Upper-Intermediate - An Athlete's Strengths and Weaknesses (D1999)

A: 决赛开始了吗?
juésài kāishǐ le ma?
Has the final race started yet?
B: 快了,快了。你怎么这么紧张?
kuài le, kuài le. nǐ zěnme zhème jǐnzhāng?
Almost. Why are you so nervous?
A: 这可是四年一次的奥运会,能进入决赛的都是高手中的高手。(嘀--)快看,开始了。
zhè kěshì sì nián yīcì de Aòyùnhuì, néng jìnrù juésài de dōu shì gāoshǒu zhōng de gāoshǒu.( dī--) kuài kàn, kāishǐ le.
The Olympics only happen once every four years; those who make it to the finals are the best of the best. (Beep) Look, it's started.
B: 你比较看好谁?
nǐ bǐjiào kànhǎo shéi?
Who's your favorite to win?
A: 很难说,比赛中的不确定因素太多了,什么事情都可能发生。
hěn nánshuō, bǐsài zhōng de bùquèdìng yīnsù tài duō le, shénme shìqing dōu kěnéng fāshēng.
It's tough to say. There are tons of x-factors; anything could happen.
B: 哇,第四泳道的美国人游得好快啊!
wā, dì sì yǒngdào de Měiguó rén yóu de hǎo kuài a!
Wow, the American in lane four swims really fast!
A: 嗯,他号称“飞鱼”,特点是速度快。但是像这种400米的中长距离比赛,速度,体力,耐力,缺一不可。
ng4, tā hàochēng" fēi yú”, tèdiǎn shì sùdù kuài. dànshì xiàng zhèzhǒng sìbǎimǐ de zhōngcháng jùlí bǐsài, sùdù, tǐlì, nàilì, quēyībù kě.
Yeah, he's known as "the Flying Fish." His specialty is that he swims really fast. However, in a 400 meter long-distance race, speed, strength, and endurance are all indispensable.
B: 那他的耐力怎么样?
nà tā de nàilì zěnmeyàng?
So how's his stamina, then?
A: 从耐力方面来说,第五泳道的韩国人要比他强一些。
cóng nàilì fāngmiàn láishuō, dìwǔ yǒngdào de Hánguórén yào bǐ tā qiáng yīxiē.
From an endurance standpoint, the Korean in lane five is a bit stronger.
B: 可是韩国人现在才排在第四名。能赶上来吗?
kěshì Hánguórén xiànzài cái pái zài dì sì míng. néng gǎn shànglai ma?
But the Korean's in fourth place. Will he be able to catch up?
A: 他这是在保存体力,等着冲刺的时候爆发呢。我看过他之前的一些比赛,在最后的五十米,他总能奇迹般地赶上来。
tā zhè shì zài bǎocún tǐlì, děng zhe chōngcì de shíhou bàofā ne. wǒ kàn guò tā zhīqián de yīxiē bǐsài, zài zuìhòu de wǔshí mǐ, tā zǒng néng qíjìbān de gǎn shànglai.
He's saving his strength until the homestretch, then he'll erupt. I've seen him in races before; he always miraculously takes the lead in the last 50 meters.
B: 第七泳道的英国人好像呼声也很高。
dì qī yǒngdào de Yīngguórén hǎoxiàng hūshēng yě hěn gāo.
It seems there's a lot of people cheering for the British guy in lane seven.
A: 废话,这是在英国。
fèihuà, zhè shì zài Yīngguó.
Whatever. It's taking place in England.
B: 那我们中国队的孙杨有没有可能夺冠?
nà wǒmen zhōngguó duì de Sūnyáng yǒumeiyǒu kěnéng duóguàn?
Does Sun Yang from the Chinese team have a chance of winning?
A: 只要他发挥正常,绝对有可能拿金牌。听说他最近一年都在国外训练,成绩提高了很多。唯一欠缺的是大赛经验不足,不过初生牛犊不怕虎,反而可能变成他的优势。
zhǐyào tā fāhuī zhèngcháng, juéduì yǒu kěnéng ná jīnpái. tīngshuō tā zuìjìn yī nián dōu zài guówài xùnliàn, chéngjì tígāo le hěn duō. wéiyī qiànquē de shì dàsài jīngyàn bùzú, bùguò chūshēngniúdúbùpàhǔ, fǎnér kěnéng biànchéng tā de yōushì.
As long as he performs normally he definitely has a chance at taking the gold. I've heard that he's been training abroad for the past year and that his results have improved a lot. His only weakness is that he doesn't have much experience in big competitions. However, newborn calves don't fear tigers; he could use this fearlessness to his advantage.
B: 那......
nà......
Then...
A: 嘘,别说了,别说了,马上要冲刺了,快给他们加油!
xū, bié shuō le, bié shuō le, mǎshàng yào chōngcì le, kuài gěi tāmen jiāyóu!
Shh, stop talking. They're almost to the homestretch. Cheer them on!
B: 哦,好!加油!加油!加油!耶!
ò, hǎo! jiāyóu! jiāyóu! jiāyóu! yē!
Oh, OK! Go! Go! Go! Yeah!

Key Vocabulary

决赛 juésài final match
奥运会 Aòyùnhuì Olympic Games
高手 gāoshǒu expert
看好 kànhǎo to favor, to regard well
不确定因素 bùquèdìng yīnsù x-factor
泳道 yǒngdào swimming lane
中长 zhōngcháng medium-length
缺一不可 quēyībù kě 'not one is dispensable'
耐力 nàilì endurance
冲刺 chōngcì to sprint
爆发 bàofā to erupt
奇迹般 qíjìbān miraculously
呼声 hūshēng to cheer for
发挥 fāhuī to perform
欠缺 qiànquē shortcoming
初生牛犊不怕虎 chūshēng niúdú bù pà hǔ newborn calves don't fear tigers
号称 hàochēng to be known as

Supplementary Vocabulary

田径 taínjìng track and field
跑道 pǎodào running lane
被称为 bèichēngwéi to be known as
角度 jiǎodù angle, perspective
兴奋剂 xīngfènjì steroid
冲刺阶段 chōngcì jiēduàn sprint stage
短跑 duǎnpǎo sprint
神奇 shénqí miraculous
欢呼 huānhū to hail
duó to seize, to capture
超常 chāocháng above average

Online Review and Discussion .   ©2012 Praxis Language Ltd.