【英语趣味课堂】肯尼亚的足球-Soccer in Kenya

 Todd: Alex, when you were little, what did you like to do?

Alex: When I was small and I was in junior high school we used to like playing soccer with my friends. Actually in Kenya, what's different from other countries, we used to make our own soccer ball to play. So, it's very easy.

 

Todd: Wow. How do you make the soccer ball?

 

Alex: We used to collect like plastic papers and bind¹ them with string, around them to make something round. So it was like, you didn't have to spend any money.

 

Todd: Wow, that's ingeneous. That's great. So were you a good soccer player?

 

Alex: Not really. I used to like playing soccer but I was not very good, actually to tell the truth

 

Todd: Yeah, me too. I wasn't a very good athlete. I mean I like sports but I was never any good. Um, so do you play soccer in Japan?

 

Alex: Sometimes, until last year when I was in school I still played soccer. Right now, actually I'm not playing anymore because I'm like busy.

 

Todd: Yeah.

 

Alex: Yeah. You can't play soccer without a big group of people and everyone is busy right now so I'm not playing anymore.

 

Todd: Yeah, that's a bummer. Like I always want to play sports but it's hard as

you get older. When's the last time you played soccer?

 

Alex: About one year ago. I think November of 199?,...2003, November.

 

Todd: OK. Actually in Kenya do you call it soccer or football?

 

Alex: In Kenya you call it football.

 

Todd: Football. I'm sorry.

 

Alex: Actually, I've been in Japan for sometime so I'm used to calling it soccer. In Kenya you call it football.

 

学习内容：

 

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

junior high school or used to

 

When I was in junior high school, I used to play soccer with my friends.

 

'Junior high school' is the school you go to before senior high school.  It is usually for grades eight and nine and is frequently shortened² to 'junior high'. We use 'used to' to talk about something that was a repeated action or state in the past that is not true now. Notice the following:

 

He was very popular in junior high school.

He used to have problems talking to girls.

plastic papers or bind them

 

We used to collect plastic papers and bind them with string.

 

'Plastic papers' are papers that have been covered in plastic so they're more durable³.  To 'bind' things together is to attach them to one another, in this case like a book. Notice the following:

 

We need to make some plastic papers for the convention⁴.

Make sure to bind your notes so you don't lose them.

ingenious⁵

 

That's very ingenious of you to make your own ball.

 

An 'ingenious' solution is one that is clever, imaginative⁶ or resourceful.  It is not a common thought or solution to a problem. Notice the following:

 

She always has very ingenious ideas for new products.

I think that is an ingenious plan.

to tell the truth

 

I was not very good at playing soccer actually, to tell the truth.

 

We add the phrase 'to tell the truth' when we want to make an honest statement that may not be very popular, but it is how we really feel.  Notice the following:

 

To tell the truth, this isn't the best way to solve the problem.

I don't think you would be the best person for the job, to tell the truth.

bummer

 

It's a bummer that you can't play anymore because everyone's busy.

 

We use 'it's a bummer' as mild slang⁷ to mean 'it's a disappointment', 'it's sad' or 'it's terrible.' Notice the following:

 

It was a real bummer that it rained every day of vacation, but we had fun anyway.

It's a bummer that you broke your ankle and can't play soccer this year.

 

1 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

2 shortened   

v.弄短，缩短( shorten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She shortened the skirt by an inch. 她把裙子缩短了一英寸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Vacations have lengthened and the work week has shortened. 假期延长，工作周就缩短了。 来自辞典例句

3 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

4 convention   

n.惯例，习俗，常规，会议，大会

参考例句：

• How many delegates have checked in at the convention?大会已有多少代表报到？
• He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。

5 ingenious   

adj.设计独特的，巧妙的，善于创造发明的

参考例句：

• Try to think of unusual and ingenious solutions.尽量想想不同寻常的、巧妙的解决方法。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

6 imaginative   

adj.富有想象力的，爱想象的

参考例句：

• The imaginative child made up fairy stories.这个想像力丰富的孩子自己编神话故事。
• Scott was an imaginative writer.司格特是位富于想象力的作家。

7 slang   

n.俚语，行话；vt.使用俚语，辱骂；vi.辱骂

参考例句：

• The phrase is labelled as slang in the dictionary.这个短语在这本字典里被注为俚语。
• Slang often goes in and out of fashion quickly.俚语往往很快风行起来又很快不再风行了。