VOA慢速英语2010年-Education Report - Giving Thanks for a

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
Thursday is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. Americans gather with family and friends to share a meal. Some celebrate the holiday by telling what they are most thankful for.
This holiday season, a group of student-athletes in Woodburn, Oregon, has given its community something to be thankful for.
The Woodburn High School boys soccer team has reached the state soccer championship playoffs for twenty-five straight seasons. But the Bulldogs had never won the state championship -- until this year.
Their victory on Saturday also represents a win for their mostly Hispanic hometown.
Writer Steve Wilson spent a year recording¹ the successes and problems of the team. He wrote a book called “The Boys from Little Mexico: A Season Chasing² the American Dream.” It tells about a community struggling with issues such as immigration and cultural changes.
Woodburn High School in Woodburn, Oregon Migrant farm workers from Mexico started coming to Woodburn, Oregon about fifty years ago. Many of the workers stayed and made the town their home. So the town became known as "Little Mexico."Steve Wilson thinks the Woodburn boys soccer team’s continued hard work and effort to win the state championship is similar to their cultural experiences.
Like many Mexican-Americans, the boys on the Woodburn team faced major problems. They include poverty, a language barrier and immigration issues. Mr. Wilson wondered if those challenges were preventing the team from reaching its goal of winning a state championship. So he decided³ to follow the team for an entire season. He got to know the players, coaches and supporters.
One of the players he writes about in the book is Martin Maldonado-Cortez. Martin says he and the other boys on the team knew that Woodburn had a bad image.
Steve Wilson visits with Martin Maldonado-Cortez and Miguel 'Angel' Arellano, two players in the book, 'The Boys From Little Mexico.' The town has a population of only twenty-two thousand people. But it faces many of the same problems found in large cities. These include gang⁴ violence and illegal drugs. He says when the team went to play other schools the people did not act friendly toward⁵ them.
Martin says his coaches told him to show pride in his culture. They told him to make an effort to be successful in life -- and not just on the field.
And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report. Our programs are online with transcripts⁶ and MP3 files at voaspecialenglish.com. And you can find us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube at VOA Learning⁷ English. I'm Steve Ember.

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 chasing   

n.雕镂术，雕刻工作；车螺丝；抛光；螺旋板

参考例句：

• My dog likes chasing rabbits. 我的狗喜欢追捕兔子。
• The children were having fun, chasing each other's shadows. 孩子们追逐着彼此的影子，玩得很开心。

3 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。

4 gang   

n.一伙，一帮；结伴的朋友

参考例句：

• The gang live abroad,beyond reach of the British police.这帮匪徒住在国外，英国警方鞭长莫及。
• Some gang came in and shot the place up.有股匪帮进来对这个地方开枪扫射。

5 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

6 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

7 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。