step by step 第三册 lesson 119

UNIT 60 FILM EXTRACTS Lesson 119 Cross-Country Derby And

UNIT 60  FILM EXTRACTS

 

Lesson 119

 

Cross-Country Derby

And Cross-Country Skiing

 

In many towns across New England, the cross-country derby has become a traditional winter event. In the Stowe Derby, everyone participates, young and old, novice¹ and expert.

“Five, four, three, two, one, go!”

The course for the Stowe Derby is 16 kilometers through meadow, farmland, over hills, through fields, and finally, into the center of town.

They race against the clock, not each other and there are no prizes waiting at the finish-line----just a good cheer of their neighbours and the exhilarating satisfaction reserved for the cross-country skier².

New England's Green Mountains. In winter, it is a world of silence, unseen, impenetrable.

This is the exclusive winter domain³ of the cross-country skier. Cross-country skiing is just that, skiing over hills, across frozen lakes and valleys, through farmland and forest, anywhere there is snow. You take off when you feel like it, and at your own pace. It doesn't matter how you look or whether you fall down. Cross-country skiing is between you and the winter.

The Trappe Family Lodge⁴ in Stowe, Vermont, the first cross-country ski center in America opened here in 1972. Practiced in Europe for centuries , it is only in recent years that cross-country skiing has caught on in the United States.

Enthusiasts⁵ are attracted by its comfortable lightweight equipment, and down-hill skiers find it's safer and less expensive.

To master the graceful⁶ Nordic stride, the experienced skier need only watch the experts. But for the beginner, a few hours of instruction are needed to get a feel for the skis.

Mitzi Kane is racing⁷ for an Olympic gold, a member of the United States Ski Team. She trains for the Winter Olympic Games by burning up 50 kilometers of ski trail each day.

Americans have begun to do well in cross-country competition. Mitzi feels the key to winning at the 1980 Olympics in nearby Lake Placid⁸ in New York is conditioning and determination.

“So much of it's mental as well as physical. It's in pushing your body and your mind beyond what you would normally do in everyday life. And it makes it, so that when you finish a race, you really feel it's a rewarding…. It's like you feel like you've accomplished⁹ something.”

 

1 novice   

adj.新手的，生手的

参考例句：

• As a novice writer,this is something I'm interested in.作为初涉写作的人，我对此很感兴趣。
• She realized that she was a novice.她知道自己初出茅庐。

2 skier   

n.滑雪运动员

参考例句：

• She is a skier who is unafraid of danger.她是一名敢于冒险的滑雪者。
• The skier skimmed across the snow.滑雪者飞快地滑过雪地。

3 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

4 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

5 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

6 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

7 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。

8 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。

9 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。