ESL Podcast 395 - Watching the Olympic Games
opening ceremony - a special event that begins the Olympics or a conference or sports competition, often with music, dancing, and other shows
Did you see those beautiful fireworks at the opening ceremony last year?
Olympic Village - a group of buildings where all of the athletes stay during the Olympics
Where is the U.S. team staying within the Olympic Village?
torch - a long stick that has fire at one end to make light and heat
The Olympic torch is lit in Greece and then carried around the world to many different countries.
Olympics - international sports competitions held every four years in a different place each time
The Olympics were held in Los Angeles in 1984.
track and field - a group of sports like running, throwing, and jumping
Did you do track and field when you were in high school?
Yes, the long jump was my favorite.
gymnastics - a sport with a lot of movements that require strength, flexibility, and balance
She is very good at standing on her hands, but she isn't very good at other types of gymnastics.
athlete - a person who plays a sport and is in good physical condition
Tricia is a great athlete who runs, swims, and bikes almost every day.
flag bearer - a person who carries his or her country's flag, usually in a parade
I think the parade is almost here! Look, I can see the flag bearer coming.
gold/silver/bronze - types of metal that are given to winners, usually worn around their neck, representing first/second/third place in a competition
Kenny received the gold when he beat all the other runners in last week's race.
medalist - a person who receives a small piece of metal, often worn around the neck, because he or she did well in a competition, usually getting first, second, or third place
Two of the medalists at the science fair were from our school, but neither of them got first place.
competitor - a person who participates in a sports competition and is trying to win it
How many competitors are there in ice skating this year?
accolade - award and honor; praise; good things that are said about someone or given to someone because other people like and admire him or her
Pierre received a lot of accolades at work when his idea made the company more than a million dollars.
caliber - the quality of something; the level of something; how good something is
Yale, Stanford, and Princeton attract many high-caliber students.
to trade places with (someone) - to exchange roles with another person; to live someone else's life
If you could trade places with anyone in history, who would it be and why?
event - an individual competition within a larger sports competition
Do you know who won the 300-meter event?
qualifying heat - a sports competition to decide which of the people are good and fast enough to participate in the real competition
Valto needs to get a lot of sleep tonight because he has to win the qualifying heat tomorrow.
to cheer on - to support a team or person and hope that it, he, or she will win
We're cheering on the Florida Panthers because we went to school there.
can't hurt - a phrase used to mean that something cannot do anything harmful and may even be helpful, so there's no reason not to do it
I don't really believe in horoscopes, but reading them can't hurt.