ESL Podcast 387 – Describing Talent and Ability

Kathy: Thanks for inviting¹ me to see your team. Who’s your best player?

Brad: That would be Sarah. She’s a natural. No one comes close to her speed and dexterity². She has good instincts and a flair³ for getting out of difficult situations.

Kathy: She sounds promising⁴. Anyone else I should be keeping an eye on?

Brad: Mollie is a good player, too. In terms of scoring points, she can almost do it in her sleep. She’s also very good at being a leader to the other players, and she has a knack⁵ for getting along with even the most difficult teammates.

Kathy: As you know, we recruit only first-rate players for the national team, and this year, we hope to be head and shoulders above any of the other teams. The days of making do with mediocre⁶ players are over.

Brad: I understand that. We have a game this Saturday. Why don’t you come out and judge for yourself? I think you’ll be impressed with the talent you see.

Kathy: I’m sure I will. I’ll be here on Saturday ready to be dazzled.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

2 dexterity   

n.(手的)灵巧，灵活

参考例句：

• You need manual dexterity to be good at video games.玩好电子游戏手要灵巧。
• I'm your inferior in manual dexterity.论手巧，我不如你。

3 flair   

n.天赋，本领，才华；洞察力

参考例句：

• His business skill complements her flair for design.他的经营技巧和她的设计才能相辅相成。
• He had a natural flair for business.他有做生意的天分。

4 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

5 knack   

n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法

参考例句：

• He has a knack of teaching arithmetic.他教算术有诀窍。
• Making omelettes isn't difficult,but there's a knack to it.做煎蛋饼并不难，但有窍门。

6 mediocre   

adj.平常的，普通的

参考例句：

• The student tried hard,but his work is mediocre. 该生学习刻苦，但学业平庸。
• Only lazybones and mediocre persons could hanker after the days of messing together.只有懒汉庸才才会留恋那大锅饭的年代。