首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
"I’m SORRY. " For days that’s been about all Japan has heard from its Olympic athletes. Those were the first words uttered by a
"I’m SORRY. " For days that’s been about all Japan has heard from its Olympic athletes. Those were the first words uttered by a
admin
2011-01-02
29
问题
"I’m SORRY. " For days that’s been about all Japan has heard from its Olympic athletes. Those were the first words uttered by a young swimmer after competing in the 400-m individual-medley swimming event, a difficult exercise that takes more than minutes to complete and re-quires four different strokes. Because her event took place on the opening day of Sydney 2000, her performance was considered especially significant for the fortunes of the nation. But with all of Japan watching, Yasuko Tajima fell short. Never mind that she earned a silver medal. "How disappointing," she said. "Next time I will win the gold.”
There is a unique form of pressure on Japan’s athletes. Competitors from every country face enormous expectations to win, to make the years of hard work and training pay off, to achieve greatness on the preeminent world stage. American cyclist Lance Armstrong, winner of two consecutive Tour de France races after surviving a contest with cancer, noted last week that, "If I loses the Olympics, they’ll say, ’I thought he was supposed to be a good cyclist." "But whereas failure to win gold might cost Americans a fat endorsement contract, for Japanese a disappointing performance is even more disastrous, as individual failure is somehow wrapped up with a sense of national identity. "For non-Japanese, it’s very peculiar for athletes to say they are sorry. "says Mitsunori Urushibara, a professor of sports philosophy at Shikoku Gakuin University. "Failure is never just an individual matter in Japan. Athletes always face the terror of being excommunicated from the group."
Understanding the culture in which Japanese athletes compete makes watching their defeats all the more painful. The agony of gymnast Naoya Tsukahara, whose hopes for an individual all-a-round medal were dashed last Wednesday when he inexplicably fell off the pommel horse, was obvious as he seemed to sleepwalk through his other events. His body was limp, his expression blank. "I didn’t want to disgrace my nation," he said. Another young swimmer, Tomoko Hagiwara, climbed out of the pool after finishing seventh in her 200-m individual-medley qualifying heat last Monday, her shoulders hanging downward, her head tilted downward. "What was the cause of your poor performance?" snapped a reporter for NHK, the national TV network. Hagiwara answered that she didn’t shift smoothly between strokes and that her turns were poor. "Please remember those points and try to do better in the next race," the reporter lectured: "You feel as if everyone in Japan feels ashamed of you, "former Olympic swimmer Hiroko Nagasaki commented on a Fuji TV broadcast.
A memory that still haunts many in Japan is that of Kokichi Tsuburaya, the marathon runner who finished third at the 1964 Tokyo Games. Four years later, while in training for the Mexico City Olympics, Tsuburaya killed himself by cutting his wrist in his dormitory. He was found holding his bronze medal. "I remember Tsuburaya’s comments before he committed suicide," follow marathoner Kenji Kimihara told the Nikkan Sports newspaper this year. "He said ’I committed an inexcusable mistake in front of the Japanese people. I have to beg their pardon by running and hoisting the Hinomam [national flag] in Mexico."
The media are partly responsible for the pressure, but they reflect the general attitudes of the population. And the nation’s fans don’t seem to be having much fun. Last week, hundreds of Japanese endured a horrific schedule to watch their team battle Brazil in soccer. They took a nine hour flight from Osaka to Brisbane, traveled by bus to the stadium, dutifully watched the game and left immediately for the airport for the return trip to Osaka. They were home in time for work the next morning. "They got there and acted like the cheering was compulsory," says Urushibara. "They didn’t seem to really enjoy the game. It is work. It is what members of the group do."
Sadly, even when an athlete lives up to expectations, the demanding drum-beat for victory doesn’t cease. On opening day, Tadahiro Nomura won a gold medal in judo in impressive fashion by "dropping" his opponent in just 14 seconds. It was his second Olympic victory, but Nomura had little chance to savor the moment. "What about 2004?" a reporter asked seconds after his victory. No one could blame the quiet champion if he felt like folding up his judo jacket and never putting it back on again.
What does the last paragraph imply?
选项
A、No Japanese athlete can really feel relaxed.
B、Japanese public never feel content with the performance of their athletes.
C、A gold medal in Japan is not the symbol of victory.
D、The Japanese media have quite high expectations on the athletes.
答案
A
解析
该题问:最后一段有什么含义?A项意为“没有日本运动员能真正感到放松的”,最后一段第一句 Sadly,even when an athlete lives up to expectaions,the demanding drum-beat for victory doesn’t cease 及 It was his second Olympic victory,but Nomura had little chance to savor the moment.What about 2004? 从这几处地方可以看出A项是正确的。B项意为“日本公众从来没有对他们的运动员的表现满意过”,文中并没有提及。C项意为“在日本一枚金牌并不是成功的象征”,这在文中并也没有提及。D项意为“日本媒体对运动员们有很高的期望”,这句话是对的,但本段的主旨并非如此。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/IDeO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
Aspeopleage,theircellsbecomelessefficientandlessablereplacedamagedcomponents.Atthesametimetheirtissuesstiffe
SteveandYaserfirstmetintheirchemistryclassofanAmericanuniversity.YaserwasaninternationalstudentfromJordan.He
Sowhathavetheytaughtyouatcollegeaboutinterviews?Somecoursesgototownonit,othersdoverylittle.Youmaygetconf
Eliot’sinterestedinpoetryinabout1902withthediscoveryofRomantic.HehadrecalledhowhewasinitiatedintopoetrybyE
Eliot’sinterestedinpoetryinabout1902withthediscoveryofRomantic.HehadrecalledhowhewasinitiatedintopoetrybyE
Eliot’sinterestedinpoetryinabout1902withthediscoveryofRomantic.HehadrecalledhowhewasinitiatedintopoetrybyE
1ThiscalmingdownisperhapsthemainreasonwhyIkeepadiary.Itisincrediblehowthewrittensentencecancalmandta
Inthe1960RomeOlympics,Elliot______.
A、Health.B、Possessions.C、Attitudetowardsaging.D、Dailylife.C
PhilipLarkinwasa(n)______.
随机试题
背景我国北部地区某机场等级为4E,根据要求,需新建一条检修专用巡场路,路宽6m,距离跑道中心线为70m。在施工前,施工单位针对不停航施工组织的特点,制定了详细的施工方案。跑道有飞行活动期间,在保证安全的前提下,能否进行巡场路垫层作业?
谈判者自我评估的目的与实施过程谈判者自我评估的目的是要明确自己的谈判目的和利益,评价自己的谈判力和谈判地位。谈判者的自我评估通常围绕展开的内容:
小脑病变时呈()
A.甲状软骨B.环状软骨C.会厌软骨D.杓状软骨E.舌骨其软骨弓平对第6颈椎,是颈部的重要标志之一。此为
可用于猪、鸡驱线虫的抗生素是
患者,男性,20岁,因“突起高热3天”以“流行性乙型脑炎”收治入院。查体:体温39.8℃,脉搏120次/分,呼吸38次/分,节律不整,瞳孔对光反射迟钝,肺部可闻及干、湿哕音,颈强直(+)。患者在此阶段出现的3个最主要的凶险症状是
肠扭转可导致肠管发生()。
下列基本建设项目中,在国家统一下达的计划中,可以作为大中型项目的是( )。
国家开发银行的贷款可分为()。
()是IN)~l独有的一个少数民族。
最新回复
(
0
)