【英语听和读】声音与体育

Jackie: Hello, I'm Jackie Dalton. Welcome to Entertainment, which this week

has a sports theme. We're going to be finding out about how noise from

spectators¹ at sports events affects players or competitors taking part in a

sport.

Sandy Wilson

It's been well known for many years that noise has a major effect on performance.

Jackie: Sports psychologist Dr Sandy Wilson says noise affects the performance

of sportsmen and women. It 'affects their performance' means it

influences how well they do or don't do when they're taking part in a

sport – their performance. Listen to Sandy again and try to answer this

question: how does noise affect our bodies?

Sandy Wilson

It's been well known for many years that noise has a major effect on performance. Noise

causes an increase in people's arousal level, so that when people do hear noise, their

heart rate increases, they breathe more quickly, they sweat a bit more. And all these

kinds of things have an effect on performance.

Jackie: Sandy says noise affects arousal levels. If your body becomes more

aroused, it is ready for action – as Sandy said, your heart might beat

faster to get the blood around your body faster and you might breathe

more quickly to get more oxygen in. This means your body is more 

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prepared for the physical challenge of sport. So the sound of a noisy,

cheering crowd can give sportspeople the extra energy to do well. But

what about the noise spectators make when they're angry with their team

because they aren't performing well?

Angry spectators sometimes boo their team. To 'boo' someone is to make

a noise to show you don't like their performance. How does this affect

players? Listen to Sandy to find out.

Sandy Wilson

I think it makes them distracted² and self-conscious and ultimately³ will have a negative

effect on them, so I think it's counterproductive to boo your own team.

Jackie: Did you get the answer? Sandy says it's counterproductive to boo your

own team. 'Counterproductive' – it achieves the opposite effect to what

you want. It's counterproductive because players get 'distracted', which

means they can't focus on what they're doing and 'self-conscious', which

means worried about what people think of them. All this means they'll

find it more difficult to perform well. Listen again.

Sandy Wilson

I think it makes them distracted and self-conscious and ultimately will have a negative

effect on them, so I think it's counterproductive to boo your own team.

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Jackie: Sandy says it's not just the players who are affected⁴ by the noise crowds

make. As you listen to this next clip⁵, you'll hear the word 'handball'

which is an expression used when a footballer has touched the football

with his or her hand when they weren't meant to. So, let's listen to Sandy 

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again. Now try to answer this question: apart from the players, who else

might be affected by crowd noise?

Sandy Wilson

I think the noise that comes from the crowd can have a major effect on the referee⁶. It's

not just the players who are affected, but the referees⁷ are affected. If you're a referee and

you suddenly hear 40, 000 people shout 'handball!' then it might not be a question of

being intimidated⁸ by the crowd…it might be that that information can help you make a

decision on what's been happening.

Jackie: Did you get the answer? Sandy says crowds can also influence referees –

the people who make sure the rules of sport are being followed during a

game.

bbclearningenglish.com

Some sports are noisier than others. Gary Sussman is an announcer at

New Jersey's basketball stadium. His job is to build up some excitement

among the players and the fans – 'the fans' - people who have come to

support and encourage a particular team. He says basketball is the sport

where players are most affected by the noise around them. Why is this?

Listen to find out.

Gary Sussman

When you look at all the American sports, whether it be basketball, baseball, football,

hockey… probably basketball - the crowd, the music - has the most effect because the

players are closest to the fans and it just seems that they just get that extra bit of pace,

that extra speed, just that extra motivation from the crowd noise and that's why that

home advantage is so big in basketball. 

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Jackie: Gary says basketball players are really affected by the noise because they

are so close to the fans. He says the noise gives players an extra bit of

pace – 'pace', which means speed. He says they get more motivation –

they feel more encouraged to do well. Another expression you might

have heard is 'home advantage'. 'Home advantage' – let's break that down.

To play a match 'at home' means to play in your own sports field or

stadium, instead of at your opponent's. When we say a team has 'home

advantage', we mean their chances of doing well are improved because

they are playing in their own town. Let's play that clip again and listen

out for those words: pace, motivation, home advantage.

Gary Sussman

When you look at all the American sports, whether it be basketball, baseball, football,

hockey… probably basketball - the crowd, the music - has the most effect because the

players are closest to the fans and it just seems that they just get that extra bit of pace,

that extra speed, just that extra motivation from the crowd noise and that's why that

home advantage is so big in basketball.

Jackie: So if you're a fan of a particular sports team, make sure you go and

encourage your team the next time they play – it seems your voice can

make a difference! 

1 spectators   

n.观众，旁观者( spectator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The spectators were wilting visibly in the hot sun. 看得出观众在炎热的阳光下快支撑不住了。
• The policemen asked the spectators to stand well back. 警察要求旁观者靠后站。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 distracted   

a.注意力分散的，思想不集中的

参考例句：

• When working, one should concentrate and not allow oneself to be distracted. 工作时要集中精力，不要分心。
• Noise outside distracted her mind from her studies. 门外的噪音使她心神不宁，无法集中注意力学习。

3 ultimately   

adv.最后地，最终地，首要地，基本地

参考例句：

• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience.那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。
• Vitamin C deficiency can ultimately lead to scurvy.缺乏维生素C最终能道致坏血病。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 clip   

n.夹子，别针，弹夹，片断；vt.夹住，修剪

参考例句：

• May I clip out the report on my performance?我能把报道我的文章剪下来吗？
• She fastened the papers together with a paper clip.她用曲别针把文件别在一起。

6 referee   

n.裁判员．仲裁人，代表人，鉴定人

参考例句：

• The team was left raging at the referee's decision.队员们对裁判员的裁决感到非常气愤。
• The referee blew a whistle at the end of the game.裁判在比赛结束时吹响了哨子。

7 referees   

n.裁判员( referee的名词复数 )；证明人；公断人；（专业性强的文章的）审阅人

参考例句：

• The fiery player has had numerous run-ins with referees. 这位脾气暴躁的队员曾和裁判员发生过无数次争吵。
• If you want to appeal, the Court of Referees will decide. 如果你要上诉，可以由仲裁法庭去判决。 来自辞典例句

8 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》