VOA常速英语--科特迪瓦积极备战里约奥运

科特迪瓦积极备战里约奥运

It is the home stretch for three Ivorian taekwondo athletes. The Rio Summer Games are just weeks away, and Ivory¹ Coast has won only one Olympic medal in its history. That one was 32 years ago. Track and field is still the top category for African Olympians, but Asian martial² arts are gaining ground — especially in West Africa. In all, African nations are sending more than 50 athletes to compete in taekwondo and judo³ this year. We are very confident. … Our athletes are mature. They are on a par⁴ with the best in the world." Ruth Gbagbi, competed in the 2012 Olympics, and has won gold in her category at the African Taekwondo Championships. She also won a gold medal at last year's African Games. Government support is coming along gradually, as they see results, they are starting to show interest in the sport. But the public, yes, we have a lot of fans who approach us, who encourage us. Ivorians are motivated. Taekwondo was first introduced in the Ivory Coast in the 1960s by a Korean master. This sport is a popular extracurricular activity in the Ivory schools. It's my parents who put me down for it. They saw that I didn't know how to defend myself and I was withdrawn⁵ because of that. Part-time coach Ibrahima Soumahoro says the image of the sport has evolved over time. We used to think of martial arts practitioners⁶ as thugs who assault⁷ people. Now, taekwondo is an Olympic sport. It's taught in schools and universities. It is practiced by an elite⁸. And the kids say, they will be watching the national team compete in Rio. They are examples to follow because they are champions, and they come from Ivory Coast so it encourages us to continue taekwondo. Cheick Cissé is first in the Olympics, and Cissé won gold in his category at both the African Games last year and at the African championship earlier this year. We’ll strive⁹ our best to be on a medal, so the next generation can practice sport in good conditions in Africa. Taekwondo has been an Olympic sport since 2000, but only three Africans have won medals in the event.

这是科特迪瓦三名运动员的奥运会冲刺阶段。还有几周，里约的夏季奥运会即将召开。而在科特迪瓦的历史上，只获得过一枚奥运会奖牌。那也是32年前的事了。田径是依然是非洲参赛选手的顶级项目，不过亚洲的武术也逐渐风靡——尤其是在西非地区。今年，非洲国家共有50名运动员参加跆拳道和柔道项目。我们很有信心……我们派出的都是成熟的运动员。他们的水平都是目前的世界最佳水平。露丝曾参加过2012年的奥运会，并在非洲的跆拳道锦标赛的冠军。在去年的全非运动会上，露丝也获得了金牌。随着成绩的获得，政府对运动项目开始产生兴趣，对运动项目的支持也逐渐跟上了。但是公众，对，我们有很多支持者关心并鼓励我们。科特迪瓦人民都干劲十足。

跆拳道最初于20世纪60年代由一名韩国大师引进科特迪瓦。如今，跆拳道已经成为科特迪瓦很多学校倍受欢迎的课外活动。是我爸妈为我报名的。他们觉得我不知道如何自卫。因为不懂得自卫，我变得孤僻。兼职教练易卜拉希马称，人们对运动的印象一直都在改变。我们过去常以为修习武术之人都是欺负别人的流氓。但如今跆拳道已经成为一个奥运运动项目。并在学校和大学成为学习的课程。精英人士也可以修习跆拳道。孩子们也表示，他们会观看里约奥运会上国家队的表现。他们是学习的榜样，因为他们是冠军，他们还是科特迪瓦人，所以他们也鼓励我们在跆拳道事业上前仆后继。谢克本次第一次参加奥运会，他曾在本年初的全非运动会和非洲锦标赛上获得金牌。我们会竭尽全力赢得奖牌，这样，下一代非洲人就能有更好的训练环境。自2000年以来，跆拳道就成为一项奥运项目，然而目前只有三名非洲人在这个赛事上赢得过奖牌。

1 ivory   

n.象牙，乳白色；adj.象牙制的，乳白色的

参考例句：

• My grandmother has some jewelry made of ivory.我祖母有一些象牙首饰。
• It is carved from ivory.它是用象牙雕成的。

2 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

3 judo   

n.柔道

参考例句：

• The judo is a kind of fighting sport.柔道是一种对抗性体育活动。
• Which is more important in judo, strength or techniques?柔道运动中，力量和技术哪个更重要？

4 par   

n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的

参考例句：

• Sales of nylon have been below par in recent years.近年来尼龙织品的销售额一直不及以往。
• I don't think his ability is on a par with yours.我认为他的能力不能与你的能力相媲美。

5 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

6 practitioners   

n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师）

参考例句：

• one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction 最了不起的科幻小说家之一
• The technique is experimental, but the list of its practitioners is growing. 这种技术是试验性的，但是采用它的人正在增加。 来自辞典例句

7 assault   

v.猛烈地攻击，袭击；n.突然而猛烈的攻击

参考例句：

• She appeared in court on charges of kidnapping and assault.她因受到拐骗和侵犯人身的指控而出庭。
• The trainees were put through an assault course.受训人员接受了突击训练课程。

8 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

9 strive   

vi.努力，奋斗，力争

参考例句：

• Don't strive merely for quantity of production.在生产中不要单纯地追求数量。
• The scientists strive for a breakthrough in cancer research.科学家们力争在癌症研究方面有个突破。