EZCNN 易英网

Is Sumo Being Wrestled Out of Japan? 洋相扑

課文朗讀

課文中英文講解

繁體中文譯本

He’s 204 centimeters tall and weighs a beefy 144 kilograms, making him the perfect sumo wrestler. But the problem for many people in Japan, the epicenter of the sumo world, is that he’s not Japanese. Kotooshu, a Bulgarian, is one among many non-Japanese who in recent years have been forcing the traditionally Japanese behemoths off the wrestling mat. Case in point, the current yokozuna, or grand champion, is Mongolian.

身高204公分加上高达144公斤的体重，他绝对具有优秀相扑选手该有的条件。但是，对相扑王国的日本民众而言，问题出在他不是日本人。来自保加利亚的琴欧州是近年来打败日本本土相扑选手的外籍兵团之一。举个实例：日本目前最高阶的「横纲」力士即是蒙古人。

Kotooshu is one of the two foreigners who currently occupy the second-highest rank in sumo, that of ozeki. At 24, he has attained this status faster than anyone else in the sport’s history. Within three years of setting a heavy foot down in the competitions, he has already become a champion. True, foreigners like him have attracted somewhat of a following in Japan, but overall, enthusiasm for the sport has dwindled. It seems that the lack of success of Japanese sumo wrestlers has something to do with that. In fact, the manager of the stable where Kotooshu trains maintains that without the rise of a strong Japanese contender, the sport is unlikely to get back on its feet.

琴欧州是目前第二位获得相扑第二高荣誉「大关」的外籍选手。二十四岁的他是日本相扑史上，第一个如此迅速登上大关宝座的相扑力士。初次登赛至今短短不到三年，他就已经晋升「大关」。的确，像他这样的外籍力士在日本已经吸引了一票粉丝。不过，整体而言，相扑的风潮在日本已经逐渐式微，这和日本选手未能胜出似乎是脱不了关系。事实上，连训练琴欧州的部屋负责人都承认，除非有优秀的日本选手参赛，否则相扑将不可能重拾往日的风光。

For his part, Kotooshu is mum on what he thinks about the impact of foreigners on the sport. He is simply happy to be competing. He is willing, however, to comment on his passions before he jumped into the ring. “It’s true, as a child I did like baking cakes.” The switch from baker to fighter seems to have been a smooth one – a switch resulting in his star status. He is now a sought-after personality with TV commercial contracts, and has been made goodwill ambassador for the European Union.

对于外国选手对日本相扑运动有何冲击，琴欧州本人则不愿意多谈。对他而言，能够参加比赛，他就很高兴了。不过，他倒是十分乐意谈谈他进入相扑界之前的嗜好：「没错，我小时候很喜欢做蛋糕。」对他而言，从烘焙高手转换跑道成为相扑力士并没有带来太大的转变，唯一的改变是为他带来了明星的光环。他目前是炙手可热的运动明星，有许多广告都找他代言，同时也获选为欧盟的亲善大使。

−by J. Michael Cole

Vocabulary

wrestle [ˋrɛs!] n. 摔角，角力

case in point (与所谈论的事有关的事例、例证)恰当的例子 a specific example of what one is talking about

attain [əˋten] v. 达到；获得

overall [ˋovɚ͵ɔl] adv. 总的来说；大体上

dwindle [ˋdwɪnd!] v. 渐渐减少；变小

contender [kənˋtɛndɚ] n.（冠军）争夺者；竞争者

More Information

beefy [ˋbifɪ] adj. 健壮的

sumo [ˋsumo] n.【日】相扑

epicenter [ˋɛpɪ͵sɛntɚ] n. 震中,中心

Bulgarian [bʌlˋgɛrɪən] adj. 保加利亚的

behemoth [bɪˋhiməθ] n. 巨兽

Mongolian [mɑŋˋgoljən] n. 蒙古人

set foot in 到达  to begin to enter some place; to visit or go to a place

somewhat of 几分, 一点

following [ˋfɑləwɪŋ] n. 一批追随者

stable【口】（属于同一主人或机构的）一群人（或物）

maintain [menˋten] v. 主张；断言

back on its feet 经受打击后重新站起来

mum [mʌm] adj. 无言的

comment [ˋkɑmɛnt] v. 发表意见，评论

switch [swɪtʃ] n. 转换

sought-after [ˋsɔt͵æftɚ] adj. 受欢迎的，很吃香的

personality [͵pɝsnˋælətɪ] n. 名人，名士

goodwill [ˋgʊdˋwɪl] n. 友好，亲善

Reading Questions

1.   Which statement about Kotooshu is NOT true?

A.  When he was young, he liked to cook.

B.  He doesn’t talk much about foreign sumo wrestlers.

C.  He is the heaviest wrestler in the last three years.

D.  He is one of the highest ranked wrestlers in Japan.

2.   According to the manager, what needs to be done to increase the enthusiasm for sumo wrestling in Japan?

A.  A Japanese sumo wrestler needs to do better against foreign wrestlers.

B.  Japanese wrestlers need to spend less time worrying about tradition.

C.  More matches between Japanese and foreign wrestlers should be arranged.

D.  Foreign wrestlers need to be more respectful of Japanese culture.

3.   What is the main idea of this article?

A.  Non-Japanese sumo wrestlers get to do a lot of TV commercials.

B.  Kotooshu doesn’t like other foreign sumo wrestlers.

C.  Bulgarian and Mongolians make the best sumo wrestlers.

D.  Foreign sumo wrestlers are replacing Japanese sumo wrestlers.

Answer