chinadaily英语点津：奥运赛场上的力与美

Reasons to watch the Olympics can be various. Some look for national pride, some for cliffhangers, and even some forfashion.

观看奥运会的理由有许多种。有些是为了寻求民族⾃豪感，有些是为了观看扣⼈⼼弦的⽐赛，甚⾄有些是冲着时尚去的。What about those athletes’ bodies? Zoe Williams of the Guardian recently wrote about her obsession with the perfectphysical appearance of athletes.

还有多少⼈是冲着运动员的外形去的呢？最近，来⾃《卫报》的佐伊•威廉姆斯最近撰⽂，表明了⾃⼰对运动员们外在美的痴迷。

To Williams, watching these near-deities for whom every muscle has a purpose and every tweak of a body is a bid for

greatness, “we are allowed to make remarks we would never normally make. We’re allowed to gawp at perfection, marvel atbeauty, openly wish we could prod chests and have a go on triceps – it’s the Olympic Gaze.”

对于威廉姆斯⽽⾔，这些运动员近乎神⼀样，他们的每⼀块肌⾁都富有意志，⾝体的每⼀次扭动都在向着⾮凡发⼒。在欣赏他们时，“我们得以发表⼀些不同寻常的看法。我们可以直视着他们完美的⼀举⼀动，惊诧于其中的美丽，并可以毫不掩饰地表⽰希望能够戳⼀下他们的胸肌，甚⾄动⼀动那些三头肌。这就是‘奥运关注’。”

Olympic-watchers of yore admitted upfront that open-mouthed staring was one of the core purposes of the games.以往诸多观看奥运⽐赛的⼈都公开承认，⼈们⽬瞪⼝呆的关注是奥运会的核⼼⽬的之⼀。

In ancient Greece, the athletes were asked to march naked through the streets before the games began – it was a warm-upexercise for the spectators, before the main event of watching them all compete naked, which takes an incredible amount ofconcentration.

在古希腊，奥运会开幕前，运动员被要求⾚⾝*地在街道上⾏进。对于观众们来说，这只是个赛前热⾝。在之后的正式⽐赛中，他们会看到运动员们的*竞技，这往往吸引来巨⼤的关注。

According to the Guardian, the story is that the naked-sport tradition began when a runner’s loincloth fell off, and he appearedto go faster than the others.

《卫报》的⽂章中称，*赛传统始于这样⼀个故事，当时⼀位赛跑选⼿的缠腰布掉了之后，他似乎⽐其他⼈都跑得快。At that time, wearing clothes came eventually to signify Barbarianism, or at the very least, shame.在那个时候，穿着⾐服是野蛮⼈的表现，或者⾄少是件丢脸的事。

Remember the famous statue Discobolos, of a man holding an iron disc? He’s all naked, folks.还记得那尊的“掷铁饼者”雕像吗？各位，他是全*着的啊！

Another reason why staring at an athlete’s body is not offensive is that attention falls upon males and females equally.凝视运动员的⾝体，⽽并⽆冒犯之意的另⼀个原因是⼈们对于男⼥选⼿⾝体的关注是均等的。

“When it falls equally upon everybody, you have to think that maybe there is no ulterior motive. Maybe we’re staring becausethey’re amazing.

“当⼈们将注意⼒均等地放在每个⼈⾝上时，你理所当然认为这种关注或许并⾮别有⽤⼼。也许我们⽬不转睛只是因为他们太了不起了。

“That’s it! How are you going to not stare? That would be like being too polite to stare at a comet,” Williams wrote.“正是如此！你⼜怎能移开视线呢？这就好⽐你太过⽂雅以致错过凝视彗星⼀样。”威廉姆斯写道。

Indeed, how top athletes’ bodies work is amazing. Some lift weights many times greater than their own, while others run 100-meters in less than 10 seconds.

顶尖运动员们的⾝体机能的确令⼈惊讶。⼀些⼈能举起相当于⾃⾝体重许多倍的重量；⽽另⼀些⼈百⽶⽐赛的成绩不到⼗秒。“You do not debase them when you go on about an athlete’s thighs; his or her body is indivisible from their life’s work, whichis their pride and joy,” Williams said.

“当你就某位运动员的⼤腿发表⾔论，滔滔不绝时，你并没有在贬低他们。他们的⾝体是他们毕⽣事业中不可分割的⼀部分，也是他们的骄傲所在。”威廉姆斯说道。

“To say she’s perfect is like telling someone they have cute children. Plus, there is the simple mathematics that it’s

impossible to offend, by objectifying, gazing, fixating, or obsessing over in any other way, someone who is so superior.”“评价她很完美，就好⽐是在告诉⼈们，他们的孩⼦很可爱。此外，简单⼀算便知，对于那些如此优秀的⼈来说，把他们看做是⼀件物品具象化，⽬光牢牢地锁定他们，或任何其他形式的痴迷，都不会是冒犯。”

“Look at this … what a beautiful boy … Sorry …” The father of Chad Le Clos, talking as a guest commentator on the BBC,was overwhelmed.

“看看…多么漂亮的⼩伙⼦啊…对不起…”，BBC特约评论员——查德•勒•克洛斯的⽗亲情不⾃禁地说道。

“Is this live?” he asked. “Yes,” his partner said, cheerfully. Before he’d even considered the fact that South African swimmerChad Le Clos had beaten Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian of all time, in the 200m butterfly, he was baffled, brought tothe very edge of comprehension, by his own son’s beauty.

“这是直播吗？”他问道，“是的。”他的搭档兴奋地回答道。南⾮游泳选⼿查德•勒•克洛斯当时在200⽶蝶泳项⽬中击败了奥运会历最伟⼤的运动员——迈尔克•菲尔普斯。在这位⽗亲意识到这点之前，他⼏乎不能理解⾃⼰的⼉⼦是如此出众。