VOA标准英语2012--Ramadan Olympics Challenge Muslim Athletes

 

Ramadan Olympics Challenge Muslim Athletes

Muslim Olympic hopefuls face the prospect¹ of competing at the highest levels while abstaining² from all food and drink during the long days of the London summer. And, that’s not their only challenge.

Observant Muslims wake up in the middle of the night to eat before the fast begins. In London, the Ramadan pre-dawn meal will be at about four o’clock in the morning. 

However, sleep deprivation³ might be the bigger problem for athletes.

“During the month of Ramadan, athletes - or those who want to keep the fast - they have to wake up in the early morning to eat something," says Muhammad Abdul Bari, the director of London’s biggest mosque⁴ and a member of the London Olympic Organizing Committee. "That means they will have to deprive themselves of sleep. And, how that will affect [them] depends on individual resilience, individual practice, determination and spirit.”

Many Muslim athletes will be unaccustomed to the long summer days at London’s northern latitude⁵, which this year results in a 17-hour fast.

The interpretation⁶ of Ramadan rules varies, but there is no automatic exemption⁷ for athletes. According to Bari, Muslim athletes deal with this problem for some competition almost every year.

“It depends on [the] individual athlete and their national Olympic team," he says. "And probably those who are practicing [Muslims], they will ask the scholars, theologians, as to what they can do.”

Olympic organizers are making an effort to help Muslim Olympians cope. In addition to providing Halal food 24 hours a day, special evening snack packs for breaking the fast will be available at all venues⁸ and a team of chaplains will be on hand to help.

Tens of thousands of spectators and staff members will also be observing the fast. 

The chief chaplain of the London Olympics says officials are making allowances for Muslim staff members.

“We’ve done a staff managers briefing to ensure that staff who are observing Ramadan and fasting are not in the middle of a car park in sunshine all day," says Canon Duncan Green of Britain’s Anglican Church, "or not on a very strenuous⁹ job where they are going to need lots of liquid refreshment¹⁰.”

Canon Green says the 2012 Olympics were bound to overlap¹¹ with Ramadan, because of Olympic Committee requirements and the need to make use of transport assets and volunteers available in London during the summer vacation season.

But the Muslim Olympic athletes, spectators and staff members will not be alone in facing the effects of Ramadan, considering all of the coaches, cooks, doctors and dozens of Muslim Olympic chaplains standing¹² by to help them.

1 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

2 abstaining   

戒（尤指酒），戒除( abstain的现在分词 )； 弃权（不投票）

参考例句：

• Abstaining from killing, from taking what is not given, & from illicIt'sex. 诸比丘！远离杀生，远离不与取，于爱欲远离邪行。
• Abstaining from arguments was also linked to an unusual daily cortisol pattern. 压抑争吵也造成每日异常的皮质醇波动。

3 deprivation   

n.匮乏；丧失；夺去，贫困

参考例句：

• Many studies make it clear that sleep deprivation is dangerous.多实验都证实了睡眠被剥夺是危险的。
• Missing the holiday was a great deprivation.错过假日是极大的损失。

4 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

5 latitude   

n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区

参考例句：

• The latitude of the island is 20 degrees south.该岛的纬度是南纬20度。
• The two cities are at approximately the same latitude.这两个城市差不多位于同一纬度上。

6 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

7 exemption   

n.豁免，免税额，免除

参考例句：

• You may be able to apply for exemption from local taxes.你可能符合资格申请免除地方税。
• These goods are subject to exemption from tax.这些货物可以免税。

8 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

9 strenuous   

adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的

参考例句：

• He made strenuous efforts to improve his reading. 他奋发努力提高阅读能力。
• You may run yourself down in this strenuous week.你可能会在这紧张的一周透支掉自己。

10 refreshment   

n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点

参考例句：

• He needs to stop fairly often for refreshment.他须时不时地停下来喘口气。
• A hot bath is a great refreshment after a day's work.在一天工作之后洗个热水澡真是舒畅。

11 overlap   

v.重叠，与…交叠；n.重叠

参考例句：

• The overlap between the jacket and the trousers is not good.夹克和裤子重叠的部分不好看。
• Tiles overlap each other.屋瓦相互叠盖。

12 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。