Winning big in life and sports

They are drawing the attention of the world. They are the backbone of the force that is going to shape our future. Who are they? They are the young generation who were born after 2000.
他们吸引了全世界的注意。他们是塑造我们未来的中坚力量。他们是谁？正是出生于2000年后的年轻一代。

This year, several young athletes have shone brightly at the Beijing Winter Olympics, giving us a glimpse of their generation’s nature.
今年，几名年轻的运动员在北京冬奥会上大放异彩，让我们窥见了他们这一代人的天性。

Obviously, the young generation is filled with "brave warriors" who want to challenge impossibilities and push boundaries. Freestyle skier Gu Ailing is a good example. After she finished strong in the first two jumps in the women’s freeski Big Air event, it was certain that she could get a medal. But instead of playing it safe, the 18-year-old skier pushed herself to the limit. On the last jump, Gu decided to attempt a difficult trick: a left double cork 1620－four and a half rotations in the air－before landing.
显然，年轻一代中“勇敢的战士”比比皆是，他们渴望挑战不可能，突破界限。自由式滑雪运动员谷爱凌就是一个很好的例子。在自由式滑雪女子大跳台比赛的前两跳中，谷爱凌表现出色，可以获得奖牌。但这位18岁的滑雪运动员并没有选择保守的一跳，而是将自己逼到了极限。在最后一跳时，谷爱凌决定尝试一个高难度动作：在落地前，完成一个左侧两周空翻转体1620度，也就是在空中旋转四周半。

“I have never done the ’left 16’ before. I hadn’t prepared much for it apart from two days on the air bag," Gu told China Daily, “[but] I felt it was a chance to push myself to the limit”.
据《中国日报》报道，谷爱凌表示：“我以前从来没有完成过‘左转1620’动作。除了在气垫上练了两天，我并没做过太多准备。但我觉得这是一个把自己推向极限的机会。”

But for these young athletes, the sport is never just about scores, but also about having as much fun as possible.
但对于这些年轻的运动员来说，这项运动决不仅仅关乎分数，而是在于尽可能地享受乐趣。

Born in the US, Gu faced criticism and doubts for representing China in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
出生于美国的谷爱凌因代表中国参加北京冬奥会受到了批评和质疑。

When questioned by The Guardian at a news conference on Feb 8, the “post-00” said bluntly that she wasn’t trying to make everyone happy.
在2月8日的新闻发布会上，谷爱凌被《卫报》问及这个问题，这位“00后”直截了当地表示，她并未想让所有人满意。

“I’m an 18-year-old girl out here living my best life. I’m having a great time,” Gu said. “It doesn’t really matter if other people are happy or not, because I feel I’m doing my best and I’m enjoying the entire process.”
“我只是一个18岁的女孩，享受着自己的生活。我过得很开心。”谷爱凌说，“我并不是很在意别人是否满意。因为我在尽力做最好的自己，我也在享受整个过程。”

Gu’s good friend, Chinese snowboarder Su Yiming also shares a similar attitude. He takes sports as a way to have fun.
谷爱凌的好朋友、中国单板滑雪运动员苏翊鸣也有类似的看法，他把运动当作一种乐趣。

After he was judged to have lost the gold to Canadian athlete Max Parrot in the men’s slopestyle final, the 17-year-old didn’t feel upset. Instead, he was happy to have the chance to compete with his idol.
在男子坡面障碍技巧决赛中，金牌判给了加拿大运动员马克斯·帕罗特，但17岁的苏翊鸣并没有感到沮丧。相反，他很高兴有机会和自己的偶像竞争。

“When I was on the podium hugging Max Parrot, it felt unreal,” Su told China Daily. “All I did today was enjoy the runs and concentrate on my tricks. As long as I am on my snowboard I am happy.”
据《中国日报》报道，苏翊鸣表示：“我在领奖台上抱着马克斯·帕罗特时，感觉很不真实。我今天就是一直在享受比赛，专注于自己的技巧。只要我站在滑雪板上，我就很开心。”

This is young generation that dares to push the limits but also enjoys life.
这就是敢于挑战极限、享受生活的年轻一代。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高一858期