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;

learn new words and expressions;

practice the use of participles;

fill in a Health Background Form;

visit Culture Salon for an introduction to the emblems of the Olympic Games.

I. Listen and Talk

The photos are all related to Sports and Health . Describe them to your classmates with the help of the following question.

What is your favorite sport? Explain.

How do you understand “it's more important to participate than to compete” in sports?

What is your opinion about the relationship between sports and health?

II. Read and Explore

Passage A  Never Give Up

Lead-in Questions

1. Do you enjoy watching figure skating? Explain.

2. Do you know any famous figure skaters? Share what you know with each other.

3. What do you usually do in facing difficulties?

Related Information

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., a city as well as a district, is the capital of the United States of America. The city of Washington is coextensive with the District of Columbia (D.C.), the federal district of the United States. Washington is today the core of one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country and serves as a center of both national and international politics and diplomacy.

1992 Winter Olympics, Albertville

The 1992 Albertville Olympic Games were the last Winter Games to be staged in the same year as the Summer Games. Only 18 of the 57 events were held in Albertville itself, while nearby resorts hosted the rest.

1988 Winter Olympics, Calgary

Calgary's dream to host the Olympics finally came true on its fourth candidacy. The term of the winter games was extended from 12 days to 16 days, the same as the summer games, as from the Calgary Olympics.

Todd Eldredge

Full Name: Todd James Eldredge

Representing: United States

Coach: Richard Callaghan

Born: August 28, 1971

Hometown: Chatham, Massachusetts (now living and training in Michigan)

Interests: Golf, sports cars, computers

"In your mind, you can imagine anything. That's part of the reason I came back. You dream certain things and you hope to achieve those dreams."

-Todd Eldredge, Los Angeles 1/10/02

 

Kurt Browning

Kurt Browning is Canada's Four Time Canadian and World Figure Skating Champion. He is one of the most celebrated skaters in his native country of Canada, and the world. Kurt has landed himself a spot in the Guinness Book of  World Records for being the first man to complete a Quadruple Jump at the World Figure Skating Championships in Budapest, Hungary on March 25, 1988.

 

Harvard University

Harvard University a private, coeducational institution of higher education, is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is the oldest university in the United States.

 

USA Today

USA Today --- A Window on the World

There’s no better daily source for articles about the USA and its culture than syndicated features from USA TODAY, the pioneer of modern newspapers. Every day, subscribers receive 20-25 articles on Trends Across the USA, News, Money, Entertainment, Life and Health, Sports and Opinion. Check out USA Today's famed Web site: http://www.usatoday.com/ 

 

2002 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City, Utah hosts the 2002 Winter Olympic Games starting February 8, 2002. The games lasted 17 days and featured more than 180 events in 15 different sports.

 

Notes to the Text

 

1.    The silver medal he earned in Albertville, France, ushered the 27-year-old figure skater into a new existence. (para. 2)

The second-place medal he earned in Albertville, France, gave the 27-year-old figure skater a new status and reputation.

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，生活从此改观。

 

2.    He was no longer a nobody who choked at big events, like the 1988 Calgary Olympics, where he finished an unimpressive 10th. (para. 2)

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.

1988年的卡尔加里冬奥会上，他表现平平，只得了第10名，如今他再也不是在大型赛事中举止失措的无名小卒了 .

 

3.    No longer the target of loaded questions from reporters covering the '91 Olympic Trials ("What are you doing here?"). (para. 3)

(He was) no longer asked embarrassing  and irritating questions (such as "Why are you here?") by the reporters reporting on the 1991 Olympic Trials.

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恶意的提问了。

 

4.    But I just decided, I'm going to persevere and hang in there, because I have a shot."(para. 7)

But I just decided I'd keep practicing and competing, because I really had a chance to win.

“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，决不放弃，我要全力一搏。”

 

5.    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.(para. 9)

Now that he was a medal winner, Paul had many new opportunities to make money from signing advertising contracts or traveling around the world with skating shows, being invited to special events for famous people and signing autographs for the fans.

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。

 

6.  Heroism, Paul has observed, requires daily maintenance.(para. 11)

Paul has noticed that heroism requires daily perseverance, ie a medallist has to persevere in training in order to keep the honor..

保罗还说，英雄是需要日日维护的。

 

7.    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.(para. 12)

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.

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，英雄也会失去其知名度。

 

Summary of the Text

 

Paul Wiley 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.

 

Words and Expressions

 

1. quit: stop (doing something)

Examples:

He quit his job for a better position.

He should really quit smoking.

 

2. persevere: continue firmly in spite of difficulties

Examples:

He persevered at his search for a job.

Despite the failure of his early experiments, the scientist persevered in his research.

 

3. 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.

 

4. 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.

 

5. at times: sometimes

  Examples:

I do feel a little nervous at times.

We have pie for dinner at times.

 

6. survey: general view

Examples:

We made a survey of the uses of English.

They ran a survey of the most popular television programs.

 

7. 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.

 

8. as opposed to: in contrast to

Examples:

It happened in the day as opposed to the evening.

This is a book about business as opposed to theory.

 

9. 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.

 

10. crisis: a turning point in the course of anything

Examples:

I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life.

The potentiality for future government crises was growing.

11. 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.

 

Understanding the Text

 

1. How was Paul Wylie's life changed after he won the silver medal?

He was regarded as a hero, traveling on figure-skating world tours, being invited to exclusive events, and with figure skating fans chasing for his autographs.

2. What did the question "what are you doing here?" imply?

It implied that people were unhappy with Paul Wylie's performance.

3. Did Paul Wylie expect what he would see back in his home country after he won the silver medal in France?

No, he didn't. He had no idea how his performance was unfolding on U. S. television.

4. Why did Paul Wylie give the answer "daily" to the question "how often do you contemplate retirement?"

He answered "daily" because he was undergoing a very difficult time in his skating career and it was hard for him to keep going.

5. Was Paul Wylie a famous skater in the U. S. before he won the silver medal?

No, he wasn't. He had been struggling for many years on his way towards success.

6. What have you learned from Paul Wylie's story?

Open.