VOA标准英语2011--Lacrosse Debuts in Inner-City Washington

Lacrosse Debuts¹ in Inner-City Washington School

The modern version of the Native American game lacrosse is a popular sport at many predominately white and affluent², suburban³ private schools in the United States. But it also has taken root at a predominantly African American, public high school in Washington, plagued by poverty, violence and low academic achievement. Girls are now playing lacrosse at Ballou High School, where educators and students there hope to gain from it.
It is the last practice of the season for the girl's lacrosse team at Ballou, and the competitive spirit is still running high. This is the first year Ballou has had a lacrosse team, and the first time these girls have played the sport. They lost every game, but their coach, Holly⁴ McGarvie, still considers the season a success.
"I think the goal each year is going to change," she said. "This year, I think, just starting and building a foundation that we can build from and create a tradition of women's lacrosse here at Ballou."
Building a foundation in one of the poorest and most violent neighborhoods in Washington is not easy. Eighty-five percent of Ballou students participate in the national free and reduced school lunch program, an indicator⁵ of poverty. In the past six years, more than 40 Ballou students have died violent deaths, many of them victims of drug violence.
Rahman Branch, the schools' principal, said, "One of the components⁶ is the drug culture kind of came into our cities. It really shattered a lot of poor communities and a lot of families. And our children come from those broken homes. Our children come from those splintered communities."
Ballou's low point came in 2006, when less than 60 percent of the senior class graduated. School administrators⁷ decided⁸ they needed to make changes. Foremost was creating an environment where students could leave their street-hardened survival skills at the school door.
Another - expanding after school activities like girl's lacrosse.
"We decided to take some more approaches to add on to them being comfortable being a kid, to now making sure they are a kid who knows what they want, what it takes to get there, and then has the stamina⁹ to go through," said Branch.
Branch said Holly McGarvie, a first-year teacher out of Princeton University, was a perfect match for Ballou. A star collegiate player and member of the U.S. National Lacrosse Team, she wanted to integrate lessons she learned from sports into teaching biology.
"In coaching, it is always great when you have an athlete, you know, understand a concept or make a great play with a teammate," said McGarvie. "And, I thought, you know, maybe in teaching you could do the same thing."
McGarvie's lessons in the classroom and on the field are not lost on the girls. The first practices were frustrating¹⁰, with angry exchanges among some players. McGarvie quickly let them know that would not be tolerated, and coached them on how to work through problems.
"On our way home from our first game, we are all talking about it and the girls are extremely excited," said McGarvie. "Despite the loss of, I think maybe 11 to 1, they were already in the mindset of what can we do better."
Sophomore¹¹ Tylashia Joyner said lacrosse has kept her away from negative things, and more focused on her future. "I will want to play in college because it will keep me in shape and it will help me stay focused and want to do something. Because if you want to play a sport, you have to have your grades up."
If you are counting wins, it was a tough season for Ballou. But you wouldn't know that from the look on the girls' faces. Diane Jones said she will definitely play again next year.
"We had good times even though we lost all our games," said Jones. "We played good for it to be our first season of play."
Ballou has already improved its graduation rate by 10 to 15 percent since 2006. Administrators expect that to continue to improve, and for lacrosse to be a part of it.

1 debuts   

演员首次演出( debut的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He never really debuts the idea of taking money from his parents any longer. 他从此就再也没有认真起过向父母要钱的念头。
• This young soprano debuts next month at the metropolitan opera. 这位年轻的女高音歌唱家下个月将在纽约大都会歌剧院举行首演。

2 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

3 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

4 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

5 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

6 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

7 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

8 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。

9 stamina   

n.体力；精力；耐力

参考例句：

• I lacked the stamina to run the whole length of the race.我没有跑完全程的耐力。
• Giving up smoking had a magical effect on his stamina.戒烟神奇地增强了他的体力。

10 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 sophomore   

n.大学二年级生；adj.第二年的

参考例句：

• He is in his sophomore year.他在读二年级。
• I'm a college sophomore majoring in English.我是一名英语专业的大二学生。