节目资讯
刊物:空中英語教室
日期:2012-02-18
难易度:Medium
关键字:facedown, declare, debut, plunge, originate, sled
(Music).
Welcome, everybody, to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
Thanks for joining us.
My name is Steve.
And with us is Ryan.
Ryan, thanks for joining us.
Today we're going to continue our SPORTS feature with the skeleton.
If you're interested in extreme sports or you're a speed freak, then you'd
probably like the skeleton.
Hmm. If, however, safety is important to you or you don't like pain, then
perhaps you should stick to sports like bowling or ping-pong.
Right. Racers who ride on skeletons are called sliders.
And they can reach speeds of up to 130 kilometers an hour.
And there are no brakes, are there?
No, of course not.
So if you ever try the skeleton, be sure to wear a helmet.
And get some insurance.
Now let's slide into today's lesson with the question "What is a skeleton?" over
on page 37.
Amazing Races: Bobsleigh, Skeleton and Luge.
What is a "skeleton"?
In 1892, a British man invented a new sled made almost entirely of metal.
The design allowed a single rider to lie facedown on a flat surface and slide
headfirst.
The sled became known as a "skeleton." Though no one knows where the name
originated, some say the original sled resembled a human skeleton.
In 1926, the International Olympic Committee declared skeleton an Olympic sport.
Participation in the sport continues to grow, and currently 30 countries from
six continents compete in the sport.
OK. So we're looking at bobsleighing, the skeleton and the luge.
Yesterday we talked all about bobsleighing and how fast and exciting it is as
they go down that course at very high speeds.
That's right. Now we talked about bobsleighing.
Now we're going to talk about the other ones.
Now what is a "skeleton"?
OK. This is actually a good question.
A skeleton is the part of a human body that holds it altogether, right?
Oh... Ryan, no.
Yes, that's true. A skeleton is the bones in a body of any kind of animal, but
that's not the kind of skeleton we're talking about.
We're talking about the sport skeleton, Ryan.
Right. We're talking about the sport, and will see actually a little bit of why
it's called the "skeleton" in a minute.
But first, let's look at the history of it.
Well, in 1892, a British man invented a new sled made almost entirely of metal.
Now there's the word, sled.
Mmhm. Yeah, we were talking about sleighs yesterday.
There's the bobsleigh.
And we said that it is a device that you use on ice or snow to travel.
Without wheels that has long pieces underneath it that glide across the top.
Now we also said that "sleighs" and "sleds" are the same thing.
We just use them different... in different... wherever you are in the world,
depending on what English you're using.
For example, in England, usualy they say sleigh.
But in the United States, we more commonly say sled.
Yeah. Now sometimes a sleigh can be bigger than a sled, but usually they are
really the same thing.
That's right.
And they're made in the same shapes.
So at least you know, friends, how to picture it in your mind.
So he made one almost entirely out of metal.
Exactly. And that design allowed for a single rider to lie facedown on a flat
surface and slide headfirst.
OK. Now I have to confess, I don't think I would participate in this... a very
extreme sport, but I have riden a sled down a hill facedown with my head first.
OK. And what does that mean if you're lying "facedown," right?
That means that my face is towards the ground, that you are on your stomach.
Your front part of your body is to the ground, and your face would be, well,
down towards the ground.
Yeah. And if you are "headfirst," that means that when you're going down, your
head is in the front.
So you're facedown, headfirst.
Wow! That sounds a little bit scary, Kaylah.
It is! It came... it is a very dangerous way to go sledding.
It's very fun when you're out playing in the snow.
Where I come from in Colorado, we have lots of snow and we do ride our sleds all
the time.
But this is a whole different version of riding facedown.
Yeah. It sounds like it's actually a lot of thrill, very exciting.
And this became known as a skeleton.
That's right. It makes sense because it's just made of metal, it's for one
person, it probably is just very simple.
So it looks kind of like the human or the... of skeleton of the bones
underneath.
It's the basic structure of something.
Yeah, exactly. And you can actually see a picture of this sled on page 37 of
your Studio Classroom magazine.
And you can tell it's not very big.
Though no one knows where the name originated, some say the original sled
resembled a human skeleton, which, kind of makes sense.
I mean, it's kind of fun.
Yeah, it looks a little bit like that.
With the metal and the bars, it looks like a human skeleton, and so that is
where the name originated.
Well, that's what we think... (Right...) because we can't tell for sure.
Right.
Well, in 1926, the International Olympic Committee declared skeleton as an
Olympic sport.
OK. So they "declared" it.
That means they said it to be true and told the public this is going to be an
Olympic sport.
And that is actually where this Olympic sport "originated." That means where it
began or started.
That's right. That's where it gets started.
So we saw the name "originated." That's where the name comes from.
And this is where the sport originates in the Olympics; it's where it starts
being an Olympic sport.
Exactly. And it's very exciting.
Participation in the sport actually continues to grow.
That's exciting.
And currently, 30 countries from six continents compete in the sport.
So not just countries all in Europe - where the sport came from - but countries
from all over the world, 30 different countries, really.
Yeah. And that's a lot of different people that are interested in this exciting
sport.
It makes sense that there would be so much more participation.
That's right. When you participate in something, that means you are doing it,
you are taking part in it.
So they would be competing in the skeleton sport.
Right. And when you compete, you're trying to race against each other, trying to
win.
And this is very fast: They go down these hills very fast and they're sliding at
very high speeds.
That's right.
Now this is a dangerous sport, but definitely one that is fun.
Oh, yeah, very... a lot of fun, but I... I don't think I would do it, Kaylah.
I don't think... I actually wouldn't do it, Ryan.
I enjoy a lot of sports, but this one, I'm going to stick to just watching it.
Yes. And this actually can be very dangerous, friends.
It's a lot of fun to watch, but like we think, it is scary, it can be dangerous.
That's right. So don't try this on your own.
If you want to compete, you need to find a professional to teach you how to do
that.
Well, we're going to look at the sport with this video.
The 8th and final stop on the INTERSPORT World Cup Men's Skeleton Tour, they
move to the Olympic track in Igls, Austria.
Martin Dukurs is the leader at the end of the first round.
He's also the World Cup leader, hopes to capture the title today, needs a top
four finish.
First Dukurs up. That was his brother Thomas.
Thomas in fifth place at the end of the first round, had not been on this type
of a leaderboard all season long.
And Dukurs, good lines, all the way down the track.
And this is being also doubling European Championships so he can do no worse
than 5th place.
His best finish of the year.
Next up, from Canada, Jon Montgomery.
Montgomery, one of the Olympic favorites, coming into the Vancouver Olympics.
It's Canadian won the test event in Vancouver last year.
On the short 1200-meter track in Igls, he can't best Dukurs' time.
Dukurs moves up one spot.
He's not guaranteed at least a fourth place finish in the day, his best of the
season.
Now, the Russian Rocket Alexander Tretiakov had never been beaten to start,
especially in the track in Igls where he holds the track record like every place
else.
Tretiakov, looking for a bronze medal, and he's got it! At least a bronze medal.
There's two sleds yet to go.
Frank Rommel, Germany.
Second place in World Cup points.
Look at the form of the start.
Rommel, good starts.
Can't match Tretiakov in the first 50 meter, but down the track, Rommel, with
the perfect line into the finish...
He takes the lead, guarantees himself a silver medal.
There's one sled yet to go.
(Background Noise).
Watch closely.
Martins Dukurs only needs to finish in the top four to win the World Cup season
title.
He's the leader at the end of the first round.
Questions were whether or not he was going to be conservered down the track and
look for the top four finish.
No conservable line for Dukurs.
Best lead, best time, runs away with the event.
Martins Dukurs.
(Background Noise).
What a season for him!
Wins the final race of the year of eighth in Innsbruck, Austria.
Here's our final standings.
What a season for Dukurs.
Favorite at the Olympics.
Here's the European Championships which really doesn't change much.
And here's the final World Cup standings, the Joska Trophy.
It's Martins Dukurs who walks away with the season-ending title.
For FIBT Television, I'm John Morgan.