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I am always amazed when I hear people saying
that sport creates goodwill between
the nations, and that if only the common peoples of the world
could meet
one another at football or cricket, they would have no
inclination to meet on
the battlefield. Even if one didn't know from concrete
examples (the 1936
Olympic Games, for instance) that international sporting
contests lead to orgies
of hatred, one could deduce it from general principles.
Nearly all the sports practised nowadays are competitive. You
play to win,
and the game has little meaning unless you do your utmost to
win. On the village
green, where you pick up sides and no feeling of local
patriotism is involved, it
is possible to play simply for the fun and exercise: but as
soon as the question of
prestige arises, as soon as you feel that you and some larger
unit will be disgraced
if you lose, the most savage combative instincts are aroused.
Anyone who
has played even in a school football match knows this. At the
international level
sport is frankly mimic warfare. But the significant thing is
not the behaviour of
the players but the attitude of the spectators: and, behind
the spectators, of the
nations. who work themselves into furies over these absurd
contests, and seriously
believe--at any rate for short periods--that running, jumping
and kicking a ball
are tests of national virtue.
New words and expression
goodwill
n. 友好
cricket
n. 板球
inclination
n. 意愿
contest
n. 比赛
orgy
n. 无节制的，放荡
deduce
v. 推断
competitive
adj. 竞争性的
patriotism
n. 地方观念，爱国主义
disgrace
v. 使丢脸
savage
adj. 野性的
combative
adj. 好斗的
mimic warfare
模拟战争
behaviour
n. 行动，举止
absurd
adj. 荒唐的
参考译文
当我听人们说体育运动可创造国家之间的友谊，还说各国民众若在足球场或板球场上交锋，就不愿在战场上残杀的时候，我总是惊愕不已。一个人即使不能从具体的事例（例如1936年的奥林匹克运动会）了解到国际运动比赛会导致疯狂的仇恨，也可以从常理中推断出结论。
现在开展的体育运动几乎都是竞争性的。参加比赛就是为了取胜。如果不拚命去赢，比赛就没有什么意义了。
在乡间的草坪上，当你随意组成两个队，并且不涉及任何地方情绪时，那才可能是单纯的为了娱乐和锻炼而进行比赛。可是一量涉及到荣誉问题，一旦你想到你和某一团体会因为你输而丢脸时，那么最野蛮的争斗天性便会激发起来。即使是仅仅参加过学校足球赛的人也有种体会。在国际比赛中，体育简直是一场模拟战争。但是，要紧的还不是运动员的行为，而是观众的态度，以及观众身后各个国家的态度。面对着这些荒唐的比赛，参赛的各个国家会如痴如狂，甚至煞有介事地相信
-- 至少在短期内如此 --
跑跑、跳跳、踢踢球是对一个民族品德素质的检验。
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