.
It's also kind of a pun because many of the rides there literally involve
rolling, like roller coasters.
OK. That makes sense.
Does it have anything to do with the saying "Let the good times roll"?
Not really.
That saying means something more like: Let the fun begin.
So "a rolling good time" means a lot of fun, and "let the good times roll" means
the fun is just starting?
Right.
Another idiom you'll hear people say is: Get the ball rolling.
What does that mean?
Basically it means to get something started, especially if it will take a while
to finish.
So let's say I'm assigned to work on a project, I work with a group of people.
Would holding our first meeting be getting the ball rolling?
Yes. In fact, you could start the meeting by saying: OK, everyone, let's get the
ball rolling.
And if you're continuing something someone else started, you can say you are
keeping the ball rolling.
Well, thanks for the tips.
I'm going to check out this amusement park this weekend and let the good times
roll.
That sounds fun.
Bring back some pictures.
Will do.
(Chinese).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And time really flies.
Don't forget to come back tomorrow for more Language Tips.
Friends, if you're new to Studio Classroom, and you're finding this high-level
article a bit of a challenge, then let me direct your attention to page 3.
There, towards the bottom, you'll find some helpful study tips to try before,
during and after each program.
Get into the habit of following these tips, and I think you'll get a better
return on your time with us.
Remember, there's no secret to better English.
The more you sew, the more you'll reap.
OK. Join us tomorrow for the Unusual Sport of power kiting.
Take care.