Controversial running shoes備受爭議的跑鞋

湖北 王小萍

隨著高科技的發(fā)展，擁有一雙功能性跑鞋將有效提升運動員長跑的優(yōu)勢，但這公平嗎？

1Platform shoes are back in fashion,at least in athletics.Many of the long-distance runners at the Tokyo Olympics arrived at the starting line sporting footwear with distinctive chunky-looking heels.It will be more than just fashion statement.The new shoes offer such a big performance advantage that critics have described them as “technological doping(興奮劑)”.

2Running-shoe makers have long tried to boost athletic performance,observes Geoff Burns,a biomechanics expert at the University of Michigan.In olden days,a 1% improvement in“running economy”—the energy taken to travel a given distance—would have impressed.But in 2016 Nike released the first version of its “Vaporfly” model,which improved “running economy” by 4%.

3If that percentage were to translate directly into performance,it would cut about five minutes off an elite male's marathon time.In practice,as Dr Burns observes,it wouldn't quite do that.A marathon improvement of around 90 seconds would be a more realistic expectation.

4Scientists are still puzzling over exactly how the shoes work.The soles are made of a new material that offers a mix of resilience(彈性)and softness,according to Dr Burns.This returns around 80% of the energy from each strike of a runner's foot.

5The carbon-fibre plate may help alter a runner's gait.By cushioning(緩和打擊)a runner's bones and muscles from repetitive impacts,the shoes may even help athletes train harder than they otherwise could.

6In January 2020,World Athletics,the governing body of international athletics,passed new rules limiting the thickness of the sole of road shoes to 40 mm.Meanwhile,Nike appeared to have put its plans aside to design high-tech shoes for sportsmen at the Tokyo Olympics,possibly because they did not obey the regulations either.But if they have worked out a way around that problem,there could be fireworks in the match,too.

Reading Check

Choose the best answers according to the text

Inference 1.Why does the author mention the “Vaporfly” model in paragraph 2?

A.To call on more sportsmen to wear it in the future.

B.To prove it is the most popular shoes at present.

C.To say high-tech shoes benefit sportsmen's performance.

D.To analyze why running-shoe makers differ from others.

Detail 2.Which of the following statements would Dr Burns agree with?

A.The shoes can save sportsmen's energy by 20%.

B.An elite male can finish his marathon 5 minutes earlier.

C.A 1% improvement in “running economy” is usually ignored.

D.The materials of the shoes contribute to sportsmen's performance.

Detail 3.What is one of the functions of the new shoes?

A.Athletes get harder training.

B.Athletes feel much stressed.

C.They change athletes'bones and muscles.

D.They provide more rest time for athletes.

Inference 4.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph imply?

A.World athletics encourages sportsmen to compete fairly.

B.Athletes run much quicker with high-tech shoes.

C.High-tech shoes are forbidden in the Olympic Games.

D.The thickness of the sole of road shoes within 40 mm is recognized.

Language Study

Ⅰ.Analyze the difficult structure in the text

The new shoes offer such a big performance advantage that critics have described them as“technological doping”.這款新鞋有著巨大的性能優(yōu)勢，以至于批評者將其稱之為“技術興奮劑”。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復合句，句中such...that...引導結果狀語從句，意為“如此……以至于……”。

Ⅱ.Memorize some text-centered chunks

in fashion流行 be made of...由……組成

according to根據 a mix of...……的混合

put...aside擱置……