第五十三讲

   Warm-up questions
   1. What is your favorite sport? Give your reasons.
   2. Do you know anything about triathlon?
   Text Explanation
   Para. 1
   The triathlon promises to be one of the most popular Olympic sports. Recently it has drawn huge crowds attracted (and worried) by athletes swimming 1500m, cycling 40km, and then running 10km without stopping. Great for those watching, maybe, but what makes the triathletes want to punish their bodies so much? And what makes an attractive 17-year-old, with excellent academic results, give up everything for the strange pleasures it offers?
   Language Points:
   1. Explanation of Difficult Sentences
   1). Recently it has drawn huge crowds attracted (and worried) by athletes swimming 1500m, cycling 40km, and then running 10km without stopping.
   Analysis: In this sentence, the past participle phrase attracted (and worried) is used to modify huge crowds, while the present participle phrases swimming 1500m, cycling 40km, and then running 10km without stopping are used to modify athletes.
   Translation: 近来它已经吸引了大批为它着迷 (又惧它三分)的观众群，因为这项运动要先游泳1500米，骑自行车40 公里, 然后紧接着又长跑10公里。

   Example: This science fiction has attracted many readers interested in the characters of the story working and living on the moon.
   2). Great for those watching, maybe, but what makes the triathletes want to punish their bodies so much?
   Analysis: This is an elliptical sentence. It may be rewritten like this: The triathlon maybe great for those who watch it, but how come the triathletes are willing to suffer so much physical hardship?
   Translation: 这项比赛对于观看者来说固然带劲，但究竟是什么让铁人三项的参赛者想如此折磨他们的身体呢?

   Example: Interesting for those enjoying the soap opera, maybe, but what makes the producers want to devote so much to the lengthy story?
   2. Important Words
   1).promise v. & n. (give) a written or spoken undertaking to do or not to do something 许诺，保证
   e.g. They have promised to reply immediately.
   e.g. If you don’t keep your promise, you will not be trusted any longer.

   2).punish v. cause somebody suffering for wrongdoing, treat roughly惩罚，惩处
   e.g. The driver was punished with a fine for speeding.
   e.g. You shouldn't punish the child in that way.
   3).offer v. give or exchange, say what one is willing to do, kindly present 主动提供，给与
   e.g. They offered to reward for the return of the lost document.
   e.g. She is kind enough to offer me the help.
   Para. 2
   Melanie Sears has not yet learnt those often-repeated phrases about personal satisfaction, mental challenge and higher objectives that most athletes always use when asked similar questions. “You swim for 1500m, then run out of the water and jump on your bike, still wet. Of course, then you freeze. When the 40km cycle ride is over, you have to run 10km, which is a long way when you’re feeling so tired. But it’s great fun, and all worth it in the end,” she says. Melanie entered her first triathlon at 14. “I won the junior section” but then I was the only junior taking part. It seemed so easy that I was waving at my team-mates as I went round.”

   Language Points:
   1. Explanation of Difficult Sentences
   1).Melanie Sears has not yet learnt those often-repeated phrases about personal satisfaction, mental challenge and higher objectives that most athletes always use when asked similar questions.
   Analysis: In this sentence, the word phrases is premodified by those often-repeated, and postmodified by a prepersitional phrase about personal satisfaction, mental challenge and higher objectives, and by a that-relative clause most athletes always use, with when asked similar questions serving as the adverbial denoting the time of use.
   Translation: 梅拉尼·希尔丝还没学会使用那些多数运动员在被问类似的问题时常脱口而出的陈词滥调：个人的满足感啦，精神上的挑战啦，向更高目标迈进啦等等。
   Example: The honest man refused to take advantage of the privileges abused by those who ignored other people’s interests.
   2. Important Words
   1).repeat v. say or do again 重复，反复（说/干）
   e.g. The important thing is not to repeat the same mistake in your work.
   2).worth prep. having a certain value of 值得，具有…价值
   e.g. The second-hand car is worth much more than what you had paid.
   e.g. That book is well worth reading.
   3).enter v. come or go into, join, take part in 进入，加入，参加
   e.g. At that time, it was very difficult for women to enter that profession.