VOA标准英语2010年-Canadians Don't Own the Podium, but Ma

Canada's national government and Vancouver Olympic organizers have poured millions of dollars into the Own the Podium Program to prepare for the Vancouver Games.  But the effort has not produced as much Olympic success as hoped.  Canadians are still hoping to make a good showing in Vancouver.

The Canadian Olympic Committee, the Vancouver organizing committee and Canada's sport federations¹ established the program Own The Podium five years ago with the goal of winning more medals than any other country in 2010.

The Canadian public invested heavily in Own the Podium with $117 million spent, $66 million of it was taxpayer² dollars. 
 
But with less than a week left in the Vancouver Games, Canada has no chance of winning more medals than other nations. News outlets³ have been full of reports criticizing the program for falling short with some headlines calling it Groan⁴ the Podium or Blown the Podium.

Ice dancers Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue⁵ provided a welcome relief when they won gold in the figure skating this week. At a midday news conference Tuesday, Moir held up his gold medal and said that without the Own the Podium financial support, he could not have achieved his Olympic dream.

"I can honestly say that I would not have this thing in my hand without the Own the Podium Program," said Scott Moir. "My parents, I don't know if we would have a house right now without the Own the Podium Program. Skating is a very expensive sport and there's no way that you can do it without help from your country. And it just seems like it gives so much back."

Moir and Virtue are the first North Americans ever to win the ice dancing gold medal.  In nine Olympic Games since ice dancing debuted⁶ in 1976, 17 of 27 medals and all but two golds have gone to Russian, Soviet⁷ or Russian-based teams. 

Moir's mother Alma - a skating coach - says that Own the Podium provided her son not only money, but also mentors⁸ and guidance that proved indispensible.

"These are only their first Olympics," said Alma Moir. "And being at home, I don't know how they stood the pressure, because I certainly couldn't. But own the podium, with athletes who have been there, done that, um and then giving their advice and support over the past few years, that has been probably been as important as the financial."

British Columbia Premier⁹ Gordon Campbell says that the Own the Podium program provided help that Canadian athletes need, not only for Vancouver, but also for the 2012 Summer Games in London and beyond.

"The fact of the matter is it helps our athletes, it inspires our kids, it really embraces all that the Olympics has to offer all of us as a country, as a community and as a world," said  Gordon Campbell.

Campbell's belief in the program seemed justified¹⁰ Tuesday afternoon when Ashleigh McIvor won a gold medal in front of home fans in ski cross in Cypress¹¹ Mountain.  The win was Canada's sixth gold medal - perhaps fewer than expected - but Canadian officials say more gold medals could come before the Games close Sunday night.
 

1 federations   

n.联邦( federation的名词复数 )；同盟；联盟；联合会

参考例句：

• These problems are women's special problems and special work of women's federations. 这样的问题，就是妇女的特殊问题，就是妇联的特殊工作。 来自互联网
• The Bridge Federate is a feasible solution to achieve multi-federations interconnection. 基于桥接成员实现多联邦互连是目前较为通用和可行的方法。 来自互联网

2 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

3 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 groan   

vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音

参考例句：

• The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
• The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。

5 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

6 debuted   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• In late 2003 a full-size SUV, the Pathfinder Armada, debuted. 2003年末，全尺寸SUV的探路者无敌舰队，推出。
• The album debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. 专辑一亮相就荣登排行榜第二名，很快就取得了白金销量。

7 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

8 mentors   

n.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的名词复数 )v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Beacham and McNamara, my two mentors, had both warned me. 我的两位忠实朋友，比彻姆和麦克纳马拉都曾经警告过我。 来自辞典例句
• These are the kinds of contacts that could evolve into mentors. 这些人是可能会成为你导师。 来自互联网

9 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。

10 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

11 cypress   

n.柏树

参考例句：

• The towering pine and cypress trees defy frost and snow.松柏参天傲霜雪。
• The pine and the cypress remain green all the year round.苍松翠柏，常绿不凋。