Controversial running shoes备受争议的跑鞋

湖北 王小萍

随着高科技的发展，拥有一双功能性跑鞋将有效提升运动员长跑的优势，但这公平吗？

1Platform shoes are back in fashion,at least in athletics.Many of the long-distance runners at the Tokyo Olympics arrived at the starting line sporting footwear with distinctive chunky-looking heels.It will be more than just fashion statement.The new shoes offer such a big performance advantage that critics have described them as “technological doping(兴奋剂)”.

2Running-shoe makers have long tried to boost athletic performance,observes Geoff Burns,a biomechanics expert at the University of Michigan.In olden days,a 1% improvement in“running economy”—the energy taken to travel a given distance—would have impressed.But in 2016 Nike released the first version of its “Vaporfly” model,which improved “running economy” by 4%.

3If that percentage were to translate directly into performance,it would cut about five minutes off an elite male's marathon time.In practice,as Dr Burns observes,it wouldn't quite do that.A marathon improvement of around 90 seconds would be a more realistic expectation.

4Scientists are still puzzling over exactly how the shoes work.The soles are made of a new material that offers a mix of resilience(弹性)and softness,according to Dr Burns.This returns around 80% of the energy from each strike of a runner's foot.

5The carbon-fibre plate may help alter a runner's gait.By cushioning(缓和打击)a runner's bones and muscles from repetitive impacts,the shoes may even help athletes train harder than they otherwise could.

6In January 2020,World Athletics,the governing body of international athletics,passed new rules limiting the thickness of the sole of road shoes to 40 mm.Meanwhile,Nike appeared to have put its plans aside to design high-tech shoes for sportsmen at the Tokyo Olympics,possibly because they did not obey the regulations either.But if they have worked out a way around that problem,there could be fireworks in the match,too.

Reading Check

Choose the best answers according to the text

Inference 1.Why does the author mention the “Vaporfly” model in paragraph 2?

A.To call on more sportsmen to wear it in the future.

B.To prove it is the most popular shoes at present.

C.To say high-tech shoes benefit sportsmen's performance.

D.To analyze why running-shoe makers differ from others.

Detail 2.Which of the following statements would Dr Burns agree with?

A.The shoes can save sportsmen's energy by 20%.

B.An elite male can finish his marathon 5 minutes earlier.

C.A 1% improvement in “running economy” is usually ignored.

D.The materials of the shoes contribute to sportsmen's performance.

Detail 3.What is one of the functions of the new shoes?

A.Athletes get harder training.

B.Athletes feel much stressed.

C.They change athletes'bones and muscles.

D.They provide more rest time for athletes.

Inference 4.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph imply?

A.World athletics encourages sportsmen to compete fairly.

B.Athletes run much quicker with high-tech shoes.

C.High-tech shoes are forbidden in the Olympic Games.

D.The thickness of the sole of road shoes within 40 mm is recognized.

Language Study

Ⅰ.Analyze the difficult structure in the text

The new shoes offer such a big performance advantage that critics have described them as“technological doping”.这款新鞋有着巨大的性能优势，以至于批评者将其称之为“技术兴奋剂”。

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句，句中such...that...引导结果状语从句，意为“如此……以至于……”。

Ⅱ.Memorize some text-centered chunks

in fashion流行 be made of...由……组成

according to根据 a mix of...……的混合

put...aside搁置……