VOA标准英语2012--Paralympian Hopes to Lift Gold for Ghana

Paralympian Hopes to Lift Gold for Ghana

Charles Teye is a disabled Ghanaian powerlifter who is headed to London in late August to show off his skills and try to win a medal.

Teye has great hopes of winning a medal in the bench press in the 67.5 kilogram weight class. He says he was just an infant when he lost both his legs because of an infection.

"In the twinkle of an eye they realized that the whole legs had become black and spotted¹. And so they quickly rushed me to the hospital. I was here for three days and then the legs started flowing water. It looked like when you pour hot oil on you, you know it swells² and it starts flowing water. And so, in like two to three weeks they realized the legs were coming off," Teye recalled.

Charles credits a radio broadcast with helping³ to develop his interest in powerlifting. He says he heard an announcement about sports opportunities for disabled athletes.

"So when I go to the sports stadium, we were interviewed and they asked me what I could do, and I said I play table tennis. And then they said, 'You have a very good physique. Your shoulders are broad. You should do a sport called powerlifting. Why don't you?' I said, 'What is powerlifting?' And then they took me through the process and I said, 'Oh, I do bench press at the back of a friend's yard in their home,' and I said 'I can do it,'" Teye added.

Teye also credits the Right To Dream charity with helping to improve his training through sponsorship, better diet and professional coaching. He won a gold medal earlier this year at a competition in Wales and qualified⁴ for the Paralympics, which begin August 29. Teye says he hopes the Paralympics will raise awareness⁵ about sports for the disabled.

"Ghana will be proud because mostly they give small attention to disabled sports. I don't even know if some of the able-bodied have ever qualified. The Ghana flag will definitely be raised," Teye said.

Powerlifter Charles Teye will be waving Ghana's flag high at the Paralympics in London. 

1 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

2 swells   

增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The waters were heaving up in great swells. 河水正在急剧上升。
• A barrel swells in the middle. 水桶中部隆起。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

5 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。