2021-2022学年度第27期总第859期
Defying gravity  (Page 6)
邯郸市第一中学 李松

I. Lead in
1. When do you usually talk about “gravity”?
Students may talk about gravity in physics class.

2. What do you think the title “Defying gravity” means?
The athletes appeared as if they were flying in the air.

3. Do you know the name of this sport? Do you think it can “defy gravity”?
ski jumping

What is ski jumping?

Ski jumping is, mostly, a winter sport performed on snow where skiers go down a take-off ramp (斜坡), jump forward and land as far as possible down the hill below. Judges give points both for the length of the jump and for the jump style. Ski jump techniques are divided into four sections; 1) In-run, 2) Take-off (jump), 3) Flight and 4) Landing. In each part, the athlete is required to pay attention to and practice a particular technique in order to maximize his or her length and style marks.

Watch the video affixed to appreciate the perfect performance of Su Yiming.
II. Read for gist
Scan the text and answer the questions:

1. What is the type of the text?
  A. narration              B. exposition  
  C. argumentation          D. a news report
  (Key: B)

2. What is the writing purpose?
This text is to tell the readers how ski jumping works by explaining the manipulation of the laws of aerodynamics in the sport.

III. Read for details
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?  
To introduce the topic: ski jumping showcases the “superhuman” power of athletes.

2. To understand how ski jumping works, what elements should we consider?
Gravity, lift and drag.

3. How should athletes align their skis and body in order to perform well?
Athletes align their skis and body nearly parallel to the ground and place their skis in a V-shape just outside the form of the body to achieve greater lift and avoid as much drag as possible. This position increases the surface area that generates lift and puts them in the ideal angle of attack that will also maximize lift.

4. What is the dress requirement for ski jumping?
The suits must be tight.

5. How do you understand the title “Defying gravity”?
A possible version: Ski jumpers do not really get rid of gravity. Instead, by manipulating the laws of aerodynamics in ski jumping, athletes contort their bodies into positions that allow them to achieve greater lift and avoid as much drag as possible so as to fly farther.   

III. Read for structure

Divide the text into three parts and summarize the main idea of each part.

Part 1 (Para 1 ) Ski jumping -- a sport to showcase the “superhuman” power of athletes.
Part 2 (Paras 2-5) An explanation of how ski jumping works.
Part 3 (Paras 6-7) The dress requirement for ski jumping -- suits must be tight.

EXTRA INFORMATION
    跳台滑雪的得分由距离分和姿态分组合而成，同时还要刨除风力的影响。由于运动员服装的宽松程度、装备总重量等会影响到选手的飞行过程，因此跳台滑雪对运动员的装备要求非常严格。滑雪服一般由合成纤维材料制成，厚度不能超过6毫米，不能薄于4毫米，且要紧紧包裹身体。规则规定，运动员滑雪服、滑雪鞋、头盔和滑雪镜的总重量由身高、体重来决定。对应的雪板长度也有专门规定，滑雪板长度一般为身高乘1.45，最宽为11.5厘米，板底有方向槽。因此不同身高的运动员，其滑雪板长度也不同。
    在实际比赛中，服装的穿脱次数和运动员体型变化等均可能造成包裹性下降，因此运动员除了关注比赛本身，还要确保自己的装备时刻在规则允许范围之内。比赛中，裁判员在运动员第一轮起跳前和第二轮结束后都会对其装备进行检查。

IV. Read for language features

Read the text and find out how to:
1. Explain something

(1) Gravity is the force that pulls us towards an object, such as the Earth.
(2) Lift occurs when an object is moving through the air ...

仿写句子：
(1) 萨尔萨舞（Salsa）是20世纪70年代中期在纽约发展起来的一种舞蹈。
Salsa is a kind of dancing that evolved in the mid 1970s in New York.
(2) NFC是一种技术，它为消费者提供了一种使用手机支付的方式。
NFC is a technology that provides a way for consumers to use their mobile phones for making payments.
(3) 月食（A lunar eclipse）发生在地球的影子落在月球上的时候。
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth's shadow falls on the moon.
(4) 厄尔尼诺（El Nino）这种现象发生在南太平洋的表层海水异常变暖的时候。
El Nino occurs when surface ocean waters in the southern Pacific become abnormally warm.

V. Words and expressions
1. incredible displays of athleticism    令人难以置信的运动能力展示
2. soar into the air                    升到空中
3. achieve this feat                    实现这一壮举
4. fight against gravity and increase lift while reducing drag 对抗重力，增加升力同时减少阻力
5. resistance                            阻力