204
0Hey guys! It's July 16th 2024. Today’s news is about the Olympics, and in particular swimming. Do you know which countries are the best in Swimming in terms of winning Olympic medals? In the past, the States and Australia were two countries that took over 50% of the Gold Medals. Particularly, Australians are very strong in women's 100m freestyle. However, that has also brought troubles to them. Why is that?
【听力原文】Australian swimming’s deep pool of talent
Olympic finals usually bring together the best athletes from around the globe. Occasionally, though, one country’s depth of talent can skew that outcome: Australia’s in swimming, for example. In the women’s 100m freestyle, five currently-competing Australians have recorded one of the 25 fastest times in history. Yet countries can only enter two athletes per Olympic event. Consequently Australia’s national trials, which began on Monday in Brisbane, could see faster times than the Olympics this summer.
The contestants in Brisbane include Emma McKeon, the current Olympic champion; Cate Campbell, the fourth-fastest woman ever; and Mollie O’Callaghan, last year’s world champion. Whatever happens, at least one of them will be excluded from the Olympic team—more if other decorated swimmers, such as Ms Campbell’s sister Bronte or Shayna Jack (a five-time world champion) spring a surprise. Olympic rules mean that more countries have a greater chance to win medals. But they also mean some world-class athletes are left out.
【参考译文】澳大利亚游泳界人才济济
Pool: n. 共用的资源、人员（或资金）
< a pool of cheap labour> 廉价后备劳力
【逐句分析】
1.Olympic finals usually bring together the best athletes from around the globe. Occasionally, though, one country’s depth of talent can skew that outcome: Australia’s in swimming, for example. In the women’s 100m freestyle, five currently-competing Australians have recorded one of the 25 fastest times in history.
奥运会决赛通常将全球最优秀的运动员聚集在一起。不过，偶尔也会有一个国家的人才深度影响到这一结果，比如澳大利亚的游泳水平。在女子100米自由泳中，5名现役澳大利亚选手创造了历史上25个最快成绩之一。
Skew: v. to change or influence sth with the result that it is not accurate, fair, normal, etc.歪曲；曲解；使不公允；影响…的准确性
< to skew the statistics> 影响统计数字的准确性
Freestyle: 自由泳；backstroke: 仰泳；breaststroke: 蛙泳； butterfly stroke 蝶泳
②Yet countries can only enter two athletes per Olympic event. Consequently Australia’s national trials, which began on Monday in Brisbane, could see faster times than the Olympics this summer.
然而，每届奥运会每个国家只能派出两名运动员参赛。因此，周一在布里斯班开始的澳大利亚国家选拔赛可能会比今年夏天的奥运会更快。
Enter: v. 使报名参加竞赛
< His wife Marie secretly entered him for the championship.> 他的妻子玛丽偷偷给他报名参加锦标赛。
v. 报名参加，为…报名参加（考试、比赛等）
< Only four British players have entered for the championship.>只有四名英国运动员报名参加锦标赛。
Trial: n. 预赛；选拔赛 < Olympic trials> 奥林匹克运动会选拔赛
n. （法院的）审讯，审理，审判
be on trial （受审）；the case comes to trial (开庭审理)
n. （对能力、质量、性能等的）试验，试用
a trial period （试用期）； the machine is on trial (试用)
3. The contestants in Brisbane include Emma McKeon, the current Olympic champion; Cate Campbell, the fourth-fastest woman ever; and Mollie O’Callaghan, last year’s world champion. 在布里斯班参加比赛的选手包括现任奥运会冠军艾玛·麦基恩;凯特·坎贝尔，史上第四快的女子;以及去年的世界冠军莫莉·奥卡拉汉。
Contest: n. 比赛；竞赛 a singing ~
Contestant: n. 比赛者，竞争者 = competitor
4. Whatever happens, at least one of them will be excluded from the Olympic team—more if other decorated swimmers, such as Ms Campbell’s sister Bronte or Shayna Jack (a five-time world champion) spring a surprise. Olympic rules mean that more countries have a greater chance to win medals. But they also mean some world-class athletes are left out.
无论发生什么，她们中至少有一人将被排除在奥运队伍之外——如果其他获得过荣誉的游泳运动员，比如坎贝尔的妹妹勃朗特或五次世界冠军得主谢娜·杰克(Shayna Jack)出现意外，情况会更糟。奥运规则意味着更多的国家有更大的机会赢得奖牌。但这也意味着一些世界级运动员被排除在外。
Exclude – be excluded from…(从…中排除在外)
Include – be included in/into 容纳进…内
为了成为这样的项目的一分子，我过去一直埋头苦干。
Decorate: v. [ usually passive]~ sb (for sth)to give sb a medal as a sign of respect for sth they have done授给（某人）勋章（或奖章）
< decorated swimmers> 得过奖的游泳运动员
Spring: v. to do sth, ask sth or say sth that sb is not expecting突如其来地做；冷不防地问；突然说 (sprang, sprung)
v. to move suddenly and with one quick movement in a particular direction跳；跃；蹦
Leave out: If you leave someone or something out of an activity, collection, discussion, or group, you do not include them in it. 排除
有些人会问，把她排除在团队之外是否明智。
如果你喜欢偏淡口味，可以少放或不放辣椒。
