英语博客(A cup of English):051 The Tour of California

　　Beginners.
There are some special times in our lives when we come into contact with greatness, with people who have done great things. My husband experienced one of those special moments about a week ago. He had flown down to California with a couple of friends to watch the Tour of California. He was fortunate enough to have a friendly, business connection with Rabobank which is a major cycling sponsor. Because of this connection, he and his friends were able to travel in a Rabobank car close to the professional riders. They were able to get close to these famous athletes before and after the rides. One other thing that they did, was to ride some of the same routes as the professionals, but several miles behind them. This gave my husband and his buddies¹ firsthand experience of the difficulty of this competitive sport. I think the trip will become an annual event, something to look forward to and to plan for during the year. I might go with him next year, even though I am not a cyclist. The tour obviously takes place along some beautiful countryside, so it would be worth going at least once.
Grammar notes.
Useful expressions: to come into contact (with), a business connection, before and after, firsthand experience, annual event, even though, at least.
Related vocabulary: sponsor, tour, connection, route, professional, event.
Verbs: To come into contact.Ex: The diver came into contact with the strangest kind of squid that he had ever seen.
To be able. Ex: I will not be able to come to the party. She had not been able to find her passport in time for the flight.
*Subjunctive: It would be worth going, even if it rained. ( you can swap² the clauses). Even if it rained, it would be worth going.
Advanced.
What does it mean to be a fan, to be an enthusiastic follower³ of a personality or activity? Have you ever experienced the thrill of hero worship? It's quite common. My sons are fans of certain sports personalities⁴ and actors, and my daughter is a fan of Hello Kitty. My fifth child, my husband, also has certain idols⁶, but he hides his enthusiasm better than the children. On his recent visit to the Tour of California he was lucky enough to see some of the big names in cycling like Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, and David Zabriskie. It was, of course, a complete thrill for him and his group of friends who accompanied him. I'm sure that being a fan shows a desire to have achieved that which we are admiring. The funny thing is, last year when he went to the Tour, they did actually experience being worshipped by fans. Let me explain. They had spent a large part of the day cycling behind the peloton,-a long way behind. Nevertheless, they crossed the finish line where fans were still applauding, yelling, and waving flags. Little did the fans know that these very late athletes were nothing to do with the race. So, my husband and his buddies were celebrated⁷ as professionals who had just completed the Tour of California. Cameras were flashing and devotional pats on the back were given. It was like an accidental dream come true. Hey, if you can't be a professional cyclist, you can always trick a few fans into believing that you are.....
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: fan, personality, hero, thrill, worship, idol⁵, recent, the finish line, buddy⁸, devotion.
Verbs: To hide (hide, hid, hidden); to accompany (reg); to admire (reg); to applaud (reg.).

1 buddies   

n.密友( buddy的名词复数 )；同伴；弟兄；（用于称呼男子，常带怒气）家伙v.（如密友、战友、伙伴、弟兄般）交往( buddy的第三人称单数 )；做朋友；亲近（…）；伴护艾滋病人

参考例句：

• We became great buddies. 我们成了非常好的朋友。 来自辞典例句
• The two of them have become great buddies. 他们俩成了要好的朋友。 来自辞典例句

2 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

3 follower   

n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒

参考例句：

• He is a faithful follower of his home football team.他是他家乡足球队的忠实拥护者。
• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。

4 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

5 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

6 idols   

偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像

参考例句：

• The genii will give evidence against those who have worshipped idols. 魔怪将提供证据来反对那些崇拜偶像的人。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史
• Teenagers are very sequacious and they often emulate the behavior of their idols. 青少年非常盲从，经常模仿他们的偶像的行为。

7 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

8 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！