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Unit 3 课文

2020-06-19 01:00 作者:要加油的Cindy  | 我要投稿

Unit 3

T1

Blowing the whistle on soccer

1 A French friend of mine got a big laugh at a dinner party recently with his account of the game of baseball: "Seven guys stand around in a field doing nothing while two of their teammates throw the ball, back and forth."

2 I understand – it's hard to get excited about a foreign sport if you didn't grow up with it. Now I'm colliding with this same cultural barrier. The World Cup soccer tournament begins on June 9 and I will have no clue what's going on out there on the "pitch". It seems a good time to blow the whistle on the so-called beautiful game.

3 I have been watching soccer for years and all I can see on the field is 22 grown men in shorts running around madly trying to kick the ball and tripping over each other. I guess the object is to get the ball into the net (also known as the goal), but if it ever gets close it looks like an accident.

4 What we have here, it would seem, is a game of chance.

5 For an hour and a half, the field is a scene of sheer chaos as the ball sails back and forth and the fans hum some mournful tune reminiscent of The Slaves' Chorus from Nabucco. Neither team seems to be in control.

6 The scoring system says it all. Most finals are 0-0, 1-0 or 2-1, indicating that games tend to be stand-offs and it's a matter of luck to be ahead when time runs out. To put a good face on it, they call this tension or suspense.

7 Newcomers to soccer – mostly Americans – might wonder how many ways points can be scored. Besides kicking the ball it is permitted to whack it in mid-air with your head, which is not the best use of the cranium, as doctors will tell you.

8 To be honest, though, many goals are scored by the ball accidentally bouncing off random players who get in the way. The crowd loves these, especially when a defender's leg sends the ball – by chance, of course – into his own net.

9 Goals are the best illustration of the chance nature of this game. Ninety per cent of goal shots (known as "chances" or, in hopeless cases, "half chances", or in France, opportunités) are either blocked or are so far off course that they soar deep into the stands.

10 If the ball happens to be aimed about right and slips through the forest of hairy legs, it's sheer luck. The shooter, or "striker", then takes full credit for this accident, peels off his shirt and sprints around in circles as four or five fellow players jump on his back to try to stop him and get his shirt back on.

11 The chaos resumes, the humming in the stands starts up again, and the clock slowly ticks away toward 90 long minutes.

12 Unlike baseball or basketball, precision ball-handling is not a top priority in soccer except perhaps for Thierry Henry and a couple of Brazilians. Let's face it, God never meant for most of us to control a ball with the feet while running at top speed.

13 Periodically a player gets an elbow in the face and goes down writhing. The clock stops while little men with black bags rush over and massage his phony-baloney injury, after which he jumps up good as new. The player who elbowed him gets something called a "yellow card", a mild reprimand.

14 How can you have a sport in which strategies and regulations are so obscure? Besides the mystery of "injury time", there is something called the "offside rule", which deems, roughly, that the striker cannot receive the ball unless at least two opposing players are ahead of him. Why not? This leaves everyone perplexed.

15 Not to worry – even professional commentators are at a loss for words. The BBC's voice of soccer, John Motson, notes that there is no "universal interpretation" of the offside rule. Imagine real football with no agreement on what " touchdown " means.

16 Why does your typical soccer match seem so out of control? Simple. Only one referee is on the field, and he is responsible for keeping 22 hopped-up athletes in line. He allows no backtalk (for this, you get a "red card" and a shower) but most of the infractions – pushing, punching, tripping, kneeing, handballing – are committed when he isn't looking. But the fans see them, setting off more moans in the stands.

17 The mystery remains why so many people flock to see this game. I must be missing something.

揭足球的短

1 我的一位法国朋友在最近的一次晚宴上说起棒球时哈哈大笑:“当两个队友在场上来回投球时,另外七个小伙子在边上站着无事可做。”

2 我知道,如果一个人不是从小就接触某项外来的运动,他就很难对它感兴趣。现在我正遭遇同样的文化壁垒。6月9号世界杯足球赛就要开始了,而我对球员在“球场”上干些什么却一无所知。看起来这是给这个所谓的精彩赛事揭短的一次大好机会。

3 我看足球也有好几年了,我所看到的就是22个穿着短裤的成年人在场上疯狂地奔跑,力争踢到球,互相绊倒对方。我猜想他们的目的是要把球踢进网里(也叫球门),可是,如果不是碰巧的话,球是很难靠近球门的。

4 看起来,我们现在谈论的是一项靠运气取胜的运动。

5 整整一个半小时,球场上一片混乱:球飞来飞去,球迷们在哼着一首悲伤的曲子,让人想起《纳布卡》里的“奴隶合唱团”。双方队员好像都失控了。

6 记分法说明了一切:多数球赛都是以 0-0、1-0或2-1结束,这意味着球赛结果倾向于平局,如果比赛结束时一方胜出了,那只是因为他们运气好。为了粉饰这种现象,他们称这样的比赛为“激烈”或“有悬念”。

7 足球新人——大多是美国人——或许不知道有多少种得分法。除了用脚踢球之外,在空中用头顶球也是允许的。可医生会告诉你,这可不是脑袋的最大用途。

8 老实说,很多进球是从某个无意中挡住球的球员身上反弹进球门的。观众喜欢这种进球,尤其是防守队员——当然是偶然地——把球送进了自家的网内。

9 射门最好地说明了这种比赛的碰运气性质:90%的射门(被称为“机会”,或在无望的情况下,称为“半个机会”;在法国称为opportunités)或被挡住,或因为射得太偏球直接飞上了看台。

10 万一球碰巧瞄准了,穿过长满毛的队员的腿滑进球门,那纯粹是运气。射门的人,亦称“前锋”,会因为纯属偶然的进球而独揽所有的赞誉,他会脱掉球衣,绕着圈猛跑,四、五个队友会扑到他的背上阻止他,让他穿上球衣。

11 接着又恢复了混乱,看台上的观众又开始哼歌曲,而计时器则在滴答声中慢悠悠地走向漫长的90分钟的尽头。

12 足球与棒球或篮球不一样,对足球来说准确的控球并不是最重要的,蒂埃里•亨利和几个巴西球员例外。让我们面对事实吧:上帝从未想让我们大多数人在全速跑动时用脚来控制球。

13 时不时地会有球员脸上挨了一肘,躺在草地上痛苦地翻腾。这时会暂停计时,几个提着黑包的小个子男人会跑过来为假装受伤的球员按摩,然后他又活蹦乱跳地站起来。那位肘击他的球员会得到一张叫“黄牌”的东西:一种温和的惩戒。

14 怎么会有战术和规则都如此模糊不清的运动呢?除了“伤停时间”之谜,还有那个被称为“越位”的规则,大概是指除非有两位对方球员在他的前头,否则前锋不能接队友的传球。为什么不能呢?这让所有的人都迷惑不解。

15 不必担心——即便是职业解说员也往往对此感到语塞。英国广播公司的足球名嘴约翰•莫特森认为对越位规则“不存在国际通用的解释”。想想真正的足球(即美国人的橄榄球——译注)对“持球触地”没有一致的解释会有什么后果吧。

16 为何你们典型的足球比赛看上去如此失控呢?很简单,因为球场上只有一名裁判,他要负责管束22名极度兴奋的运动员。他不允许球员提出异议(否则就给球员一张“红牌”,让他冲个澡走人)。但是,大多数的犯规,如推人、出拳打人、使绊、用膝盖顶人、手球都是在他看不到的情况下进行的。可是球迷都看见了,于是引发了观众席上更多的抱怨。

17 有一个谜一直解不开:为什么会有这么多人蜂拥前去观看这项比赛呢?我一定是漏掉了什么关键的东西。


T2

My dream comes true

1 The rain had started to fall gently through the evening air as darkness descended over Sydney. Hundreds of lights illuminated Stadium Australia, and the noise was deafening. As I walked towards the track I glanced around me at the sea of faces in the stands, but my mind was focused. The Olympic gold medal was just minutes away, hanging tantalisingly in the distance.

2 My heart was beating loudly, my mouth was dry and the adrenaline was pumping. I was so close to the realisation of my childhood dream and the feeling was fantastic; it was completely exhilarating, but also terrifying. I knew I would have to push myself beyond my known limits to ensure that my dream came true.

3 I tried to keep composed, telling myself not to panic, to stick to the plan and run my own race. I knew the Russian girls would set off quickly – and I had to finish this race fewer than ten seconds behind the Russian athlete Yelena Prokhorova. If I could do that, the title would be mine.

4 I looked out along the first stretch of the 400m track and caught my breath. The 800m race had punished me so much over the years – in the World, Commonwealth and European Championships – and now it stood between me and the Olympic title.

5 The British supporters were cheering so loudly it seemed as if they were the only fans there. I could hear my name being called. I could hear the shouts of encouragement and the cries of hope. Union Jacks fluttered all around the vast, beautiful stadium. I felt unified with the crowd – we all had the same vision and the same dream.

6 My ankle was bandaged against an injury I had incurred in the long jump just a couple of hours earlier, but I shut out all thoughts of pain. I tried to concentrate on the crowd. They were so vocal. My spirits lifted and I felt composed.

7 I knew I would do my best, that I would run my heart out and finish the race. I felt the performer in me move in and take over. I had just two laps to run, that was all. Just two laps until the emotional and physical strain of the past two days and the last 28 years would be eclipsed by victory or failure. This race was all about survival. It's only two minutes, I kept telling myself, anyone can run for two minutes.

8 The starting gun was fired, and the race began. The first lap was good, I managed to keep up with the group, but I was feeling much more tired than I usually did, and much more than I'd anticipated. Both the long, hard weeks of training that had led up to this championship, and the exhaustion from two days of gruelling competition were showing in my performance. Mental and physical fatigue were starting to crush me, and I had to fight back.

9 Prokhorova had set the pace from the start. It was important that I didn't let her get too far in front. I had to stay with her. At the bell I was 2.3 seconds behind her. Just one lap to go. One lap. I could do it. I had to keep going. In the final 150 metres I could hear the roar of the crowd, giving me a boost at exactly the moment I needed it the most – just when my legs were burning and I could see the gap opening between me and the Russian. Thankfully, my foot was holding out, so now it was all down to mental stamina.

10 Prokhorova was pulling away. I couldn't let her get too far; I had to stay with her. I began counting down the metres I had left to run: 60m, 50m, 40m, 20m. I could see the clock. I could do it, but it would be close. Then finally the line appeared. I crossed it, exhausted. I had finished.

11 As I crossed the line my initial thought was how much harder the race had been than expected, bearing in mind how, only eight weeks before, I had set a new personal best of 2 minutes 12.2 seconds. Then my mind turned to the result. Had I done it? I thought I had. I was aware of where the other athletes were, and was sure that I'd just made it. But, until I saw it on the scoreboard, I wouldn't let myself believe it. As I stood there, staring up and waiting for confirmation, I tried hard to keep negative thoughts from my mind – but I couldn't help thinking, what if I have just missed out? What if I've been through all this, and missed out?

12 In the distance I could hear the commentary team talking about two days of tough competition, then I could almost hear someone say, "I think she's done enough." The next thing I knew, Sabine Braun of Germany came over and told me I'd won. They had heard before me, and she asked what it felt like to be the Olympic champion. I smiled, still not sure.

13 Then, the moment that will stay with me for the rest of my life – my name in lights. That was when it all hit me. Relief, a moment of calm, and a thank you to my inner self for taking me through these two days. I felt a tingle through the whole of my body. This was how it is meant to be – arms aloft and fists clenched.

14 I looked out at the fans, who were waving flags, clapping and shouting with delight. I was the Olympic champion. The Olympic champion.

梦想成真

1 当夜幕降临悉尼时,雨也开始悄悄地从夜空中飘落。几百盏灯把澳大利亚体育场照得灯火通明,场内的声音震耳欲聋。走向跑道时我看了一眼四周看台上无数的脸,但我的注意力还是很集中。再过几分钟奥运金牌的归属就要见分晓了,它悬挂在远处,很诱人。

2 我的心在剧烈地跳动,口干舌燥,肾上腺素猛增。童年的梦想就要实现了,这种感觉真是太奇妙了:令人非常兴奋,又胆战心惊。我知道,为了确保能梦想成真我必须强迫自己超越已知的极限。

3 我极力保持镇静,告诫自己不要紧张,要坚持按原计划做,按自己的节奏跑。我知道那些俄罗斯姑娘起跑很快——这场比赛我落后俄罗斯运动员叶莲娜•普罗科霍洛娃不能超过十秒。如果我做到这一点,冠军就是我的了。

4 我望着四百米跑道的起跑点,屏住了呼吸。这些年来,在世锦赛、英联邦锦标赛以及欧洲锦标赛的八百米赛跑中我屡战屡败,饱受挫折。现在,它再次横在我与奥运冠军头衔之间。

5 我的英国支持者在为我欢呼,声音特别大,就好像看台上的观赛者只有他们一样。我听到他们喊我的名字,为我鼓劲加油,听到他们充满希望的呐喊。宽阔美丽的体育场上到处飘扬着大不列颠联合王国的国旗,我感觉自己和观众融为了一体:我们有着同样的期盼,同样的梦想。

6 几个小时前,我的脚踝在跳远时受了伤,缠上了绷带,但是我忘掉伤痛,尽量把注意力集中在观众身上。他们的叫喊声势浩大,使我精神振奋,我感到镇定自若。

7 我知道自己会全力以赴,拼尽全力跑完全程。我感觉自己已经进入最佳状态。我只要跑两圈就行了,就两圈。跑完这两圈,过去两天以及28年来所有情感和身体上的辛苦付出就将被胜利或者失败所淹没。这一跑真是生死攸关。我不断地告诉自己:也就是跑两分钟,谁都能跑两分钟。

8 发令枪响了,比赛正式开始。第一圈还好,我跟其他人跑得一样快,但我觉得比平时要累得多,比我预想的要累得多。这次赛前长达数周的艰苦训练以及这两天激烈的比赛所带来的疲劳在我的赛跑过程中显现出来。精神和肉体的疲倦开始向我袭来,我不得不反击。

9 普罗科霍洛娃一开始就领先。最重要的是我不能被她甩得太远,我得紧紧地跟着她。最后一圈的铃声响起时,我比她落后2.3秒。只剩一圈了,就一圈,我能赢,我必须坚持跑下去。到最150米的时候我听见观众高声叫喊,在我最需要的时候为我加油助威——这时我的腿疼得要命,我看见我和那个俄罗斯运动员之间距离正在拉大。令人欣慰的是,我的脚还在继续向前迈步,这时候就全靠精神毅力来支撑了。

10 普罗科霍洛娃正在向前冲,我不能让她甩开了,我必须跟上她。我开始倒数剩下的距离:60米、50米、 40米、 20米。我看得见计时器了,我能赢,但成绩会很接近。最后终点线出现了,我冲了过去,累得精疲力竭。我跑完了。

11 冲过终点线时我最初的念头是这次赛跑比预期的要艰苦得多,记得八周前我以2分12.2秒的成绩打破了个人最好成绩。然后,我的心思转向了比赛成绩:我赢了吗?我想我是赢了,过终点线时,我知道其他运动员的位置,我肯定我赢了。但是,如果我不是亲眼看见记分牌上的成绩,我就无法让自己相信这是真的。当我站在那里,抬头望着记分牌等待确认成绩时,我竭力打消脑子里消极的念头,但是我还是禁不住想:如果我再次与冠军失之交臂怎么办?如果我经历了这些磨难却又一次失败了,那该怎么办?

12 我听见远处转播比赛的解说员在谈论两天来的艰难赛事,我好像听见有人说:“我觉得她做得够好了。”接下来,来自德国的萨拜因•布劳恩走过来告诉我我赢了,他们在我之前打听到了消息,她问我当奥运冠军是什么滋味。我笑了,但还是不敢肯定。

13 接下来的那一刻将让我铭记一生:计分牌上我的名字亮了。那一刻我惊呆了。如释重负,平静了一会儿,感谢内在的自我帮我度过了这两天。我感到全身一阵振颤,这时候该做的事是:高举双手,紧握双拳。

14 我向我的支持者望去,他们正兴高采烈地挥舞旗帜,鼓掌呐喊。我是奥运冠军,奥运会的冠军。


T3

Games people play in the US

1 In America, different sports attract different people. Not everyone likes the same sports, and most people would agree that there isn't a single national sport, but three: baseball, football, and basketball.

2 Baseball as a spectator sport is a truly relaxed and leisurely activity. It's not an intense game full of action, but one which was born in a slower, more peaceful age. For a few hours, it can seem that the most important thing in a fan's life is to watch the players discuss their tactics, spring to life with sudden bursts of activity, and then return to a state of play which uses less energy.

3 Football has a more contemporary appeal. As a more violent game, it appears closer to real life today. It involves strategies like war games, and the fans become generals planning the movements of their troops. It's contained physically on a relatively small pitch, and is ideal to watch on television as it gives the impression of being busy and active on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

4 Other popular sports have smaller audiences. Golf and tennis are country club sports, more expensive to play and with their own social structures; horse racing is attractive for people who like to bet; and auto racing appeals to the large numbers of Middle Americans who adore the noise, the violence and the danger of the machines.

5 But basketball belongs to the cities. It's more than a sport, it's part of a way of life. Kids in smaller towns in Middle America often become great basketball players by learning to shoot with great skill and accuracy. But in the cities, the kids develop the "moves", as if the game was an expression of manhood and identity, and almost part of a gang culture. Other young athletes learn to play basketball, but city kids live it.

美国人参加的运动

1 在美国,不同的运动吸引着不同的人群,并不是所有的人都喜爱同一种运动,但大多数人会同意,美国全国性的运动不是一个而是三个:棒球、橄榄球和篮球。

2 作为一种观赏运动,棒球真的是一种放松、悠闲的活动。它并不是动感十足的剧烈运动,而是诞生在生活节奏比较缓慢、比较太平的年代的一项运动。在几个小时里,球迷生活中最重要的事情似乎是看球员如何商量战术,如何突然发力,轮番攻防,然后又回到不太费力的玩耍状态。

3 橄榄球对现代人更有吸引力。这项运动比较剧烈,好像更接近当今的现实生活。它像战争游戏那样涉及多种战术,球迷们则变成了将军,筹划部队的调动。这项运动的场地相对来说比较窄小,适合在电视上观看,因为在令人懒洋洋的星期天下午观看这项运动,给人一种有事可做和爱好运动的印象。

4 其他流行运动的观众要少一些。高尔夫球和网球是一种乡村俱乐部运动,玩起来比较费钱,而且拥有自己的社交结构;赛马对那些喜欢赌博的人有吸引力;而赛车则吸引了大批喜欢汽车噪音、威猛及其危险性的中部美国人。

5 不过,篮球是城市的运动。它不仅仅是一项运动,它是生活方式的一部分。美国中部小城镇的孩子常常是靠学会以熟练的技巧精准投篮最终成为优秀球员的;但是在大城市里,孩子们开发的是“行动”,仿佛篮球是表现男子汉气概和个性的方式,也几乎成了年轻人帮派文化的一部分。如果说其他年轻运动员是在学打篮球的话,那么城市里的孩子则是生活在篮球之中。


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