美国精神正能量何存? 美国体操女队的启示

 　　Where can you find reasons to feel truly positive about the American spirit today? That is a question that many voters might be asking themselves after the long 2016 race.

　　今天你在哪里还能真正感受到美国精神的正能量？在漫长的2016年大选后，许多选民或许正在问自己这个问题。

　　For while the contest ended this week with a victory for Trump¹, it seems unlikely to bring a close to all the polarisation and acrimony; on the contrary, most pundits² fear that America is more polarised now than ever before, with a poisonous mood.

　　尽管大选已经以特朗普的胜利落幕，但这似乎不太可能给极化和尖刻态度画上句号；相反，大多数评论人士都担忧美国现在比以往任何时候都更加极化，整个社会弥漫着一种有毒的情绪。

　　Last week, though, I discovered one little flash of joy — and hope — in an unexpected place: the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, where I took my daughters to watch a performance of the US Olympic women’s gymnastics team.

　　然而，最近我在一个意想不到的地方发现了一点喜悦——和希望：纽约布鲁克林的巴克莱中心(Barclays Center)。我带着我的女儿们到这里观看了美国奥运体操女队的表演。

　　The Final Five — as Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez call themselves — delivered a stunning³ performance at the Rio Games, reaping a historic nine medals.

　　自称终极五人组的西蒙娜.拜尔斯(Simone Biles)、加比.道格拉斯(Gabby Douglas)、阿利.雷斯曼(Aly Raisman)、麦迪逊.科齐安(Madison Kocian)和劳丽.赫南德斯(Laurie Hernandez)在里约奥运会用令人惊叹的表演历史性地斩获了9枚奖牌。

　　Unsurprisingly, their performance at the Barclays Center was exuberant⁴ and impressive, with somersaults, gravity-defying leaps, bar routines — and rousing images of the American flag.

　　豪不意外，她们在巴克莱中心的表演充满活力，令人印象深刻——空翻、挑战重力的跳跃、杠上动作，以及激动人心的美国国旗的画面。

　　So far, so cheering.

　　这一切都令人欢欣鼓舞。

　　But what really grabbed my attention was not the physical contortions⁵ — it was the atmosphere in the auditorium⁶.

　　但真正吸引我的注意力的不是她们的动作——而是观众席上的氛围。

　　The Final Five is a strikingly multiracial group, with African-American (Biles and Douglas), Caucasian (Kocian and Raisman) and Hispanic (Hernandez) gymnasts.

　　终极五人组是一个醒目的多族裔组合，其中包含非裔美国人（拜尔斯和道格拉斯）、高加索种白人(科齐安和雷斯曼)和西语裔人（赫南德斯）。

　　The audience at the Barclays Center was a mix too, seemingly from all boroughs⁷ and backgrounds, rich and poor (many tickets were distributed at subsidised rates).

　　巴克莱中心的观众也混合了多种族裔，他们似乎来自纽约各区和各种背景，既有富人，也有穷人（很多票是以补贴价分发的）。

　　Nobody in the hall gave a damn about whether the gymnasts were black, brown, white or blue; they shrieked⁸ with pleasure in a colour-blind way.

　　没人在乎这些体操运动员的肤色是黑色、棕色、白色或者任何什么颜色；他们高兴地尖叫，对不同的肤色一视同仁。

　　This was an America united, not divided by racial slurs⁹ or anger.

　　这是一个团结的美国，没有被种族主义诋毁或者怒火撕裂。

　　Better still, for a blissful few hours, that gym mat even drowned out gender¹⁰ battles.

　　更棒的是，在快乐的几个小时中，体操垫也让性别之争湮没无声。

　　Like many parents in America, I have spent the past few months wondering how to raise young girls to feel strong and confident in a political culture that has become infused with rows about sexism, sexual harassment¹¹ and feminism.

　　像很多美国的父母一样，过去几个月我一直在思考如何抚养年幼的女儿们，让她们能够在当前这种充斥着有关性别歧视、性骚扰和女权主义的纷扰的政治文化下自强自信。

　　Should you stop kids watching TV in case they hear vulgar language?

　　是否应该不让孩子看电视，以免他们听到粗俗的语言？

　　(As I did for the second political debate.) Or should you, instead, talk openly about sexual harassment? (As I have tried to do.)

　　（在第二场总统候选人电视辩论的时候，我就是这么干的。）或者，你是不是应该公开谈论性骚扰？（我尝试这么做了。）

　　And even if you can sidestep the political cycle, what do you do about all the other appalling¹² images that bombard girls today on social media, such as vapid¹³ YouTube stars or pouting¹⁴, hyper-sexualised icons¹⁵ like Rihanna and Miley Cyrus?

　　就算你能绕开政治周期，对于现在社交媒体上铺天盖地涌向女孩子的令人惊骇的图片，你又能做些什么呢？比如那些乏味的YouTube明星，或者像蕾哈娜(Rihanna)和麦莉.赛勒斯(Miley Cyrus)那样撅着双唇的超级性感的偶像？

　　There are no easy answers.

　　对此，没有简单的答案。

　　But, as I watched those five gymnasts twirl on the mat, I realised that they offer a refreshing¹⁶ counterpoint.

　　但是，当我看着那5个体操运动员在体操垫上旋转的时候，我意识到她们提供了一个令人耳目一新的对比。

　　Are they wholesome¹⁷? Yes, as far as anyone can tell.

　　她们是不是健康正派？是的，至少在观众眼里是如此。

　　Do they demonstrate discipline and ambition? Undoubtedly¹⁸: if you want to teach a kid about triumph in the face of adversity, Biles’s life story is a good place to start: she overcame the challenges of a very tough childhood to win five Olympic medals.

　　她们是否展现出自律和雄心？毫无疑问：如果你想要教一个孩子战胜逆境，拜尔斯的人生故事是一个好的开始：她克服了一个非常艰难的童年带来的挑战，赢得了5枚奥运奖牌。

　　Do the Final Five create a positive body image? Surprisingly, yes.

　　终极五人组是否创建了一个正面的身材形象？令人惊讶的是，答案是肯定的。

　　When I was growing up, many female gymnasts seemed to be emaciated¹⁹ waifs.

　　在我长大的年代，许多女性体操运动员看起来像是瘦弱的流浪儿童。

　　But the US Olympic women’s team has all types of builds, and each of them seems utterly²⁰ comfortable in her own skin, projecting an image of strength and confidence.

　　但美国奥运女子体操队的成员们有各种各样的体型，每一个人都轻松自在，展现出力量和自信。

　　Or, as my daughters declared on our way home after the show: They are awesome²¹, awesome, awesome! Every other family around us in the subway carriage seemed to agree.

　　或者，就像表演结束后，我的女儿们在回家的路上说的：她们棒极了，棒极了，棒极了！在地铁车厢里，我们周围的其他每一个家庭似乎都认同这一点。

　　Of course, some readers may point out that sport is not real life; they might also observe that it’s easier to create this harmonious²² blend in relatively²³ privileged corners of the US, such as New York.

　　当然，一些读者可能会指出，体育不是现实生活；他们或许还会指出，在美国的一些相对优越的地方，比如纽约，更容易营造这种和谐的融合。

　　Perhaps so.

　　或许如此。

　　But the reason I am sharing this experience is this: at a time when so much poison is swirling²⁴ around the political landscape — and pundits everywhere are wailing²⁵ about uncertainty²⁶ in the US — we also need to celebrate the parts of our cultural life that are truly great, at least in terms of upholding the American spirit.

　　但我分享这段经历的原因是：在现在这个政治生态被如此之多的毒药围绕的时期，在各路评论人士都在哀叹美国的不确定性的时期，我们也需要欢呼我们的文化生活中真正伟大的那些部分，至少从弘扬美国精神的角度上是这样。

　　When we finally got home, I was quietly thrilled to see my daughters put a poster of the Final Five above their beds.

　　我们终于到家后，看到女儿们把一张终极五人组的海报挂在床头，我暗自感到振奋。

　　To them, this is merely an expression of hero(ine) worship.

　　对她们来说，这只不过是对（女）英雄崇拜的一种表达。

　　To me, it seems like a little talisman²⁷ to ward²⁸ off a wave of sexism, racism²⁹ and hate.

　　对我来说，这就像是一个能够抵御性别歧视、种族主义和仇恨的小小护身符。

　　Perhaps we should send Donald Trump down to the gym mat too; if nothing else, it might force him to ponder a better vision of the mighty³⁰ US of A.

　　或许我们应该让唐纳德.特朗普(Donald Trump)也到体操垫上；即使没有其他作用，那或许能够迫使他思考一个强大的美利坚合众国的更美好愿景。

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 pundits   

n.某一学科的权威，专家( pundit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pundits disagree on the best way of dealing with the problem. 如何妥善处理这一问题，专家众说纷纭。 来自辞典例句
• That did not stop Chinese pundits from making a fuss over it. 这并没有阻止中国的博学之士对此大惊小怪。 来自互联网

3 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

4 exuberant   

adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的

参考例句：

• Hothouse plants do not possess exuberant vitality.在温室里培养出来的东西，不会有强大的生命力。
• All those mother trees in the garden are exuberant.果园里的那些母树都长得十分茂盛。

5 contortions   

n.扭歪，弯曲；扭曲，弄歪，歪曲( contortion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Trimeris' compound, called T-20, blocks the final structural contortions from taking place. T-20是特里米瑞斯公司生产的化合物。它能阻止分子最终结构折叠的发生。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 癌症与艾滋病
• The guard was laughing at his contortions. 那个警卫看到他那难受劲儿感到好笑。 来自英汉文学

6 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

7 boroughs   

（尤指大伦敦的）行政区( borough的名词复数 )； 议会中有代表的市镇

参考例句：

• London is made up of 32 boroughs. 伦敦由三十二个行政区组成。
• Brooklyn is one of the five boroughs of New York City. 布鲁克林区是纽约市的五个行政区之一。

8 shrieked   

v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
• Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫，陆子潇尖声叫：“告诉什么？ 来自汉英文学 - 围城

9 slurs   

含糊的发音( slur的名词复数 )； 玷污； 连奏线； 连唱线

参考例句：

• One should keep one's reputation free from all slurs. 人应该保持名誉不受责备。
• Racial slurs, racial jokes, all having to do with being Asian. 种族主义辱骂，种族笑话，都是跟亚裔有关的。

10 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

11 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

12 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

13 vapid   

adj.无味的；无生气的

参考例句：

• She made a vapid comment about the weather.她对天气作了一番平淡无奇的评论。
• He did the same thing year by year and found life vapid.他每年做着同样的事，觉得生活索然无味。

14 pouting   

v.撅（嘴）( pout的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The child sat there pouting. 那孩子坐在那儿，一副不高兴的样子。 来自辞典例句
• She was almost pouting at his hesitation. 她几乎要为他这种犹犹豫豫的态度不高兴了。 来自辞典例句

15 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

16 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

17 wholesome   

adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的

参考例句：

• In actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.实际上我喜欢做的事大都是有助于增进身体健康的。
• It is not wholesome to eat without washing your hands.不洗手吃饭是不卫生的。

18 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

19 emaciated   

adj.衰弱的，消瘦的

参考例句：

• A long time illness made him sallow and emaciated.长期患病使他面黄肌瘦。
• In the light of a single candle,she can see his emaciated face.借着烛光，她能看到他的被憔悴的面孔。

20 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

21 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

22 harmonious   

adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的

参考例句：

• Their harmonious relationship resulted in part from their similar goals.他们关系融洽的部分原因是他们有着相似的目标。
• The room was painted in harmonious colors.房间油漆得色彩调和。

23 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

24 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

25 wailing   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱

参考例句：

• A police car raced past with its siren wailing. 一辆警车鸣着警报器飞驰而过。
• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。

26 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

27 talisman   

n.避邪物，护身符

参考例句：

• It was like a talisman worn in bosom.它就象佩在胸前的护身符一样。
• Dress was the one unfailling talisman and charm used for keeping all things in their places.冠是当作保持品位和秩序的一种万应灵符。

28 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

29 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

30 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。