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Chinese Women Turn to Skateboarding to Lower COVID Tension

时间:2022-07-21 02:08:10

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(单词翻译)

Chinese Women Turn to Skateboarding to Lower COVID Tension

Some women in China are finding out they do not have to be skilled like 15-year-old Olympic champion Nishiya Momiji of Japan to enjoy skateboarding.

There is a version of skateboarding called surfskating that is a little easier for older people to learn.

The city sport is giving women, like 40-year-old Mina Zhao, some time off from their COVID-19 worries.

Easing COVID tensions

Zhao said she felt "cooped up" by Beijing's recent COVID-19 restrictions1. The measures closed exercise centers like gyms and parks. But she discovered surfskating on social media and decided2 to give it a try.

She learned by going to a free lesson near Beijing's famous Water Cube swimming stadium in May. At that time, the lessons had about 12 people. Now almost 100 come each week to learn from the teacher, a professional dancer named Duo Lan.

Zhao even brings her husband and son.

She said skateboarding "is having a positive effect" on her life. She said she has lost some weight and is not feeling as bad about how COVID restrictions may hurt her child's education.

Zhao said she feels good about herself now and she feels better spending more time away from home. She even changed her hair color. It is now lighter3 than her natural color.

She said the sport helps her feel comfortable being herself.

Sometimes, when she is feeling worried, she even uses the skateboard inside her home.

Surfskating also got attention partly because of the "buzz4" snow sports, like snowboarding, got at the Beijing Winter Olympics earlier this year. Many people say surfskating feels like snowboarding. But skaters can make slow, wide turns without having to worry about hills or snow.

‘You feel so free'

Chen Yanni, 29, is another woman who tried surfskating this year and feels more calm.

"You feel so free," she said.

Yanni also found out about the sport on social media.

She said although she is getting close to 30, the sport makes her feel young. "I love this feeling," she said. "It's like being a teenager again."

One Chinese search engine said the number of people looking for the term "land surfboard" rose by 50 times in June compared to the year before.

JD.com is an online seller based in Beijing. It said sales of surfskateboards went up by 80 percent in June compared to the same month in 2021.

Burning Ice is a skateboard store with five shops in Beijing. A store supervisor5, who did not want his name to be used, said the shops have had a 300 percent sales increase this year compared to the year before.

Skateboards and surfskateboards cost between $60 and $600. They make up 50 percent of the rise in sales. And women are the buyers 70 percent of the time.

Some women said they took up skating when they found out they would not be able to travel because of COVD-19. Thirty-four-year-old Yoyo works in business but likes to dive and surf when she goes to the beach.

She said skating makes her feel "that I have returned to the beach."

And she added, "It is hot in the summer but I have the wind in my hair and I feel free."

Words in This Story

cooped up – v. (phrasal) to keep (a person or animal) inside a building or in a small space especially for a long period of time

stadium – n. a very large usually roofless building that has a large open area surrounded by many seats and that is used for sports or music events

lesson –n. an activity that you do in order to learn something

comfortable – adj. a feeling without worries and of physical ease

buzz – n. (informal) the things that are being said about something especially by the public or people in general


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 restrictions 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf     
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
参考例句:
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
2 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
3 lighter 5pPzPR     
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级
参考例句:
  • The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色,色调明朗了一些。
  • The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。
4 buzz aSiyO     
v.充满了激动或活动的声音,发出低沉的声音
参考例句:
  • My brain was in buzz.我的脑袋嗡嗡响。
  • A buzz went through the crowded courtroom.拥挤的法庭里响起了一片乱哄哄的说话声。
5 supervisor RrZwv     
n.监督人,管理人,检查员,督学,主管,导师
参考例句:
  • Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说,我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
  • He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

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