英語口語對話（中級）Lesson 8: Skateboarding

Summary: Nick and Vanessa talk about the history of skateboarding. In this radio broadcast, Vanessa and Nick are in the middle of a live show in a radio studio.
Listen to their conversation and answer the question that follows about the main idea.
Dialogue:
Vanessa: Hello, and welcome to the Health Freaks show. Today we’re talking about skateboarding… I’m sure that many of you think it’s a relatively new sport, but Nick, did you know that skateboarding has been around since the 50’s?
Nick: Really? That long?
Vanessa: Yep… it actually originated in California and became known as sidewalk surfing.
Nick: I guess it must have been similar to windsurfing
Vanessa: Yeah, a lot… early skaters imitated surfing styles and moves to a large extent.
Nick: And what did they use back then as skateboards?
Vanessa: The first skaters were pretty inventive! They used wooden boxes or planks with roller skate wheels attached on them.
Nick: Where there’s a will there’s a way! But how did things change in the 60’s? I know that it really took off…
Vanessa: Right, it became something of a craze. In fact it was so popular that manufacturers started building skateboards and they even put together teams to promote their early skateboards.
Nick: Wow! Sounds like skateboarding was becoming a big thing!
Vanessa: Actually it became so big that in 1965 the international championships were broadcast on national TV.
Nick: Why are most people under the impression that skateboarding took off in the 70’s, when commercial skateboards hit the market?
Vanessa: Probably because its popularity dropped in 1966 and remained low until the early 70’s?
Nick: You might be right!
Vanessa: Or you might have probably associated its popularity with the development of equipment specially designed for skateboarding.
Nick: Technological advances did their trick too!
Vanessa: They certainly did! Otherwise skateboarding would just be history.
Now answer the following question…
What are Vanessa and Nick talking about? They’re talking about the history of skateboarding.
Now listen again to the dialogue in parts. After each part there will be 3 to 4 questions on the details...
Part 1
Vanessa: Hello, and welcome to the Health Freaks show. Today we’re talking about skateboarding… I’m sure that many of you think it’s a relatively new sport, but Nick, did you know that skateboarding has been around since the 50’s?
Nick: Really? That long?
Vanessa: Yep… it actually originated in California and became known as sidewalk surfing.
Nick: I guess it must have been similar to windsurfing
Vanessa: Yeah, a lot… early skaters imitated surfing styles and moves to a large extent.
Nick: And what did they use back then as skateboards?
Vanessa: The first skaters were pretty inventive! They used wooden boxes or planks with roller skate wheels attached on them.
Nick: Where there’s a will there’s a way! But how did things change in the 60’s? I know that it really took off…
Now answer some questions…
1. What does Nick mean when he says: “That long?” “That long” shows our surprise at how long something has been going on.
2. What does Nick mean when he says: “where there’s a will there’s a way!”? We use ‘Where there’s a will there’s a way” when we want to say that when we really want to accomplish something, we’ll find a way to do it. 3
. Nick says: “But how did things change in the 60’s? I know that it really took off…”. What does take off mean? Take off means to become popular and successful. Now listen to the second part of the dialogue.
Part 2
Vanessa: Right, it became something of a craze. In fact it was so popular that manufacturers started building skateboards and they even put together teams to promote their early skateboards.
Nick: Wow! Sounds like skateboarding was becoming a big thing!
Vanessa: Actually it became so big that in 1965 the international championships were broadcast on national TV.
Nick: Why are most people under the impression that skateboarding took off in the 70’s, when commercial skateboards hit the market?
Vanessa: Probably because its popularity dropped in 1966 and remained low until the early 70’s?
Nick: You might be right!
Vanessa: Or you might have probably associated its popularity with the development of equipment specially designed for skateboarding.
Nick: Technological advances did their trick too!
Vanessa: They certainly did! Otherwise skateboarding would just be history.
Now answer some questions…
1. Vanessa says: “it became something of a craze.” What does “craze” mean? “Craze” is an activity that is unusually popular for a short time only.
2. Nick says: “Why are most people under the impression that skateboarding took off in the 70’s?”. What does “under the impression” mean? When someone is under the impression it means that he’s wrong to believe something.
3. Nick says: “Technological advances did their trick too!” What does “did the trick” mean? When something does the trick, it helps you accomplish what you want or need.
GLOSSARY
1. Associate (verb): to connect someone or something in your mind with someone or something else e.g. Most people associate this brand with good quality.
2. Craze (noun): usually singular an activity, object or idea that is extremely popular, usually for a short time e.g. Cycling shorts were the latest craze/(all) the craze that year.
3. Imitate (verb): to behave in a similar way to someone or something else, or to copy the speech or behavior, etc. of someone or something e.g. Some of the younger pop bands try to imitate their musical heroes from the past.
4. Inventive (adjective): able to think of new and interesting ideas e.g. He is very inventive, always dreaming up new gadgets for the home.
5. Originate (verb): come from a particular place, time, situation, etc e.g. Although the technology originated in the UK, it has been developed in the US.
6.Plank (noun): a long narrow flat piece of wood or similar material, of the type used for making floors e.g. oak/concrete planks
7. Promote (verb): to encourage the popularity, sale, development or existence of something e.g. Advertising companies are always having to think up new ways to promote products.
8. Relatively (adverb): in comparison with other similar things or with what you expect e.g. He's a relatively good squash player.
9. Sidewalk (noun): a path with a hard surface beside one or both sides of a road, that people walk on. e.g. Cars parked on the sidewalk will e removed by the police. 10. Take off (phrasal verb): to suddenly start to be successful or popular e.g. Her singing career has just begun to take off.
Practice using the words in the glossary. Choose the most appropriate word from the glossary to complete the following sentences.
1. Children should be taught to wait on the before crossing the __road.
2. Greenpeace works to__ awareness of the dangers that threaten our planet today.
3. There was__ little protest after the referees unfair decision.
4. I always __the smell of baking with my childhood
5. It didn’t take long for the iPod to __.
6. The __for health foods has become big business.
7. The game of Lacrosse is thought to have__ among the native peoples of Alaska.
8. She has a highly __mind.
9. They produce artificial chemicals which exactly__ natural ones.
10. We used a to cross the ditch.
1. sidewalk 2. promote 3. relatively 4. associate 5. take off 6. craze 7. originated 8. inventive 9. imitate 10. plank