英语听力精选进阶版 6126

Ready for the Beijing Olympics 翘首企盼 2008 北京奥运

You might have heard a lot about the Chinese Olympic team competing in the Beijing Olympics, but how much do you know about the British squad¹?

Team GB (Great Britain), as they are also known, have been training in Macau. The team are using the sports facilities that were used for the East Asian Games in Macau in 2005. Special gym equipment has been shipped in for them and the sportsmen and women are spending a week or so there before they head up to Beijing.

The idea behind the camp is to give the British team time to overcome the time difference between China and the UK. The team also need to adjust to the hot temperatures and the humidity. A tropical storm this week has however affected² training.

UK Sport is an organisation³ responsible for managing the development in sport in the UK and they have set targets for the British team's achievements in Beijing. They want the team to achieve a minimum of 35 medals in total. Sports experts are predicting the British team will exceed this target but only time will tell.

The British team has plenty of strong contenders for medals. Ben Ainslie is a sailor and he is aiming for his third gold medal in Beijing. He has been described as Britain's top hope for a medal.

Katherine Grainger is a female rower and she will lead the women's rowing team. The team have scored other medals including an Olympic silver but they are aiming for a first British women's rowing team Olympic gold.

Everyone is talking about diver Tom Daley. He is only 14 years old and it's a great achievement to make it into the Olympic team at such a young age.

Paula Radcliffe is very well known in the UK for completing marathons in record time. In spite of her achievements, she has not won any Olympic medals, and at 34 years old Beijing may be her last chance. Her participation⁴ in the Olympics has however been in some doubt because of a thigh⁵ injury.

We wish both the Chinese and the British teams great Olympic success over the next couple of weeks.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

competing 竞争，竞赛

squad （英国）队

sports facilities 体育设施

shipped in 海运

head up 出发

time difference 时差

humidity 湿度

tropical storm 热带风暴

set targets 制定目标

exceed 超出，超越

only time will tell 只有时间能证明

contenders 竞争者

sailor 水手

rower 划船运动员

scored 得到（奖牌）

diver 跳水运动员

to make it into the Olympic team 能进入（英国）奥运代表队

in record time 打破（多项）纪录

in some doubt 不确定的

thigh 大腿

1 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

4 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

5 thigh   

n.大腿；股骨

参考例句：

• He is suffering from a strained thigh muscle.他的大腿肌肉拉伤了，疼得很。
• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。