新视野大学英语第二版第二册课文翻译Unit 2-Section B

Unit 2

Section B

The Standard for Olympic Excellence

The Olympics remains the most pure example of competition for the sake of competition itself. Athletes sacrifice their careers and bodies risking injury, defeat and complete failure to compete for nothing more than honor for their country and themselves. To achieve such honor, one must both perform at his or her event's highest level and act as a role model on the world's biggest stage. And so, while it must be admitted that performance-enhancing drugs are exploited to offer advantage to some Olympic athletes, those who do so never receive the only true reward the Olympics has to offer: honor. And, they never experience the glory of winning through the virtues of hard work and determination.

The greatest track and field Olympian of all time, Carl Lewis, exemplified the Olympic spirit. He did so, not simply through his gold medal performances—Lewis won nine gold medals in four different events and held world records in the 100-meter dash and the long jump—but also through his competitive nature and his ability to win and compete in every Olympics from 1984 to 1996; he would have also competed in 1980 if the United States had not refused to take part. With speed, consistency, integrity and above all desire, Lewis defied not only the stopwatch but also the march of time. He demanded nothing less than the best from himself and achieved the best, not with drugs, but with unmatched discipline and commitment to training.

Surprisingly, young Carl Lewis was encouraged to pursue music lessons rather than track by his parents. But, he would not hear of it, and stuck a strip of tape on the ground to mark the distance for the world record and began to jump toward it with singular determination. His father commented, "Some kids want to be a fireman one day, a movie star the next. Carl set his mind on track and that was it. He said he wanted to be the best, period." His years of practice and quiet self-confidence set the stage for a phenomenal Olympic track and field career.

In 1985, however, a cloud appeared on Carl Lewis' horizons: Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, who began to beat Lewis consistently in the 100-meter dash. Lewis arrived at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul confident, but even observers who knew very little about the race expected Johnson would win. The world watched and waited anxiously to find out who was "the fastest man on Earth". All of the cameras focused on Lewis and Johnson as the runners took their marks in the final heat. The crack of the starter's pistol sounded and the racers burst from the line. The crowd was used to Lewis trailing for the first half of the race—he just had a different style—and then finishing strong with his long stride to win. So, they held their breath as they watched Johnson build an early lead with his explosive start wondering if Lewis' strong finish would be enough to overcome him. As the runners approached the finish line, Lewis was gaining fast, but alas, his personal best time of 9.92 seconds was not enough to beat Johnson who ran a world record time of 9.79 seconds. Johnson was called "the fastest human being ever", and Lewis, it appeared, would be competing for second place in future races. Two days later, however, Johnson was stripped of his gold medal and sent packing by the International Olympic Committee when his post-race drug test indicated steroid use. The gold medal was given to Lewis instead, yet many did not see his conquest as a real victory, and he became swept up in the apparent blanket condemnation of the sport. Worse, a former opponent charged Lewis with steroid use. Lewis firmly denied the charges and countered by proving before a judge that the magazine that had

published the stories did so without foundation to their claims. He also participated in drug test after drug test to prove he was clean. An opponent of steroid use, Lewis was never linked to drug use by anything but rumor.

It would take the formula of Lewis' further commitment to the sport and his love for competition to lift some of the suspicion from track events and stop the erosion of support that the Olympics began to suffer after Seoul. With his continued hard work and honest participation in sprinting and the long jump, he proved to the world that the Olympic spirit was not dead. And in 1992, Lewis competed in his third Olympics winning two more gold medals in the long jump and 4×100 meter relay with a reception from the public that was fit for a king.

The amazing Carl Lewis had demonstrated that he was unlike any athlete who had ever lived, not by simply winning, but by winning honestly, loving to compete and working the hardest for the longest time. His love for the games truly set a new standard for Olympic excellence. (Words: 835)