环球英语 — 57：Speed Skater Joey Cheek

　　Voice 1
Thank you for listening to Spotlight¹, I’m Liz Waid
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
What would you do?
Voice 2
What would you do if you won an Olympic gold medal? How would you celebrate? What would you do with your new popularity²? What would you do with the money you won?
Voice 1
Joey Cheek is an Olympic athlete, or sports player. In the 2006 Winter Olympics, Joey won a gold and a silver medal for the United³ States in Speed Skating. Speed Skating is a sport where people race on an ice track⁴. They wear sharp metal blades⁵ on the bottoms of their shoes. The United States Olympic group gave Joey forty thousand dollards [$40,000] for winning⁶ those medals. Joey could have kept that money for himself. He could have used it to buy more equipment for his sport. He could have spent it on cars or houses or anything! But he decided⁷ to do something different. He decided to use his Olympic medals to make a difference in the world. He gave that money to a group called Right to Play. Today’s Spotlight is on Joey and the group he works⁸ with, Right to Play.
Voice 2
We will talk more about what the group Right to Play is doing with Joey’s money later in the program. But first, let’s learn a little bit more about Olympic speed skater, Joey Cheek.
Voice 1
Joey began speed skating in 1995. He won a bronze⁹ medal at the Olympics in 2002. He was twenty-six [26] years old at the 2006 Olympics when he won the gold and silver medals. After those Olympics, Joey decided to retire from speed skating. He says that he has spent most of his life exercising his body. Now he wants to exercise his mind. Joey will attend college in the United States. He wants to earn a degree in Economics¹⁰, the study of money and society.
Voice 2
Joey enjoyed his time as a U.S. Olympic athlete. But he says that American Olympic athletes are both blessed and self-serving, or selfish¹¹. American athletes are blessed by the resources¹² they have in the United States. The United States values athletes. It gives them the money and support they need to compete. But Joey also says that athletes are selfish. They must think a lot about themselves. This is because they spend so much time trying to become the best at what they do. They always work to make their bodies stronger and faster. Athletes often do not have time to think about other people. They give all of their effort to become better at their sport.
Voice 1
But, Joey wanted to take a break from being a selfish athlete. He was ready to stop using all his time to make himself better. He wanted to use his time and resources to make the world better. And this is why Joey decided to give his Olympic medal money to the group called Right to Play.
Voice 2
Right to Play is a group that helps children in poor or war-torn countries develop and grow through sports. Right to Play believes that playing sports helps children develop into healthier adults. Sports help children form healthy relationships with other children. Competing in sports makes children feel more powerful¹³. Sports teach children important life skills like learning¹⁴ to accept defeat. And sports are fun! All children, no matter where they live, deserve¹⁵ to have fun!
Voice 1
So how is Right to Play helping¹⁶ children to develop and grow through sports? How are they using the money they receive from people like Joey? Well, Right to Play is working in refugee¹⁷ camps in Africa. They use sports to teach children important life skills like working together, communication, fair play, and self worth.
Voice 2
In the Middle East, Right to Play uses sports to build bridges and encourage peaceful relationships between Israeli and Palestinian communities.
Voice 1
And Right to Play employs famous athletes to educate people in Africa and around the world about AIDS and how to prevent it.
Voice 2
Right to Play has a symbol that represents¹⁸ their work. This symbol is a red ball. Children use the red ball when they play sports. Right to Play uses the red ball as a teaching¹⁹ tool. And they give the red ball as a gift to every school, community and refugee camp they go to. There is a message written on the ball in different languages. The message says, “Look After Yourself. Look After One Another.” This is Right to Play’s message for the children of the world. They believe that sports teach children this important message. And they hope that the red ball will always help children to remember to look after, or take care of, themselves and other people.
Voice 1
Joey Cheek is one of many athletes who support the work that Right to Play does in the world. Many people ask Joey why he gives money to a group that encourages sports. Why not give money towards food and shelter²⁰ instead? Joey believes that food and shelter are important. But he also believes that children need more than that. Children need to play with each other to develop their minds and hearts. They need the important skills that sports can teach them.
Voice 2
Famous athletes like Joey often receive money from large companies. These companies want Joey to use his popularity to sell their products. When Joey decided to give his Olympic money to Right to Play, he encouraged the companies who support him to do the same thing. And they did! By March of 2006, Joey had collected over three hundred thousand dollars [$300,000] for Right to Play.
Voice 1
Joey explains why his work with Right to Play is so important to him. He says,
Voice 2
“Every morning, I would ask myself the same question. How can I use all my energy to be the best speed skater in the world? I have spent years doing this. And other people have spent years supporting me so that I could become the best in the world. Now I feel that it is important for me to give something back. It is important for me to give something to people who do not have the same resources and support that I did.”
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

3 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

4 track   

n.轨道；足迹；痕迹；磁轨；途径；vt.循路而行；追踪；通过；用纤拉；vi.追踪

参考例句：

• The new race track is nearly six miles in extent.这条新跑道将近六英里长。
• The police are on his track.警察在跟踪他。

5 blades   

n.刀口( blade的名词复数 )；（机器上旋转的）叶片；桨叶；（船桨的）桨叶

参考例句：

• the blades of a propeller 螺旋桨叶
• Stay well away from the helicopter when its blades start to rotate. 直升机的螺旋桨开始转动时，尽量离远点儿。

6 winning   

adj.获胜的，胜利的；吸引人的，有说服力的

参考例句：

• Team A has no chance of winning.A队没有获胜的可能。
• They have great hopes of winning.他们获胜的希望极大。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

9 bronze   

n.青铜；青铜艺术品

参考例句：

• She won a bronze medal.她得了铜牌。
• This statue is made of bronze.这个雕像是青铜做的。

10 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

11 selfish   

adj.自私的，利己主义的，自我中心的

参考例句：

• You must learn to share and not be so selfish.你一定要学会与他人分享，不要那么自私。
• She is a selfish person.她是一个自私自利的人。

12 resources   

n.勇气；才智；谋略；有助于实现目标的东西；资源( resource的名词复数 )；[复数]物力；办法；来源

参考例句：

• The world's resources are rapidly diminishing. 世界资源正在迅速减少。
• a policy to equalize the distribution of resources throughout the country 使资源在全国分布均衡的政策

13 powerful   

adj.有力的，有权力的，强大的

参考例句：

• The UN began to get more and more powerful.联合国开始变得越来越强大了。
• Such are the most powerful voices of our times!这些就是我们时代的最有力的声音！

14 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

15 deserve   

vt.应受，值得；vi. 应受报答，值得受赏

参考例句：

• You really deserve a good beating,you naughty boy.你这个调皮孩子真该打。
• I do not deserve all the praises bestowed upon me.我不配得到这些赞扬。

16 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。

17 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

18 Represents   

v.表现( represent的第三人称单数 )；代表；体现；作为…的代表

参考例句：

• This represents a volte-face in government thinking. 这代表着政府观点的彻底转变。
• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history. 俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

20 shelter   

n.掩蔽，掩蔽处，避身处；庇护所，避难所，庇护；vt.庇护，保护，隐匿；vi.躲避

参考例句：

• We took shelter from the rain in a cave.我们在一个山洞里避雨。
• Trees are a shelter from the sun.树木可以遮挡阳光。