HONG KONG — China continues to lead the Olympic medal standings, just ahead of the United States, as the country tries to repeat its breakout performance at the 2008 Beijing Games.
fever：发烧，发热，狂热
Despite its success, or perhaps because of it, China is also vigorously debating whether it’s overly obsessed with gold medals (while being dismissive of silver and bronze); whether the state-sponsored sports system is both draconian and outmoded; whether its athletes are under too much pressure; and whether national pride too often veers into an unattractive nationalism.
vigorously：精力旺盛地，活泼地 obsessed with：沉迷于，痴迷于，非常非常喜欢
dismissive：轻视的，不屑一顾的，解雇的 outmoded：过时的，不流行的，陈旧的
state-sponsored：国家支持的 draconian：严厉的，苛刻的，严峻的
national pride：民族自豪感 veer into：转向，转到
With the men’s 110-meter hurdles about to begin, a case study in pressure might well be Liu Xiang. Arguably China’s most famous active Olympian, the elegant Mr. Liu, the son of a truck driver and a pastry cook, won the gold medal in 2004, equaling the world record and becoming the first Chinese man to win gold on the track.
pastry cook：面包师，糕点师
“It is unbelievable — a Chinese, an Asian, has won this event,” Mr. Liu said after his victory at the Athens Games. “It is a proud moment not only for China but for Asia and all people who share the same yellow skin color.
“Please pay attention to Chinese track and field. I think we Chinese can unleash a yellow tornado on the world.”
track and field：田径赛，田径运动 unleash：释放，发动，自由自在 tornado：飓风，旋风，龙卷风
But at the Beijing Games, amid hysteria over his prospects for another triumph, Mr. Liu had to withdraw, pulling out at the last minute with a foot injury. A nation mourned.
amid：在其中，在其间 hysteria：歇斯底里 triumph：胜利，凯旋，欢欣，成功 mourn：哀伤，忧伤
His 2012 Olympic preparations have been microscopically followed in the Chinese media, even what he has for lunch at the Shanghai Sports Institute. (Tomato soup, eggplant and a steak.) When his coach recently said that Mr. Liu’s back ailment was not a concern, you could almost hear the whew of national relief. But a foot problem has flared in recent days, which has recalled for many the disappointment of 2008, when Chinese fans outside the Bird’s Nest were weeping over Mr. Liu’s withdrawal.
microscopically：用显微镜 Institute：学院，学会，协会 ailment：疾病，小病，不安
flare：闪光，闪耀，爆发，使张开
Mr. Liu is not the only one under extreme pressure, a trend examined by my colleague Andrew Jacobs in Beijing. A weightlifter sobbed on national TV that he had “disgraced the motherland” for only getting a silver medal. Two Chinese women were among eight badminton players expelled from the London Games for allegedly gaming the system to improve their medal chances, an episode that led to lamentations in China of “pathetic” and “shameful” behavior.
sob：哭泣，啜泣，抽噎 weightlifter：举重者 disgrace：耻辱，失宠，给...丢脸，使...蒙受耻辱
expel：驱逐，开除 pathetic：可怜的，悲伤的，乏味的
allegedly：假设，据称，据说 episode：插曲，片段，一段情节 lamentation：伤心，悲叹，悲伤
The People’s Daily said in a commentary that China’s obsession with gold medals and “championism” have eroded its spirit of sportsmanship.
commentary：评论，注释，说明 obsession：沉迷，困扰 erode：侵蚀，腐蚀，损害
sportsmanship：体育道德精神
But the pressure on athletes and coaches is nothing new. When the Chinese high jumper Zhu Jianhua won “only” the bronze medal at the 1984 Olympics, the windows of his home were smashed by angry locals. When the splendid gymnast Li Ning failed to win a medal in 1988, after having won three golds for China in 1984, state media reported that “he was met with a tide of anger and even hate mail containing razor blades and ropes upon his arrival home.”
smash：粉碎，破碎，冲突 gymnast：体操运动员 razor blades：剃须刀片 hate mail：恐吓信
For the London Games, compared to the Beijing medal haul, “if we win a few less gold medals, ordinary people could abuse us,” said Xiao Tian, deputy chef de mission of the Chinese Olympic delegation in London.
deputy：代理人，代表，副职 demission：辞职，放弃 delegation：代表团，授权，委托
mission：使命，任务，代表团
Despite many acid remarks online decrying China’s pursuit of gold medals as overzealous, patriotism is alive and well. Perhaps it gets a little bit carried away at an Olympics. But what’s the difference between the “U-S-A! U-S-A!” chants at the basketball arena and the shouts of “China! Fight stronger!” at the table tennis venue? And what’s the harm?
decry：责难，谴责，诋毁，诽谤 overzealous：过分热心的 patriotism：爱国主义，爱国精神
carried away：非常激动，迷恋，忘乎所以 chant：圣歌，唱诵 arena：舞台，竞技场
venue：演出地点，发生地点
A new commentary in the populist newspaper Global Times addresses the criticisms over “excessive” patriotism:
The London Olympic Games has resulted in new happiness and confidence for Chinese society. Four years ago, the Chinese delegation topped the gold medal tally on home soil. This time, Chinese athletes continue to win glory overseas. The Chinese public is surer about the country’s capabilities. No matter what the critics say, sporting achievements attest to the country’s progress.
Patriotism cannot be denied. It is not denied in any country. It is one of the core values of China, helping sustain its civilization for thousands of years. Patriotic feeling is strong and authoritative. A few try to win attention by condemning patriotism.
attest to：证实，证明 authoritative：权威的，命令式的，当局的 condemn：谴责，判刑，定罪
Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University, cites historical reasons for China’s gold fever, in part because the country didn’t win its first Olympic medals until 1984. The country, after having been essentially closed to the outside world for so long, is just making up for lost time, he says in another Global Times commentary (the paper says it was “compiled” by a reporter based on an interview with Mr. Zhang).
“During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), China deliberately lost games or conceded points to other countries in international competitions as part of a diplomatic sports policy of ‘friendship first, competition second,’ ” Mr. Zhang says. “This approach actually showed no respect for athletes from other countries. It was a perverted notion of sportsmanship.”
concede：承认，退让，给予 diplomatic：外交的，有策略的 perverted：歪曲的，不正当的，堕落的
China’s national sports system — built on the old Soviet template, with deep sacrifices demanded of its athletes — is also the subject of a fierce debate in China. One former elite athlete, now penniless in Beijing after injuries derailed his sports career, said in a BBC report that “from a very young age we had patriotism drummed into us.”
penniless：身无分文的，贫穷的 derail：脱轨，出轨 drummed into：灌输
The propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party appears to be sensitive to critiques of the system, judging by a directive to China’s state media in the first week of the Games. The order, obtained by China Digital Times, said: “In reporting on the London Olympics, do not raise the issue of the ‘national system’ [of sports training] again. Except for commentary in specified media, do not challenge or speculate on the system.”
propaganda：宣传，政治宣传 critiques：批判，评论 speculate：推测，投机，思索
Meanwhile, families continue to willingly surrender their children to the system, hopeful of athletic fame and material rewards. Youngsters can go months or years at a time without seeing their families.
surrender：投降，放弃，交出，屈服
Wu Minxia, who won her third Olympic gold medal in diving in London, was unaware for the past year that her grandparents had died and her mother had been battling breast cancer. Ms. Wu’s family only told her the news after her event was over.
“We accepted a long time ago that she doesn’t belong entirely to us,” her father, Wu Yuming, told The Shanghai Morning Post. “I don’t even dare to think about things like enjoying family happiness.”
When the story appeared in the United States, there were strong reactions. On Minnesota Public Radio, for example, a commenter named Chris assailed “the level of insanity even junior-level kids in sports like gymnastics go through” in the United States. “And there are literally thousands of kids like this just in Minnesota. I was never so happy as when my daughter decided to drop competitive gymnastics at age 11.”
assail：攻击，缠住，质问，着手解决 insanity：疯狂，精神错乱，精神病 literally：照字面地，简直
Global Times acknowledged the furious criticism of the national sports system, but said in its editorial that “few believe it should be scrapped immediately.”
furious：激烈的，狂怒的，愤怒的，喧闹的 editorial：编辑的，社论的 scrap：废弃，解体，拆毁，碎片，吵架
“It’s unacceptable to take the attitude that winning is everything, and to try anything from doping to fielding underage athletes to get it,” Mr. Zhang said, referring to excesses of the state sports machine. “Nevertheless, it is ridiculous to give up gold medals for this reason.”
field：领域，战场，使上场 excess：超额，过分，过量
Liu Yuanju, a Shanghai-based commentator, remarked on an incident in London when Chinese reporters swarmed to interview a Chinese gold medalist in shooting. When the reporters ignored the bronze medalist, also from China, she slipped quietly from the arena.
swarm：蜂拥，挤满 medalist：奖牌获得者
“Many netizens were unhappy with or even enraged by this,” Mr. Liu said. “They called for the media to pay more attention to silver and bronze medal winners.” He added that this “also shows the positive development of our social mentality, which is becoming more humane and mature.”
netizen：网民 enraged：使发怒，暴怒的，激愤的 mentality：心态，智力，心理素质
humane：仁慈的，人道的，高尚的