Sailing Controversy 帆船争议

By Nick Bryant, Sydney

Australia II ended 130 years of US domination in the America's Cup

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媒体英语会带大家一起学习BBC撰稿人在报道世界大事时常用到的单词和短语。

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Background: 澳大利亚曾在 1983 年获得美洲杯帆船赛冠军，不过，现在有人对澳大利亚的那次胜利提出了疑问。美洲杯帆船赛规定，参赛帆船必须是参赛国公民设计或制造才行。现在荷兰船只设计师 Peter Van Oossanen 声称，赛艇的著名带翼龙骨是他设计的。

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So ferocious were the celebrations following Australia's victory in the 1983 America's Cup that the then Prime Minister Bob Hawke said bosses who sacked workers for not turning up to work were bums.

It’s seen as one of the country's greatest sporting triumphs, but now a Dutch naval architect has come forward claiming that he designed the famous winged keel that helped propel Australia II to victory.

Peter Van Oossanen said he had grown tired of the Dutch design team being airbrushed out of history and that the record should be corrected.

But the businessman Alan Bond, who bankrolled the boat, said the winged keel was 100 per cent Australian and that any other suggestion was codswallop.

Glossary 词汇表 (收听发音, 请单击英语单词)

• ferocious 轰轰烈烈的
• America's Cup美洲杯帆船赛
• bums蹩脚的老板
• sporting triumphs 体育运动上的胜利/成就
• naval architect 船只设计师

• come forward 出面
• winged keel 带翼龙骨
• airbrushed 涂抹，掩盖
• bankrolled提供资金
• codswallop胡说八道

Questions

1. When did Australia win the America's Cup?

1983.

2. Who is Peter Van Oossanen?

A Dutch naval architect.

3. What part of the boat did he say he designed?

The winged keel.

4. True or false? Australian businessman Alan Bond countered the Dutch claim by saying it was entirely designed by Australia.

True.