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Sport Stacking Stacks Up 拼眼明手比手快:竞技迭杯

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A hush falls over the crowd as the star attraction mentally prepares himself for the ultimate test of concentration and coordination that is just seconds away. The timer begins and the action is underway, and the competitor begins the epic and challenging task of ….. stacking and taking down formations of plastic cups? It might sound silly, but this up-and-coming game, called sport stacking, is no joke.

全场群众忽然鸦雀无声。明明选手做好心理准备迎接几秒之后针对专注力和协调性的终极考验。定时器开始计时，选手迅速展开行动，而这项漫长且艰困的任务内容是……把塑料杯迭成不同阵型后再将它拆掉？这听起来可能很蠢，但这项称作竞技迭杯的新兴运动绝对不是个玩笑。

Sport stacking involves building pyramids of nine or twelve special plastic cups and breaking the pyramids down in the shortest amount of time possible. The sport began in California in the 1980s when kids at a youth center would compete to see who could stack and unstuck pyramids of paper cups the fastest.

竞技迭杯要在最短的时间内，尽可能地将9或12个特制的塑料杯堆栈成金字塔形再将之拆掉。这项运动起源于1980年代的加州。当时有些小朋友在青年活动中心里比赛谁可以最快用纸杯堆栈出金字塔形再拆掉。

Though the game was invented by Wayne Godinet, a teacher named Bob Fox popularized it. In 1990, he saw a demonstration of sport stacking on TV, and recognized its potential. He set up his own company, Speed Stacks, to manufacture and sell sport stacking equipment such as cups and timing mats. Today, his World Sport Stacking Association stages a yearly world championship tournament that is attended by over 1,000 players, and sport stacking programs have been set up in more than 32,000 schools and recreation centers around the world.

虽然这项竞赛的发明者是韦恩．古迪耐，推广这项运动、使之普及的却是一位名为包柏．福克斯的老师。1990年时，福克斯在电视上看到竞技迭杯后，了解到它是一项具有潜力的运动。他成立了Speed Stacks公司生产销售如迭杯和计时桌垫等用具。时至今日，他的竞技迭杯运动推广协会举办的年度世界冠军锦标赛每年都有逾千名参赛者。全世界有超过三万两千所学校和休闲中心将竞技迭杯编入课程之中。

Benefits of taking up sport stacking include improved hand-eye coordination and reaction times. One study also indicated that the game can improve comprehension skills. So give it a try, and you’ll never look at an ordinary cup the same way again.

竞技迭杯的益处包括增进手眼协调性和反应敏捷度。一项研究亦指出竞技迭杯能增强理解力。所以赶快尝试一下，从此在你眼中，杯子将不再如此平凡普通。

－by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

单词发音

hush [hʌʃ] n. 静寂

mentally [ˋmɛnt!ɪ] adv. 心理上；精神上

coordination [koˋɔrdn͵eʃən] n. 协调

away [əˋwe] adv.（用在名词后）隔开……远; at a distance in space or time

epic [ˋɛpɪk] adj. 壮丽的，宏大的 of unusually great size or extent

sport stacking 竞技迭杯

pyramid [ˋpɪrəmɪd] n. 三角锥（体）

popularize [ˋpɑpjələ͵raɪz] v. 宣传; 推广

demonstration [͵dɛmənˋstreʃən] n. 实地示范

recognize [ˋrɛkəg͵naɪz] v. 认出

mat [mæt] n. 垫子

tournament [ˋtɝnəmənt] n. 比赛；锦标赛；联赛

recreation [͵rɛkrɪˋeʃən] n. 消遣；娱乐

comprehension [͵kɑmprɪˋhɛnʃən] n. 理解；理解力

Idiom

片语发音

star attraction 明星人物 when you are a star attraction you are the most popular person that is at that certain place

set up 建立  to establish; found

take up 做, 喜欢上  to develop an interest in or devotion to

Reading Questions

1.   How did Bob Fox first learn about sport stacking?

(A)  He watched people play it in the park.

(B)  He was friends with the game’s inventor.

(C)  He watched a match on television.

(D)  He saw some people at his company playing it.

2.   Which of the following statements about sport stacking is NOT true?

(A)  The game is really silly and no more than a joke.

(B)  Top players are able to construct pyramids very quickly.

(C)  It was first played by a group of kids in California.

(D)  It can help people improve their reaction times.

3.   What does the writer seem to suggest in this passage?

(A)  Soon, sport stacking will be the most popular game in the U.S.

(B)  You need to take several lessons before you can try sport stacking.

(C)  Sport stacking will probably make you want to buy a lot of different-sized cups.

(D)  Sport stacking is a fun game that more and more people are enjoying.

Amazing Sport Stacking Records

Sport Stacking Cycle: 5.170!!!!!

Answer