2023年12月四级第3套仔细阅读 Passage 1 原文翻译及答案解析

In the history of horse racing, few horses have captured the affection of the British public like Red Rum. Today, three decades after his retirement, he is still one of the best-known and most beloved racehorses of all time.

在赛马历史上，很少有马能像红朗姆那样赢得英国公众的喜爱。如今，在他退役三十年后，他仍然是有史以来最著名和最受喜爱的赛马之一。

Red Rum was passed around to several owners before being purchased for Noel Le Mar. The agent who made the purchase was the now-legendary horse trainer Donald "Ginger" McCain.

红朗姆在被诺埃尔·勒马尔购买之前，曾辗转于多位主人之间。促成这次购买的经纪人是如今已成为传奇的驯马师唐纳德·“金杰”·麦凯恩。

It wasn't apparent at the time, but Red Rum had a serious bone disease in his foot. For many horses (and many trainers) this would mean the end of a racing career before it even began. For Ginger and Red Rum, though, it was just an obstacle to greatness that had to be overcome.

当时并不明显，但红朗姆的脚部患有严重的骨病。对许多马（和许多驯马师）来说，这可能意味着赛马生涯还未开始就已结束。然而，对金杰和红朗姆来说，这只是通往伟大道路上必须克服的障碍。

Red Rum's true talent came out in steeplechases (障碍赛马). His power, speed and jumping ability carried him to his first Grand National title in 1973. The very next year, Red Rum returned to take his second title. He was the first horse to take successive firsts since Reynoldstown in 1935-1936. Red Rum's spirit and grace had already begun to charm the leagues of Grand National fans.

红朗姆的真正才华在障碍赛马中得以展现。他的力量、速度和跳跃能力使他在1973年赢得了首个国家大赛冠军。次年，红朗姆再次夺冠。他是自1935-1936年雷诺兹敦以来第一匹连续夺冠的马。红朗姆的精神和优雅已经开始吸引众多国家大赛的粉丝。

In the following two years, Red Rum lost out on the title, coming in second both times. When he returned in 1977 to try again, he was largely regarded as past his prime. He was 12 years old and not expected to place highly. He surprised sporting fans around the world when he came in a remarkable 25 lengths ahead of the nearest horse, taking his third Grand National win. To this day, Red Rum's third win is known as one of the greatest moments in horse racing history.

在接下来的两年里，红朗姆未能夺冠，两次获得亚军。当他1977年再次参赛时，大多数人认为他已过了巅峰期。他当时12岁，不被看好能取得高名次。他以领先最近对手25个马位的惊人成绩获胜，赢得了第三个国家大赛冠军，令全球体育迷惊讶。至今，红朗姆的第三次夺冠仍被视为赛马史上最伟大的时刻之一。

Red Rum was headed for the Grand National once again in 1978 but suffered an injury in one of his heels shortly before the race. He was retired soon after, but his public life and fame by no means decreased with the end of his career. Red Rum traveled all over the country for various engagements. He often led pre-race parades at Aintree Racecourse and was a popular guest at charity benefits and public events.

1978年，红朗姆再次准备参加国家大赛，但在比赛前不久脚跟受伤。他不久后退役，但他的公众生活和名气并未因职业生涯结束而减少。红朗姆全国各地参加各种活动。他经常在安特里赛马场带领赛前游行，是慈善募捐和公共活动的热门嘉宾。