听美文故事记6级单词09-06

6. Time Runs out for　World Records

World records in many athletic¹ events are peaking - and will not be broken unless athletes take drugs, say researchers.

　　The study, "Are there limits to running world records?", suggests faster times may prove elusive².

　　The current women''s 1500m record may never be broken, said Professor Alan Nevill, without fundamental changes to the genetic³ structure of human beings.

　　Prof Nevill says many running records are "already nearing their limits".

　　The paper, co-written by Professor Nevill at the University of Wolverhampton and Professor Greg Whyte from the English Institute of Sports, challenges previous scientific research that there was no limit to human performance and that women would eventually run as fast as men.

　　Professors Nevill and Whyte re-interpreted data of previous performances and concluded that records set to plateau (停滞期）.

　　"For the first time we have identified that there could be a limit to performance and that world records will not continue to rise," said Professor Nevill of the University of Wolverhampton.

　　"Many of the established men and women''s middle and long distance running records are already nearing their limits.

　　"The results, of course, assume that athletes in the future do not benefit from scientific engineering or drug use."

　　Professor Nevill told the BBC he did not envisage⁴ the current women''s record for the 1500m - held by Qu Yunxia of China - ever being broken.

　　This was one of the races won by Kelly Holmes at last year''s Athens Olympics in a time of 3:57.90, well below Qu Yunxia''s 3:50.46 set in Beijing in 1993.

　　But Professor Nevill stressed that the public would never lose interest in athletics⁵, even if new records were no longer set.

1 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

2 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

3 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

4 envisage   

v.想象，设想，展望，正视

参考例句：

• Nobody can envisage the consequences of total nuclear war.没有人能够想像全面核战争的后果。
• When do you envisage being able to pay me back?你看你什么时候能还我钱？

5 athletics   

n.运动，体育，田径运动

参考例句：

• When I was at school I was always hopeless at athletics.我上学的时候体育十分糟糕。
• Our team tied with theirs in athletics.在田径比赛中，我们队与他们队旗鼓相当。