2017年考研英语二阅读 Text 1 原文翻译及答案解析

Every Saturday morning, at 9 am, more than 50,000 runners set off to run 5km around their local park. The Parkrun phenomenon began with a dozen friends and has inspired 400 events in the UK and more abroad. Events are free, staffed by thousands of volunteers. Runners range from four years old to grandparents; their times range from Andrew Baddeley's world record 13 minutes 48 seconds up to an hour.

每周六上午9点，超过5万名跑步者出发在他们当地公园周围跑5公里。Parkrun现象始于十几个朋友，并在英国激发了400项活动，在国外还有更多。活动是免费的，由数千名志愿者提供服务。跑步者年龄从4岁到祖父母辈不等；他们的完成时间从Andrew Baddeley的世界纪录13分48秒到一小时不等。

Parkrun is succeeding where London's Olympic "legacy" is failing. Ten years ago on Monday, it was announced that the Games of the 30th Olympiad would be in London. Planning documents pledged that the great legacy of the Games would be to lever a nation of sport lovers away from their couches. The population would be fitter, healthier and produce more winners. It has not happened. The number of adults doing weekly sport did rise, by nearly 2 million in the run-up to 2012 — but the general population was growing faster. Worse, the numbers are now falling at an accelerating rate. The opposition claims primary school pupils doing at least two hours of sport a week have nearly halved. Obesity has risen among adults and children. Official retrospections continue as to why London 2012 failed to "inspire a generation." The success of Parkrun offers answers.

Parkrun在伦敦奥运“遗产”失败的地方取得了成功。十年前的一个星期一，宣布第30届奥运会将在伦敦举行。规划文件承诺，奥运会的伟大遗产将是将一个体育爱好者国家从沙发上撬起来。人口会更健康、更健壮，并产生更多赢家。这并没有发生。参与每周体育锻炼的成年人数量确实增加了，在2012年前增加了近200万——但总人口增长得更快。更糟糕的是，现在人数正以加速的速度下降。反对党声称，每周至少进行两小时体育锻炼的小学生人数几乎减半。成人和儿童的肥胖率上升了。官方继续回顾为什么伦敦2012年未能“激励一代人”。Parkrun的成功提供了答案。

Parkrun is not a race but a time trial: Your only competitor is the clock. The ethos welcomes anybody. There is as much joy over a puffed-out first-timer being clapped over the line as there is about top talent shining. The Olympic bidders, by contrast, wanted to get more people doing sport and to produce more elite athletes. The dual aim was mixed up: The stress on success over taking part was intimidating for newcomers.

Parkrun不是比赛，而是计时赛：你唯一的竞争对手是时钟。其精神欢迎任何人。对于气喘吁吁的新手在掌声中冲过终点线，人们感到的喜悦与对顶尖人才闪耀的喜悦一样多。相比之下，奥运申办者希望让更多人参与运动并培养更多精英运动员。双重目标混为一谈：强调成功而非参与对新手来说是令人生畏的。

Indeed, there is something a little absurd in the state getting involved in the planning of such a fundamentally "grassroots" concept as community sports associations. If there is a role for government, it should really be getting involved in making sure there is space for playing fields and providing common goods — money to pave tennis and netball courts, and encouraging the provision of all these activities in schools. But successive governments have presided over selling green spaces, squeezing money from local authorities and declining attention on sport in education. Instead of wordy, worthy strategies, future governments need to do more to provide the conditions for sport to thrive. Or at least not make them worse.

确实，国家参与规划像社区体育协会这样根本上的“草根”概念，有点荒谬。如果政府有角色的话，它应该真正参与确保有运动场地的空间，并提供公共产品——资金铺设网球和无板篮球场，并鼓励在学校提供所有这些活动。但历届政府主导了出售绿地、挤压地方当局资金和对教育中体育的重视下降。未来政府需要做得更多来提供体育繁荣的条件，而不是冗长、空洞的战略。或者至少不要使情况更糟。