美语情景对话 第470期:Kiwi Kid 新西兰儿童

Todd: So Kate, can you talk about growing up in New Zealand, what it's like?

托德：凯特，你能谈谈在新西兰长大是什么感受吗？

Kate: Growing up in New Zealand is very free. Kids have a lot more freedom that kids in other countries: we can.. obviously we go to school from 5 years and until 16 years old you must go to school, but when we come home from school there's our parents there. They're very loving and caring, in general that is. And we have a lot of lawns, a lot of scenery, landscapes that we can run around on.

凯特：在新西兰长大感觉很自由。相比其他国家的孩子，新西兰的小孩有更多的自由：我们可以……当然我们在5岁到16岁必须要去学校上学，不过我们从学校回到家的时候，父母会在家里等我们。基本来说父母都很关爱孩子。新西兰有很多草坪，很多美景，我们可以四处玩耍。

Todd: What kind of things did you do when you were little, like games and sports?

托德：你小的时候都做什么事情，比如玩游戏还是进行体育运动？

Kate: Sports.

凯特：运动。

Todd: Oh sports, what sports?

托德：哦，运动，什么运动呢？

Kate: I started off with ballet and I got really bored with ballet. I went to gymnastics and that was my main sport when I was growing up.

凯特：我开始学了芭蕾，不过后来我厌倦了芭蕾。所以我就练了体操，那是我成长过程中主要进行的体育运动。

Todd: Oh wow you were a gymnast? What events did you do?

托德：哦哇，原来你是体操运动员啊？你参加了什么赛事？

Kate: Events? Well you have levels: competition levels, so you start from level 3 and I went up to level 7 and next level would have been very competitive, it's called 'junior elite'. Had I continued I would have probably stopped school and concentrated on gymnastics only.

凯特：赛事？其实体操是有级别的：竞争级别，从级别三开始，我后来达到了级别七，下一个级别称为“优秀青年”，更具竞争性。如果我要继续练，那我就必须停止学业，专心练体操。

Todd: When you were younger was your dream to go to the Olympics?

托德：你小的时候有没有梦想过参加奥运会？

Kate: Yes definitely.

凯特：当然梦想过了。

Todd: Oh ok. So do you ever — because you're still very young — do you ever practise gymnastics still?

托德：好。你现在还很年轻，你还有在练体操吗？

Kate: Yes I do actually. At the university that I go to I joined the club which is not gym but it's kind of dance and I can still do some of the stuff I used to be able to do.

凯特：有，我还在练。上大学时我参加了一个俱乐部，虽然不是体操俱乐部，不过是种舞蹈俱乐部，所以我还可以做些之前做的事情。

Todd: As you get older have you ever thought about becoming a coach?

托德：随着年龄的增长，你有没有想过成为教练？

Kate: Yes, I did think about it but it's not a reality any more. I've forgotten so many things already. Just teaching for fun.

凯特：有，我的确想过，不过那不会成为现实。因为我已经忘了太多的事情，教学只是为了乐趣。

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重点讲解：
1. in general
总的来说；总体上来看；大体上；
eg. She is in general reckoned to draw extremely well.
普遍的评价是她的绘画十分高明。
eg. In general, people don't like to be made fun of.
大体上讲，人们都不喜欢被捉弄。
2. run around
（尤指孩子）到处玩耍游逛；
eg. I used to run around and play.
我过去常跑来跑去做游戏。
eg. The young people run around kicking a ball, wearing themselves out.
年轻人跑来跑去踢着球，把自己弄得精疲力竭。
3. start off
从…开始；从…着手；
eg. He started off with one small factory, and now he's the head of an oil empire.
他开始只经营一家小工厂，如今已成为一个石油大企业的头儿。
eg. The discussion started off mildly enough.
讨论颇为温和地开展起来。
4. concentrate on
全神贯注；集中（心思）；
eg. Water companies should concentrate on reducing waste instead of building new reservoirs.
自来水公司应该集中精力减少水浪费，而不是修建新水库。
eg. We must concentrate on what we are doing.
我们必须专心作眼下的事。