Games people play in the US
美国人参加的运动
In America, different sports attract different people. Not everyone likes the same sports, and most people would agree that there isn't a single national sport, but three: baseball, football, and basketball.
在美国，不同的运动吸引着不同的人群，并不是所有的人都喜爱同一种运动，但大多数人会同意，美国全国性的运动不是一个而是三个：棒球、橄榄球和篮球。
Baseball as a spectator sport is a truly relaxed and leisurely activity. It's not an intense game full of action, but one which was born in a slower, more peaceful age. For a few hours, it can seem that the most important thing in a fan's life is to watch the players discuss their tactics, spring to life with sudden bursts of activity, and then return to a state of play which uses less energy.
作为一种观赏运动，棒球真的是一种放松、悠闲的活动。它并不是动感十足的剧烈运动，而是诞生在生活节奏比较缓慢、比较太平的年代的一项运动。在几个小时里，球迷生活中最重要的事情似乎是看球员如何商量战术，如何突然发力，轮番攻防，然后又回到不太费力的玩耍状态。
Football has a more contemporary appeal. As a more violent game, it appears
closer to real life today. It involves strategies like war games, and the fans become generals planning the movements of their troops. It's contained physically on a relatively small pitch, and is ideal to watch on television as it gives the impression of being busy and active on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
橄榄球对现代人更有吸引力。这项运动比较剧烈，好像更接近当今的现实生活。它像战争游戏那样涉及多种战术，球迷们则变成了将军，筹划部队的调动。这项运动的场地相对来说比较窄小，适合在电视上观看，因为在令人懒洋洋的星期天下午观看这项运动，给人一种有事可做和爱好运动的印象。
Other popular sports have smaller audiences. Golf and tennis are country club sports, more expensive to play and with their own social structures; horse racing is attractive for people who like to bet; and auto racing appeals to the large numbers of Middle Americans who adore the noise, the violence and the danger of the machines.
其他流行运动的观众要少一些。高尔夫球和网球是一种乡村俱乐部运动，玩起来比较费钱，而且拥有自己的社交结构；赛马对那些喜欢赌博的人有吸引力，而赛车则吸引了大批喜欢汽车噪音、威猛及其危险性的中部美国人。
But basketball belongs to the cities. It's more than a sport, it's part of a way of life. Kids in smaller towns in Middle America often become great basketball players by learning to shoot with great skill and accuracy. But in the cities, the kids develop the \"moves\as if the game was an expression of manhood and identity, and almost part of a gang culture. Other young athletes learn to play basketball, but
city kids live it.
不过，篮球是城市的运动。它不仅仅是一项运动，它是生活方式的一部分。美国中部小城镇的孩子常常是靠学会以熟练的技巧精准投篮最终成为优秀球员的；但是在大城市里，孩子们开发的是“行动”，仿佛篮球是表现男子汉气概和个性的方式，也几乎成了年轻人帮派文化的一部分。如果说其他年轻运动员是在学打篮球的话，那么城市里的孩子则是生活在篮球之中。
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