2024年3月3日发(作者：)

外刊精读

让马拉松变得更环保

导读：

似乎在世界各地，每个主要的大城小镇都会举办年度马拉松比赛。成千上万的参赛运动员要经受艰难的体能考验，跑完 42.1 公里的赛程。和其它大型比赛一样，马拉松比赛也会产生大量的碳足迹。数千人乘坐飞机前来参赛或观赛，观众和运动员留在赛道的食物垃圾、包装袋、礼品袋等等。本期《外刊精读》讨论相关部门针对马拉松比赛所采取的各项环保措施。

一、语篇泛读

Even if you’re a couch potato like me, you’ll know the benefits of

running - pounding the pavements, working up a sweat, burning

off some calories and generally keeping fit. But if you’re a real fitness

junkie, the ultimate running challenge is to take part in a marathon.

It seems every major city and town around the world hosts an

annual marathon, with thousands of athletes running a gruelling 42.1

kilometers. Whilst many runners’ motivation is to beat their personal

best and cross the finishing line without collapsing, they’re also doing

it for a good cause – to generate funds for charity. But like other major

events, the marathon also generates a massive carbon footprint.

Thousands travel - some by plane - to the location, and waste from food

packaging and goody bags gets left behind by spectators and runners.

For example, during the London Marathon in 2018, 47,000 plastic

bottles were collected, although some were recycled.

This is becoming a big issue for cities – how to host a worthwhile

event, encouraging people to exercise and help charities, whilst

protecting the environment? Several cities have developed formal plans

to reduce their environmental impact and promote sustainable ideas.

One event in Wales, for example, introduced recycling for old running

kit and ethically sourced the race t-shirts.

It’s something that this year’s London Marathon tried to tackle by

reducing the number of drink stations on the running route, giving out

water in paper cups and offering some drinks in edible

seaweed capsules. They also trialed new bottle belts made from

recycled plastic so 700 runners could carry water bottles with them

during their run. London Marathon event director Hugh Brasner told the

BBC: "There's a raft of initiatives we are using this year that we think

will lead to some huge behavioral changes in the future."

Meanwhile, some people still think running a marathon could be

our best foot forward in helping the planet. Dr Andrea Collins from

Cardiff University told the BBC: "Training for a marathon makes you

more sustainable in day-to-day activities. I started walking or running

to work every day and shunning public transport altogether. Being

environmentally friendly while training kind of sticks with you and

becomes a way of life." So while you may not be the elite runner in a

marathon, let’s hope the event, in terms of sustainability, certainly is!

二、词汇表

couch potato “沙发土豆”，窝在沙发上看电视的人

pound the pavement 跑步

work up a sweat 出一身汗

burn off calories 燃烧脂肪

keep fit 保持健康

fitness junkie 健身狂人

marathon 马拉松

athlete 运动员

gruelling 让人筋疲力尽的

personal best 个人最好成绩

finishing line 终点线

a good cause 公益事业

carbon footprint 碳足迹

goody bag 礼品包

spectator 观众

plastic bottle 塑料瓶

sustainable 可持续的，能长期维持的

running kit 跑步行头

drink station （马拉松比赛沿路的）饮水站

capsule 胶囊

best foot forward 迈出最好的一步

a way of life 生活方式

elite runner 精英选手

三、测试与练习

阅读课文并回答问题。

1. How can running a marathon help a charity?

2. What was substituted for plastic bottles in this year’s London

Marathon?

3. According to the article, how does travelling to a marathon

event by plane damage the environment?

4. True or false? Walking or running to work is a sustainable way

to commute.

5. Which word in the text means 'deliberately avoiding

(someone/something)’?

请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. I spent all morning helping at the charity cake sale but I

shouldn’t complain. It’s all for ______.

the good cause a good cause

causing good a good caused

2. No wonder that boxer lost the fight, he got a severe ______ by

his opponent.

gruelling elite

pounding working up a sweat

3. I’m having trouble ______ two jobs. I’m going to have to give

one up or my health is going to suffer!

sustaining sustainable

sustained sustenance

4. Living off the land and not having to go to a supermarket, has

become ______ for me.

a life way a way life of

a life way a way of life

5. This mountain is so challenging, it really is just for the ______

climbers.

gruelling personal best

athlete elite

【参考答案】

阅读课文并回答问题。

1. How can running a marathon help a charity?

Running a marathon means a runner can generate funds – raise money

– for their chosen charity.

2. What was substituted for plastic bottles in this year’s London

Marathon?

Water was given in paper cups and some drinks were given in edible

seaweed capsules.

3. According to the article, how does travelling to a marathon

event by plane damage the environment?

Thousands of people travelling - some by plane - to the marathon

location, creates a massive carbon footprint.

4. True or false? Walking or running to work is a sustainable way

to commute.

True. Dr Andrea Collins from Cardiff University said: "Training for a

marathon makes you more sustainable in day-to-day activities - I

started walking or running to work every day.”

5. Which word in the text means 'deliberately avoiding

(someone/something)’ ?

‘Shunning’. Dr Andrea Collins said “I started walking or running to

work every day and shunning public transport altogether”.

请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. I spent all morning helping at the charity cake sale but I

shouldn’t complain. It’s all for a good cause.

2. No wonder that boxer lost the fight, he got a

severe pounding by his opponent.

3. I’m having trouble sustaining two jobs. I’m going to have to give

one up or my health is going to suffer!

4. Living off the land and not having to go to a supermarket, has

become a way of life for me.

5. This mountain is so challenging, it really is just for

the elite climbers.

食物过敏越来越常见的原因

导读：

过量饮食对健康无益，但对于部分对食物过敏的人来说，含有过敏原的食物可能会给身体造成真正的损害。研究表明，似乎越来越多的人对不同类型的食物产生了过敏反应。这是由于人们对于过敏症的

关注、医疗诊断技术的进步，还是周围环境的影响？本集《外刊精读》聊一聊越来越多人开始对食物过敏的原因。

一、语篇泛读

Do you love food? Whether you’re a foodie or someone who just

likes eating, there is so much to choose from. We know that too much

of the wrong kind of food can be bad for our health, but for some

people having a food allergy means eating certain things can actually

be harmful - and now, it seems, this is affecting more and more of us.

An allergy is caused by the immune system fighting substances in

the environment, known as allergens, that it should see as harmless.

Food allergies can cause life-threatening reactions, which means

people have to spend

restrictions and worrying

their lives following strict dietary

about the ingredients of everything

they consume. Allergy specialist Dr. Adam Fox says “if you look back

over, say, 30 or 40 years… there are much more allergic problems

around now than there were.”

We often hear about people having allergies to dairy products and

to peanuts. Last year a 15-year-old girl died after suffering a

fatal allergic reaction from eating a baguette containing sesame seeds.

This led to a call for better food-labeling laws.

Research has found that this problem is particularly affecting

children. More and more of them are having allergic reactions to

certain foodstuffs. Writing for the BBC website, Dr. Alexandra Santos

from King's College London says “food allergy now affects about 7% of

children in the UK and 9% of those in Australia, for example. Across

Europe, 2% of adults have food allergies.”

So what might be the cause? Dr. Santos says the increase in

allergies is not simply the effect of society becoming more aware of

them and better at diagnosing them; it seems to be

more environmental. She says possible factors are “pollution, dietary

changes and less exposure to microbes, which change how our immune

systems respond.” She points out that it’s very common for migrants

who move to another country to develop asthma and food allergies in

their new location.

A lot of work is being done to try and find a cure, but that’s not

easy. So for now allergy sufferers must watch what they eat and they

must rely on clear and accurate labeling.

二、词汇表

foodie “食客”，爱好美食的人

allergy 过敏反应

harmful 有害的

immune system 免疫系统

allergen 过敏原

life-threatening 致命的

reaction 反应

dietary restriction 饮食限制

ingredient （食品）成分

consume 吃、喝

dairy 奶制品的

peanut 花生

allergic reaction 过敏反应

diagnose 诊断出，查出

environmental 和环境有关的

dietary change 饮食变化

microbe 微生物，细菌

asthma 哮喘

a cure 治疗方法

三、测试与练习

阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What do food allergy sufferers usually have to look at before

eating something?

2. True or false? A girl died from eating a baguette because she

had a dairy allergy.

3. According to research, which group of people are most affected

by food allergies?

4. Why might moving to another country cause a migrant to

develop asthma?

5. What is the cure for a food allergy?

请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. It’s so hot today and I would love to eat an ice cream bit I’m

afraid I can’t eat any ______ products.

harm dairy

allergen foodie

2. Medical science has developed so much but there is still no

______ for the common cold!

cured curing

cure kure

3. Every time I visit my sister and her dog, I get an ______ and

start sneezing!

immune system allergic reaction

allergens dietary restriction

4. My doctor has told me to eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables

if I want to boost my ______.

immunity system immuned system

immunisation immune system

5. A rise in the number of people suffering from ______ is being

blamed on the high levels of pollution in the city.

microbes allergen

asthma environmental

【参考答案】

阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What do food allergy sufferers usually have to look at before

eating something?

They have to look at the ingredients of the food they are eating.

2. True or false? A girl died from eating a baguette because she

had a dairy allergy.

False. The girl mentioned in the article, died from eating a baguette

containing sesame seeds but her exact allergy was not mentioned.

3. According to research, which group of people is most affected

by food allergies?

Research has found that this problem is particularly affecting

children.

4. Why might moving to another country cause a migrant to

develop asthma?

Moving to a new location means they are exposed to different

environmental conditions such as pollution and dietary changes.

5. What is the cure for a food allergy?

Currently there is no cure but it is being worked on.

请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. It’s so hot today and I would love to eat an ice cream bit I’m

afraid I can’t eat any dairy products.

2. Medical science has developed so much but there is still

no cure for the common cold!

3. Every time I visit my sister and her dog, I get an allergic

reaction and start sneezing!

4. My doctor has told me to eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables

if I want to boost my immune system.

5. A rise in the number of people suffering from asthma is being

blamed on the high levels of pollution in the city.