英语流利说 Level8 Unit1 Part3 : On Sports Technology
David Epstein: Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger?
TED2014 • 14:53 • Posted April 2014

Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger?

运动员真的变得更快、更好、更强了吗？

L8-U1-P3: On Sports Technology 1

本演讲者和之前大卫和歌利亚的那个TED演讲者Malcolm Gladwell有过一次对话
David Epstein in Conversation with Malcolm Gladwell
1
The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius." Faster, Higher, Stronger.
奥林匹格格言是“Citius, Altius, Fortius。”更快，更高，更强。
Citius, Altius, Fortius是希腊语。

2
And athletes have fulfilled that motto rapidly.
运动员迅速地贯彻了这一格言。

3
The winner of the 2012 Olympic marathon ran 2 hours and 8 minutes.
2012年奥运会马拉松冠军跑了2小时8分钟。

4
Had he been racing against the winner of the 1904 Olympic marathon, he would have won by nearly an hour and a half.
如果他和1904年奥运会马拉松的冠军竞技，他会快接近1个半小时。

5
Now we all have this feeling that we're somehow just getting better as a human race, inexorably progressing,
我们现在都感觉作为人类，变得越来越强了，在疯狂进步。
inexorably adv. 不可逆转地，不可阻挡地
eg：He abandoned his girlfriend inexorably.

6
but it's not like we've evolved into a new species in a century.
我们并非在一个世纪中进化成了一个新的物种。

7
So what's going on here?
所在到底发生了啥？

8
I want to take a look at what's really behind this march of athletic progress.
我想看一下在运动进步的进程背后到底是什么。
march n. 行进，前进；行军；游行示威；进行曲；三月
eg：I just wanted to see what's really behind this march of performance enhancing.

9
In 1936, Jesse Owens held the world record in the 100 meters.
在1936年，Jesse Owens保持着100米的世界记录。

10
Had Jesse Owens been racing last year in the world championships of the 100 meters,
如果Jesse Owens在去年世界锦标赛的100米赛中竞技。

11
when Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt finished, Owens would have still had 14 feet to go.
当牙买加短跑选手Usain Bolt到达终点，Owens依然还有14英尺的距离。
sprinter n. 短跑选手；短程赛选手；短跑运动员
would have done 表示从过去观点看将来某时某动作已完成。

12
That's a lot in sprinter land.
这在短跑界算落了很远了。

13
To give you a sense of how much it is, I want to share with you a demonstration conceived by sports scientist Ross Tucker.
为了让你感知到这是多少，我想和你们分享一个由运动科学家Ross Tucker构思的一个演示。

14
Now picture the stadium last year at the world championships of the 100 meters:
现在想象一下在去年世界锦标赛100米赛跑中的体育场上。

15
thousands of fans waiting with baited breath to see Usain Bolt, the fastest man in history,
成千上万的粉丝屏息等待着Usain Bolt，Usain Bolt是历史上最快的男人，
baited n. 饵；诱饵；诱惑物；被故意激怒
baited breath = bated breath 屏住呼吸，关于这个词网上的解释为：从字面意思上来讲，“屏住呼吸”这个词语的意思是“吞下鱼 饵后呼吸”。这多半不是一种舒服的状态。在字面上，‘bait’有让人上钩的意思。一个发音相同、拼写不 同的‘bate’则有着减少的意思。因此，这个俗语实际上的意思是因为焦虑或紧张而“减少呼吸”。 “屏住呼吸”真正上的拼写应该是‘bated breath’。

16
flashbulbs popping as the nine fastest men in the world coil themselves into their blocks.
闪光灯突然亮了，这9个世界上最快的男人蜷曲在他们的助跑器上。
flashbulb = flash bulb n. 闪光灯泡
pop v. 突然出现；突然地行动；爆开；射击；瞪大眼
coil v. 盘绕，把……卷成圈，成圈状
eg：The robber popped and coiled him, then fleed.

block

17
And I want you to pretend that Jesse Owens is in that race.
我想让你假设Jesse Owens在那场比赛中。

18
Now close your eyes for a second and picture the race.
现在闭一下眼，想象一下这个比赛。

19
Bang! The gun goes off.
砰！枪响了。

20
An American sprinter jumps out to the front.
一个美国短跑运动员冲到了前面。
加特林前80米一直领先，后面被博尔特超过。

21
Usain Bolt starts to catch him. Usain Bolt passes him, and as the runners come to the finish, you'll hear a beep as each man crosses the line.
Usain Bolt开始追赶他，Usain Bolt超过了他，当选手们跑到终点时，你会听到每个人越过终点线时发出的“哔”声。

22
That's the entire finish of the race.
这就是这次赛跑的全部。

23
You can open your eyes now.
你现在可以睁开眼睛了。

24
That first beep was Usain Bolt. That last beep was Jesse Owens. Listen to it again.
第一声哔是Usain Bolt，最后一声是Jesse Owens。再听一次。

25
When you think of it like that, it's not that big a difference, is it?
当你这样想的时候，差别并不大，对吗？

26
And then consider that Usain Bolt started by propelling himself out of blocks down a specially fabricated carpet designed to allow him to travel as fast as humanly possible.
然后考虑一下，Usain Bolt通过推动自身起跑，跑在一个特制的、让人能够跑得尽可能快的地毯上。
fabricate vt. 制造；伪造；装配
eg：It's a specially fabricated pen that can ignite from the bottom of it.

27
Jesse Owens, on the other hand, ran on cinders, the ash from burnt wood, and that soft surface stole far more energy from his legs as he ran.
然而Jesse Owens跑在木头燃烧后的灰烬上，这个柔软的表面在他跑的过程中偷去了不少能量。
cinder n. 煤渣；灰烬

28
Rather than blocks, Jesse Owens had a gardening trowel that he had to use to dig holes in the cinders to start from.
Jesse Owens没有砖块可用，只有一个花园铲，他需要用它在灰烬上挖坑来起跑。
trowel n. （园艺用的）泥铲；（砌砖用的）[建] 泥刀；（抹灰用的）抹子

29
Biomechanical analysis of the speed of Owens' joints shows that had he been running on the same surface as Bolt,
关于Owens关节处的生物力学分析表明如果他跑在和Bolt一样的地面上，

30
he wouldn't have been 14 feet behind, he would have been within one stride.
他不会落后14英尺，他只落后一步。
stride n. 大步；步幅；进展
eg：This is a little for me, but it's a stride for our humans.

31
Rather than the last beep, Owens would have been the second beep. Listen to it again.
Owens不是最后一名，他会成为第二名。再听一次吧。

32
That's the difference track surface technology has made, and it's done it throughout the running world.
这就是道路表面技术的不同之处，在整个跑步界都是如此。

L8-U1-P3: On Sports Technology 2

33
Consider a longer event. In 1954, Sir Roger Bannister became the first man to run under four minutes in the mile.
思考一个更长的事件。在1954年，Sir Roger Bannister成为第一个1英里跑进4分钟的人。
这里的longer指的是跑步距离的长，刚才是100米，现在是1英里，后面还有马拉松，以及100米自由泳，作者从纵向和横向进行对比，阐述了科技带给运动水平的巨大提升。

34
Nowadays, college kids do that every year.
现在，大学生每年都有人能做到。

35
On rare occasions, a high school kid does it.
偶尔也有高中生能做到。

36
As of the end of last year, 1,314 men had run under four minutes in the mile,
在去年年底，1314个男性在1英里中跑进了4分钟，

37
but like Jesse Owens, Sir Roger Bannister ran on soft cinders that stole far more energy from his legs than the synthetic tracks of today.
但是如同Jesse Owens，Sir Roger Bannister跑在柔软的灰渣上，相比于今天的人造跑道，这会从他腿上偷取更多的能量。
synthetic adj. 综合的；合成的，人造的
eg：Old Mark is using a synthetic leg because he had lost his left leg in a car accident 20 years ago.

38
So I consulted biomechanics experts to find out how much slower it is to run on cinders than synthetic tracks,
所以我咨询了生物力学专家去寻找，跑在灰渣上比人造跑道上会慢多少。

39
And their consensus was that it's 1.5% slower.
他们一致的答案是会慢1.5%。

40
So if you apply a one and a half percent slowdown conversion to every man who ran his sub-four mile on a synthetic track, this is what happens.
所以如果你把1.5%的减速转化在每一个在人造跑道上，1英里跑进4分钟的人，以下是结果。
sub有“下标”的意思，在这里应该是指1英里跑进4分钟的人。

41
Only 530 are left.
只剩530人。

42
If you look at it from that perspective, fewer than ten new men per dacade have joined the sub-four mile club since Sir Roger Bannister.
如果你从这个角度看，自Sir Roger Bannister后，每十年少于10个新人能跑进1英里4分钟。

43
Now 530 is a lot more than 1, right, and that's partly because they're many more people training today and they're training more intelligently.
530不少了，对吗，部分是因为现在很多人在练并且训练地更加科学。

44
Even college kids are professional in their training compared to Sir Roger Bannister, who trained for 45 minutes at a time while he ditched gynecology lectures in med school.
甚至大学生相比于Sir Roger Bannister都训练地更专业，Sir Roger Bannister当时逃掉了自己在医学院的妇科课程去每次训练45分钟。
ditch 开沟，掘沟，修渠；挖沟于，挖壕于；（非正式）摆脱；逃学，逃课，旷工
gynecology n. 妇科学，妇科医学
eg：He ditched his major in gynecology because he didn't like the courses.

Roger Bannister

45
And that guy who won the 1904 Olympic marathon in 3 and a half hours, that guy was drinking rat poison and brandy while he ran along the course.
这位在1904年奥林匹克马拉松中跑了3个半小时的冠军兄弟，在跑步途中喝着老鼠药和白兰地。
course有“跑道”的意思。

46
That was his idea of a performance-enhancing drug.
这就是他关于兴奋剂的想法。

47
Clearly, athletes have gotten more savvy about performance-enhancing drugs as well,
显然，运动员对提高成绩的药物也越来越了解
savvy adj. 聪慧的；具有实际知识的
eg：A savvy person won't complain often.

48
and that's made a difference in some sports at some times, but technology has made a difference in all sports, from faster skis to lighter shoes.
这玩意有时候对一些运动有影响，但是科技对所用运动都有影响，从更快的滑雪板到更轻的鞋子。

49
Take a look at the record for the 100-meter freestyle swim.
看下100米自由泳的记录吧。

50
The record is always trending downward, but it's punctuated by these steep cliffs.
这个记录总是趋势向下的，但是它被一些突变点所打断。
punctuate vt. 不时打断；强调；加标点于
cliff n. 悬崖；绝壁
eg：I was always being punctuated by the noise when I was sleeping, I was at the cliff of anger.

51
This first cliff, in 1956, is the introduction of the flip turn.
第一个突变点，在1956年，翻转调头的发明。

52
Rather than stopping and turning around, athletes could somersault under the water and get going right away in the opposite direction.
不再是停下转身，运动员们能够在水下翻个筋斗然后马上游向反方向。
somersault v. 翻筋斗
eg：I could somersault on the ground, but now I can't do it.

53
This second cliff, the introduction of gutters on the side of the pool that allows water to splash off, rather than becoming turbulence that impedes the swimmers as they race.
第二个突变点，发明了在水池两边的水槽，这能使得水向两边溅开，而不是乱晃阻止游泳者竞赛。
gutter n. 排水沟；槽；贫民区
splash v. 泼洒；把（水、泥等）泼在……上
turbulence n. 骚乱，动荡；[流] 湍流；狂暴
impede vt. 阻碍；妨碍；阻止
eg：Splash your waste water into that gutter, don't impede your mother's will, or she will become tubulence.

54
This final cliff, the introduction of full-body and low-friction swimsuits.
最后一个突变点，发明了全身低阻力的泳衣。

55
Throughout sports, technology has changed the face of performance.
在整个体育运动中，技术已经改变了水平的表象。
以前表面上看以为是运动员厉害，但其实是科技厉害。

56
In 1972, Eddy Merckx set the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour at 30 miles, 3,774 feet.
在1972年，Eddy Merckx把1小时骑行最远距离的记录给干到了30英里3774英尺。

57
Now that record improved and improved as bicycles improved and became more aerodynamic
现在这个记录随着自行车的提高而提高，自行车变得越来越符合空气动力学。
aerodynamic adj. 空气动力学的，[航] 航空动力学的

58
all the way until 1996, when it was set at 35 miles, 1,531 feet, nearly five miles farther than Eddy Merckx cycled in 1972.
直到1996年，这个记录在35英里1531英尺，比Eddy Merckx在1972年的骑行远了近5英里。

59
But then in 2000, the International Cycling Union decreed that anyone who wanted to hold that record had to do so with essentially the same equipment that Eddy Merckx used in 1972.
但是在2000年，国际骑行联盟宣布任何想要保持记录的人都必须使用和1972年Eddy Merckx使用的装备基本一样。
decree vt. 命令；颁布；注定；判决
eg：The court decreed that he was innocent and was released instantly.

60
Where does the record stand today?
今天这个记录是多少？

61
30 miles, 4,657 feet, a grand total of 883 feet farther than Eddy Merckx cycled more than four decades ago.
30英里4657英尺，总计比Eddy Merckx40多年前骑行的多了883英尺。
a grand total of 总计
eg：A grand total of 13 people died in this fire accident.

62
Essentially the entire improvement in this record was due to technology.
基本上这个记录的所有提升都来源于科技。

L8-U1-P3: On Sports Technology 3

63
Still, technology isn't the only thing pushing athletes forward.
然而，科技不是推动运动员进步的唯一要素。

64
While indeed we haven't evolved into a new species in a century, the gene pool within competitive sports most certainly has changed.
虽然事实上我们在1个世纪内没有进化成一个新的物种，但竞技运动的基因库大部分确实改变了。

65
In the early half of the 20th century, physical education instructors and coaches had the idea that the average body type was the best for all athletic endeavors:
在20世纪早期，物理教育讲师和教练认为平均体型是所有竞技运动的最佳身材。
endeavour n. 努力，尝试；事业
eg：It's a little endeavour for myself to meet new friends.

66
medium height, medium weight, no matter the sport.
中等身高，中等体重，无论何种运动。

67
And this showed in athleles' bodies.
这一点在运动员体型上有体现。

68
In the 1920s, the average elite high-jumper and average elite shot-putter were the same exact size.
在20世纪20年代，优秀的跳高运动员和优秀的铅球运动员的平均体型是一样的。

69
But as that idea started to fade away, as sports scientists and coaches realized that rather than the average body type,
但随着这种想法逐渐消失，体育科学家和教练们意识到并非平均体型，

70
you want highly specialized bodies that fit into certain athletic niches,
你需要契合特定运动领域的高度专业化的身材。

71
a form of artificial selection took place, a self-sorting for bodies that fit certain sports, and athletes' bodies became more different from one another.
一种人工选择的形式出现了，适应特性运动的身材的自发分类，运动员的身材相互之间变得越来越不同。

72
Today, rather than the same size as the average elite high jumper,the average elite shot-putter is two and a half inches taller and 130 pounds heavier.
今天，不同于优秀跳高运动员的平均身材，优秀的铅球运动员平均比其高2.5英寸和重130磅。

73
And this happened throughout the sports world.
这发生在整个体育界。

74
In fact, if you plot on a height versus mass graph one data point for each of two dozen sports in the first half of the 20th century, it looks like this.
事实上，如果你画一个身高-体重的图像，每一个点代表20世纪早期的24种运动中的一个，它看上去像这样。

75
There's some dispersal, but it's kind of grouped around that average body type.
有点分散，但是集中在平均体型附近。
dispersal n. 分散；传播；散布；疏散；消失
eg：Information dispersal is too fast on the internet, especially the bad news.

76
Then that idea started to go away, and at the same time, digital technology -- first radio, then television and the Internet --
然后这个想法开始消失，与此同时，数字科技 -- 首先是收音机，然后是电视再然后是互联网 --

77
Gave millions or in some cases billions of people a ticket to consume elite sports performance.
给了数百万，有时候是数十亿的人一张观看精英体育表演的门票。

78
The financial incentives and fame and glory afforded elite athletes skyrocketed, and it tipped toward the tiny upper echelon of performance.
经济刺激、名声和荣誉使得精英运动员水平猛涨，然后这一切向顶部一小部分更好的表演倾斜。
skyrocket v. （价格）飞涨，猛涨；（使）……猛然上涨
echelon n. 梯形；梯次编队；梯阵；阶层
eg：Even the economy of China has skyrocketed, but the most wealth is still tipped toward the tiny upper echelon of people.

79
It accelerated the artificial selection for specialized bodies.
这加速了对特定身材的人为选择。

80
And if you plot a data point for these same two dozen sports today, it looks like this.
如果你为今天这同样的12个运动画数据点，它看上去像这样。

81
The athletes' bodies have gotten much more different from another.
运动员的体型相互之间变得更加不同。

82
And because this chart looks like the charts that show the expanding universe, with the galaxies flying away from one another,
因为这个表看上去像展示星系相互远离、宇宙膨胀的表，

83
the scientists who discovered it call it "The Big Bang of Body Types."
发现这个的科学家称之为“体型大爆炸。”

84
In sports where height is prized, like basketball, the tall athletes got taller.
在身高有要求的运动中，比如篮球，高的运动员变得更高。

85
In 1983, the National Basketball Association signed a groundbreaking agreement making players partners in the league,
在1983年，美国篮球协会签了一个开创性的协议，使得球员成为联盟的合伙人，
groundbreaking adj. 开创性的
eg：It's a groundbreaking finding in how to live a longer life.

86
entitled to shares of ticket revenues and television contracts.
拥有门票收益和电视合同的分红。
entitle to 拥有...的权力
eg：Everyone is entitled to live.

87
Suddenly, anybody who could be an NBA player wanted to be, and teams started scouring the globe for the bodies that could help them win championships.
突然间，任何能够成为NBA的球员都想加入NBA，而NBA的团队开始在全球寻找能够帮助它们获得冠军的球员。
scour vt. 擦亮，洗涤；冲洗，清除；彻底搜索
eg：I need to scour my face, it's full of creams.

88
Almost overnight, the proportion of men in the NBA who are at least 7 feet tall doubled to 10%.
几乎一夜之间，NBA中身高超过7英尺的比例翻了一倍到10%。

89
Today, 1 in 10 men in the NBA is at least seven feet tall, but a seven-foot-tall man is incredibly rare in the general population --
今天，在NBA中，十分之一的人身高超过7英尺，但是一个7英尺高的男人在大众人口中相当稀少 --
1 in 10 men后面应该跟单数is，演讲者在这里用的是are。

90
So rare that if you know an American man between the ages of 20 and 40 who's at least 7 feet tall, there is a 17% chance he's in the NBA right now.
非常稀少以至于如果你认为一个在20到40岁之间、身高超过7英尺的美国男性，有17%的概率他在NBA。

91
That is, find six honest seven footers, one is in the NBA right now.
也就是说，找出6个真正的7英尺高的人，其中有一个现在就在NBA。

92
And that's not the only way that NBA players' bodies are unique.
这不是NBA球员体型独特的唯一一方面。

93
This is Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man," the ideal proportions, with arm span equal to height.
这是达芬奇的“维特鲁威人”，理想的比例是，两臂伸展长度等于身高。

94
My arm span is exactly equal to my height. Yours is probably very nearly so. But not the average NBA player.
我的臂展基本等于我的身高。你的估计也很接近。但是一般的NBA球员不是。

95
The average NBA player is a shade under 6'7", with arms that are seven feet long.
一般NBA球员略矮于6英尺7英寸，臂展长7英尺。

96
Not only are NBA players ridiculously tall, they are ludicrously long.
NBA球员不仅特高，它们还长得一比。
ludicrously adv. 滑稽地；荒唐地
eg：This newspaper is ludicrously unreliable.

97
Had Leonardo wanted to draw the Vitruvian NBA Player, he would have needed a rectangle and an ellipse, not a circle and a square.
如果达芬奇想要画一个维特鲁威NBA球员，他会需要一个长方形和一个椭圆，而不是一个圆和一个正方形。
ellipse n. [数] 椭圆形，[数] 椭圆

98
So in sports where large size is prized, the large athletes have gotten larger.
所以在需要大个头的运动中，个头大的运动员变得越来越大。

99
Conversely, in sports where diminutive stature is an advantage, the small athletes got smaller.
相反，在小体型是优势的运动中，小个头的运动员变得越来越小。
diminnutive adj. 小的，小型的，微小的
stature n. 身高，身材；（精神、道德等的）高度
eg：Maybe every man want to marry a girl with diminutive stature.

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The average elite female gymnast shrunk from 5'3" to 4'9" on average over the last 30 years,
在过去30年中，一般的精英女性体操运动员身高从5英尺3英寸下降到4英尺9英寸。
gymnast n. 体操运动员

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all the better for their power-to-weight ratio and for spinning in the air.
这对它们的力重比和在空中旋转都有好处。
spin vt. 使旋转；纺纱；编造；结网
eg：That kid is making the peg-top spin.

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And while the large got larger and the small got smaller, the weird got weirder.
大的更大，小的更小，怪的更怪。

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The average length of the forearm of a water polo player in relation to their total arm got longer, all the better for a forceful throwing whip.
水球运动员前臂的平均长度相对于他们的手臂长度变长了，这对有力的挥臂更有利。
forearm n. 前臂
whip v. 抽打；猛然移动；促使，煽动
eg：You need to whip by using your forearm under water to go forward.

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As the large got larger, small got smaller, and the weird weirder.
大的更大，小的更小，怪的更怪。

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In swimming, the ideal body type is a long torso and short legs.
在由泳中，理想体型就是长躯干和短腿。
torso n. 躯干；裸体躯干雕像；未完成的作品；残缺不全的东西

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It's like the long hull of a canoe for speed over the water.
这就像一个独木舟的船体，为了在水中加速。
hull n. 船体；（果实的）外壳
canoe n. 独木舟；轻舟

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And the opposite is advantageous in running. You want long legs and a short torso.
与之相反的一面对跑步有利。你需要长腿和短躯干。

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And this shows in athletes' bodies today.
这在今天的运动员体型中都有体现。

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Here you see Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer in history, standing next to Hicham El Guerrouj, the world record holder in the mile.
现在你看到的是Michael Phelps，史上最伟大的游泳者，旁边站着Hicham El Guerrouj，1英里的世界记录保持者。

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These men are seven inches different in height, but because of the body types advantaged in their sports, they wear the same length pants.
这两人在身高上差7英寸，但是由于他们的体型对各自的运动有帮助，他们穿着同样长的裤子。

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Seven inches difference in height, these men have the same length legs.
身高上7英寸的差异，这俩人却拥有着相同的腿长。

L8-U1-P3: On Sports Technology 4

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Now in some cases, the search for bodies that could push athletic performance forward ended up introducing into the competitive world.
在一些情况下，对于身体的研究能够推动运动表现的进步，而这最终会被引进竞技世界。

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populations of people that weren't previously competing at all, like Kenyan distance runners.
这些人以前根本没有参加过比赛，比如肯尼亚的长跑运动员。

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But we think of Kenyans as being great marathoners.
但是我们认为肯尼亚人是厉害的马拉松运动员。

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Kenyans think of the Kalenjin tribe as being great marathoners.
肯尼亚人认为卡伦金族是厉害的马拉松运动员。

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The Kalenjin make up just 12% of the Kenyan population but the vast majority of elite runners.
卡伦金族只占肯尼亚人群的12%，但是其中绝大部分都是精英跑者。

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And they happen, on average, to have a certain unique physiology: legs that are very long and very thin at their extremity,
平均来看，他们恰巧有一个不同的生理机能：在他们的肢体中，腿很细长，

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and this is because they have their ancestry at very low latitude in a very hot and dry climate,
这是因为它们的祖先生活在非常炎热干燥的低纬度地区，

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and an evolutionary adaptation to that is limbs that are very long and very thin at the extremity for cooling purposes.
一种进化上的适应就是四肢很长很细以达到降温的目的。

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It's the same reason that a radiator has long coils, to increase surface area compared to volume to let heat out,
这和散热器有很长的线圈的原因是一样的，相比体积，增加表面积来释放热量，

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and because the leg is like a pendulum, the longer and thinner it is at the extremity, the more energy-efficient it is to swing.
因为这腿像一个钟摆，肢干越长越瘦，摇摆时就越节能。
pendulum n. 钟摆；摇锤；摇摆不定的事态

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To put Kalenjin running success in perspective, consider that 17 American men in history have run faster than 2 hours and 10 minutes in the marathon.
为了正确地看待卡伦津族人长跑的成功，想想历史上有17名美国男子的马拉松跑进了2小时10分钟。

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That's a 4-minute-and-58-second-per-mile pace.
这是4分58秒每英里的配速。

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32 Kalenjin men did that last October.
去年10月32个卡伦金人做到了这一点。

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That's from a source population the size of metropolitan Atlanta.
这人口来源的规模相当于亚特兰大大都市的规模。
这句话等同于That's from a source population (like) the size of metropolitan Atlanta.

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Still, even changing technology and the changing gene pool in sports don't account for all of the changes in performance.
即使变化的技术和运动上的基因库也不能解释所有表现上的变化。

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Athletes have a different mindset than they once did.
相比曾经，运动员有了不同的理念，
mindset n. 心态；倾向；习惯；精神状态
eg：Have a good mindset is the key to have a good mood.

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Have you ever seen in a movie when someone gets an electrical shock and they're thrown across a room?
你曾在电影中见过当一个人受到电击，然后把自己扔出门外的场景吗？

129
There's no explosion there.
此处没有爆炸。

130
What's happening when that happens is that the electrical impulse is causing all their muscle fibers to twitch at once, and they're throwing themselves across the room.
当这件事发生的时候，电脉冲导致他们的所有肌肉纤维立刻抽搐，然后他们把自己扔出到门外。
fiber n. 纤维（等于 fibre）

131
They're essentially jumping.
他们本质上是在跳跃。

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That's the power that's contained in the human body.
这就是蕴藏在人体内的力量。

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But normally we can't access nearly all of it.
但是通常我们不能获取全部。

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Our brain acts as a limiter, preventing us from accessing all of our physical resources, because we might hurt ourselves, tearing tendons or ligaments.
我们的大脑充当一个筛选器，保护我们用力过度，因为我们可能伤害到自己，拉伤腱和韧带。
tendon n. [解剖] 腱
ligament n. 韧带；纽带，系带

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But the more we learned about how that limiter functions, the more we learned how we can push it back, just a bit,
但是我们越加了解这个筛选器的功能，我们越能把他往回推一点，即使只有一点。

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in some cases by convincing the brain that the body won't be in mortal danger by pushing harder.
在一些情况中，越加用力，使得大脑相信身体没有致命危险。
mortal adj. 凡人的；致死的；终有一死的；不共戴天的
eg：A motal person will altimately die.

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Endurance and ultra-endurance sports serve as a great example.
耐力和超耐力运动就是个很好的例子。

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Ultra-endurance was once thought to be harmful to human health, but now we realize that we have all these traits that are perfect for ultra-endurance:
我们曾经认为超耐力对人体健康有害，但是现在我们直到我们拥有超耐力的完美特性：

139
no body fur and a glut of sweat glands that keep us cool while running.
没有体毛以及拥有大量用来跑步时降温的汗腺。

140
narrow waists and long legs compared to our frames; large surface area of joints for shock absorption.
相比我们的身材来看，细腰和长腿；关节处大的表面积用来吸收冲击。

141
We have an arch in our foot that acts like a spring, short toes that are better for pushing off than for grasping tree limbs,
脚底呈弓形，动起来像一个弹簧，短脚趾能更好地推离地面而不是抓住树枝，

142
and when we run, we can turn our torso and our shoulders like this while keeping our heads straight.
当我们奔跑时，我们能够像这样转动我们的躯干和肩膀并保持头部向前。

143
Our primate cousins can't do that. They have to run like this.
我们的猩猩兄弟不能这样。他们只能像这样奔跑。
primate adj. 灵长目动物的；大主教的

144
And we have big old butt muscles that keep us upright while running.
并且我们有大而肥的臀部肌肉，能让我们直立奔跑。

145
Have you ever looked at an ape's butt?
你曾看过一个猩猩的屁股吗？

146
They have no buns because they don't run upright.
他们没有屁屁，因为他们不直立奔跑。

147
And as athletes have realized that we're perfectly suited for ultra-endurance, they've taken on feats that would have been unthinkable before,
当运动员意识到我们很适合超耐力，他们做到了以前难以想象的成绩，

148
athletes like Spanish endurance racer Kílian Jornet.
像西班牙耐力跑运动员Kílian Jornet。

149
Here's Kílian running up the Matterhorn.
这是Kílian在爬马特洪峰。

150
With a sweatshirt there tied around his waist.
他的腰部系着一个汗衫。

151
It's so steep he can't even run here. He's pulling up on a rope.
这里很陡峭，他无法在上面跑。他拉着一根绳子。

152
This is a vertical ascent of more than 8,000 feet, and Kelian went up and down in under 3 hours, amazing.
这的垂直距离超过8000英尺，Kelian上下一个来回用时不超过3小时，震惊。
vertical adj. 垂直的，直立的；[解剖] 头顶的，顶点的；[植]纵长的，直上的
ascent n. 上升；上坡路；登高
eg：There is a nearly vertical ascent before that mountain.

153
And talented though he is, Kílian is not a physiological freak.
即使Kílian天赋异禀，他也不是一个生理怪人。
freak n. 怪人，怪事；畸形人；反复无常

154
Now that he has done this, other athletes will follow, just as other athletes followed after Sir Roger Bannister ran under 4 minutes in the mile.
即使他做到了这个，其他运动员也会跟随，就如同其他运动员在Sir Roger Bannister 1英里跑进4分钟后跟随一样。

155
Changing technology, changing genes and changing mindset.
变化的科技，变化的基因和变化的理念。

156
Innovation in sports, whether that's new track surfaces or new swimming techniques, the democratization of sport,
体育中的创新，无论是新的跑道表面或游泳技巧，这都是全民的体育运动，
democratization n. 民主化

157
the spread to new bodies and to new populations around the world, and imagination in sport, an understanding of what the human body is truly capable of,
向更多人群的推广，对体育的想象，对于人体极限的理解，

158
have conspired to make athletes stronger, faster, bolder, and better than ever.
共同使得运动员更强、更快、更勇敢、更棒。
conspire vt. [法] 密谋策划

159
Thank you very much.
感谢老铁们。