美国国家公共电台 NPR--Curling is a highlight at the 2023 Winter World University Games

Curling is a highlight at the 2023 Winter World University Games

Transcript¹

Top college athletes from around the world are in upstate New York this week to compete in the World University Games. Out of a dozen winter sports, curling is a top attraction for spectators.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Some of the best college athletes from around the globe have gathered in upstate New York this week to compete in the World University Winter Games. The tournament features sports such as hockey, figure skating and alpine² skiing. But North County Public Radio's Emily Russell says curling has been one of the most popular sports to watch.

(SOUNDBITE OF METAL CLANGING)

EMILY RUSSELL, BYLINE³: It's 9 in the morning on a weekday. And the civic⁴ center in Saranac Lake is packed.

(CHEERING)

RUSSELL: This small town in northern New York is hosting curling at the World University Games. On this day, four matches are unfolding at once, students from Sweden against Brazil, Japan versus⁵ Great Britain.

UNIDENTIFIED ATHLETE #1: (Shouting in non-English language).

RUSSELL: After an athlete releases the roughly 40-pound stone down the ice, he screams at his teammates. They stay ahead of the stone, bending over brooms, sweeping⁶ at the ice like mad men.

UNIDENTIFIED ATHLETE #2: Curl. Curl. Curl. Curl.

RUSSELL: The goal is to get as many stones as close to the center target as possible.

(SOUNDBITE OF METAL CLANGING)

DARLENE MCEACHREN: These guys make it look so easy, and it is so hard.

RUSSELL: That's Darlene McEachren. She's here from Nova Scotia, drove 13 hours to cheer on her son and the other Canadian curlers. McEachren herself is a curler. She knows the game and says it can get pretty tense watching from the stands.

MCEACHREN: I do a lot of pacing. My heart rate, it races the whole time.

(SHOUTING)

RUSSELL: The American men are curling on the ice closest to the stands, so the action is unfolding right in front of us. Sometimes they use their stone to knock their opponents' stones away from the center target.

UNIDENTIFIED ATHLETE #3: (Non-English language spoken).

RUSSELL: This is the first time a lot of folks here have watched curling. It's a complicated sport. Delaney Knapp is a local eighth grader here on a field trip. She says seeing it in person really gives you a sense of how skilled these athletes are.

DELANEY KNAPP: I think that it's really cool how much work it takes to get one point, like, how much work they put into getting the stone moved.

UNIDENTIFIED ATHLETE #4: Line's good, little tight. Hard line.

RUSSELL: About an hour into the match, Rollie Torrance says their strategies are starting to make sense. Torrance drove here from nearby Lake Placid⁷.

ROLLIE TORRANCE: You see the blocks that they try and do and how they try and knock it out. So yeah, I'm starting to understand.

RUSSELL: The last time this area hosted an international sporting event like this was the 1980 Winter Olympics. Torrance volunteered at those games. He watched the American men win the historic gold medal hockey game. Curling isn't quite as exciting. And the World University Games don't have the kind of hype that the Olympics do. But Torrance says there still fun to be a part of.

TORRANCE: This is comparable, but on a much smaller scale. There's nothing like, you know - the Olympics were pretty amazing.

RUSSELL: Some of the curlers here may go on to compete at the Olympics, giving local fans something to brag⁸ about in the future.

For NPR News, I'm Emily Russell in Saranac Lake, N.Y.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

5 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

6 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

7 placid   

adj.安静的，平和的

参考例句：

• He had been leading a placid life for the past eight years.八年来他一直过着平静的生活。
• You should be in a placid mood and have a heart-to- heart talk with her.你应该心平气和的好好和她谈谈心。

8 brag   

v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的

参考例句：

• He made brag of his skill.他夸耀自己技术高明。
• His wealth is his brag.他夸张他的财富。