VOA标准英语2013--US Kart Racing Provides Big Thrills at Indoor Tracks

 

US Kart Racing¹ Provides Big Thrills at Indoor Tracks

JESSUP, MARYLAND — Americans love recreation. The Bureau of Labor² Statistics reports household budgets for entertainment are triple that of money spent on education. With a population ever-eager to find family-friendly fun, activity outlets³ are popping up throughout the United States. Fun can come in small packages, and at high speeds, when you're talking about kart racing

.杰塞普、马里兰——美国人热爱娱乐。据美国劳工统计局报告家庭预算花在娱乐的钱是教育费用的三倍。

They’re fast. Really fast.

One race, Learic Cramer, said, “They’re about 50 miles per hour if you can get them up to that.”

That’s around 80 kilometers per hour, and for most recreational racers this is as good as it gets.

“This is real racing; not for the faint of heart. It is hands-down some of the coolest stuff you can do in Maryland,”  said Jordan Wallace at Autobahn Indoor Speedway.

“Anything with four wheels that goes fast… I’m up for it,” said Cramer.

Speed racers

The karts racing around this indoor track are not your traditional home-made go-cart.

“You don’t have a lawnmower engine. We’ve got a 20-horsepower electric motor on them. When you take away the emissions⁴ issue, you can be inside, and that’s awesome,” said Wallace.

Because inside means air conditioning and also that weather is a non-factor. Aside from that, though, these things move extremely quickly.

“You’re one with the kart. You feel the g-forces in the turns. You get pushed back in the seat,” said racer Bradley Boschulte.

“Forget your Porsches, forget your Ferraris, forget your Lambos [Lamborghinis]… these karts will whip them around a corner. It’s crazy,” said Wallace.

Not to worry if “crazy” is not your ideal speed. The designers of these machines had everyone in mind.

Ken⁵ Fitzgerald, another racer, said, “The advantage they have with the electric go karts is they can put you on a slower setting to try it.”

“This kart track is for people ages eight to 80. It doesn’t matter who you are. As long as you’re not pregnant or have a heart issue, you’re good to go,” said Wallace.

“He [meaning his son, Dylan, sitting beside him] does wrestling and that’s a little more scarier than being out here,” said Fitzgerald.

Action lovers

Like most action sports, it really comes down to one thing.

“Adrenaline. Speed. The thrill of doing something different and trying to get your personal best,” said Cramer.

“You got a lot of adrenaline going through your blood,” said Boschulte.

“You should definitely try it. It’s awesome,” said Dylan Fitzgerald.

A single race will cost $20 for about 10 minutes on the track. And while there is a discount for buying two tickets, the pros⁶ [professionals] warn of pitfalls⁷ in bringing a date to a race.

“One is you outrun her big time, and she’s just awful at it. Or what’s worse is you get your butt⁸ whupped [get beaten] by her… and all of us that work here are talking about it on the radio the entire time it’s happening. It’s hilarious,” said Wallace.

And remember, they say, this is something not to be tried at home.

“Don’t tell the cops, but I do it on the streets, too,” said Cramer.

Which may be reason enough to buckle⁹ up. 

1 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。

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

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 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

5 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

6 pros   

abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 pitfalls   

（捕猎野兽用的）陷阱( pitfall的名词复数 )； 意想不到的困难，易犯的错误

参考例句：

• the potential pitfalls of buying a house 购买房屋可能遇到的圈套
• Several pitfalls remain in the way of an agreement. 在达成协议的进程中还有几个隐藏的困难。

8 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

9 buckle   

n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲

参考例句：

• The two ends buckle at the back.带子两端在背后扣起来。
• She found it hard to buckle down.她很难专心做一件事情。