书城外语英语PARTY——笑对人生
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第9章 时尚(1)

Surfing: The Sport of Kings

冲浪:国王的运动

Hundreds of places in the world have huge blue waves, white sand beaches, and beautiful young people carrying surfboards. But, when people think of surfing, many first think of Hawaii, U.S.A. Not only because Hawaii has some of the best, and most dangerous, surfing in the world, but also because the Polynesians, natives of the island of Hawaii, were the first people to surf.

世界上有成百上千的地方可以看到蓝色的巨浪、白色的海滩和扛着冲浪板身着时髦泳装的帅男靓女们。然而,当谈到冲浪时,人们首先想到的总是美国的夏威夷,因为夏威夷拥有世界上最好的、最危险的冲浪运动,而且还因为夏威夷岛的本族人珀利尼西亚人被公认为是最早拥有站在木板上破浪前进的艺术的。

Historians believe that Hawaii natives migrated from other Polynesian islands, including Tahiti, where the islanders are known to have ridden waves as they stretched out along on a board. While the first Hawaiian surfers may have ridden their long boards on their stomachs, we know that they soon started standing on the board. How do we know? They carved pictures of men standing on surfboards on lava rocks. They also passed chants from generation to generation that told of amazing surfing feats. They wanted to make sure the younger members of the tribe never forget the heroics of their ancestors. In addition, explorers from other countries recorded seeing Hawaiians surfing hundreds of years ago.

历史学家们认为早期的夏威夷殖民者是从其他的珀利尼西亚诸岛移民过来的,其中包括塔希提岛,岛上的居民据说在沿着木板伸展时是踏浪前进的。最早的夏威夷冲浪者是把肚子贴在长板上前进的,我们现在知道他们第二步才站起来的。什么原因呢?他们在熔岩上雕刻运动员站在冲浪板上的画面,以此来记录对这项运动的热爱,他们一代接一代传唱让人们想起高超冲浪技艺的圣歌,旨在提醒部族的年轻人永远不要忘记祖先的英雄壮志。虽然夏威夷本族人的历史已大部分流失,其他国家的探索者还是找到了几百年前夏威夷人冲浪的记录。

The famous explorer Captain Cook died in Hawaii, but a member of his crew recorded the bravery and excellent skills of the local Hawaiian surfers. Many European sailors could not even swim at that time, so imagine how impressed they were to see surfers moving across the water at such a high speeds! It is thought that the chiefs and leaders of the Hawaiian native people used surfing as a means to show off their strength and agility, and to intimidate and impress others. Traditionally, the ruling class had better crafted and more elaborate boards to show others their status and great importance. Making a surfboard had special steps. For example, a religious leader would say a prayer before the tree was cut down.

着名的探险家库克船长在夏威夷去世了,他的一位忠实的船员记录了他所见证的冲浪者的勇敢和高超技艺。考虑到许多欧洲水手那个时候甚至还不会游泳,你可以想象得到当他们看到冲浪者以那么快的速度划过水面的时候印象该是多么深刻呀。据说夏威夷本族人的首领把冲浪当作一种显示力量和敏捷的手段,威慑那些向他们的领导提出挑战的那些人,加深冲浪同胞们的印象。传统上,统治阶级使用的板做工比较精致,用以向他人展示他们的地位和重要性, 甚至冲浪板的制作都有特殊的礼仪,宗教领将做祈祷,数砍倒之前要先向它进贡一些鱼,当然,为国王、或敢于拿自己的生命在急浪中冒险的重要人物做冲浪板,这任务可就不是那么轻松了。

Today people around the world love to surf. People of all shapes and sizes, rich or poor, can try their hands at surfing. Basic equipment is affordable, and once a surfer buys his board, all he need is some waves!

今天,想要去冲浪的你可以不必很有钱,也可以不必很出名。事实上,所有体形和大小的人,不论贫富,都可以去尝试冲浪。冲浪的基本设备相对来说还是可以买得起的,一旦冲浪手买好了必备的工具,等待的就是那些惊涛骇浪了。

Rock Climb

攀岩

No one can really learn to rock climb from a newspaper, a video or the Internet. This article is intended as an introduction to rock climbing only. Seek instruction and places to practice first.

没有人能够通过报纸、电视、或者互联网学会攀岩。本文旨在向大家介绍一下攀岩运动。不过,首先还是寻求指导、找个地方开始挑战吧。

Why rock climb?

攀岩的目的

Adventure; freedom; go where no one has ever been; reach the top; enjoy nature; exercise; the excitement of newness. Or maybe you have your own reasons for wanting to learn. The beginning climber should always climb with an experienced leader, who will take care of runners, rope, sling, protection equipment, and the like. The beginning climber will be concerned with his/her own clothing, carabiners, and harness. All climbers should be concerned with the environment and courtesy to those who don,t climb.

冒险,自由,探索人迹罕至的地方,勇攀顶点,享受自然,锻炼体魄,寻求新奇刺激。当然,你也许会有其他个人的原因。初级攀岩者应该在专业人士指导下操作,他们可以为你准备带环、绳索、绳套、保护装置等。初级攀岩者应该准备自己的服饰、铁锁和攀岩绳。所有攀岩者都应该关注周围的环境,对那些不攀岩的人要有礼貌。

Clothing

装备

For the beginner, any clothing tough enough to take abrasion will suffice. Athletic shoes or hiking boots will allow you to sample the sport. If you fall in love with rock climbing, you will want to buy specialized rock climbing shoes, known as varappe or kletterscuhe. They have rubber synthetics that greatly enhance one,s friction on the rock.

对于初级攀岩者来说,任何耐磨的衣服都可以。你可以穿运动鞋或旅游鞋参加攀岩。如果你彻底迷上了它,就需要购买专门的攀岩鞋,像“varappe”或者“kletterscuhe”就比较出名。它们是由橡胶制成的,能够增强在岩石上的摩擦力。

Rope

攀岩绳

Don,t use old, static ropes not manufactured for climbing. They are dangerous. Modern climbing ropes are laboratorytested and “stretch” slightly after a fall. They are kernmantle constructed (outer sheath over a large number of long inner filaments), and although pricey, are used when sliding with less friction is desired. This preserves one,s body from bruises and pain at the end of any fall. No climbing rope has failed from a fall since World War II. They,re that good!

一定不要使用旧式固定的非攀岩专用的绳索,会很危险。现代的攀岩绳经过测试,在落下时会有轻微的弹力。它们是由编织绳构造而成的,尽管非常昂贵,但是在低摩擦滑行时却是必需的。这样可以使身体落下时不受到撞击或疼痛。自二战至今,还未出现攀岩绳断掉的情况。它们非常可靠。

Carabiners

铁锁

These are similar to large safety pins. Most climbers use a combination of the oval shape or the modified Dshape of Chouinard,s. Royal Robbins, author of Basic Rockcraft writes, “When buying a carabiner, check to make sure the spring action is smooth but not too strong, that the gate meshes freely, that there are no burrs, and that they are strong.”

它们就相当于大型的安全别针。大多数攀岩者都会选择一系列椭圆形或经过改良的D形Chouinard铁锁。《攀岩技术要素》的作者罗亚尔·罗宾斯在书中写道:“在购买铁锁时,一定要保证弹簧的弹力正常,但强度不能太大。开口能够正常开闭。不能有损伤的刻边。而且必须很牢固。”

Carabiners should test to at least 3,000 pounds. The responsible dealer will have information on carabiner strength. Ask before buying. Tying knots is beyond the scope of this article. You should learn the overhand knot, overhand loop, bowline, doubleloop bowline, figureofeight loop, ring bend, and fisherman,s knot.

铁锁应该经过至少3,000磅的测试。销售商应该有铁锁负重量的信息。在购买之前一定要咨询。关于打结问题,这里就不进行详细地陈述了。但你应该学会单结、反手绳圈、布林结、双布林结、八字结、防脱结以及交织结。

Belay

固定保护绳

The belay consists of anchor, friction, and position.

固定保护绳包括锚点、摩擦力和位置。

1. Anchor

1. 锚点