美語情景對話 第470期:Kiwi Kid 新西蘭兒童

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

託德：凱特，你能談談在新西蘭長大是什麼感受嗎？

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.

凱特：在新西蘭長大感覺很自由。相比其他國家的孩子，新西蘭的小孩有更多的自由：我們可以……當然我們在5歲到16歲必須要去學校上學，不過我們從學校回到家的時候，父母會在家裏等我們。基本來說父母都很關愛孩子。新西蘭有很多草坪，很多美景，我們可以四處玩耍。

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

託德：你小的時候都做什麼事情，比如玩遊戲還是進行體育運動？

Kate: Sports.

凱特：運動。

Todd: Oh sports, what sports?

託德：哦，運動，什麼運動呢？

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.

凱特：我開始學了芭蕾，不過後來我厭倦了芭蕾。所以我就練了體操，那是我成長過程中主要進行的體育運動。

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

託德：哦哇，原來你是體操運動員啊？你參加了什麼賽事？

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.

凱特：賽事？其實體操是有級別的：競爭級別，從級別三開始，我後來達到了級別七，下一個級別稱爲“優秀青年”，更具競爭性。如果我要繼續練，那我就必須停止學業，專心練體操。

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

託德：你小的時候有沒有夢想過參加奧運會？

Kate: Yes definitely.

凱特：當然夢想過了。

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

託德：好。你現在還很年輕，你還有在練體操嗎？

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.

凱特：有，我還在練。上大學時我參加了一個俱樂部，雖然不是體操俱樂部，不過是種舞蹈俱樂部，所以我還可以做些之前做的事情。

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

託德：隨着年齡的增長，你有沒有想過成爲教練？

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.

凱特：有，我的確想過，不過那不會成爲現實。因爲我已經忘了太多的事情，教學只是爲了樂趣。

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重點講解：
1. in general
總的來說；總體上來看；大體上；
eg. She is in general reckoned to draw extremely well.
普遍的評價是她的繪畫十分高明。
eg. In general, people don't like to be made fun of.
大體上講，人們都不喜歡被捉弄。
2. run around
（尤指孩子）到處玩耍遊逛；
eg. I used to run around and play.
我過去常跑來跑去做遊戲。
eg. The young people run around kicking a ball, wearing themselves out.
年輕人跑來跑去踢着球，把自己弄得精疲力竭。
3. start off
從…開始；從…着手；
eg. He started off with one small factory, and now he's the head of an oil empire.
他開始只經營一家小工廠，如今已成爲一個石油大企業的頭兒。
eg. The discussion started off mildly enough.
討論頗爲溫和地開展起來。
4. concentrate on
全神貫注；集中（心思）；
eg. Water companies should concentrate on reducing waste instead of building new reservoirs.
自來水公司應該集中精力減少水浪費，而不是修建新水庫。
eg. We must concentrate on what we are doing.
我們必須專心作眼下的事。