英语博客：Eloy Flying at Kiwanis.

I bet if you have downloaded this podcast, you are wondering what on earth it is about. I know, the title is curious. Well, let me tell you. I'm in the city of Yakima at the moment, writing for you from a lounge chair, next to a pool, at the Oxford¹ Inn hotel. It is situated² right next to the river, in a lovely tree-lined area, quite close to the baseball park. And that is why we're here. Yes, you've heard about our involvement in this sport before. This summer, we have weekend tournaments just about every other week, and most are out of town. So, right now, we're relaxing after a long morning of driving here, and then sitting through two games. Our team, called the River Cats, actually won both games. We have more games tomorrow, and then drive home. In between games, I walked around the nearby area with my children, and took them to a play area of the Kiwanis park. Over a little shady hill, we discovered a large skateboarding park. Boys and young men were busily whooshing³ by on their skateboards, making jumps and turns, and doing all sorts of acrobatics⁴. Unfortunately, my camera's battery was completely flat, so I had to use my phone to take photos. You could definitely see a hierarchy⁵ of talent out there. The most talented was an older boy who had obviously skated for years. He and I chatted for a while. It turns out that he has backpacked around England, and builds muscle cars. Who knew? You never know who you'll meet unless you start a conversation....Anyway, as I was taking photos, a boy called Eloy came up to me and asked if I would take his photo. "Of course," I said. He excitedly chose a few routes to show off his talents, and I snapped away. After a while, I realised that the next baseball game was about to start, so we would have to leave. I asked Eloy which school he goes to, and I also wrote down acupofenglish.com on a piece of paper, "Give this to your English teacher, and you will see yourself on my blog," I told him. I hope he has a chance to read this blog, and see his photo. These talented young people need to be celebrated⁶.

 

Grammar notes.

 

Related vocabulary: involvement, to make/ do a jump/ turn, hierarchy.

 

1. His involvement in the project was unexpected but useful; he really helped us.

 

2. The skateboard champion made lots of jumps and turns, and impressed the crowd.

 

3. The hierarchy of power in the government is seen in the different responsibilities that each has.

1 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

2 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

3 whooshing   

v.（使）飞快移动( whoosh的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by. 我喜欢最后期待。我尤其喜欢它们飞驰而过时发出的嗖嗖声。 来自互联网
• The constant whooshing of the wind across the roof wouldn't fade into the background. 不断跑车疾速的风雨整个屋顶不会褪色的背景。 来自互联网

4 acrobatics   

n.杂技

参考例句：

• Acrobatics is hard to learn but beautiful to watch.杂技不好学，但很好看。
• We watched a performance which included a puppet show and acrobatics.我们观看了一场演出，内容有木偶和杂技。

5 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

6 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。