VOA标准英语2012--First Ladies Promote Children's Health, Olympics

First Ladies Promote Children's Health, Olympics

Since this year's Olympic Games are in London, Obama's British counterpart, Samantha Cameron, provided a natural tie-in, as the U.S. First Lady hosted a mini-Olympic competition with Washington-area children at a local university.

The event was also a way for Obama to spotlight¹ her "Let's Move" initiative, a campaign to promote fitness and healthy eating habits. 

“Moving isn't just being a part of a sport. Moving can be dancing in the living room, it can be riding your bike, it can be walking your dog," Obama said. 

Obama also announced she will lead the U.S. presidential delegation² to the London Olympics.

As she and Cameron moved around the venue³, Obama couldn't resist playing a little tennis with the kids. 

There were also Olympians and Paralympians on hand. 

Four-time gold medalist Lisa Leslie was helping⁴ with basketball. "I think with kids, just to be inspired and have our attention is enough. That's what I learned from them and what they learned from me is keep working, keep shooting and you never give up," she said.

Dan O'Brien won the Olympic decathlon in 1996. But he reminded the kids that not everyone wins a gold medal -- the important thing is trying your best. Deep down, he said, he knows kids want to stay physically⁵ active.

“You hear so often that kids sit around playing video game or on the computer, you know what? These kids today, they wanted to get up, they wanted to move, and there are a lot more kids out there like that,” he said.

Kortney Clemens lost his leg in Iraq. But two years later, he became a national champion sprinter⁶. He is the first Iraq War veteran to qualify for the national Paralympic team.

“If we get these kids in a habit of eating right and being physically active, when they grow up, they may not have as many medical issues," Clemen said.

Fifth-grader Kelvin Flowers says he learned a valuable lesson from the experience.

“That I can do anything if I put my mind to it,” Flowers said.

Lacey McCormick is also a fifth grader. “I think the most exciting part was working as a team and getting to be able to move.” she said.

At the end of the day, the children had their efforts rewarded with medals. And fifth-grader Nick Beatrice said he also had a message to take back to his classmates: "Let's move."

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

3 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

6 sprinter   

n.短跑运动员，短距离全速奔跑者

参考例句：

• He is more a sprinter than a swimmer. 他是短跑健将，而不是游泳选手。 来自辞典例句
• The sprinter himself thinks he can run the race at 9.4 seconds. 这位短跑运动员自认为可以用9.4秒跑完比赛。 来自互联网