Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
The sport of half pipe snowboarding is one of the newest and most exciting events in the Winter Olympics. Athletes perform tricks in the air as they move from one end of the half pipe to the other. Judges score each run based on how much risk it involved and how well the snowboarder performed her tricks. So the more risk you take, the better chance you have at earning a high score…and the more likely it is that you might crash!
Some of the toughest female competitors in snowboarding at the Winter Olympics this year are from China. Liu Jiayu, Sun Zhifeng, and Cai Xuetong are ranked number 2, 3 and 4 in the world for the female half pipe competition. Jason spoke with the team shortly after they arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the games. Find out what these fearless women had to say.
3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
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CCTV |
Sun_Zhifeng |
Cai_Xuetong |
Liu_Jiayu |
Jason: We’re here at the Vancouver airport about to drop in on the Chinese snowboarding team. When you drop in on someone, you visit them unexpectedly. So we hope we can talk to some of these athletes and learn what “drop in” means for snowboarders. As the athletes got off the plane, English, baby! and Chinese State Television were there to meet them.
CCTV: Currently, Liu Jiayu, Sun Zhifeng, and Cai Xuetong are ranked number 2, 3 and 4 in the world for female half pipe competition. The arrival of Chinese Olympic snowboarding team attracted American media attention, so the 3 female Olympians each expressed their thoughts about the Olympics in English.
Jason: 18-year-old Sun Zhifeng tried out a new phrase.
Sun_Zhifeng: I am a new Olympian.
Jason: And so did Cai Xuetong.
Cai_Xuetong: I am happy to be in Vancouver.
Jason: Since we dropped in on her for a visit, we asked Liu Jiayu to explain what “drop in” means for snowboarders. What does it mean to drop in?
Liu_Jiayu: Drop in is the starting of the half pipe.
Jason: Since the games have already begun, the Chinese snowboarding team was eager to get settled in at the Olympic Village. But we were able to drop in on Liu Jiayu and we learned that to drop in means to start in a half pipe. You drop in from the top and then you’re in the half pipe. Let’s review Liu Jiayu’s definition of drop in.
Liu_Jiayu: Drop in is the starting of the half pipe.
Jason: This is English, baby!
Grammar Point
Go Super to learn "Gerunds vs. Infinitives" from this lesson
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Discussion
Jason dropped in on the Chinese ladies’ snowboarding team when they arrived at the Vancouver airport for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Liu Jiayu, Sun Zhifeng, and Cai Xuetong practiced their English by talking to English, baby! and CCTV.
Liu Jiayu explained what “drop in” means in snowboarding. When you drop in, you start your run in a half pipe. China’s snowboarders hope that after they drop in to the half pipe at this year’s Olympics, they’ll have perfect runs. Like every Olympian, they are going for the gold in Vancouver.
Who do you like to drop in on? Are you a fan of snowboarding?
For more with the Chinese Olympic snowboarding team, visit our blog.
Comments
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India |
Ukraine |
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Turkey |
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