Unit 3 Sporting Life

Although extreme sports are inherently dangerous and any mistake could result in injury or even death, they are getting so popular in the Western countries that they attract more "players" than some traditional team sports. People like extreme sports such as mountaineering, skiing and rock climbing because these pursuits push them further than they ever thought possible. These activities offer a fantastic chance to see parts of the coastline and landscape one can't access in traditional sports. In a traditional sporting event, athletes compete against each other under controlled circumstances, but athletes in extreme sports compete not only against other athletes, but also against environmental obstacles and challenges. Whatever extreme sports they do, they need to make sure they use the appropriate equipment and the proper safety precautions. Today, people are seeing a greater variety of extreme sports available, each one more unusual than the last.

盡管極限運(yùn)動(dòng)本身很危險(xiǎn)，任何閃失都會(huì)造成傷害甚至死亡， 但這種運(yùn)動(dòng)在西方國家卻非常流行，吸引的“運(yùn)動(dòng)員”比一些傳統(tǒng)的團(tuán)隊(duì)體育項(xiàng)目還要多。人們喜歡極限運(yùn)動(dòng)是因?yàn)樗麄兛梢酝ㄟ^參加像登山、滑雪和攀巖這樣的極限運(yùn)動(dòng)來突破人類的極限。極限運(yùn)動(dòng)給人提供欣賞海岸線和風(fēng)景的絕佳機(jī)會(huì)，這樣的美景在傳統(tǒng)運(yùn)動(dòng)中是看不到的。在傳統(tǒng)的體育賽事中，運(yùn)動(dòng)員在限定的環(huán)境里互相競爭，而極限運(yùn)動(dòng)的運(yùn)動(dòng)員不僅要互相競爭，還要應(yīng)對環(huán)境的障礙和挑戰(zhàn)。不論參加哪一項(xiàng)極限運(yùn)動(dòng)，運(yùn)動(dòng)員都要確保他們使用合適的裝備，采取恰當(dāng)?shù)陌踩雷o(hù)措施。如今有越來越多的極限運(yùn)動(dòng)問世，每一個(gè)都比上一個(gè)更加獨(dú)特。

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乒乓球被稱為中國的國球有三個(gè)原因。首先，乒乓球?yàn)橹袊A得了榮譽(yù)，到目前為止，中國已經(jīng)獲得了二百多個(gè)乒乓球世界冠軍。其次，乒乓球有著廣泛的群眾基礎(chǔ)，是中國最受歡迎的業(yè)余體育娛樂項(xiàng)目之一。最后，乒乓球運(yùn)動(dòng)促進(jìn)了中國的對外友好交往。1971 年中美兩國在北京的乒乓球友誼賽為恢復(fù)兩國外交關(guān)系敲開了大門，史稱“乒乓外交”。如今，中國在發(fā)展自身乒乓球運(yùn)動(dòng)的同時(shí)，也為其他一些國家輸送了優(yōu)秀的運(yùn)動(dòng)員，對推動(dòng)全球乒乓球運(yùn)動(dòng)的發(fā)展起到了積極作用。

There are three reasons why table tennis is called China's national game. First, up to now China has won more than 200 world titles in table tennis, which has earned great honour for the country. Second, table tennis is widely enjoyed by the general public, and is one of the most popular amateur recreational sports in China. Finally, table tennis helps promote China's friendly exchanges with foreign countries. The friendly table tennis match between China and the US, which took place in Beijing in 1971, is an event known to history as "ping-pong diplomacy", and helped resume Sino-US diplomatic relations. Today, while developing its own table tennis, China also has top table-tennis players playing the game in other countries. This plays a positive role in promoting the global development of the game of table tennis