VOA慢速英语2016 象牙海岸跆拳道冠军前往里约热内卢（在线收听）

AS IT IS 2016-07-11 Ivory Coast Taekwondo Champions Head to Rio 象牙海岸跆拳道冠军前往里约热内卢

African countries may be best-known for their track and field success at the Olympics. But interest in Asian martial arts has grown on the continent.

非洲国家最为著名的可能在于奥运会上田径项目的成功。然而，这些国家对于亚洲武术的兴趣也正不断增长。

African nations are sending 50 athletes to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to compete in events such as taekwondo and judo.

目前，非洲国家派50名运动员赴巴西里约热内卢参加跆拳道和柔道等比赛项目。

Three of those athletes represent Ivory Coast.

其中三名代表了象牙海岸（科特迪瓦）。

A Korean Taekwondo expert introduced the exercise to Ivory Coast in the 1960s.It is now a popular after-school activity for children.

20世纪60年代，朝鲜跆拳道专家将此运动介绍给了科特迪瓦。时下，跆拳道是非洲孩子们普及的课外活动。

Ivorian Taekwondo competitor Ruth Gbagbi will be making her second Olympics appearance.She also competed in the 2012 London Games but lost both her matches.She is 22 and competes in the 67-kilogram division.

科特迪瓦跆拳道选手露丝·格巴比将第二次亮相奥运会。她曾参赛2012伦敦奥运会，但却失利。她22岁，参加67公斤级比赛。

Mamina Kone and Cheick Cisse are the other two Ivorian taekwondo competitors at this year’s games.It will be their first Olympic experience.

科特迪瓦参加今年奥运会的另两名跆拳道选手是马米娜·科恩和奇克·西塞。这是他们第一次参加奥运会。

Taekwondo became an Olympic sport in 2000.Only three Africans have won medals in the event.

跆拳道在2000年时成为了奥运项目。仅三名非洲人在此项目中获得奖牌。

Ivory Coast has one medal in its Olympic history.Ivorian runner Gabriel Tiacoh took home a silver medal in 1984 for his second place finish in the men’s 400-meter event.

科特迪瓦在其奥运史上曾获得一枚奖牌。1984年，跑步运动员加布里埃尔·蒂亚克在男子400米比赛中获得第二，摘得一枚银牌。

All three of the taekwondo athletes from Ivory Coast won medals in recent African competitions. The director of the Ivory Coast team says the three athletes are on the same level as the best in the world.

最近科特迪瓦的比赛中，三名跆拳道运动员均获得奖牌。科特迪瓦队总负责人表示，这三名运动员有着世界最高水平。

The competitors say they are setting an example for the next generation of Ivorian athletes.

参赛者认为，三名运动员为象牙岸下一代运动员树立了榜样。

Moussa Berthe is 13.He has been doing taekwondo for five years.

穆萨·博思13岁。他练习跆拳道已经五年了。

He says he learned “discipline, respect, dignity and wisdom” from his teachers.

他说，他从跆拳道老师那里学到了“纪律、尊敬、尊严和智慧”。

Berthe will be watching the national team compete in Rio.

博思将在里约观看国家队比赛。

“They are examples to follow because they are champions,and they come from Ivory Coast so it encourages us to continue taekwondo,” he said.

“他们是榜样，因为他们是来自非洲的冠军，鼓励着我们继续练习跆拳道”，他说。

The taekwondo competition begins in Rio on August 17.

里约跆拳道比赛将在8月17号举行。

Words in This Story

martial arts – n. any one of several forms of fighting and self-defense (such as karate and judo) that are widely practiced as sports

medal – n. a piece of metal often in the form of a coin with designs and words in honor of a special event, a person, or an achievement

wisdom – n. knowledge that is gained by having many experiences in life

discipline – n. a way of behaving that shows a willingness to obey rules or orders

dignity – n. a way of appearing or behaving that suggests seriousness and self-control

division – n. a group of teams or athletes in a section of a competition

match – n. a contest between two athletes or teams