VOA常速英语2013--埃及年轻人参与极限运动-跑酷

 

Young Egyptians Defy¹ Politics, Weather to Practice Parkour 埃及年轻人参与极限运动-跑酷

CAIRO — A law recently passed in Egypt makes it illegal for groups of more than 10 people to gather. However, every Friday a group of young men meets on the outskirts²  of Cairo, not to protest, but to practice a sport called Parkour that is sweeping³ the country.

埃及***。但是每到星期五一群年轻男子就聚集在首都开罗郊外，他们不是到那里**而是参与一种在埃及风行一时的一种极限运动。

It’s Friday morning in the suburbs of Cairo. A dozen young men meet to practice Parkour, the urban gymnastics craze that’s swept the world.

这是开罗郊外的一个星期五早晨。十几个年轻男子聚集在练习跑酷(Parkour)极限运动。

Come rain or shine, the group called PKE - or Parkour Egypt - meets every week to work on moves.

不管刮风下雨，这个叫做PKE-也就是埃及跑酷的团体每个星期都要在这里训练。

The few onlookers⁴ seem impressed, although Ahmed Nasser Saif says they're not always appreciated.

看热闹的人似乎很欣赏他们的动作。不过团队成员阿赫迈.那萨尔.萨义夫说并不是每个人都赞赏他们：

“They call me crazy man or they don’t know what I do. So I’m strange for that life. Why I run? Why I climb some buildings?” – said Nasser Saif.

“人们觉得我是个疯子或者根本不懂我在做什么。我为什么要奔跑? 我为什么要爬高楼? ”

But the sport may have advantages in today’s Egypt where crime is on the rise. Some of these men say they've used Parkour to chase down criminals.

不过这项运动在今天犯罪率上升的埃及有它的优势。有的人运用跑酷来赶跑罪犯。

Mustafa Kosha, one of the coaches, says he nabbed a pickpocket⁵ a few months ago.

跑酷教练穆斯塔法.科沙说几个月前他曾经抓到过一个小偷：

“A guy stole something from a girl and he ran. We ran after him. Because of Parkour we could choose the shortest way to run. He was moving behind the cars. We jumped  over the cars. We can do anything like that. So we caught [him] and he’s in a police station right now,” said Kosha.

“一个家伙偷了一个女孩的东西以后逃跑。我们练跑酷的人可以选择捷径来追他。这家伙在汽车后面跑，我们可以越过汽车追上个这个小偷，这家伙现在被关在警察站呢。”

Parkour has also been useful for Egypt's film and TV industry. Companies like Mobinil and Jeep use it for stunts⁶ in their commercials.

跑酷也出现在埃及影视作品中。埃及移动通讯公司Mobinil和吉普车公司还用跑酷为产品做广告。

As with all sports, Parkour builds self-confidence, says Ahmed Mohammed Munir.

跑酷爱好者阿赫麦德.默罕默德.穆尼尔说，和其它体育活动一样，跑酷让人建立自信：

“Parkour gives me a very big self-confidence. I can jump. I can go. I can run. So this give me very high self-confidence,” said Munir.

“跑酷给了我很大的自信。我可以跳跃，我可以走步，可以奔跑。我现在非常自信。”

But, in a country where the streets are better known for tear gas and battles than gymnastics, Parkour, said coach Kosha, encourages camaraderie⁷.

在埃及这个街头常常动用催泪弹和发生街头暴力的国家，据说跑酷有助于培养友爱精神。

“Parkour brings people together. I saw people, they are now my best friends. We go out together. We train together. It’s a different lifestyle. I love Parkour  because of that,” said Kosha.

教练科沙说：“跑酷把人们带到一起。我在这里遇到的一些人已经成为我最好的朋友。我们一起活动一起训练。这是一种特别的生活方式。正因为如此我热爱跑酷。”

As Egypt continues to fracture⁸, nothing stops these young men from training. Not divisive politics, nor bad weather.

虽然埃及仍继续动荡不安，但不管是分裂的**还是恶劣的天气都不能阻止这些年轻人聚集在一起练习他们热衷的跑酷运动。

1 defy   

vt.（公然）藐视，使成为不可能，挑，激

参考例句：

• If you defy the law,you may find yourself in prison.如果你不服从法律，你就可能会坐牢。
• Criminals defy the law.罪犯无视法律。

2 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

3 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？

4 onlookers   

n.旁观者，观看者( onlooker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene of the crash. 在撞车地点聚集了一大群围观者。
• The onlookers stood at a respectful distance. 旁观者站在一定的距离之外，以示尊敬。

5 pickpocket   

n.扒手；v.扒窃

参考例句：

• The pickpocket pinched her purse and ran away.扒手偷了她的皮夹子跑了。
• He had his purse stolen by a pickpocket.他的钱包被掏了。

6 stunts   

n.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 )；（广告中）引人注目的花招；愚蠢行为；危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长]，抑制，妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He did all his own stunts. 所有特技都是他自己演的。
• The plane did a few stunts before landing. 飞机着陆前做了一些特技。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 camaraderie   

n.同志之爱，友情

参考例句：

• The camaraderie among fellow employees made the tedious work just bearable.同事之间的情谊使枯燥乏味的工作变得还能忍受。
• Some bosses are formal and have occasional interactions,while others prefer continual camaraderie.有些老板很刻板，偶尔才和下属互动一下；有些则喜欢和下属打成一片。

8 fracture   

v.（使）断裂，（使）折断；n.裂缝，裂痕，折断

参考例句：

• Perhaps there is a fracture in the water pipe.也许水管有裂缝了。
• A doctor can reduce a fracture or dislocation.医生能使骨折或脱臼复位。