Just listen
Yüklə 1,83 Mb.
|
Chapter 25MARATHONSa.
b.
TEXT VOICE ONE: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I’m Phoebe Zimmermann. VOICE TWO: And I’m Steve Ember. Today, we report about marathon races and the popularity of running in the United States. VOICE ONE: Forty-two kilometers is a long way to run without stopping. But twenty-thousand competitors with a lot of energy will try to do that next Monday, April nineteenth. These people will take part in the one-hundred-eighth Boston Marathon in Massachusetts. The race is the oldest marathon in the world held each year. Men and women over age eighteen run in the marathon. Some competitors are much older than eighteen. Some runners are seventy and older. But most of the runners are younger than forty. VOICE TWO: Winners of past Boston Marathons will race again this year. Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot of Kenya is defending his first-place finish last year. Catherine Ndereba of Kenya has won the Boston race two times. They are among many serious competitors in the two-thousand-four marathon. Winners will share five-hundred-twenty-five-thousand dollars in prize money given by companies and organizations. VOICE ONE: Runners in the Boston Marathon have demonstrated that they are good at the sport. They completed earlier races called qualifying races. They have to run those races within a set time. Other people join the Boston Marathon just for fun. These people have not officially joined the race. They just start running with the crowds. They are called “bandits.” Many of them probably will finish hours after the serious runners. But these unofficial racers are just as happy. They sometimes kiss the ground after crossing the finish line. VOICE TWO: The runners will begin this year’s Boston Marathon at mid day next Monday in the town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts. They will then pass through the towns of Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton and Brookline. They will run up and down hills. They will complete the race in the center of Boston. People will provide liquids for the runners at twenty-four places along the way. If anyone gets hurt or sick, medical workers at twenty-six American Red Cross stations can provide medical help. As usual, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to watch the marathon. Many will carry signs that say things like, “We are proud of you, Mommy.” VOICE ONE: Before the marathon begins, a computer chip device is attached to each runner’s shoe. It electronically records how long the runner takes to complete the race. Timing begins when a runner passes another device placed across the road at the starting line. The computer chip records each runner’s time as he or she passes several areas along the race. And it records the runner’s final time when crossing the finish line. Last year, Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot ran his winning race in two hours, ten minutes and eleven seconds. The women’s winner, Svetlana Zakharova, finished in two hours, twenty-five minutes and twenty seconds. VOICE TWO: People who cannot walk also compete in the Boston Marathon. Competitors in wheelchairs begin the race earlier than others. The Boston Marathon became the first major marathon to include users of wheelchairs in nineteen-seventy-five. Last year, South African competitor Ernst VanDyk won the wheelchair race. He finished in one hour, twenty-eight minutes and thirty-two seconds. Mister VanDyk also won the wheelchair race in two-thousand-one and two-thousand-two. Christina Ripp of the United States won the women’s wheelchair event last year. She finished the race in one hour, fifty-four minutes and forty-seven seconds. VOICE ONE: The first Boston Marathon was held in eighteen-ninety-seven. Fifteen men competed. Ten finished the race. Since then, the marathon has been held every year as part of a holiday in Massachusetts called Patriot’s Day. The holiday honors the beginning of the American War of Independence in the seventeen-seventies. VOICE TWO: The word “marathon” comes from an area along the coast of Greece. An important battle took place in Marathon about two-thousand-five-hundred years ago. An army from Persia had invaded Greece. Greece’s army defeated the invading army at Marathon. An Athenian general sent a Greek runner to Athens to tell the news of the victory. Marathon was about forty kilometers from Athens. The man ran to Athens at top speed. He announced his message. Then he fell to the ground, dead. A men’s marathon of about forty kilometers was included in the first modern Olympic games in eighteen-ninety-six. The distance of the marathon was increased to forty-two and two-tenths kilometers at the nineteen-oh-eight Olympics in London. The marathon continues to be a popular Olympic sport. VOICE ONE: Many American cities in addition to Boston hold marathons. For example, the United States Marine Corps Marathon will take place October thirty-first in Washington, D. C. and the state of Virginia. The city of Chicago, Illinois also will hold its two-thousand-four marathon in October. The running area in Chicago is almost completely flat. This has permitted runners to set some of the world’s fastest times there. The Chicago race offers some of the largest prizes among American marathons. It will give six-hundred-fifty-thousand dollars in prize money. New York City will hold its marathon in November. This race is so large that competitors must take part in a game of chance to win the right to enter. As many as thirty-thousand people run in New York City marathons. VOICE TWO: Not all marathons are so successful. More than six-thousand people ran in the first Washington D.C. Marathon in March, two-thousand-two. Some said they enjoyed the race more than any other. The runners passed by some of the city’s most famous monuments, including the United States Capitol. But last year the race was cancelled. The organizers blamed security concerns because the war in Iraq was soon to start. The marathon was cancelled again this year. However, that did not stop hundreds of people from racing. They ran the “unofficial” marathon on the day the official race was to have taken place. VOICE ONE: Thirty years ago, far fewer people ran in the United States. Today, millions run. Many more women now take part in the sport. Many children in public and private schools run as part of their physical education programs. Running has gained popularity for several reasons. You can do it anywhere, any time. You do not need other people. And you do not need much equipment. However, experts say you should wear a good pair of running shoes to protect your feet. The manufacture of running shoes has become a huge industry. VOICE TWO: People run for different reasons. Most say running makes them feel better physically. It prevents them from gaining weight. It provides needed exercise to help prevent some diseases. Many people also say running makes them feel better mentally. It makes them feel happier. Some say they forget their worries when they run. Many people also run to help others. For example, Ed Burt of Hopedale, Massachusetts ran in the Boston Marathon last year to help the American Liver Foundation. This deeply pleased his father, who was suffering from liver disease. This year, Ed Burt already has raised more than two-thousand dollars in the Liver Foundation’s Run for Research campaign. He will take part in the marathon this year in memory of his father. VOICE ONE: Sports experts urge people to prepare themselves before trying to run in long races. They say special exercises and repeated runs are needed to build strength. Doctors also urge runners to make sure they are in good health before entering a marathon. They say forty-two kilometers is a long way to run as fast as you can, without stopping. But many marathon runners say it is exciting to cross the finish line. “You feel terribly tired,” says a runner from Encino, California. “At the same time, you feel just wonderful.” VOICE TWO: This program was written by Shelley Gollust and Jerilyn Watson. It was produced by Caty Weaver. I’m Steve Ember. VOICE ONE : And I’m Phoebe Zimmermann. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in Special English on the Voice of America. Broadcast: April 12, 2004 By Jerilyn Watson Chapter 26 Internatıonal Educatıon a.
b.
c.
TEXT NAFSA: Association of International Educators believes too many Americans are ignorant about the rest of the world. The organization advocates study abroad as a way to familiarize Americans with the world outside the United States. The association, launched in 1948, promotes the exchange of students to and from the United States, and includes more than eight thousand members from all 50 states and 80 countries. About 150-thousand American students study outside the United States each year. Usually American students who want to study overseas take all or part of their junior year, or third year, of their university education abroad. At a recent Washington news conference, NAFSA endorsed a proposal by former US Senator Paul Simon to establish a national study abroad scholarship program. The federally-funded program would boost the amount of financial aid available to American university students pursuing an overseas education. Former US Secretary of Education Richard Riley, says American students must think globally. "The generation that will lead our country tomorrow, the so-called millennial generation, must receive an international education today," Mr. Riley said. "They must have opportunities to learn about other countries, other cultures, and other points of view from direct experience, as an integral part of their higher education." Marlene Johnson, NAFSA’s executive director, says the report states that many Americans do not possess sufficient knowledge about the rest of the world. "The report states that Americans’ lack of knowledge of the world represents a national liability in the war on terrorism. To turn that liability into an asset, the report recommends a bold, national program to ensure that American college students devote a substantive portion of their education to gaining and understanding of other countries, regions, languages, and cultures through direct personal experience," Ms. Johnson said. Peter McPherson, president of Michigan State University, says financial reasons are responsible for the low number of American university students getting an overseas education. "Study abroad remains in many universities the preserve of upper-middle class students. I mean, we have found it acceptable too often to have study abroad be quite expensive," Mr. McPherson said. "And yet, much more expensive than what the students are paying back in their campus. Mr. McPherson says the cost of an overseas education does not have to be prohibitive, particularly if a student selects a location in the developing world. "You can educate a student in Mexico City or Dakar, Senegal or wherever, a lot cheaper than you can in Rome or Paris or London, and we should be prepared to offer those options," Mr. PcPherson said. Carol Conway, the deputy director of the Southern Growth Policies Board, a non-partisan public think tank based in North Carolina, says teachers as well as students need an awareness of other nations. "We call on the states to consider an immersion experience for all students," Ms. Conway said. "And this might extend to students who are going to become teachers, because how can our teachers teach to the future if they themselves haven’t been out and about in the world." Ms. Conway says Americans who have an overseas education can help the United States compete in an increasingly global market. "The beauty of study abroad is that it’s one of those things that helps us bring an innovative climate to our businesses. It’s that juxtaposition of different experiences and perspectives that gives rise to something completely new," Ms. Conway said. Julia Chang Bloch, a former US Ambassador to the kingdom of Nepal, is a senior fellow for US-China relations at Peking University in Beijing. She says the inability of most Americans to speak a foreign language is a significant hindrance to their understanding of world affairs. "In Europe, language study often begins as early as age five," Ms. Bloch said. "And high school graduates are proficient in at least two languages. Chinese students begin to study English in the third grade. And when they graduate from senior middle school, they are expected to have an English vocabulary of at least 45-hundred words or equivalent to the current fourth level of college English tests. Ms. Bloch believes many Americans do not place a priority on gaining knowledge of other societies, particularly since the collapse of the Soviet Union. "America’s international knowledge gap is hardly surprising if you know that this country has retreated from international education after the Cold War," Ms. Bloch said. Another barrier to international exchange is the threat of terrorism following the September 11th attacks against the United States. Visa restrictions have been tightened, and consequently fewer students from overseas are coming to the United States. Again, Julia Chang Bloch. "Visa hassles, prompted by post-September 11th security concerns, are now driving foreign students and travelers alike, to more hospitable countries, at a very serious cost to American tourism, business, academic institutions, not to mention America’s reputation abroad," Ms. Bloch said. Former US Senator Paul Simon says a federally-funded study abroad program could go a long way towards promoting an overseas education, particularly in the developing world. He says only one percent of American students study abroad for a summer or semester. "One of the problems now is that two-thirds of that one percent go to school in Western Europe. Ninety-five percent of the world’s population growth is going to be outside of Western Europe," Mr. Simon said. "So that if we had these scholarships available primarily for studying in the developing nations, we can move this nation ahead fairly dramatically. In 10 years we would have at least five million Americans who had studied abroad." Mr. Simon admits the cost of his proposed program, about three-point five-billion dollars a year, would be substantial. But he says such an investment would be worth it in terms of improved security and international trade. The value of study abroad is undoubtedly substantial. But it remains to be seen whether the US government, faced by ever increasing costs, will be willing to finance such programs. Yüklə 1,83 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
|