环球英语 — 440：The Joy of Running

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I'm Marina Santee. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
The men run quickly. They seem to fly down the path. They run as if they are a single body. Each man wears a colourful shirt and a white cloth around his waist². They run around rocks, up hills, and over mountains. These are the Tarahumara, a native people from Mexico. The name Tarahumara means³: the running people.
Voice 2
Today's Spotlight is on the Tarahumara. There are three things people notice about the Tarahumara. First, they are very fast. Second, while most people wear running shoes, the Tarahumara wear no shoes. Third, while most people think of running as hard work, the Tarahumara run with joy, laughing and smiling.
Voice 1
Christopher McDougall was a writer and a runner. But he was not feeling any joy when he ran. Every time he ran, he felt pain in his foot. He went to doctors. He bought costly⁴ shoes. Nothing helped. Christopher enjoyed running but he was ready to stop. Then, he discovered something that made him think.
Voice 2
Christopher discovered that every year, 65-80% of all runners experience some kind of injury. These injuries are in the feet, legs, or back. This did not make sense. Most people ran in costly running shoes. So why were they still getting hurt? Then he learned⁵ about the Tarahumara people.
Voice 1
The Tarahumara people can run hundreds of miles at a time. A Tarahumara runner only wears thin sandals on the bottom of his feet. They do not follow a training plan. They do not eat special foods. In fact, before a run they normally⁶ drink homemade corn-alcohol. They do almost everything different from the best runners in the world. Still, they can run faster and longer than these other runners. And they rarely⁷ get hurt. How can this be? Christopher McDougall set off to Mexico to find the answer.
Voice 2
The Tarahumara live in the Copper⁸ Canyon⁹, in Mexico. Hundreds of years ago, armies from Europe came to Mexico. Instead of fighting the Europeans, the Tarahumara ran away. They have been running ever since. Their life is not easy, because the Copper Canyon is not an easy place to live.
Voice 1
The Copper Canyon is a wild land. There are tall mountains and dangerous paths. The land is full of snakes and large cats that can eat people. It is very difficult to get in and out of the Copper Canyon. So drug dealers¹⁰ grow marijuana plants there. But the Tarahumara continue to live here. They grow much of their own food. They live in simple homes. And they can still run like the wind.
Voice 2
It was difficult for Christopher to find the Tarahumara. When he did, he sat down with a great Tarahumara runner and started asking questions. But the runner did not say much. This was because he did not know Christopher. He did not trust Christopher. But he heard of another man who could help him. The local people called him ‘The White Horse.'
Voice 1
The man called the White Horse was similar to Christopher. He had lived in the United¹¹ States but he had been injured¹² from running. He met some Tarahumara runners at a one hundred mile mountain race. He was amazed¹³ by the Tarahumara joy of running. So he left his old life and moved into the Copper Canyon. There, he made a home out of rocks and began living and running like the Tarahumara.
Voice 2
The man's real name was Micah. At first, he was not sure he could trust Christopher. Many people have tried to take advantage of the Tarahumara. But Micah needed Christopher just as much as Christopher needed Micah.
Voice 1
Over the past few years, the Tarahumara had experienced¹⁴ some serious problems. The government built new roads into the Copper Canyons¹⁵. The road was changing the Tarahumara way of life. The Tarahumara did not want the road. The only people who wanted the road were the drug dealers. Micah wanted to let people know about this. But he was looking for someone who could write; someone with experience as a news reporter. He was looking for someone like Christopher.
Voice 2
Micah told Christopher how to run better. He told Christopher that the pain in his foot was probably caused by his costly running shoes. The shoes were doing the work of his feet. This made his feet weak. Lose the shoes, Micah said, and your feet will get strong again.
Voice 1
But Micah also told Christopher about the Tarahumara. He told him how the Tarahumara hunt. They run after an animal until the animal cannot run any more. He told him that the Tarahumara run everywhere. He also told Christopher about how he was trying to have a race between the top runners from the United States and the top Tarahumara runners. Micah thought this would raise understanding of the problems of the Tarahumara. But he needed Christopher's help.
Voice 2
Christopher returned to the United States. He began making telephone calls and sending e-mails. He found several runners who wanted to race. He even got Scott Jurek. Many people consider Scott to be the best distance runner in the world.
Voice 1
The race was a fifty mile run through the Copper Canyons. There were no prizes. There were no news cameras. There were eight Americans and twelve Tarahumara runners. The people from the Tarahumara towns all came to cheer and offer water. There was music and dancing. It was one big party.
Voice 2
But once the race began, things got serious. Running fifty miles can take from six to twelve hours. All day long they ran along the dirt paths. Scott Jurek led, but the team work of the Tarahumara permitted¹⁶ them to pass him. The temperature got hotter and hotter. The runners began to spread out. If they were not careful, they could get lost in the wilderness¹⁷ or not have enough water.
Voice 1
Micah was so excited that he stopped running and went to the finish line. He wanted to see the finish. He thought he had plenty of time. There was no way anyone could run so fast. But as he came to the finish he saw a cloud of dust in the distance. But who was it? It was Arnulfo, one of the Tarahumara runners! But right behind him was Scott Jurek! Both men ran faster and faster. As Arnulfo crossed the line, the crowd went wild. When Scott crossed the line, he walked over to Arnulfo and bowed. He knew a great runner when he saw one.
Voice 2
On his personal website, Micah says this about the race:
Voice 3
"During the 13 hours together on the path, the runners became close. They shared stories. It was a beautiful cultural exchange between running people. During the five days together, all of the runners and towns-people became united in beauty, truth and peace. Twenty runners would start the race, but all would be winners."
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 waist   

n.腰，腰部，腰身，背心

参考例句：

• The coat is a bit tight at the waist.这件上衣腰身瘦了点。
• The sound is from the waist of a violin.声音是从小提琴的中间部分发出的。

3 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

6 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

7 rarely   

adv.很少，难得；非常地，非凡地

参考例句：

• Such fish is rarely met with in the north country.这种鱼在北方难得看到。
• He rarely comes here anymore.现在他难得来这儿了。

8 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

9 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

10 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

11 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

12 injured   

adj.受伤的

参考例句：

• Our best defender is injured and won't be able to play today.我们最佳的防守员受伤了，今天不能参加比赛。
• The injured men have been dug out of the snow.受伤人员从雪中被挖了出来。

13 amazed   

adj.吃惊的，惊奇的v.使大为吃惊，使惊奇( amaze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Just the size of the place amazed her. 仅仅地方之大就使她十分惊奇。
• I was amazed at her knowledge of French literature. 她的法国文学知识之丰富使我大为惊奇。

14 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

15 canyons   

n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This mountain range has many high peaks and deep canyons. 这条山脉有许多高峰和深谷。 来自辞典例句
• Do you use canyons or do we preserve them all? 是使用峡谷呢还是全封闭保存？ 来自互联网

16 permitted   

允许( permit的过去式和过去分词 )； 许可； 许用

参考例句：

• Radios are not permitted in the library. 图书馆内不许使用收音机。
• Entrance is permitted only on production of a ticket. 出示门票才可进入。

17 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。