【趣谈英语】花样滑冰选手不会眩晕吗？-Figure Skaters Do Get Dizzy

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

 

upright: in a vertical¹ position

conceal²: hide

rotation³: a complete turn around

fixate: to stare at one thing

orient: to find one’s place

interlude: a small break from a routine

tolerance⁴: an ability to withstand something after repeated exposure or experience

second nature: something that is learned but seems natural because it has been done so many times

 

Figure Skaters Do Get Dizzy

Have you ever wondered how figure skaters spin so many times without getting dizzy? Figure skaters do experience dizziness, but they have a few different ways to conceal their feeling, and to stay upright after their rotations⁵. One trick is to blur⁶ their eyes. Unlike dancers who fixate on something (spotting) while spinning, skaters spin much faster and train their eyes to go out of focus to avoid dizziness. They do fixate on a specific spot after they come out of a spin to help orient themselves in the rink. Skaters often plan a little dance move after a long spin. This brief interlude allows them to regain⁷ their balance. They also build up a tolerance over time. Beginner figure skaters are taught to ignore the feeling of dizziness. They tell themselves they won’t fall down, and eventually spinning becomes second nature.

1 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。

2 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

3 rotation   

n.旋转；循环，轮流

参考例句：

• Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
• The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。

4 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

5 rotations   

旋转( rotation的名词复数 )； 转动； 轮流； 轮换

参考例句：

• Farmers traditionally used long-term rotations of hay, pasture, and corn. 农民以往长期实行干草、牧草和玉米轮作。
• The crankshaft makes three rotations for each rotation of the rotor. 转子每转一周，曲轴转3周。

6 blur   

n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚

参考例句：

• The houses appeared as a blur in the mist.房子在薄雾中隐隐约约看不清。
• If you move your eyes and your head,the picture will blur.如果你的眼睛或头动了，图像就会变得模糊不清。

7 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。