VOA标准英语2009-Hula-Hooping Back as Exercise Fad

By Paige Kollock
New York City
16 November 2009

 
Hula-hooping is making a come-back as one of the latest exercise trends
It might have ended up as just another passing fitness fad² from the 1950s, but hula-hooping appears to have caught on and stuck. The initial appeal is that it's fun, but the hula hoop¹'s lasting³ value is that it is good for you.  Fitness experts say an hour of intense hooping can burn as many calories as an hour-long run on a treadmill⁴. The activity has gained thousands of followers⁵ worldwide. Classes in the US are typically offered in gyms and private studios, though enthusiasts⁶ often meet in public parks and recreation centers.

It's fun, it's healthy, it's cheap, and it's sweeping⁷ America as the latest fitness craze.

Although the exact origins of hula hoops⁸ are unknown, children and adults around the world have played with hoops -- twirling, rolling and throwing them -- throughout history. But here in New York City, adults are realizing the exercise benefits of hooping, which fitness experts say can burn up to 400 calories an hour.

First Lady Michelle Obama recently championed hula hooping as a form of exercise for kids, but hula hoop instructor⁹ KaytiBunny Roberts says its great for adults too. "It's cardio, but it's much less impact on your knees," she says, "and it's a full body workout, whereas running is like pound pound pound, so it's a lot less damage on your body."

Roberts says she started hooping about a year and a half ago. She says she used it as a kind of therapy after her house burned down and she lost all her possessions. Now, she says she'll never stop.

Ted¹⁰ Brancu is a fitness instructor who also teaches hula hoop classes. "I don't enjoy most sports, honestly, and hula hoop honestly feels more like dancing to me," Brancu said.

Classes like this one at a New York City fitness and recreation center teach students how to twirl the hoop, providing both upper and lower body exercise. Roberts even leaves time for a little improvisation¹¹.

Executive assistant Tiffany Lewis started hooping about a month ago, after a heel injury left her unable to do her normal biking and kickboxing routines.

"The more you get the moves down, the more sexy you can feel about it.  It's really a good conversation starter too, like people just see it and smile," Lewis said.

Graphite hoops like these sell for $30 - $40 each. But you don't necessarily need a class to learn, Roberts says there are tutorials on the Internet, or you can just get a hoop and teach yourself.

1 hoop   

n.（篮球）篮圈，篮

参考例句：

• The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。
• The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。

2 fad   

n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好

参考例句：

• His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
• A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。

3 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

4 treadmill   

n.踏车；单调的工作

参考例句：

• The treadmill has a heart rate monitor.跑步机上有个脉搏监视器。
• Drugs remove man from the treadmill of routine.药物可以使人摆脱日常单调的工作带来的疲劳。

5 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

6 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

7 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

8 hoops   

n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓

参考例句：

• a barrel bound with iron hoops 用铁箍箍紧的桶
• Hoops in Paris were wider this season and skirts were shorter. 在巴黎，这个季节的裙圈比较宽大，裙裾却短一些。 来自飘（部分）

9 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

10 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

11 improvisation   

n.即席演奏(或演唱)；即兴创作

参考例句：

• a free-form jazz improvisation 自由创作的爵士乐即兴演出
• Most of their music was spontaneous improvisation. 他们的大部分音乐作品都是即兴创作的。