经济学人:不平等与运动健身 流汗成为精英现象

 　　United States: Inequality and exercise Spin to separate

　　美国：不平等与运动健身，分道扬镳

　　Sweating on purpose is becoming an elite¹ phenomenon.

　　有意流汗成为精英现象。

　　In a darkened room at the edge of downtown Washington, DC, electronic music pulses over the speakers as a crowd of mostly sweaty young women bop up and down.

　　在华盛顿特区市中心的边缘，幽暗的房间里电子音乐冲击着扬声器，一大群汗流浃背的女孩随音乐起起伏伏地跳着。

　　Candles burn at the front and inspirational slogans cover the walls.

　　前面点着蜡烛，墙上挂着励志标语。

　　Sadly, this is not a drug-fuelled rave², but rather a mid-afternoon spin class.

　　悲哀的是，它不是一场药物刺激下的狂欢，而是斯宾课（spin class）的下午场。

　　It is run by Soul Cycle, which promotes the idea that riding an exercise bike to loud music is akin³ to entering a “soul sanctuary”.

　　这是一节由SoulCycle开办的动感单车课程，他推广的运营理念是在激烈音乐下骑行，就好比参加了次“灵魂救赎营”集训。

　　The experience, which also involves awkwardly lifting weights while cycling, costs about $35 for 45 minutes.

　　一节课程45分钟，骑车同时可能还需要做一些笨拙地拉举动作，单次收费在35美元。

　　This does not deter⁴ its well-heeled customers: “Some of the women pay a lot of money to go here”, says a staff member, her eyebrows⁵ raised.

　　这并不妨碍它的富有客户纷纷加入，一位工作人员扬着眉毛说“有些女人花很多钱来这里”。

　　The recession of 2008 damaged many industries. One which emerged remarkably⁶ unscathed was exercise.

　　2008年的经济危机使很多行业陷入衰退。其中一个出现的健身行业竟然毫发无损。

　　According to figures from the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, an industry group, gym members now number 54m, up from 45m in 2009.

　　根据行业组织国际健康及运动俱乐部协会的数据，健身俱乐部会员现已达到5400万，超出2009年的4500万。

　　Twice as many Americans subscribe⁷ to gyms as in the mid-1990s. Yet the population has not got visibly healthier.

　　这是90年代中期美国人报名参加健身俱乐部的两倍。然而民众的健康并未明显改善。

　　According to the Centres for Disease Control, a government agency, in 2013 a quarter of adults engaged in no leisure-time physical activity at all beyond the bedroom.

　　根据政府管理的疾病控制中心的数据，2013年1/4的成人除了卧室内性生活外，根本不参加任何健身锻炼。

　　Between 2001 and 2012, the age-adjusted proportion of the population who are obese⁸ or extremely obese grew from 36% to 41%.

　　2001-2012年期间，肥胖或极度肥胖人口的比例从36%上升到41%。

　　That increase has slowed of late, but it has not yet reversed.

　　这一增长已经放缓，但趋势尚未扭转。

　　The explanation of this paradox⁹ lies in who is doing the exercising.

　　关于谁在做运动的统计解释了这个矛盾的现象。

　　Where once “prosperous” was a synonym¹⁰ for overweight, being fit (and thin with it) is a marker of status.

　　“丰满”一度是超重的代名词，保持健美（或瘦）是身份的标志。

　　Outposts of Soul Cycle are to be found in the Hamptons and Westchester County in New York.

　　Soul Cycle的动感单车起源于纽约的汉普顿和威彻斯特。

　　In such places small gyms, yoga studios and the like, which make their money from hosting classes rather than through membership fees, proliferate¹¹.

　　在这些地区，小型的健身房和瑜伽馆数量激增，他们不收取会员费，而按课时收费。

　　They advertise fitness as something close to religion.

　　他们将健身宣传得近乎信仰。

　　At CrossFit, which describes itself as a “word and a phenomenon”, though it mostly involves weightlifting, customers are described as “athletes”.

　　健身房CrossFit标榜自己是“流行词（CrossFit）和趋向“，虽然它主要是举重，客户被描述为“运动员”。

　　Exercise is not quite yet a luxury good, but it may be getting that way.

　　健身并非奢侈品，但它可能正在变得奢侈。

　　1.at the edge of 在...边缘

　　例句:He came to a halt at the edge of a steep incline.

　　他在一个陡坡边上停住了。

　　2.luxury good 奢侈品

　　例句:The French luxury good company Hermes recently opened a boutique in Shanghai.

　　法国奢侈品大亨爱马仕最近在上海开了一家店。

　　3.membership fees 会员费

　　例句:I've joined a tennis club, and have to pay pretty high membership fees.

　　我加入了一家网球俱乐部，得付相当高的会费。

　　4.a quarter of 四分之一的

　　例句:He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate¹².

　　他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

1 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

2 rave   

vi.胡言乱语；热衷谈论；n.热情赞扬

参考例句：

• The drunkard began to rave again.这酒鬼又开始胡言乱语了。
• Now I understand why readers rave about this book.我现明白读者为何对这本书赞不绝口了。

3 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

4 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

5 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

6 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

7 subscribe   

vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助

参考例句：

• I heartily subscribe to that sentiment.我十分赞同那个观点。
• The magazine is trying to get more readers to subscribe.该杂志正大力发展新订户。

8 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

9 paradox   

n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物)

参考例句：

• The story contains many levels of paradox.这个故事存在多重悖论。
• The paradox is that Japan does need serious education reform.矛盾的地方是日本确实需要教育改革。

10 synonym   

n.同义词，换喻词

参考例句：

• Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
• The term 'industrial democracy' is often used as a synonym for worker participation. “工业民主”这个词常被用作“工人参与”的同义词。

11 proliferate   

vi.激增，(迅速)繁殖，增生

参考例句：

• We must not proliferate nuclear arms.我们决不能扩散核武器。
• Rabbits proliferate when they have plenty of food.兔子有充足的食物就会繁衍得很快。

12 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。