Unlocking
Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. outshine (v.) [out-shahyn] – to beat or surpass someone
Example: Her unique dancing
skills made her outshine the other
contestants.
2. garner (v.) [gahr-ner] – to earn
or acquire something
Example: We garnered
a lot of income from our business.
3. satisfied (adj.) [sat-is-fahyd] – to
feel content or fulfilled
Example: She felt satisfied when she reached her goal of getting a high grade on the
English test.
4. wane (v.) [weyn] – to decrease in
terms of degree or intensity
Example: Her interest in learning the piano waned because she had no time to
practice.
5. pride (n.) [prahyd] – pleasure
or honor in one's own or another's success and achievements
Example: The soccer team’s first championship win
gave pride to the country.
Article
Read the text below.
Mao Asada, a two-time world champion, won the figure skating Grand Prix title for the first time in 3 years at the Russian Rostelecom Cup, earning her a spot in the 2011-2012 Grand Prix Finals.
The
21-year-old Mao outshone second
placer Alena Leonova from Russia by garnering
a total of 183.25 points for the short program and free skate rounds. Leonova
lost to Mao by 2.8 points, while Adelina Sotnikova, another Russian skater,
came in third with 111.96 points.
Although
Mao was happy with the results, she said that she was not satisfied with her performance,
especially with her jumps. In the short program, she did a double axel followed
by an unsuccessful lutz instead of performing her triple axel. Her triple combination
also waned into a triple Salchow jump during free skate.
However,
she compensated for her mistakes by gaining high scores with her Level 4
spins and steps, moves that eventually led to her winning.
Adding
to Japan’s pride is 16-year-old
Yuzuru Hanyu, the male representative in the said Russian Cup. Hanyu said he
had been practicing his combination jump since the China Cup, and was finally
able to perform it well in Russia. Despite losing to second placer Javier
Fernandez from Spain in the free skate program, he was still able to boost
his overall score to win his first Grand Prix title.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
What
matters most to you: winning a contest or doing your best in a contest? Please
explain your answer.
·
How would
you feel if you lose a contest despite your best efforts?
Discussion B
·
Do
you think mistakes make better athletes Why or why not?
·
How
can an athlete learn from his or her mistakes?