托福阅读机经背景：奥运年龄的秘密

In the past 3 summer Olympic Games, only 64 of the 1,707 athletes of team USA have been over the age of 40. The Washington Post created a data [w]visualization[/w] of average age ranges for Olympic sports, including an [w]interactive[/w] tool to see if you’d be too old to compete.

过去三届的夏季奥运会的1707名美国运动员中，仅有64名超过了40岁。《华盛顿邮报》对奥运运动员们的年龄进行了一项数据调查，使用了一个交互工具来统计年龄过大是否不适合竞技比赛。

　　As presented, athlete ages range from 15 for female gymnasts to nearly 60 for male sailors.

根据调查结果，奥运最年轻的运动员是年仅15岁的体操女孩，而年龄最大的是年近60岁的划艇男运动员。

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　　In a recent Washington Post profile on 45-year-old female swimmer Dana Torres, she discusses the effects of age on the body, and how she works to overcome these obstacles. Although muscles [w]deteriorate[/w] and recovery becomes slower, Torres believes that age is on her side. Since age comes with experience, the twelve-time Olympic medalist is more mentally prepared for the Games than any other female swimmer.

在《华盛顿邮报》最近对于45岁的女游泳运动员Dana Torres的介绍中，文章探讨了年龄对身体的影响以及她如何克服这些障碍的。尽管肌体素质降低，肌肉复原率减慢，年龄对于她而言仍是很大的助力。因为流逝的岁月化为了经历，从而帮助这位12度奥运摘牌的选手比其他女性运动员具有更多的大赛经验。

　　However, with sports such as gymnastics that require more flexibility than sheer force and power, younger bodies have a far greater advantage. Youth is so beneficial in gymnastics that a minimum age requirement of 16 was implemented to protect athletes with developing bodies from serious injuries.

然而，像体操一样的运动，比起直接的冲劲和力量，更需要好的灵活性。年轻的躯体在这方面具有更好的优势，而且16岁的年龄更适合体操这样的运动，因为它能保护身体免受严重的伤害。

　　A recent Wired article provides an explanation for these[w=aberration]aberrations[/w]: people age at different rates and, although younger athletes are generally stronger and more flexible, people age at different rates, allowing some athletes to remain competitive – despite the ticking clock.

最近Wired 杂志的一篇文章为这些差异性做出了解释。人们老化的频率是不同的。尽管年轻的运动员更强壮灵活，但正是因为人们的老化频率不同，因此某些运动员尽管上了年纪仍具有很强的竞争力。

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