听力练习

Million dollar Olympic bike

A Dutch cycle athlete is going to clinch the gold medal in Beijing with his uniquely-designed million-dollar bike.

If Dutch cycle champion Theo Bos takes gold in the Beijing velodrome this summer, it won't be as a result of talent alone. The 24-year-old Olympic silver medalist is hoping this uniquely-designed million-dollar bike will help him take top honors in two months' time. The revolutionary frame has been developed by Dutch cycle maker Koga Miyata. The company's managing director Wouter Jager said the bike was so specialized that no ordinary person could ride it.

"It's so stiff that it doesn't behave like a normal bicycle, and obviously the strange element is this, this bicycle doesn't have a brake, doesn't have a gear, er, this is single-speed, there's no lightset or whatever, but still it's the, the most difficult bike to ride."

Koga has spent three and a half years developing the bike for Bos who narrowly missed out on the gold medal in Athens four years ago. The company enlisted the help of experts in the aerodynamics and carbon technology sectors, including several who've worked on the Ariane-5 space rocket program. The result is a racing bike with a sleek aerodynamic look. Kimera has the lowest air resistance of any bike in the world to help the rider accelerate as quickly as possible from a standstill to its top speed of 75 kilometers per hour. And this unique feature, Koga says, should enable Bos to pedal his way to the gold medal.

Helen Long, Reuters

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velodrome——A sports arena with a banked oval track for bicycle and motorcycle racing.
sleek——Smooth and lustrous as if polished; glossy:

文本参考中文翻译

一名荷兰自行车赛选手将驾驶设计独特，价值数百万美元的自行车在北京奥运会上冲击金牌。

如果德国自行车赛冠军Theo Bos能够赢得北京奥运会自行车赛的金牌，肯定不仅仅靠他的天分。这位24岁的奥运银牌得主希望这辆设计独特，价值数百万元的自行车能够为他赢得长达两个月之久的最高荣誉。这辆经过改良的自行车由荷兰自行车制造商Koga Miyata制造。该公司管理主任Wouter Jager说，这辆车非常特别，不是普通人可以骑的。

“这辆自行车很硬，驾驶起来不像普通自行车一样。很明显，比较奇怪的地方是，这辆自行车没有刹车，没有变速器，是单速度，没有车灯等设备，但是，这仍然是最难骑的自行车。”

四年前雅典奥运会上，Bos与金牌失之交臂。Koga用了三年半的时间为他设计这辆特殊的自行车。该公司列举了参与设计的专家的名字，包括空气动力学专家和参与Ariane-5号火箭工作的专家。大家的共同努力造就了这辆空气阻力很小的赛车。Kimera的空气阻力在所有自行车中最小，能够帮助骑手用最短的时间从零加速到最高速度75千米每小时。Koga说，这种特性可以帮助Bos夺得金牌。

单词注解：

velodrome——室内自行车赛场
sleek——光滑的