四级词汇练习：Tearthemapart!

　四级词汇练习：Tear them apart!
　　Tear them apart! “Kill the fool!” “Murder the referee！”
　　These are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made, they may seem innocent enough. But let’s not kid ourselves. They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real bloodshed. Volumes have been written about the way words affect us.It has been shown that words having certain connotations may cause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual humanistic behavior. I see the term “opponent” as one of those words. Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms.
　　The dictionary meaning of the term “opponent” is “adversary”;“enemy” ; “one who opposes your interests”. Thus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to treat that opponent as an enemy. At such times, winning may dominate one’s intellect, and every action, no matter how gross, may be considered justifiable. I recall an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player’s request for a time out for a glove change because he did not considered then wet enough. The player proceeded to rub his gloves across his wet T?shirt and then exclaimed. “Are they wet enough now?”
　　In the heat of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the consequences that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have also witnessed a player reacting to his opponent’s international and illegal blocking by deliberately hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play. Off the court, they are good friends. Does that make any sense? It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which departs from normal behavior.
　　The dictionary meaning of the term “associate” is “colleague” ; “friend” ; “companion”. Reflect a moment ! You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term “associate” rather than “opponent.”
　　【2005年6月】
　　“撕碎他们!”“杀了那些笨蛋！”“干掉裁判！”
　　这些话语在各种体育赛场上均能听到。说这些话的人，往往觉得自己很无辜。但我们不是三岁小孩，我们深知如此过激行为常会导致流血冲突。关于言辞如何影响我们的书本卷帙浩繁。业已证实，言语的某些特定含义往往会致使我们以迥异于日常行为的方式做出反应。“对手”一词便是一例，或许将该词从体育术语中删去的时刻已经到来。
　　词典里关于“对手”一词的定义是：“对抗者”，“敌人”，“一个与自身利益相对立的人”。因此，当参赛者遭遇对手时，往往会把对方看成敌人。此刻，获胜已主宰了个人理智；因此，不管个人行为多么粗俗，参赛者都会认为合情合理。这让我们回想起发生在一场手球比赛场的事件：裁判拒绝一位参赛者停止比赛去换副手套的请求，因为裁判认为那副手套不够湿，不一定非得要换。此时，那位参赛者把手套在其湿淋淋的T恤衫上擦抹一番后，对裁判吼道：“这下够湿了吧？”
　　在一场激烈的比赛中，时常会观察到参赛者被罚下场，他们也许未曾想过这种惩罚会对他人产生何种后果。我也曾亲睹一位参赛者蓄意以最狠的方式将球投向他的对手去伤害对方。赛场之外，他们是好朋友。这有何启示呢？可以肯定的是，这证明了球场上的行为举止与日常行为截然不同。Therefore, I believe it is time we elevated the game to the level where it belongs thereby setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term “opponent” with “associate” could be an ideal way to start.
　　因此，我认为现在需要将比赛提升至一更高水平，从而给体育界树立典范。以“伙伴”取代“对手”或许就是一个好的开端。
　　词典里关于“伙伴”的定义是：“同事”，“朋友”，“同伴”。显然，如此一来，你将不会把对手当作敌人来看待，赛场风气就会大为改观。