Women and the Olympics女性與奧運會

四川 萬婧遙

近年來，越來越多的女性運動員參與到奧運會中，并大放異彩。

1Strength and determination make sportswomen champions in the field.The same qualities ensure that more of them get there.Banned from the first modern Olympics,in 1896,only 22 competed among almost 1,000 athletes at the next games in Paris.This year Britain,the US and China have all sent more women than men to Tokyo,and overall,the number of female competitors has almost reached parity with male competitors at last,at 48.8%.

2The Games are a rare sporting field in which women come very close to equality.Most gold medallists will receive the same financial reward from their country,whether male or female.Over the years,female Olympians such as Nadia Comǎneci and Jackie Joyner-Kersee have enjoyed instant name recognition and drawn spectators,just as male athletes have.Women's events are valued in their own right.

3Yet the Olympic movement remains overwhelmingly male—and it shows.Only a third of the International Olympic Committee's executive board members are women.The IOC says it is committed to gender equality,and its decision to add more women's events has unquestionably boosted female participation.In other regards,the Olympic movement is falling short.The head of Tokyo's organising committee was forced to apologize after complaining that women talked too much.

4Athletes are directly affected by outdated attitudes.This year saw a row over whether breastfeeding infants could accompany their mothers,due to the COVID-19 concerns.Many women have had to overcome far poorer resources and support at national level.

5The Olympic movement is not solely responsible for the challenges that female competitors face.Other sporting bodies have a lot to answer for.Broadcasters still get it wrong,and so do fans.For many women,the Olympics is especially joyful as one of the few areas of popular culture in which women's bodies are celebrated not for how they look but for what they can do,and for individual strength and achievement,not whether they please onlookers.

6Female Olympians have caught up,despite their unfavourable start.Now the IOC and others must follow suit.

Reading Check

Choose the best answers according to the text

Detail 1.What do we know from the first paragraph?

A.Sportswomen gain more champions than ever.

B.More sportswomen take part in the Olympics than ever.

C.There were 22 sportswomen in the first modern Olympics.

D.The number of female competitors is bigger than that of male ones.

Inference 2.Why does the author mention Nadia Comǎneci in paragraph 2?

A.To call on more women athletes to learn from her.

B.To advise IOC to allow more women to compete.

C.To say women athletes gain as equal rights as men athletes.

D.To prove women athletes were greater than men athletes.

Inference 3.What can we infer about the head of Tokyo's organising committee?

A.He looked down upon women.

B.He expected to add more women's events.

C.He thought the Olympic movement was falling short.

D.He wished IOC would have more women leaders.

Inference 4.What does the author think of the present work performance of IOC?

A.It is unfair. B.It is perfect.

C.It is confusing. D.It needs improving.

Language Study

Ⅰ.Analyze the difficult structure in the text

For many women,the Olympics is especially joyful as one of the few areas of popular culture in which women's bodies are celebrated not for how they look but for what they can do,and for individual strength and achievement,not whether they please onlookers.對許多女性來說，奧運會是為數(shù)不多令人愉悅的流行文化領(lǐng)域之一，在此領(lǐng)域，女性的身體受到贊譽不是因為她們的外表，也不是因為她們能取悅觀眾，而是因為她們的能力、個人的力量和成就。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復(fù)合句，句中的in which引導(dǎo)定語從句，修飾先行詞one of the few areas of popular culture。

Ⅱ.Memorize some text-centered chunks

the number of……的數(shù)量 whether...or...是……還是……

be committed to承擔；致力于 in other regards在其他方面

fall short缺乏；不足 be responsible for對……負責(zé)

answer for（對問題）負有很大責(zé)任 catch up趕上