2007年VOA标准英语-American Figure-Skating Champion Michelle Kwan

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
19 June 2007

This year marks 200 years since the United States and Russia established diplomatic relations.  The U.S. Embassy is coordinating¹ several events to mark the anniversary.  VOA Correspondent Peter Fedynsky reports from the Russian capital as part of the program, American figure-skating champion Michelle Kwan engaged in some people to people diplomacy² with a visit to a Moscow orphanage³.

Kwan Explains American basketball game of Horse

"I am afraid to sleep on the top so that I do not fall.  I think I am afraid of heights, or something."
 
Michelle Kwan, Olympian and five time world figure skating champion, visited a bedroom at Moscow's Orphanage Number 23.  Kwan engaged the children in their classrooms, playground, and basketball court, which is flooded in the winter to serve as a skating rink. 

Speaking in a small auditorium⁴, Kwan spoke⁵ about the importance of hard work and perseverance⁶

Kwan autographs and gives children t-shirts marking 200 years of relations between the US and Russia

"When I first started skating, I was five years old and I remember the teacher telling me, 'this is how you fall.'   And I looked at her and said, 'why are you teaching me how to fall?   Shouldn't you teach me how to skate first?  Then I soon realized that you do a lot of falling, but it is how you come up after a fall and keep on going," she recalled.

Kwan said making connections with children, trying to inspire them, is her form of public diplomacy.

Commenting on 200 years of U.S.-Russian relations, orphanage director Vlada Volokhatova said there is no direct connection between traditional diplomacy and Michelle Kwan's visit.

Nonetheless, Volokhatova says diplomacy is not just about diplomats⁷.  She notes that communication between ordinary Americans and Russians is also part of good relations. 

Throughout this bicentennial year, U.S. diplomats in Russia will be celebrating other areas of Russian-American cooperation since 1807, including health, philanthropy, space, business, and rule of law.

1 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

2 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

3 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

4 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。

7 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》