节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-04-26
难易度:High
关键字:harness, propel, taxing, cushion, skateboard
Welcome back, everybody.
Have you noticed each of these unusual sports is done outdoors?
Well, reason being they all require lots of space.
So does more space equal more thrill?
Let's finish up power kiting.
And then look at a cousin to the familiar sport of mountain bicycling - it's
called mountain unicycling - at the top of page 48.
Unusual Sports.
The riskiest form of power kiting, kite jumping, requires nothing except the
kite, elbow pads, kneepads and a helmet.
The kite will lift you into the air, but watch out for the landing!
Mountain unicycling.
Mountain unicycling takes the difficult task of balancing on a unicycle and
makes it even more taxing.
Like mountain biking, it doesn't have to be done on a real mountain, but you do
ride over rugged terrain.
With thicker tires and soft seat covers to cushion the rough ride, mountain
unicycles are built for the challenge.
Mountain unicyclists say they love the experience of taking this unstable
vehicle to places that others never imagined it could go.
Well, power kiting can actually be quite dangerous.
The riskiest form of power kiting is called kite jumping.
Now we've seen different kinds of power kiting.
You can use a cart, you can use a buggy, you can use a board, you can do it on
the ocean.
But this is special.
It's the most dangerous.
And it requires nothing except the kite, elbow pads, kneepads and a helmet.
So we see that you need lots of safety gear here.
We said it's very risky, it's dangerous, so you have the safety gear.
You have the kneepads and helmets and elbow pads because it is kind of
dangerous.
That's right.
So what it does is the kite will lift you into the air, but watch out for the
landing because it can be very dangerous.
Well, I would like to know more about that, so let's visit the Information
Station.
Bryan, this article is all about weird, wild ways to get a thrill.
I know, Bill.
It seems that some people like to do things that are dangerous and exciting.
There are many crazy activities around the world that provide a thrill for
people.
And Bill, we can learn about some of those things here at...
Information Station.
Bryan, I know that you like to run for exercise.
But how would you like to run with the bulls?
Ooh. That's in Pamplona, Spain, where every July tourists run down the street
being chased by bulls.
Ouch.
Well, that's on land.
How about up in the air?
Bill, you must be talking about bungy jumping from the top of the Macau Tower
700 feet up in the air.
After that, you can go to South Africa and dive into the water and meet some
sharks.
Wow, Bill.
Divers jump into a steel cage and are surrounded by ferocious great white
sharks.
Hey, you know, there are some pretty fast drivers here in Taipei.
Maybe they would be interested in this next activity.
Oh, yes.
Drivers can race around a high speed track at over 200 kilometers per hour in a
real race car.
If you really want to go fast, Bryan, head to Russia and climb into a MiG
fighter jet.
The pilot will take you on a ride at over 2,000 kilometers per hour at up to
70,000 feet, Bill, almost into space.
But for a really dangerous and scary experience, join a speech contest.
Oh, no. A speech contest.
That is way too frightening for me.
Bryan, just watch Studio Classroom, and your next speech contest will be a piece
of cake.
OK. Maybe you're right, Bill.
Well, we'll see all of you here next time at...
Information Station.
Well, it's time to talk about our final Unusual Sport.
That is mountain unicycling.
That's right.
And you can see a picture there on... in your magazine on page 48.
It looks like it may be kind of difficult to do, Kaylah.
That's right.
Let's talk about a unicycle.
If you see the beginning of that word, the U-N-I, when you see that at the
beginning, that means one.
So unicycle means one wheel.
And mountain unicycling, it takes the difficult task of balancing on a unicycle
and makes it even more taxing.
"Taxing," meaning it's very difficult.
That's right.
It's difficult or you need to put a lot of thought and effort and energy into it
if it is taxing.
Now Brandon, I can not ride a unicycle.
It... that's hard just riding a unicycle.
It's one wheel, takes a lot of balance.
But here it takes even further, and you do it on a mountain.
That sounds extremely difficult.
Even just riding a bike up a mountain can be taxing, or it can be difficult.
But we see here a unicycle would be even more difficult.
Well, like mountain biking, it doesn't have to be done on a real mountain.
That's right.
Now it's not always over mountains specifically, but you do ride over rugged
terrain.
So when we refer to something as mountain biking or mountain unicycling, that
means you're no longer on a road.
You don't have to be in the mountains, but it is rugged.
It's rough terrain, rough earth.
That's right.
And with thicker tires and soft seat covers to cushion the rough ride, mountain
unicycles are built for the challenge.
So we're talking about: Yes, this is difficult, but you have those soft seat
covers that kind of cushion the ride.
That's right.
When something is "cushioned," that means it makes an effort to make it easier.
It takes the force off.
It makes it softer.
So if it is cushioned, you can think of a pillow as a cushion that makes it
softer to sit on or lay your head on.
Well, these... this is still a challenge.
Even though the tires are built correctly and the seats built quickly, it's
still a difficult and taxing activity.
And we see that the unicycle, though, is built for the challenge.
It's made for this challenge because you have the... the seats that are
cushioned and all of that.
So it's ready; it's made for this challenge.
Well, mountain unicyclists say they love the experience of taking this unstable
vehicle to places that others never imagined that it could go.
Well, "unstable" means it doesn't balance very well.
And that's true. A unicycle is very hard to balance.
That's right.
"Unstable" is a perfect word to use here.
You can very easily lose your balance and fall off.
But we see that it's going in places that people never imagined it could go.
They never thought this would even be possible.
That's right.
It's exciting, definitely unusual, and definitely a thrill.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed learning about these Unusual Sports.
Write to us at letter@StudioClassroom.com and tell us which sport you would like
to participate in and why.
Well, for now, let's watch today's video.
(Music).
This is a controlled sport.
It's very technical.
It's like climbing.
You're... you need to be calm.
You need to be focused, and you need to think about what you're doing and
visualize what you're doing.
I feel really lucky to live in Vancouver where the types of ride you get to do
are incredibly diverse.
There's everything from the Vancouver North Shore where I get to ride a lot.
And it's... it's kind of the birth place of freeride mountain biking and not
unicycling to a degree.
There's hundreds of kilometers of world class trails.
There's the beach.
I love riding on logs and rocks on the beach.
It's technical.
It's fun. It's beautiful.
You can see the mountains in the background.
Um, I'd ride there in the pouring rain too. I love it.
Then you can ride urban.
Playgrounds are fun; um... urban obstacles, you can ride downtown.
Um, there's... It's just a different way of looking at things, really.
I mean, you take and put a unicycle in the picture and... and in a way, it turns
the world into a playground.
(Music).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And I guess that's it for today's Language Tips.
I'll see you next time. Bye-bye.
Thanks again, Michelle.
Extreme sports vary in the speed that the participants travel and the amount of
effort and skill required.
But whether you're rolling down a hill inside a giant ball, being whipped around
at high speeds by the wind,
or balancing yourself on one wheel at the edge of a mountain cliff, one thing is
certain - you'll get a thrill you won't soon forget.
Hey, why not visit our English Corner and tell us about an unusual sport you've
tried.
That's at StudioClassroom.com.
Friends, I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday.