英语博客-北美风情 201、Here’s Michael Gilday, a Canadian short track speed skater!

 　　In this episode¹, Maura interviews Michael Gilday, a Canadian short track² speed skater. She asks about what it’s like to prepare for the Olympics, and they also talk about Michael’s hometown of Yellowknife in the north of Canada and his experiences learning³ French. Have you ever seen the aurora⁴ borealis? Would you like to find out how learning French helped Michael in speed skating? Listen to this episode to hear all about it.

 

　　Maura:So four years old, that seems quite young to decide to get into speed skating.

 

　　Michael:I think at that time, it was more of a, sort of, I wanted to learn how to skate. And then as you get going, I think pretty quickly though you get into the full deal. But, yeah, that was when I joined the club or so I’m told by my parents…anyway.

 

　　Maura:Are your parents athletes?

 

　　Michael:In that they are recreational, they are active people. My dad was actually my coach for a long time but he didn’t have any background in skating. He was just an interested parent and he volunteers and he liked to help out, so he was my coach for a long time until I moved away from my hometown to attend university and to skate at a higher level.

 

　　Maura:OK, cool. Now, I know that through all of your competitions you’ve been all around the world. So what are some of the most memorable⁵ places you’ve been to?

 

　　Michael:Yeah, well I’m really lucky because when we travel to World Cup competitions, they are all over the world. So I’ve been to many different countries. This year actually we were… One of my favourite trips of all time was actually to Nagoya, which is in Japan. We got to do a little bit of adventuring there, especially with the food and that let us sort of get immersed⁶ a bit more in Japanese culture. And even though we were often playing sign language, because I really don’t speak a lick⁷ of Japanese, it was fun and it was a new adventure and it was something that I really enjoyed.

1 episode   

n.（作品的一段）情节，插曲，系列事件中之一

参考例句：

• The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
• This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。

2 track   

n.轨道；足迹；痕迹；磁轨；途径；vt.循路而行；追踪；通过；用纤拉；vi.追踪

参考例句：

• The new race track is nearly six miles in extent.这条新跑道将近六英里长。
• The police are on his track.警察在跟踪他。

3 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。

4 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

5 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

6 immersed   

浸入的，沉入的，沉思的

参考例句：

• She immersed herself in her work. 她埋头工作。
• When a body is immersed in a fluid, it apparently loses weight. 身体浸入水中就会明显减轻重量。

7 lick   

vt.舔（吃），打败，轻拍，吞卷；n.舔，少许

参考例句：

• I think we could lick the best teams there.我想我们能打败那儿最好的队。
• The house would look better with a lick of paint.这房子稍加颜色就好看了。