2006年VOA标准英语-US Olympic Team More Racially Diverse

By Steve Schy
Turin, Italy
13 February 2006
 

Shani Davis  
  
The make-up of the U.S. Olympic team competing at the Winter Games in Italy has changed considerably¹ from years past.  Rather than an almost exclusively white squad², the new-look American team is more racially diverse.

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In the past, the U.S. squad was mainly composed of athletes from small communities in the cold-weather climates of the Northeast and Midwest United States, where Winter Olympic sports like skiing and skating are popular.

Although the U.S. Olympic Committee does not keep records on the racial or ethnic³ diversity of the team, participation⁴ by minority athletes has nearly quadrupled from the U.S. squad that competed just eight years ago in Nagano, Japan. 

U.S. Olympic Committee Media Services Director Bob Condron says more and more minority athletes are competing in sports such as speed skating, luge, bobsled, and skeleton⁵.

"Why it is happening?  I think it is exposure to the Winter Olympics on TV, radio, newspapers and magazines," he said.  "Bobsled went into a recruiting⁶ process about two or three Olympics ago and it went after the track athlete rather than a bobsled driver or pusher.  Recruited⁷ a lot of minorities.  That spreads and other minorities see it on TV and say, 'Hey, I can do that', and they want to become part of it."

Of the 211 athletes making up Team USA, at least 23 member have Hispanic or non-white backgrounds.  The team includes African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians, as well as athletes of Native American and Cuban heritage⁸.  In addition to the cold weather states, there are natives of Florida, Georgia, and Texas, as well as South Korea, Russia, and Japan.

Vonetta Flowers made history when she won a gold medal in the women's two-man bobsled event at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.
 

Vonetta Flowers  
  
"Not only being the first African-American, but the first black athlete from any nation to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics.  And, I truly feel blessed and honored to have that title," she said.

Flowers is teaming with Jean Prahm to defend her title in Turin.

A long track speed skater from Chicago, Shani Davis, 23, could become the first African-American to win an individual gold.  But he tries to downplay the racial issue.

"It does not matter what color I am, Black or White, Asian or Hispanic, it does not matter to me.  As long as the image I am portraying⁹ to the people that watch me on television is positive, no matter what color they are, I want to show people that it is OK to try different things and maybe you can be successful at it," he explained.

This diverse squad is expected to be one of the strongest teams is U.S. history.  They are hoping to break the American record of 34 Winter Olympic medals set in Salt Lake City in 2002.

1 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

2 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

5 skeleton   

n.骨骼，框架，骨干，梗概，提要

参考例句：

• A long illness made a skeleton out of him.长期的卧病使他骨瘦如柴。
• Her notes gave us just the bare skeleton of her theory.她的笔记只给我们提供了她的理论的梗概。

6 recruiting   

招聘( recruit的现在分词 )； 吸收某人为新成员； 动员…（提供帮助）； 雇用

参考例句：

• We are recruiting a sales manager with responsibility for the European market. 我们正在招聘负责欧洲市场的销售经理。
• "Hoist the recruiting flag and hungry men will come. “插起招军旗，就有吃粮人。”

7 recruited   

招聘( recruit的过去式和过去分词 )； 吸收某人为新成员； 动员…（提供帮助）； 雇用

参考例句：

• Were men for the Navy recruited from men on merchant ships? 海军的人员是从商船的人员中征募的吗？
• Most of the workers will be recruited locally. 大多数工人都会在本地招募。

8 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

9 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说