最近的东京奥运会引发了不少关于体育与政治的讨论,其中一个热点话题是:体育能否与政治脱钩?从实际情况来看,答案是否定的。其实早在上世纪40年代乔治·奥威尔(George Orwell)就写过一篇很有思辨性的文章
The Sporting Spirit
(论体育精神),文中提到体育竞争并不会给国家之间带来和平。相反,在国际比赛中,体育可以说是一场模拟战争,其中不可避免会涉及到国家荣誉感以及政治因素。

乔治·奥威尔的这篇文章虽然写于上百年前,但其中的观点在今天仍然很有参考价值。这篇文章也被收录到新概念英语4课文中,推荐各位读一读:

I am always amazed when I hear people saying that sport creates goodwill between the nations, and that if only the common peoples of the world could meet one another at football or cricket, they wouldhave no inclination to meet on the battlefield. Even if one didn't know from concrete examples (the 1936 Olympic Games, for instance) that international sporting contests lead to orgies of hatred, one could deduce it from general principles.
当我听人们说体育运动可创造国家之间的友谊,还说各国民众若在足球场或板球场上交锋,就不愿在战场上残杀的时候,我总是惊愕不已。一个人即使不能从具体的事例(例如1936年的奥林匹克运动会)了解到国际运动比赛会导致疯狂的仇恨,也可以从常理中推断出结论。
(1)…and that if only the common peoples…they would have no inclination to…这一句使用了虚拟语气,表示一种不太可能发生的情况(即各国民众能在足球场或板球场上交锋),if only意思相当于“要是……就好了”。
(2)people在这里指的是“国民,民族”(a group of people who make up a race, tribe, nation, etc.)
(3)somebody has no inclination to do something 意思是“某人没有做某事的意向”,例如:She has no inclination to give in to their demands.
(4)an orgy of something意思是“对(通常指不好或有害的活动)的放纵”,比如:When she got her first salary cheque, she indulged in an orgy of spending. 当她拿到第一张薪金支票后,她放任自己尽情消费。
(5)deduce A from B意思是“从B中推断出A”,比如:We can deduce a lot from what people choose to buy. 我们可以从人们选购的东西中推断出很多信息。

Nearly all the sports practised nowadays are competitive. You play to win, and the game has little meaning unless you do your utmost to win. On the village green, where you pick up sides and no feeling of local patriotism is involved, it is possible to play simply for the fun and exercise: but as soon as the question of prestige arises, as soon as you feel that you and some larger unit will be disgraced if you lose, the most savage combative instincts are aroused. Anyone who has played even in a school football match knows this. At the international level, sport is frankly mimic warfare. But the significant thing is not the behaviour of the players but the attitude of the spectators: and, behind the spectators, of the nations who work themselves into furies over these absurd contests, and seriously believe — at any rate for short periods — that running, jumping and kicking a ball are tests of national virtue.
现在开展的体育运动几乎都是竞争性的。参加比赛就是为了取胜。如果不拼命去赢,比赛就没有什么意义了。在乡间的草坪上,当你随意组成两个队,并且不涉及任何地方情绪时,那才可能是单纯的为了娱乐和锻炼而进行比赛。可是一量涉及到荣誉问题,一旦你想到你和某一团体会因为你输而丢脸时,那么最野蛮的争斗天性便会激发起来。即使是仅仅参加过学校足球赛的人也有种体会。在国际比赛中,体育简直是一场模拟战争。但是,要紧的还不是运动员的行为,而是观众的态度,以及观众身后各个国家的态度。面对着这些荒唐的比赛,参赛的各个国家会如痴如狂,甚至煞有介事地相信——至少在短期内如此——跑跑、跳跳、踢踢球是对一个民族品德素质的检验。
(1)Somebody does their utmost to do something意思是“某人竭尽全力去做某事”,比如:The medical staff did their utmost to save the patient's life. 医护人员竭尽全力挽救那位病人的生命。
(2)village green是个专有名词,它指的是英国乡镇里面的公用绿地。
(3)这里arise和arouse这两个易混淆词的用法要特别注意:arise为不及物动词,没有被动形式,常见搭配为something arises,比如:Problems arise when people try to avoid responsibility. 而arouse为及物动词,有被动形式,它的常见搭配为arouse something,比如:These rumours have aroused intense interest among investors.
(4)work someone into something是一个固定搭配,意思是“让某人处于某种状态(比如恐慌、激动、愤怒等)”,比如:The DJ worked the crowd into a frenzy. 那名DJ让人群陷入了疯狂之中。
(5)at any rate在这里意思相当于“不管怎样,至少”,该词组可以用于对情况进行更加准确的说明,比如:He is the least appealing character, to me at any rate. 他是其中最没有吸引力的角色,至少对我来说是这样。

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