VOA常速英语2007年-Ethiopian Millennium Run Honors Host Haile Gebr

By Peter Heinlein
Addis Ababa
23 November 2007

World marathon record holder¹ Haile Gebrselassie is hosting Ethiopia's biggest road race this Sunday. The 7th annual Great Ethiopian Run is expected to draw 35,000 entrants. VOA's correspondent in Addis Ababa, Peter Heinlein, reports Gebrselassie was the surprise honoree at a pre-race news conference.

The theme of the Great Ethiopian Millennium² Run is "A Celebration of Achievement." At a meeting with reporters two days before the event, Ethiopia's legendary³ road runner Haile Gebrselassie paid tribute to the great racers he idolized as a child. And in a tribute to him, nearly all Ethiopia's greats, past and present, were on hand as he was surprised with an award.

There to present him a trophy⁴ for the fastest marathon time of 2006, all the way from the United States, was the director of the New York City Marathon, Mary Wittenberg.

"I'm thrilled to be here for this event, which is a world-class event, one of the biggest, one of the best in the world, and an inspiration to race organizers and runners around the world," said Wittenberg. "And it's a special treat to be here for the Millennium Run, and I would travel anywhere in the world to honor Haile Gebrselassie."

Wittenberg made no secret she is trying to lure⁵ Haile to run in next year's New York marathon. She noted⁶ that the world record-holder has run in four of the world's five premier⁷ marathons - in London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago - but never in New York.

Haile, who may have received more awards than any other runner, seemed overwhelmed at the award, and another one he learned about days ago while watching television.

"They should tell me this before. Now, I have a lot of surprises," he said. "Day before yesterday was the news I became Sportsman of Africa, the one [announced] in Ghana. Hey. I was watching the news. How possible is that? Thank you. Wow!"

Haile also paid tribute to the great Ethiopian runners he idolized in his youth, including the late Abebe Bekila, who won the gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics running barefoot; and Miruts Yifter, who at the age of 37 scored a double gold in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Noting that he is still only 34, Haile said Miruts gives him hope that he still has a few good years ahead of him. "This is 27 years [ago]. Imagine. He's now 63," he said. "He won Moscow Olympics when he was 37, [so in] the next three years I can do something. You know why I started running? Because of him."

Among other running legends who flew in to honor Haile was Briton David Moorcroft, who broke the world record at 5,000 meters in 1982 in a time of 13 minutes flat. That record has since been surpassed by many African runners, but still holds in the United Kingdom.

Moorcroft noted it was the early 1980s when African runners established themselves at the top of the international standings. "Although now you're so dominant⁸ in this continent, and Ethiopia are at the moment particularly dominant," said Moorcroft, "it was great to be part, and watch the emergence⁹ of African athletes."

Haile Gebrselassie told the hall filled with runners and reporters it should be no secret why Africans, and Ethiopians in particular, do so well in international competitions. He explained that running in Africa is not an individual sport. Here runners work as a team.

"I could win many medals because of this tactic," he said. "We Ethiopians, maybe we have, if there is a small problem between us, when we start the race, especially world championships or Olympic games, we help each other. This is our tradition."

Haile noted that scattered¹⁰ throughout the hall were teammates, runners who often finish second, third or fourth in races that he wins. Those, he says, are the unsung heroes of Africa's running success.

1 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

2 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

3 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

4 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。

5 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

8 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

9 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

10 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。