The Sports Spirit

Nearly all the sports practised nowadays are competitive. You play to win, and the game has little meaning unless you do your utmost to win. On the village green, where you pick up sides and no feeling of local patriotism is involved, it is possible to play simply for the fun and exercise: but as soon as the question of prestige arises, as soon as you feel that you and some larger unit will be disgraced if you lose, the most savage combative instincts are aroused. Anyone who has played even in a school football match knows this. At the international level sport is frankly mimic warfare. But the significant thing is not the behaviour of the players but the attitude of the spectators: and, behind the spectators, of the nations. who work themselves into furies over these absurd contests, and seriouslybelieve--at any rate for short periods--that running, jumping and kicking a ball are tests of national virtue.

New words and expressions

goodwill  n. 友好

prestige  n.  声誉

cricket  n.板球   disgrace  vt. 使丢脸

inclination n.意愿   savage   n.野性的

contest  n.  比赛  combative  a.好斗的

orgy   n.  恣意，放荡

frankly  ad.坦率地

deduce   vt.推断  mimic  a.与….极相似

competitive  a. 竞争性的

behaveiour  行动

pick up 随意挑选  spectatotor   n.观众

side n. 队

word….into…..引起……注意

patriotism   n.  地方观念 爱国主义

fury   n.狂热

involve   vt. 卷入

absurd    a.荒唐的

at any rate 无论……,至少…….

Notes on the vocabularies

goodwill=friendship n.友好

     goodwill games:友好运动会

     goodwill visit:友好访问

     pay a goodwill visit to

     official visit:官方正式访问

     state visit:国事访问

cricket  n.板球 as merry as a cricket(蟋蟀) 形容心情高兴，快乐无比

inclination   n. 意愿

     incline   v.

be inclined to do sth   表示强烈的意愿

     I am inclined to take toefl.

     willing

     show inclination to

follow one's inclination 随心所欲

contest   n. 比赛

     近义词：competition game match tournament race

     contest:a group of judges

 beauty contest   选美比赛

     competition:socially 抽象使用

 Social competition is fierce.

 Dog eat dog.人吃人。形容竞争激烈。

     game:physically ,mentally

     match:quite important

     China won the 2002 World Cup match.

     tournament:淘汰赛，巡回赛。

     race:以速度见长

 cycle racing  自行车比赛

 car racing  赛车

orgy  n.恣意，放荡

     revelry in 狂欢

     I revelry in my success.

     on a spree

     The girl is on a shoping spree.

competitive

     combative-贬义词  同 aggressive

     competitive-褒义词／中性词

     competitor-竞争者

     compete with sb. for sth.

pick up 随意挑选

side  队

patriotism   n.地方观众，爱国主义

     patriot:爱国者 patriotic:爱国的

involve   vt.卷入

     involve oneself in scandal be involved in

prestige   n.声誉

     prestigious  a.享有声誉的Qinghua university is very prestigious.

     近义词：fame renown(renowned 著名的) reputation  eminence

disgrace   vt.使丢脸

     grace,graceful-graceless

     disgraceful 丢脸 Your essay is very guaceful.

     fame-defame

honor-dishonor

     stigmaa(污点)  vt.stigmatize Robbery stigmatizes him.

savage    n.野性的

     inhuman 残忍无比 nonhuman （非人类的）

     mercy-merciless

ruth-ruthless

     beastly

combative  a.好斗的

frankly  ad.坦率地

     Frankly speaking(To be frank)  坦白的说

candid 坦白的

straightly 直率的

mimic a.与……相似

     mimic-只用作定语

     similar-可作定语和表语 Our ideas are similar. We have similar ideas.

     alike-只作表语

     Great minds think alike.英雄所见略同。

behaviour  行动 举止

     Behave oneself.规矩点儿。

attitude   n.态度

spectator   n.观众

     audience 听众  audial 听

     visual

     spectacle: 壮丽景色；眼镜

     viewer   电视观众

work…into…    引起…注意…

     into后接表示感情的词

fury   n.狂热

     furious  a.—强于anger,annoyance,aggravation

     rage---suddenly & quickly

absurd   a.荒唐的

     近义词 illogical irrational senseless ridiculous

     r开头的形容词的反义词前面加ir

     l开头的形容词的反义词前面加il

at any rate 无论，至少＝at least

Notes on the text

amazed: surprised,astound,astonished

 前两个词都可以用作表语和主谓宾结构，后两个词只有表语结构。

 The news surprised me.

 I was surprised by the news.

 I am astonished to hear the news.

You should not say"The news astonished me".

hear(watch,notice,see)sb.do/doing

if only:

1. 表虚拟，当"真好"讲,后面无任何主从句。

If only I had a pair of wings.我要有双翅膀就好了。

If only I could fly to the moon.

2. 作为条件句＝as long as，后面须有主句。

deduce:推导

the background of the 1936 Olympic Games :二战时在德国柏林举行，希特勒举办的目的为

了宣传他的national supremacy(民主优越性)。然而，事与愿违，本届奥运会出现了

一位独领风骚的田径大王－美国黑人运动员，杰西·欧文斯，他共获得4枚金牌，

让希特勒disgrace(颜面尽失)，后人评论"the 1936 Olympin Games is a mistake",而

且称为political tragedy,影射希特勒的种族歧视，导致极端的仇恨，引发二战。

neagly all  基本肯定

green: 绿地

aroused:被激发起来

frankly: 真正的

mimic warfare:模拟战争

     battle field-fight to win,commander,do your utmost,blood,lose life,machine guns

     sport field—play to win,coach    ,do your best  ,sweat,lose life,hand leg foot

fury over 对…愤怒

virtue:quality