VOA慢速英语2015 The Epidemic of Cheating in Sports

 

The Epidemic¹ of Cheating in Sports

Throughout time, cheating in sports has caused debate and dispute². Athletes often do whatever it takes to win in competition. Some take drugs that are meant to improve their performance, such as steroids. These might make them run faster or hit a baseball harder.

Athletes also sometimes cheat by purposely playing poorly or losing a game.

In the United States, Sunday, the National Football League will hold its championship game. One of the two teams to take part in the so-called³ Super Bowl is under a cloud of suspicion⁴.

In a game two weeks ago, the New England Patriots⁵ team was found to be using footballs that did not meet NFL rules. The air pressure was too low in 11 of the Patriots' 12 footballs.

Sources say the leading official at the game had approved all the balls before kick-off, or the start of play. They then were returned to each team.

Reports say that Patriots' footballs were tested again at halftime. The footballs were found to be low and air was added. The balls were returned to play for the second half, and then tested again after the game.

Those results have not been made public.

The NFL is investigating what has come to be known as “Deflategate.” Some critics say the NFL should severely⁶ punish the New England Patriots and their coach Bill Belichick if it is proven they deflated⁷ their footballs.

Under NFL rules, footballs may not be changed once they are approved. If a person is found to have broken the rules he or she could face a $25,000 fine and other action.

Similar Incidents Around the World

Cheating is not only found in U.S. sports. The practice crosses many borders.

In 1999, a South African runner named Sergio Motsoeneng finished 9th in the Comrades⁸ Marathon. Competitors run 89-kilometers in the annual race held in South Africa. Motsoeneng won about $980 in the race. He wanted to use the prize money to help his father.

Motsoeneng was seen starting and finishing the race. But he shared the running with another person.  Motsoeneng changed places several times during the race with his nearly identical⁹ younger brother, Fika. They both wore identical uniforms, numbers, and hats that covered their faces.

A newspaper reporter noticed a change in the time piece each brother wore. Sometimes it was on the left side, other times it was on the right.

Sergio Motsoeneng was forced to give back the money. Officials also banned him and his brother from entering the event for 10 years. In 2010, Sergio Motsoeneng finished third in the Comrades Marathon. However, this time tests showed he had used a banned substance.

Athletes from Spain tried to cheat in the 2000 Paralympic Games held in Sydney, Australia. The Paralympic Games is a major international sporting event for athletes with physical or mental disabilities. The Sydney Paralympics was only the second time in which athletes with intellectual¹⁰ disabilities were permitted to compete in the events.

To qualify¹¹ as having an intellectual disability, competitors had to have an intelligence quotient, or IQ, below 70. When tested, 10 of the 12 members of Spain's basketball team were found to be ineligible¹². The entire basketball team was disqualified and forced to return their gold medals.

Football, or soccer as it known in the United States, is one of the most popular sports in the world. And Diego Maradona was one of the best football players in the world. In 1986, he helped lead his home country of Argentina to the World Cup. But a rules violation¹³ surrounds one of his most famous goals.

The Argentinian team was tied 0-0 in the second half of their World Cup quarterfinal game against the team from England. Maradona passed the ball to his teammate who kicked it high into the air. But when Maradona ran towards the ball, he jumped up and illegally touched the football with his hand. The ball then went into the opposing team’s net for a goal. The game officials did not see the illegal move known as a hand ball. The infamous¹⁴ incident is called the "Hand of God."

Why Cheat?

Maurice Schweitzer is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He is an expert on the psychology¹⁵ of cheating. He recently spoke¹⁶ about “deflategate” in a public radio broadcast from Boston, Massachusetts. He said there are several reasons why an athlete may cheat, including a fear of losing. In his words, “if you’re expected to win, you actually face more pressure to come out on top.”

But he says the culture of a sports organization can also be involved. He says that in some organizations, “the line between cheating and merely being very competitive¹⁷ isn’t very clear.”

Words in this Story

annual – adj. happening once a year

ineligible – adj. not allowed to do or be something

infamous – adj. well-known for being bad; known for evil¹⁸ acts or crimes

deflate – v. to remove air or gas to something, such as a tire or a ball

1 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

2 dispute   

n.争端，分歧；v.争论，争吵，辩论，辩驳

参考例句：

• They are trying to find a way of settling the dispute.他们正设法寻找解决争端的办法。
• The parties to the dispute should be more polite to each other.争执双方应相互礼貌些。

3 so-called   

adj.所谓的，号称的

参考例句：

• These were the so-called mainframe machines.它们被称为主机。
• Let's see what this so-called button does.让我们来看看为什么这个按钮叫这个名字。

4 suspicion   

n.猜疑，怀疑；怀疑，嫌疑

参考例句：

• There was just a suspicion of light in the east. 东方刚刚泛白。
• I confess to some suspicion of your honesty.我承认对你的诚实有所怀疑。

5 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

7 deflated   

adj. 灰心丧气的

参考例句：

• I was quite deflated by her lack of interest in my suggestions.他对我的建议兴趣不大，令我感到十分气馁。
• He was deflated by the news.这消息令他泄气。

8 comrades   

n.亲密的伙伴( comrade的名词复数 )；战友；朋友；同志

参考例句：

• They were old army comrades. 他们是部队的老战友。
• In conclusion she wished her comrades every success in their work. 最后她祝同志们工作顺利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 identical   

adj.完全一样的，完全相同的；同一的

参考例句：

• She wore the identical dress on both occasions.她在两种场合穿的是同一件衣服。
• He is identical in character with his wife.他的品性和他的夫人相同。

10 intellectual   

n.知识分子；adj.智力的，理智的，有理解力的

参考例句：

• Thinking is an intellectual process.思维是一个智力活动过程。
• Chess is a highly intellectual game.象棋是需用高度智力的运动项目。

11 qualify   

vt.取得资格，有资格，限定，描述；vi.取得资格，有资格

参考例句：

• I won't qualify until next year.我明年才具备资格。
• You must qualify yourself for the post.你必须使自己具备担任这一工作的资格。

12 ineligible   

adj.无资格的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The new rules have made thousands more people ineligible for legal aid.新规定使另外数千人不符合接受法律援助的资格。
• The country had been declared ineligible for World Bank lending.这个国家已被宣布没有资格获得世界银行的贷款。

13 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

14 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

15 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

16 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

17 competitive   

adj.竞争的，比赛的，好竞争的，有竞争力的

参考例句：

• Some kinds of business are competitive.有些商业是要竞争的。
• These businessmen are both competitive and honourable.这些商人既有竞争性又很诚实。

18 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。