上期答案
Thus, genes may still be ‘selfish’, and organisms may still be ‘machines’, brains ‘computers’, genomes ‘blueprints’, so long as we give those metaphorical words different interpretations to the everyday ones – thereby, of course, negating their value as metaphors.
metaphorical adj.比喻性的
因此，基因可能仍然是“自私的”，生物体可能仍然是“机器”，大脑是“计算机”，基因组是“蓝图”，只要我们对这些隐喻性的词语给予日常用语不同的解释——当然，这样就否定了它们作为隐喻的价值。
本期内容
早上好，读者朋友们，今天分享的文章节选自《科学快讯》。在速度与激情的赛道上，一款超级跑鞋的横空出世，不仅引发了全球跑者的狂热追捧，更在竞技跑步的殿堂中投下了一颗震撼弹！这款充满争议的跑鞋，以其前所未有的科技突破与设计理念，正悄然重塑着我们对“极限速度”的认知边界。它不仅仅是一双鞋，它是科技与人类潜能碰撞的火花，是挑战传统、颠覆规则的勇士。在这场关于速度与创新的较量中，超级跑鞋以其独特的材料科技、精准的能量回馈系统以及革命性的轻量化设计，让每一步奔跑都仿佛踏上了云端，却又能精准地转化为向前的动力。然而，正是这份前所未有的性能提升，也让它站在了风口浪尖：是科技进步的必然产物，还是破坏了公平竞争原则的“作弊神器”？
Here's How Controversial Supershoes Are Reshaping Competitive Running
有争议的超级跑鞋如何重塑竞技跑步
1
On the face of it, competitive distance running appears not to have changed much since the Olympic Games were revived in 1896. However, even the relative simplicity of racing from gun to tape has radically altered in recent years due to the rise of advanced running footwear known colloquially as "supershoes". A few years ago, the Nike Vaporfly shoe kicked off a storm of controversy in athletics. It became a focus for claims about whether it provided some athletes with an unfair advantage over those not equipped with the shoes.
kick off 开始
controversy /ˈkɑːntrəvɜːrsi/ n. 争论，争议
portentous /pɔːrˈtentəs/ adj. 不祥的
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从表面上看，自从1896年奥运会恢复以来，竞技长跑似乎没有太大变化。然而，即使是相对简单的从发令枪到计时的比赛，近年来也发生了根本性的变化，因为先进跑鞋的兴起，俗称“超级鞋”。几年前，耐克Vaporfly运动鞋在田径运动领域掀起了一场争议风暴。它成为了一个焦点，人们指责它是否让一些运动员比那些没有穿这双鞋的运动员获得了不公平的优势。
In 2019, Kenyan distance runner Eliud Kipchoge wore prototype Vaporfly shoes when he became the first athlete to run the marathon distance in under two hours as part of the Ineos 1:59 challenge in Vienna. Ultimately, the shoes avoided a ban just in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Several years on, what more do we understand about these shoes and how they work? My recent paper attempts to review and answer ten key questions about supershoes as the Paris Olympics now loom on the horizon.
prototype /ˈproʊtətaɪp/ n.原型，雏形
loom v.逼近
loom large 令人惊恐
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2019年，肯尼亚长跑运动员埃利乌德·基普乔格穿着Vaporfly原型鞋，成为第一个在两小时内跑完马拉松距离的运动员，这是在维也纳举行的英力士1:59挑战的一部分。最终，这款鞋在2020年东京奥运会之前躲过了禁令。几年过去了，我们对这些鞋子及其工作原理又了解了多少?随着巴黎奥运会的临近，我最近的一篇论文试图回顾并回答关于超级鞋的十个关键问题。
First, we need to understand what supershoes are and how they differ from traditional running footwear. Initially, supershoes used a sole that saw a combination of material called a polyamide block elastomer (known by its tradename Pebax) coupled with the use of a carbon fibre plate. At the height of the controversy, much was made of this plate, leading to claims that they were essentially springs propelling runners along. This broad effect has helped topple a raft of world records in the marathon and half-marathon distances. The shoes have improved times by roughly 1.4-2.8% or 0.6-2.2% in the men's and women's marathon events respectively over the last seven to eight years.
sole /soʊl/ n.脚底板；鞋底
topple /ˈtɑːp(ə)l/ v.倒下；倒塌；推翻
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首先，我们需要了解什么是超级跑鞋，以及它们与传统跑鞋的区别。最初，超级鞋使用的鞋底是聚酰胺块弹性体(以其商品名Pebax著称)和碳纤维板的组合。在争论最激烈的时候，人们对这块板子大加赞赏，甚至有人声称它们实际上是推动跑步者前进的弹簧。这种广泛的影响已经帮助打破了马拉松和半程马拉松的一系列世界纪录。在过去的七到八年里，这款跑鞋在男子和女子马拉松比赛中的成绩分别提高了约1.4-2.8%和0.6-2.2%。
Today, other brands such as Adidas and Saucony have their own designs and use different components in different ways. But the harmonious principle in the sole design is inherently the same. Among factors credited with the shoes' enhanced performance are the thickness of the midsole and what's been termed the "teeter-totter" effect, an upwards reaction force that passively enhances the propulsive stance of the runner. There's also evidence against both of these ideas.However, there is now strong evidence that supershoes reduce a runners' oxygen consumption when compared to traditional running shoes. However, the scientific community isn't in agreement as to how that is achieved.
harmonious /hɑːrˈmoʊniəs/ adj. 和睦的
teeter-totter /ˈtiːtər tɑːtər/ n. 跷跷板
propulsive /prəˈpʌlsɪv/ adj. 推进的
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如今，阿迪达斯(Adidas)和索科尼(Saucony)等其他品牌都有自己的设计，并以不同的方式使用不同的组件。但鞋底设计的和谐原则本质上是相同的。这种鞋的性能之所以能得到提升，原因之一是中底的厚度和所谓的“跷跷板”效应，一种向上的反作用力被动地增强了跑步者的推进姿态。也有证据反对这两种观点。然而，现在有强有力的证据表明，与传统跑鞋相比，超级跑鞋可以减少跑步者的耗氧量。然而，科学界对如何实现这一目标尚未达成一致。
Most studies focus on well-trained runners so it's plausible that a recreational runner or those of a different age could see wildly different levels of performance enhancement than the elite runners we'll see in Paris this summer.It's also conceivable that the placebo effect could mean that simply knowing that you are wearing an advanced shoe makes you perform better in a race, regardless of whether the shoe helps or not.
plausible /ˈplɔːzəb(ə)l/ adj. 似乎是真的
placebo /pləˈsiːboʊ/ n. 安慰剂
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大多数研究都集中在训练有素的跑步者身上，因此，业余跑步者或不同年龄段的跑步者的表现提升水平与我们今年夏天在巴黎看到的精英跑步者相比可能会有很大不同。同样可以想象的是，安慰剂效应可能意味着，无论鞋子是否有帮助，只要知道自己穿着高级的鞋子，就能让你在比赛中表现得更好。
END
写作句式积累
The use of supershoes has not been unchecked or challenged.
超级跑鞋的使用并非不受约束或挑战。
长难句解析
Whether they really want to or are happy to do so for something /that may only be effective for a few hundred miles of running /before the sole materials could begin to lose their potent mechanical properties /remains equally contentious.
主句的主干：Whether...or...（主语）+ remains（系动词）+ equally contentious（表语），表示“无论是...还是...，都同样存在争议”。
Whether they really want to or are happy to do so 是主语从句；that may only be effective for a few hundred miles of running 是定语从句，修饰something；before the sole materials could begin to lose their potent mechanical properties是时间状语从句。
翻译：无论是他们是否真的愿意还是乐意为了某些可能仅在几百英里内有效的事情（在鞋底材料开始失去其强大的机械性能之前）而这样做，都同样存在争议。
翻译练习
In this case, the governing body's rules centred on limiting the sole thickness, the number and complexity of any internal rigid structures (such as the carbon fibre plates) and the prevention of shoes that were one-offs and would therefore not be accessible for the consumer to buy.
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