Women and the Olympics女性与奥运会

四川 万婧遥

近年来，越来越多的女性运动员参与到奥运会中，并大放异彩。

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4Athletes are directly affected by outdated attitudes.This year saw a row over whether breastfeeding infants could accompany their mothers,due to the COVID-19 concerns.Many women have had to overcome far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.对许多女性来说，奥运会是为数不多令人愉悦的流行文化领域之一，在此领域，女性的身体受到赞誉不是因为她们的外表，也不是因为她们能取悦观众，而是因为她们的能力、个人的力量和成就。

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句，句中的in which引导定语从句，修饰先行词one of the few areas of popular culture。

Ⅱ.Memorize some text-centered chunks

the number of……的数量 whether...or...是……还是……

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

fall short缺乏；不足 be responsible for对……负责

answer for（对问题）负有很大责任 catch up赶上