VOA慢速英语2010年-Economics Report - An Air Show for Sho

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

One of the largest air shows in the United States is also one of the largest trade shows in the aircraft industry. AirVenture is taking place this week at an airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Ron Wagner is from the Experimental Aircraft Association, which holds the event each year.

RON WAGNER: "Nearly every major manufacturer is represented and a lot of minor¹, smaller ones."

Visitors can find everything from old passenger planes to new unmanned aircraft, like the Predator² drone.

But Ron Wagner says the spirit of the event is best represented by the pilots and engineers who build their own aircraft.

RON WAGNER: "Much of the modern innovation has come from the home builder community. We are really and truly very fortunate here in the United States. We have a lot of freedom to build and design airplanes for our own use and build them and fly them."

Lanny Rundell of Winnsboro, Louisiana. and his grandson Cole Uffman take a rest on their plane last year at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin

AirVenture ends Sunday in the American Midwest. This year there is greater interest in electric-powered aircraft.

But if you are more interested in fast cars, here is a new turn in the world of motorsports.

(SOUND)

The Speed Sisters are a racing³ a team of eight Palestinian women in the West Bank. The team is a dream come true for Suna Aweidah, the captain.

But not everyone was happy to see her in the driver's seat of the BMW race car she drives.

She says her family thought motor racing was not safe and mainly for men. But she says there is no sport that is especially for men or especially for women.

SUNA AWEIDAH: "I think that driving -- many of the people think that driving is just for men. I don't think that. I think that driving is driving for women, for men. It's a sport. And we can compete [with] men in all kinds of sports."

Members of the Speed Sisters

In June, the Speed Sisters became the first all-female racing team to compete in the Speed Test, a popular race in the West Bank. They faced some mechanical problems. But one of them finished in the top ten.

The team includes Muslims and Christians⁴, mothers, a librarian, a business student and a woman who competed in a beauty pageant⁵. Two of the drivers were born into racing families.

The Speed Sisters received money from the British Consulate⁶ in Jerusalem to buy a race car. They also received driving lessons and guidance from two British women in motorsports, Helen Elstrop and Sue Sanders.

Ms. Sanders says she knew right away they had the drive to succeed.

SUE SANDERS: "When Suna particularly said to me 'I really want to be best,' it was just such an instant affinity⁷. And it really didn't matter whether we had the same language or the same culture, but we actually had the same passion and the same desires to achieve things."

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, with reporting by Kane Farabaugh and Leslie Hollis. Transcripts⁸, MP3s and podcasts of our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember
 

1 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

2 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

3 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

4 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

5 pageant   

n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧

参考例句：

• Our pageant represented scenes from history.我们的露天历史剧上演一幕幕的历史事件。
• The inauguration ceremony of the new President was a splendid pageant.新主席的就职典礼的开始是极其壮观的。

6 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

7 affinity   

n.亲和力，密切关系

参考例句：

• I felt a great affinity with the people of the Highlands.我被苏格兰高地人民深深地吸引。
• It's important that you share an affinity with your husband.和丈夫有共同的爱好是十分重要的。

8 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