VOA标准英语2012--Tanzanian Boxer Strives to Win Olympic Gold

 

Tanzanian Boxer¹ Strives² to Win Olympic Gold

Selemani Kidunda grew up and still lives on the outskirts³ of Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam⁴. He says when he was a young boy he saw a former world heavyweight champion fight and that got him interested in the sport.

"I got attracted to boxing by watching Mike Tyson, and whenever I tried people cheered me on, I found out that I could do, I worked hard on my training and now here I am," he said.

Kidunda is now training hard in hopes of becoming his country’s first Olympic medalist in boxing. Tanzania has won a total of two medals in Olympic competition, with both coming in athletics⁵ at the 1980 Games in Moscow. Kidunda says fighting well in London will boost⁶ him to even greater heights in the future.

"My goal is to be a champion who is world renowned⁷ so if someone asks who is Selemani Kidunda who weighs this much, they’ll know he is a world champion from Tanzania," he said.

As Kidunda prepares for Olympic competition, he’s calling on the Tanzanian government to provide more financial support for the national boxing team.

"The government should work on equipping us with training tools," he said. "If you see the national teams of other countries, they are given government support, and this is what I am asking the government."

Meanwhile, Tanzanian boxing officials say they have high hopes for the London Olympics.

"My expectation is that we will do well because we have been out of the Olympics for many years … the last time we took part was in 1996 in Atlanta," he said.

Outside the ring, Selemani Kidunda is proud of his two children, who would love to see their father return home from London with an Olympic medal around his neck. 

1 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

2 strives   

n.争吵，斗争，冲突( strife的名词复数 )v.努力奋斗，力求( strive的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The less advanced strives to catch up with the more advanced. 后进赶先进。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Man errs so long as he strives. 人只要奋斗就会犯错误。 来自每日一句

3 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

4 salaam   

n.额手之礼，问安，敬礼；v.行额手礼

参考例句：

• And the people were so very friendly:full of huge beaming smiles,calling out "hello" and "salaam".这里的人民都很友好，灿然微笑着和我打招呼，说“哈罗”和“萨拉姆”。
• Salaam is a Muslim form of salutation.额手礼是穆斯林的问候方式。

5 athletics   

n.运动，体育，田径运动

参考例句：

• When I was at school I was always hopeless at athletics.我上学的时候体育十分糟糕。
• Our team tied with theirs in athletics.在田径比赛中，我们队与他们队旗鼓相当。

6 boost   

n.鼓励，激励，提高；v.鼓励，使增强信心

参考例句：

• This will be a great boost to the economy.这对于经济发展将是一个巨大的促进。
• These changes will help to boost share prices.这些变化将有助于提高股票价格。

7 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。