英语听力：自然百科 日本相扑运动

 Six times a year, these giants battle each other for top placement in Japan's most beloved traditional sport--Sumo. Highly ritualized, the sport dates back more than a thousand years, originating as a rite¹ of the Shinto religion. Matches are a true window into an earlier era. Participants wear colorful Shinto garb². Stomping³ drives evil spirits from the ring, while tossing sacred salt appeases⁴ the Shinto gods before the ring is sallied by the wrestlers' presence.

 

What's surprising about Sumo is the sheer size of the wrestlers. A traditional diet that includes Chankonabe, a stew⁵ made from fatty meats, cabbage, eggs and bean sprouts⁶ helps them bulk up. Entering the ring, girth is advantageous⁷. The rules are simple: knock your opponent down or out of the ring. Wrestlers slam, slap and toss opponents into submission⁸. It usually lasts less than a minute.

 

Sumo wrestlers belong to stables which function like clubs and where they learn the finer points of Sumo from experienced mentors⁹. Each match is an opportunity for Sumo wrestlers to move up the complex ranking system or down.

 

At the top are the yokozuna or grand champions. In the ring they are distinguished¹⁰ by the large ropes around their waists. A match like this is a feast for the fans. But no matter what their rank, the stylized battle of these giants lies at the heart of Japanese tradition.

1 rite   

n.典礼，惯例，习俗

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
• Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。

2 garb   

n.服装，装束

参考例句：

• He wore the garb of a general.他身着将军的制服。
• Certain political,social,and legal forms reappear in seemingly different garb.一些政治、社会和法律的形式在表面不同的外衣下重复出现。

3 stomping   

v.跺脚，践踏，重踏( stomp的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He looked funny stomping round the dance floor. 他在舞池里跺着舞步，样子很可笑。 来自辞典例句
• Chelsea substitution Wright-Phillips for Robben. Wrighty back on his old stomping to a mixed reception. 77分–切尔西换人：赖特．菲利普斯入替罗本。小赖特在主场球迷混杂的欢迎下，重返他的老地方。 来自互联网

4 appeases   

安抚，抚慰( appease的第三人称单数 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争）

参考例句：

• Have tough-minded boy only, ability appeases billows, hoist the sails Yuan Hang. 只有意志坚强的小伙子，才能平息波澜，扬帆远航。
• Hong Kong white-collars when work often appeases hunger by between-meal snack. 香港白领在工作时就常以零食充饥。

5 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。

6 sprouts   

n.新芽，嫩枝( sprout的名词复数 )v.发芽( sprout的第三人称单数 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• The wheat sprouts grew perceptibly after the rain. 下了一场雨，麦苗立刻见长。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The sprouts have pushed up the earth. 嫩芽把土顶起来了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 advantageous   

adj.有利的；有帮助的

参考例句：

• Injections of vitamin C are obviously advantageous.注射维生素C显然是有利的。
• You're in a very advantageous position.你处于非常有利的地位。

8 submission   

n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出

参考例句：

• The defeated general showed his submission by giving up his sword.战败将军缴剑表示投降。
• No enemy can frighten us into submission.任何敌人的恐吓都不能使我们屈服。

9 mentors   

n.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的名词复数 )v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Beacham and McNamara, my two mentors, had both warned me. 我的两位忠实朋友，比彻姆和麦克纳马拉都曾经警告过我。 来自辞典例句
• These are the kinds of contacts that could evolve into mentors. 这些人是可能会成为你导师。 来自互联网

10 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。