英语听力—环球英语 665 The Greatest Race

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
“As I walk toward² the mountain, I try to find out what has gone wrong. This does not help. I am in good shape. I have not run too fast. I ate and drank fluids³. Normally⁴, I am great at knowing what my body can do. But today I have lost all desire. I do not have foot blisters⁵, legs cramps⁶, painful knees, or any usual running problems. But my brain has gone away. It will not tell my legs to get going. I can not explain this. I am only reporting.”
Voice 1
These words are written by Amby Burfoot as he tries to complete the Comrades⁷ Marathon. Many people consider this race to be the greatest running race in the world. It is a race with a rich history. It has special and fun traditions. But the Comrades Marathon is not only about professional runners. The Comrades Marathon celebrates normal people doing something amazing.
Voice 2
Vic Clapham saw pain, death, and struggle during World War One. From 1914 to 1918 he served in the South African Infantry⁸. Many people think World War I happened only in Europe. But there was fighting in places like South Africa as well.
Voice 1
Clapham saw a lot of suffering, but he also saw men come together and support each other. He was amazed⁹ by how the soldiers dealt with such difficult conditions. When the war ended, Clapham wanted to honor¹⁰ all the men who died. But he did not want to build a statue. He wanted something where people could test themselves - something to test their courage.
Voice 2
He decided¹¹ to hold a race. It would be a 56 mile run from the city of Pietermaritzburg to the city of Durban. He would be honouring the men he fought with. So, he called it the Comrades Marathon.
Voice 1
At first he had trouble. His supporters thought that the distance was too long and too difficult. Clapham disagreed. His comrades had been normal people. They had carried heavy equipment and marched all over Africa. Because of this experience, he believed that trained athletes could run 56 miles. So the first Comrades Marathon was held on May 24, 1921. There were only 34 runners.
Voice 2
The Comrades has been run every year since then, except during World War II. Over time it has become more and more popular. Today, the Comrades usually limit the number of entries. For the 2010 Comrades the field of runners had to be limited to 15,000.
Voice 1
Part of its popularity¹² is the traditions that set Comrades above other races. First there is the distance. 56 miles is longer than two marathons! Running a marathon is amazing. Running two together? That’s something special.
Voice 2
Most races run the same direction every year, but not Comrades. One year it goes from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Then the next year it goes the other way, from Durban back to Pietermaritzburg. This almost makes it two races in one. You can run Comrades twice and have a different experience each time.
Voice 1
Also, there are different coloured race numbers, or bibs. If you finish nine Comrades you get a special yellow bib. If you finish more than ten, then you get a green bib. The number on this bib becomes yours forever. No one else will ever get that number. You have earned it.
Voice 2
Finally, there is the twelve hour ending. When the clock gets close to twelve hours, the race director walks to the finish line. He stands with his back to the runners and watches the clock. As the time gets closer, the crowd goes wild. They cheer people to run faster. Runners who are close must push themselves to finish in time. There are no excuses. Twelve hours after the race began the race director fires a gun into the air. The Comrades is over. Those who finish in twelve hours and one second will get nothing. No medal. No recognition¹³. No record of their effort. However, writer Amby Burfoot writes:
Voice 3
“There is some thing for the first non-finisher. He or she becomes an immediate¹⁴ hero. She is on television and on the front of every newspaper. To many South Africans, the Comrades runner who goes all that distance, for nothing, is more of a symbol, than the winner. That is another great tradition. It is one I think we all can accept, even if we are not sure what it means.”
Voice 1
South Africa used to be governed by the laws of Apartheid. Apartheid laws segregated¹⁵, or separated, the people with black skin from people with white skin. It was illegal for a person to marry someone with another skin color. Apartheid laws favored the white race. Life for non-white South Africans was very difficult under Apartheid.
Voice 2
In these conditions, the director of the Comrades Marathon wanted to make the race an international event. So in 1975 the Comrades Marathon changed its rules. Women could run with men. Black people could run with white people. Young people could run with old people. In a few years, many more black and female¹⁶ runners were running the Comrades Marathon. This was twenty years BEFORE the end of the Apartheid laws.
Voice 1
Is the Comrades Marathon the greatest foot race in the world? There are strong reasons to think so. The strongest reason is that Comrades is about something more than running - especially for South Africans. Writer Jacob Dlamini explains:
Voice 4
“The Comrades is a way to tell the history of modern South Africa. Comrades tells us a lot about who we are and what we are able to do. It is a race started as a celebration of human ability. But it limited that celebration to only a few until the 1970s. Now it is a race that shows the best of what South Africa has to offer. By doing that, it permits South Africans to compete against the very best in the world. More importantly, the Comrades puts such mental and physical demands on its runners that differences of race, ethnicity, gender¹⁷ and class are meaningless. The hills of Comrades do not care how much money you have, what kind of hair you have, or what language you speak.”
 

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 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

3 fluids   

n.液体，流体( fluid的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He is taking cold fluids. 他正在喝冷饮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• You can contract Aids if your bodily fluids come into contact with the bodily fluids of someone else who is infected with HIV. 如果你的体液与染有HIV者的体液接触，你就会染上艾滋病。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 blisters   

n.水疱( blister的名词复数 )；水肿；气泡

参考例句：

• My new shoes have made blisters on my heels. 我的新鞋把我的脚跟磨起泡了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His new shoes raised blisters on his feet. 他的新鞋把他的脚磨起了水疱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 cramps   

n. 抽筋, 腹部绞痛, 铁箍 adj. 狭窄的, 难解的 v. 使...抽筋, 以铁箍扣紧, 束缚

参考例句：

• If he cramps again let the line cut him off. 要是它再抽筋，就让这钓索把它勒断吧。
• "I have no cramps." he said. “我没抽筋，"他说。

7 comrades   

n.亲密的伙伴( comrade的名词复数 )；战友；朋友；同志

参考例句：

• They were old army comrades. 他们是部队的老战友。
• In conclusion she wished her comrades every success in their work. 最后她祝同志们工作顺利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 infantry   

n.[总称]步兵(部队)

参考例句：

• The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
• We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。

9 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。

10 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

11 decided   

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。

12 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

13 recognition   

n.承认，认可，认出，认识

参考例句：

• The place has changed beyond recognition.这地方变得认不出来了。
• A sudden smile of recognition flashed across his face.他脸上掠过一丝笑意，表示认识对方。

14 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

15 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

16 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

17 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。