资源描述
Unit 6 Sports and Health
In this unit, you will
★ first listen, and then talk about sports
★ read about a famous athlete and the way of keeping fit
★ write about how perseverance leads to success
★ practice the use of participles
★ fill in a Health Background Form
★ visit Culture Salon for an introduction to the meaning of sportsmanship
Passage A
Read the Text: Never Give Up
窗体顶端
Think About It:
1. Do you enjoy watching figure skating? Explain.
Answer:Yes, I enjoy it very much. I enjoy watching it because figure skating requires a combination of strength, elegance and grace. We also call it “the ballet on ice.”
2. Do you know any famous figure skaters? Share what you know with each other.
Answer:Yes, there are many famous figure skaters in the world. For example, Chen Lu from China,Michelle Kwan from the U.S., Irina Slutskaya from Russia, etc.
3 .What do you usually do when facing difficulties?
Answer:Usually, I would take the difficulties as a challenge and try my best to find ways to overcome them with courage.
窗体底端
Never Give Up
They told him to quit, that he wasn’t good enough, but figure skater Paul Wylie refused to listen.
When he stepped off the plane in Washington, D.C.1, following the 1992 Winter Games, and everyone in the terminal started clapping, Paul Wylie almost stopped in his tracks. Who’ s behind me? He wondered. Despite the silver medal in his pocket, he couldn’t believe that the applause was for him. From that moment on, Paul recognized that his life would never be the same.
The silver medal he earned in Albertville, France, ushered the 27-year-old figure skater into a new existence. He was no longer a nobody who choked at big events, like the 1988 Calgary Olympics, where he finished an unimpressive 10th. No longer therecipient of advice from judges who, after Paul’s performance in the ’91 World Championships, suggested that he quit: “Make room for the younger skaters.”
No longer the target of loaded questions from reporters covering the ’91 OlympicTrials (“What are you doing here?”). No longer the skater incapable of finishing ahead of U.S. National Champion Todd Eldredge or three-time defending World Champion Kurt Browning of Canada.
Now Paul Wylie was an Olympic hero. An athlete who kept going when doubters suggested he quit. A recent Harvard University graduate who had frequently fantasized about life without grueling hours on the ice, but who perseveredanyway. A young man who had discovered and demonstrated that goals can be reached no matter how many obstacles andbotched attempts lie in the way.
“A reporter who interviewed me at the Closing Ceremonies told me, ‘You came here an unknown and now you go home a hero,’ Paul says. “I thought that was interesting, because I was in France and unaware of how my journey was unfolding on U.S. television. It wasn’t until I stepped off the plane that I realized people considered me a hero. They were changed by my story. They were changed by the fact that I was able to persevere and win the silver medal even though almost everyone had counted me out.”
At times, Paul had almost counted himself out. “Two months before the ’92 Olympics, USA Today2 did a survey of different athletes and asked, ‘How often do you contemplate retirement?’ The choices were: ‘yearly,’ ‘monthly’ or ‘weekly.’”
“I wrote, ‘daily,’ because it was hard to keep going. But I just decided, I’m going to persevere and hang in there, because I have a shot.”
Things definitely changed in 1992 in Albertville. “To have my story be one that brought tears to people’s eyes, because of the way it turned around — that changed my life as well,” Paul says. “I looked at my skating career and saw it rewrittenand beautiful, as opposed to a big disappointment and many years struggling toward some goal but not reaching it.”
With medal in hand, Paul was suddenly ushered into a world of lucrative endorsements and figure-skating world tours, of exclusive events and autograph seekers. Everything you might expect of a celebrity hero, but none of what Paul himself believes merits the honor of that title.
“What makes a true hero is selfless service,” he says. “Or someone whose life and actions inspire you to be better and to be a bigger person. I don’t think what I did was selfless service. But God used the story of my life to inspire others.”
Heroism, Paul has observed, requires daily maintenance. Just as a skater achieves perfection by practising small parts of his larger routine day after day, a hero must look for ways to serve on a regular basis — not just in a crisis or more visible situation.
As an Olympic medal loses its luster after years of storage, a hero will lose his credibility if he stops looking to the needs of others. When Paul joins the thousands of others watching the Olympics in Salt Lake City3, he knows that behind the scenes of each victory, of each record-setting finish, stand countless stories of everyday heroes. Heroes who refuse to give up.
(707 words)
Notes:
1. Washington, D.C: Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States of America. The city of Washington has the same boundaries as the District of Columbia (D.C.), a federal territory established in 1790 as the site of the new nation’s permanent capital.
2. USA Today: USA Today is a modern newspaper for articles about the USA and its culture. Every day, subscribers receive 20 – 25 articles on Trends Across the USA, News, Money, Entertainment, Life and Health, Sports and Opinion.
3. Salt Lake City: Salt Lake City is the capital city of Utah and seat of Salt Lake County, located in the northern part of the state on the Jordan River. The 2002 Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City.
Summary
Paul Wylie was a 27-year-old American ice skater who could never win the big competitions. Many times he considered retirement but he persevered. Younger skaters consistently defeated him, yet he kept practicing and competing. Then he finished second in the 1992 Olympics in France and became a hero. Applause greeted him as he stepped off the plane bringing him home from the Olympics. Fame and endorsements came his way. But he remained very modest and did not consider himself a hero. He said that selfless service can make a true hero, and he also hoped that his story would inspire other people. This would be another kind of hero. Like skating, he felt that life requires the regular practice of small actions which add up to make a larger whole. It’s not necessary to be famous to be a hero in daily life.
Culture Notes
1. Winter Olympics
Although figure skating was an event at the Summer Games of 1908 and 1920, and ice hockey was played in 1920, the IOC was hesitant to inaugurate a series of separate Winter Games because climatic conditions dictated that the possible locations for winter sports competition were geographically limited. When Sweden and Norway first proposed Winter Games in 1911, the United States opposed the games on these grounds. Ironically, the Scandinavians changed their minds at the 1921 meeting of the IOC, arguing that Winter Games, unlike Summer Games, could not unite athletes from every country. They were outvoted, however, and the IOC established Winter Games.
The Winter Olympic Games were first held as a separate competition in 1924 at Chamonix, France. The 1924 Winter Games included 14 events in five different sports. From that time until 1992, they took place the same year as the Summer Games. However, beginning with the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, the Winter Games were rescheduled to occur in the middle of the Olympic cycle, alternating on even-numbered years with the Summer Games.
2. types of figure skating
The major types of competitive figure skating are individual men’s and women’s competitions, pairs skating, ice dancing, and precision skating. In individual competitions a single skater performs required elements and is judged on how cleanly and artistically the motions are executed. Pairs skating consists of two skaters performing together. In ice dancing, partners carry out the artistic motions of dance on skates. Precision skating, which is a highly structured activity, consists of a team of skaters who perform choreographed maneuvers.
Language Points
1.clap: strike (one’ s hands) together with a quick movement and loud sound
Examples:
The teacher clapped to attract the class’s attention.
The audience clapped at the end of the play.
2.usher: bring or cause to enter
Examples:
A series of reforms ushered in the new regime.
The rising sun ushered in a new day.
3.quit: stop (doing something)
Examples:
He quit his job for a better position.
He should really quit smoking for the sake of his health.
4.persevere: continue firmly in spite of difficulties
Examples:
He didn’t know any English, but he persevered and became a good student.
Despite the failure of his early experiments, the scientist persevered in his research.
5.in the way: blocking space for the forward movement
Examples:
The chair is in the way; so move it, please.
Although he thought he was helping us prepare the dinner, he was only in the way.
6.interview: ask questions of (somebody)
Examples:
At the end of the race the winner was interviewed by NBC news.
In the oral test the student is interviewed by an examiner.
7.count...out: leave ... out by choice
Examples:
If you are playing football in this rainy weather you can count me out.
We have ten applicants for the post, but two of them have now accepted other appointments, so we can count them out.
8.at times: sometimes
Examples:
I do feel a little nervous at times.
We have pie for dinner at times.
9.have a shot: try
Examples:
I don’t know if I can do that, but I’ll have a shot (at it).
Have a shot at solving the problem.
10.as opposed to: in contrast to
Examples:
The tax system favors the very rich as opposed to ordinary working people.
This is a book about business practices as opposed to theory.
11.exclusive: not shared with others
Examples:
The actress granted the reporter an exclusive interview.
This company has the exclusive right to print Mr. Dare’s books.
12.merit: deserve; have a right to
Examples:
The suggestion merits serious consideration.
He merited all the praise they gave him.
13.crisis: a point or moment of great danger, difficulty, or uncertainty
Examples:
I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.
The potentiality for future government crises was growing.
14.behind the scenes: out of sight; secretly; without public knowledge
Examples:
He is an important man behind the scenes.
John was president of the club, but behind the scenes Robert told him what to do.
Sentence Explanation
1. The silver medal he earned in Albertville, France, ushered the 27-year-old figure skater into a new existence.
The second-place medal he earned in Albertville, France, gave the 27-year-old figure skater a new status and reputation.
2. He was no longer a nobody who choked at big events, like the 1988 Calgary Olympics, where he finished an unimpressive 10th.
He was no longer a little-known competitor who became nervous and could not win in major competitions, like the 1988 Calgary Olympics where he finished 10th and few people noticed him.
3. No longer the target of loaded questions from reporters covering the ’91 Olympic Trials (“What are you doing here?”).
(He was) no longer asked embarrassing and irritating questions (such as “Why are you here?”) by the reporters reporting on the 1991 Olympic Trials.
4. But I just decided, I’m going to persevere and hang in there, because I have a shot.
But I just decided I’d keep practising and competing, because I really had a chance to win.
5. I looked at my skating career and saw it rewritten and beautiful ...
I reviewed my skating career and witnessed its development into something new and beautiful ...
6. With medal in hand, Paul was suddenly ushered into a world of lucrative endorsements and figure-skating world tours, of exclusive events and autograph seekers.
Now that he was a medal winner, Paul suddenly had many new opportunities to make money from signing advertising contracts to traveling around the world with skating shows, to be invited to special events for famous people and to sign autographs for the fans.
7. Heroism, Paul has observed, requires daily maintenance.
Paul has noticed that heroism requires daily perseverance, i.e. a medalist has to persevere in training in order to keep the honor.
8. ... a hero must look for ways to serve on a regular basis ...
... a hero must find ways to help others or provide service at regular times ...
9. As an Olympic medal loses its luster after years of storage, a hero will lose his credibility if he stops looking to the needs of others.
Over the years the public may forget about an Olympic medal winner and stop trusting him if he does not pay attention to what other people want or need.
Translation
永不放弃
人们劝他引退，说他天分不够，但是花样滑冰选手保罗•怀利拒绝放弃。
1992年冬奥会闭幕后，保罗•怀利抵达华盛顿。走下飞机时，欢迎的人群开始鼓掌。他差 点停下了脚步。谁在后面呀？他心里嘀咕。虽说银牌在手，他怎么也不敢相信这掌声是献给他 的。从那一刻起，保罗意识到自己的生活从此永远地改变了。
这位27岁的花样滑冰运动员在法国的阿尔贝维尔获得了银牌，从此走向全新的生活。1988 年的卡尔加里冬奥会上，他表现平平，只得了第10名，可如今他再也不是在大型赛事中举止失 措的无名小卒了；1991年的世界锦标赛上，保罗比赛完后，裁判建议他退出冰坛，“给年轻选手 让位”，如今再也听不到这样的建议了。
跟踪报道1991年冬奥会选拔赛的记者们曾问他“你来这儿干什么？”，如今再也不会有这种 别有用心的提问了。他再也不是美国冠军托德•埃尔德雷奇的手下败将，再也不会被三度问鼎 世界冠军宝座的加拿大运动员库尔特•布朗宁甩在身后。
现在保罗•怀利成了奥运英雄。虽然有些人对他没有信心，建议他放弃，可他依然勇往直 前。虽然这个刚出校门的哈佛毕业生经常幻想，离开严酷的冰上训练生活将会是怎样，但他仍 然苦苦坚持着；这个年轻人发现：不管途中有多少障碍，要经历多少次失败，目标终能实现， 而且他证明了这一点。
保罗说：“闭幕式上我接受采访，有个记者对我说，‘你来时不为人知，归时却名扬四海’。 我觉得这话很有意思，因为我当时在法国，根本不知道美国电视是怎么报道这次法国之旅的。 走下飞机，我才意识到人们把我当成了英雄。他们对我的看法改变了，因为我获胜了。他们的 看法改变了，因为我坚持不懈并且赢得了银牌，虽然赛前没人看好我。”
有时，保罗也几乎不看好自己。“离92年冬奥会开幕还有两个月的时候，《今日美国》对运 动员们进行了一次调查，问道，你经常考虑退役吗？选项有：‘每年’、‘每月’、‘每周’。”
“我写的是‘每天’，因为要坚持下去实在是太难了。但我还是下定决心要坚持下去，绝不 放弃，我要全力拼搏。”
1992年在阿尔贝维尔，事情完全改观了。保罗说：“我的经历使人们热泪盈眶，因为结果出 人意料。这同时也改变了我的生活，我看着自己的冰上生涯从此被改写，变得精彩纷呈。其实 也可能会是另一种结局：多年的努力化为乌有，结果令人大失所望。”
手中拿着奖牌，保罗突然进入到一个全新的世界：财源不断的签约、花样滑冰巡回赛、独 家采访、追星族要求签名。凡是一个声名鹊起的英雄能得到的一切他都得到了，但保罗认为这 一头衔值得称道的东西远不在此。
保罗说：“无私的奉献能造就真正的英雄；用自己的经历和行为激励别人上进，变得更高 尚，也算是一种英雄。我认为我并没有无私奉献，但上帝用我的生活经历去激励了别的人。”
保罗还说，英雄是需要日日维护的。要达到完美的地步，滑冰选手需苦练每个细小的动 作，日复一日不能懈怠，英雄也一样，应该日日奉献，而不只是在危急关头或者在众人瞩目之 时才有所举动。
收藏多年之后，奥运奖牌会退去它最初的光泽；若是不再关注别人的需要，英雄也会失去 号召力。和成千上万的人们一同观看盐湖城冬奥会时，保罗很清楚，每个胜利的背后，每次打 破纪录的背后，都有无数日日坚持不懈的英雄故事，那种永不放弃的英雄故事。
Read and think
1. Work with your partner and answer the following questions.
窗体顶端
1. How was Paul Wylie’s life changed after he won the silver medal?
Answer:After he won the silver medal, Paul Wylie wa
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