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Fun and Games with the Finns 惊奇一夏，芬兰好好玩

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When we think of Finnish contributions to the world, communications giant Nokia would certainly rank highly. However, on a trip to Finland, you might be surprised to stumble across people not talking into their cellphones, but, rather, hurling them javelin-style ___1___ they can. Why? Because they are taking part in the Finnish summer games – Finland’s wacky answer to the Olympics.

一想到芬兰对世界的贡献，通讯巨擘Nokia绝对名列前茅。但是，走一趟芬兰，你可能会觉得讶异，遇到的人们竟不是对着手机讲话，反而像掷标枪似地尽全力将手机扔往远处。为什么？因为他们正在参加芬兰的夏日竞赛──芬兰的搞怪版奥运。

Aside from cellphone throwing, wife carrying has ___2___ as one of the most popular of fifty or so championships that make up the summer games. The rules are straightforward: competitors carry their wives on their backs and make it as fast as they can over an obstacle course. Then woman must weigh at least 49 kg and, for the winner, will be worth her weight in beer – the ___3___ but very welcome prize! Organizers claim this absurd event has ___4___ roots. In the nineteenth century, the robber Ronkainan tested new gang members by making them carry a heavy ___5___ over a similar course. Then, there is an older tribal practice of wife stealing. Perhaps due to the ___6___, competitors needn’t enter with their own wives!

夏日竞赛由50种左右的锦标赛组成，除了扔手机之外，背老婆活动也脱颖而出，成为最受欢迎的项目之一。规则很简单，参赛者要背着他们的老婆全速冲过障碍跑道。女方至少要有49公斤重，因为获胜者可以得到与太太体重等量的啤酒──这样的奖品虽然不寻常，但却极受欢迎呢！主办单位表示，这项愚蠢可笑的活动是有历史渊源的。19世纪时，有个名叫Ronkainan的强盗，要帮派的新进成员身荷重物跑过类似的障碍路径，藉此测试他们。还有一个年代更久远的部落习俗则是抢老婆。或许是因为后面抢老婆这点，参赛者也不一定要背自己的老婆来参加比赛呢！

If you aspire to rock stardom ___7___ following in the footsteps of a robber, the Air Guitar Championships may be for you. As the name suggests, actual guitars play no role in the competition, with entrants merely ___8___ to play legendary electric guitar solos. Contestants are ___9___ on how realistic their performance is as well as stage presence, and recent champs have come from as far away as the U.S. and Japan.

如果你向往当摇滚明星，而非追随强盗的脚步，那空气吉他锦标赛可能更吸引你。从名称可猜知，比赛中是没有真的吉他的，参赛者只是装出一副表演著名电吉他独奏的模样。评分标准是参赛者演出时的拟真度及台风。最近的优胜者有些甚至从美国及日本远道而来。

Perhaps it’s because of their long, harsh winter that the eccentric Finns have found such a unique way of cutting loose when summer finally arrives. But, whatever the ___10__, the novel games have boosted tourism, attracting thousands of foreign visitors and participants annually, and made their way into the hearts of fun-lovers worldwide.

或许是因为他们的冬天严峻漫长，所以古怪的芬兰人会想到以这样独特的方式，在终于等到夏天时解放一下。但是，无论原因为何，这些新奇的比赛都促进了观光业的发展，每年吸引大批外国旅客及参赛者前来，也令全世界爱找乐子的人深深着迷。

−by Claire Tyrrel

Vocabulary

单词发音

stumble across 无意中发现; 偶然发现 to find someone or something, usually by accident

straightforward [͵stretˋfɔrwɚd] adj. 简单的；易懂的

obstacle [ˋɑbstək!] n. 障碍（物）

claim [klem] v. 自称; 声称

absurd [əbˋsɝd] adj. 荒谬的；可笑的

aspire [əˋspaɪr] v. 向往；怀有大志[to/after][+to-v]

follow in someone's footsteps 效仿; 步…后尘

legendary [ˋlɛdʒənd͵ɛrɪ] adj. 传说的；传奇的

realistic [rɪəˋlɪstɪk] adj. 逼真的

harsh [hɑrʃ] adj. 严酷的，恶劣的

eccentric [ɪkˋsɛntrɪk] adj.（人、行为等）古怪的

unique [juˋnik] adj. 独一无二的；独特的

novel [ˋnɑv!] adj. 新的; 新颖的; 新奇的

boost [bust] v. 推动；促进

More Information

单词发音

Finnish [ˋfɪnɪʃ] adj. 芬兰（人）的

communication [kə͵mjunəˋkeʃən] n. 通讯

hurl [hɝl] v. 猛力投掷

javelin [ˋdʒævlɪn] n.（运动所用的）标枪

wacky [ˋwækɪ] adj.【非正式】疯疯癫癫的; 古怪的

championship [ˋtʃæmpɪən͵ʃɪp] n. 锦标赛

course [kors] n.（竞赛的）跑道; 路线

robber [ˋrɑbɚ] n. 抢劫者，强盗

stardom [ˋstɑrdəm] n. 明星的地位

entrant [ˋɛntrənt] n. 参加比赛者

contestant [kənˋtɛstənt] n. 参加竞赛者，角逐者

stage presence  舞台表现   a performance skill, the ability to command the attention of the audience, through a quality performance

champ [tʃæmp] n.【口】冠军，优胜者

cut loose【口】(行动、说话等)自由, 无约束  to behave in a way that is free and relaxed, especially when you are enjoying yourself

make one's way into  打进; 进入  go in a particular direction or to a particular destination

load [lod] n.〔车辆﹑人等的〕负载物

Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship

Wife Carrying World Championships 2010

AIR GUITAR WORLD CHAMPION 2009

Answer