2007年VOA标准英语-Pumping Iron!

By Ernest Leong
Washington
25 July 2007
 

She is a Persian-American athlete who was both a state and national Tae Kwon Do champion, and one of the top amateur boxers² in the world. 

Now, barely two years after having her second child, Kina Elyassi has set a new goal for herself, to become a professional bodybuilder. And those who know her have little doubt she can and will reach that goal. VOA's Ernest Leong reports.

Bodybuilder tournaments are popular in America.  While audience members shout encouragement to their favorite contestants…

ANNOUNCER: "Quarter turn to the right."

SPECTATOR: "Go 43!"

The bodybuilders smile and flex³ their muscles for the judges who are grading them.

Participants can be penalized⁴ if they do not correctly follow the announcer's instructions, which can sometimes be confusing.

ANNOUNCER:  "All right, ladies.  Now, what I want you to do is, number four, walk around behind the line behind you." 

SPECTATOR:  "What!" (laughter)

At this tournament, held at the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, DC, some of the loudest applause was reserved for one female bodybuilder.

Kina Elyassi

Her name is Kina Elyassi.  Her goal is to excel at bodybuilding, for herself, and women everywhere, especially in Iran.  Elyassi was born in Iran, where women's rights are a sensitive, contentious⁵ issue. "There (are) so many talented women in Iran, but you can't change culture overnight.  It's something that takes time.  That's something I can't do.  But what I can do back here is to try and help them, and educate them by living a healthy lifestyle," she said.

A lifelong athlete, Elyassi's athletic⁶ career appeared to be on the downswing after injuries and giving birth to her two children.  Bodybuilding changed all that.

"The reason I picked up bodybuilding is, one, I had gained so much weight with my second pregnancy⁷.  And I wanted to regain⁸ myself emotionally and, mostly, physically⁹ back."

Somewhere on the path to regaining¹⁰ her athletic form, Elyassi became passionate¹¹ about bodybuilding.  As with other sports she has played, Elyassi felt driven to be the best at it.

Jimmy Choy

Jimmy Choy is Elyassi's publicist and a long-time friend. "Next thing I know, she's breaking, like, records in the bench press.  And she's had interviews by other media personnel, saying here's a Potomac Mom, pushing five thousand pound (2200 kilograms) cars, or leg pressing 1,800 pounds (800 kilograms)!  For a female with her body frame, that's unheard of."

Before bodybuilding, Elyassi was an amateur boxer¹ and martial¹² artist, excelling at both. 

Elyassi gets her love of sports from her father, Mahmoud, who also plays several sports.  In a way, Elyassi was following in her father's footsteps.  "There were six girls in the family and one boy, my brother being the youngest.  And my dad really wanted a boy.  So he kind of handpicked me and showed me the ropes of pretty much every sport, from wrestling to boxing to tae kwon do."

Mahmoud Elyassi is also a martial arts expert.  Knowledge of martial arts was a necessary skill in his former line of work: during the 1970s Mahmoud was chief bodyguard¹³ to Iran's King Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi. Mahmoud wanted to pass along his knowledge and love of sports to his children - especially his daughter Kina. "When I was, look at Kina, she was very interesting, for body, and strong kick.  So she liked to continue the martial arts, or whatever.  And then, from six or seven, she was always with me."

Elyassi's physical abilities, and her strong desire to win, have served her well.  She has won more than 700 awards in boxing and martial arts.  Now, she is looking to add some bodybuilding awards to her collection.

Elyassi placed second in this Washington tournament, good enough to qualify for Team Universe, a national level tournament held in mid-July.  But second place is not good enough for Elyassi.  Just two days after the tournament, she was back in the gym.

Sean Rhoden is one of Elyassi's trainers.  A bodybuilder who once finished second in Team Universe, Sean sees in Elyassi considerable physical and emotional strength. "Kina is a different individual.  She's not your average housewife.  She's basically hardcore.  It has to be loaded up or nothing at all."

Like most working mothers in the U.S., Elyassi must balance her professional career with raising her children.  It is a challenge, but like other challenges in her life, one Elyassi is willing to accept. "It's tough.  Especially if you have a family, and you have to have a career and work out the same time, it's tough.  But if you find time, and you have the desire to achieve what you want, you can always find the time to do it.  And you can do it."

Throughout her life, Elyassi has been driven by her desire to be the best, for herself and as an inspiration to others.  Perhaps one way to better understand Elyassi can be found in her own words, from a 2001 interview:  "The fruit at the end of the branch is the sweetest, but reserved for those that have the courage to reach for it."

1 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

2 boxers   

n.拳击短裤；（尤指职业）拳击手( boxer的名词复数 )；拳师狗

参考例句：

• The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The boxers slugged it out to the finish. 两名拳击手最后决出了胜负。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 flex   

n.皮线，花线；vt.弯曲或伸展

参考例句：

• We wound off a couple of yards of wire for a new lamp flex.我们解开几码电线作为新的电灯花线。
• He gave his biceps a flex to impress the ladies.他收缩他的肱二头肌以吸引那些女士们的目光。

4 penalized   

对…予以惩罚( penalize的过去式和过去分词 )； 使处于不利地位

参考例句：

• You will be penalized for poor spelling. 你拼写不好将会受到处罚。
• Team members will be penalized for lateness. 队员迟到要受处罚。

5 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

6 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

7 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

8 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

9 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

10 regaining   

复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• She was regaining consciousness now, but the fear was coming with her. 现在她正在恢发她的知觉，但是恐怖也就伴随着来了。
• She said briefly, regaining her will with a click. 她干脆地答道，又马上重新振作起精神来。

11 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

12 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

13 bodyguard   

n.护卫，保镖

参考例句：

• She has to have an armed bodyguard wherever she goes.她不管到哪儿都得有带武器的保镖跟从。
• The big guy standing at his side may be his bodyguard.站在他身旁的那个大个子可能是他的保镖。