2021年经济学人 奥运VS药物(4)

The best-known PEDS are anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), which are close chemical cousins of testosterone, the chief male sex hormone¹.

最著名的兴奋剂是雄性甾体激素(AAS)，它是主要的雄性激素睾酮的化学表亲。

Athletes take them to increase the size and strength of their muscles, and for their purported² ability to enhance recovery after exercise, which allows people to train harder than would otherwise be possible.

运动员服用这种药物是为了增加肌肉的尺寸和力量，并增强他们在运动后的恢复能力，使得他们能够比平时更加努力地训练。

Though ethical³ issues make studies tricky⁴ to do, steroids' strength-enhancing effects have been confirmed by several research projects.

尽管伦理问题使研究变得棘手，但类固醇增强力量的效果已经得到了几个研究项目的证实。

The most thorough trials on their effects on sport were conducted in East Germany, which ran a state-sponsored doping programme that began in the 1960s.

关于兴奋剂对体育的影响，最全面的试验是在东德进行的。东德从上世纪60年代开始实施了一个由国家支持的兴奋剂项目。

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, data collected by this project became available to independent scientists, and were written up in1997 in a paper published in Clinical Chemistry.

在柏林墙倒塌后，这个项目收集到的数据被独立科学家获得，并于1997年发表在了《临床化学》上的一篇论文中。

One early test subject, a female shot-putter known only as "1/68", improved her best performance from 18 metres to almost 20 metres—close to the world record at the time—within 11 weeks of beginning a cycle of Turinabol, a synthetic⁵ AAS developed in 1961.

早期的试验对象是一名女子铅球运动员，人称“1/68”，在开始服用特力补(1961年开发的一种合成AAS)一个疗程的11周内，她的最好成绩从18米提升到了20米，接近当时的世界纪录。

AAS proved particularly potent⁶ in women, presumably because they start with lower levels of testosterone than men and therefore have more scope for enhancement.

AAS被证明对女性特别有效，大概是因为女性的睾丸素水平比男性低，因此有更大的增强空间。

A report delivered in 1977 to the Stasi, East Germany's secret police, reported improvements in female athletes' performances of up to five metres in the shot put, 20 metres in the discus, five seconds in the 400-metre sprint⁷ and ten seconds in the 1,500 metres.

1977年，东德的秘密警察斯塔西收到一份报告，报告称，女运动员在铅球5米、铁饼20米、400米短跑5秒和1500米短跑10秒的成绩都有所提高。

After anabolic steroids, the best-known doping drug is probably EPO, a natural substance which stimulates⁸ production of red blood cells.

在合成代谢类固醇之后，最著名的兴奋剂可能是促红细胞生成素(EPO)，这是一种刺激红细胞生成的天然物质。

An artificial version was developed in the late 1980s to treat anaemia.

20世纪80年代晚期科学家曾发明一种人工促红细胞生成素用于治疗贫血症。

It (and its chemical cousins) quickly became rampant⁹ in endurance sports such as running and cycling.

它(以及它的化学兄弟)很快就在跑步和骑自行车等耐力运动中猖獗起来。

Red blood cells transport oxygen around the body, and the supply of oxygen to an athlete's muscles is an important limiting factor in endurance exercise.

红细胞能够将氧气输送到全身各处，而对运动员肌肉的氧气供应是耐力运动中一个重要的限制因素。

So boosting red-blood-cell counts can allow superhuman efforts.

因此，提高红细胞数量可以实现超人般的努力。

1 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

2 purported   

adj.传说的，谣传的v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• the scene of the purported crime 传闻中的罪案发生地点
• The film purported to represent the lives of ordinary people. 这部影片声称旨在表现普通人的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

4 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

5 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

6 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

7 sprint   

n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过

参考例句：

• He put on a sprint to catch the bus.他全速奔跑以赶上公共汽车。
• The runner seemed to be rallied for a final sprint.这名赛跑者似乎在振作精神作最后的冲刺。

8 stimulates   

v.刺激( stimulate的第三人称单数 )；激励；使兴奋；起兴奋作用，起刺激作用，起促进作用

参考例句：

• Exercise stimulates the body. 运动促进身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Alcohol stimulates the action of the heart. 酒刺激心脏的活动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。