文字难度：★★★★☆
1. AS A MARRIAGE SYMBOL 结合象征
Japanese Shinto priests first wed these two hulking rocks off the coast of Futami more than 1,300 years ago to symbolize the sanctity of marriage. Today, husband rock (the strong, silent type at 30 feet high) and wife rock are still yoked together in the Pacific Ocean by 100 feet of braided rice straw, which is replaced three times a year (the priests do that at low tide, when the rocks aren’t separated by water, and worshippers join in the ceremony by handing the rope from person to person onshore). in the summer, the scene is perhaps most divine: The sun appears to rise between the two points, with Mount Fuji visible in the distance.
1300多年前，日本的神道牧师第一次把二见的那两块粗陋的石头结为夫妻，象征婚姻的神圣。今天，夫岩（30英尺高的厚重的一块）和妻岩仍然通过一条100英尺长的编制的稻草绳扭在一起，身处太平洋上，这条绳每年换三次（低潮的时候由牧师来完成，这时岩石不会被海水分开，岸上的参拜者把绳子一个传一个来进行纪念）。夏天时，这个景象更加神圣：太阳正好从两块岩石的中间升起来，与远处的富士山相映成趣。
2. AS HOMAGE敬意表达
Air-devil Philippe Petit said in 1975, “Many high-wire walkers have died on their last step, thinking they had made it.” The then-24-year-old Frenchman had to do more than step carefully in order to complete his most famous stunt—an illegal walk between the Twin Towers, captured in the 2008 Oscar-winning documentary Man on Wire. Petit termed the challenge “impossible” but spent six years planning it. As for the execution, a troop of New Yorkers helped him haul a ton of equipment up the just-built towers in secret, and Petit huddled for hours on a beam to avoid detection before spending all night rigging the tightrope. By 7 a.m., he was faint with exhaustion but succeeded in making the quarter-mile-high crossing eight times in 45 minutes with no safety net as thousands watched below. Why did he do it? Because “life”, he says in the film, “should be lived on the edge.”
“空中恶魔”Philippe Petit在1975年曾说过：“许多走钢丝的人失足于最后一步，就因为他们觉得自己已经走完了。”当时这位24岁的法国人小心翼翼地走完自己最著名、最惊人的表演的最后一步——非法地在一对双子楼中间走钢丝，这一壮举收录在获得2008年奥斯卡最佳纪录片奖的电影《走钢丝的人》中。Petit挑战了“不可能”，但花了6年时间来策划。为了完成它，纽约客的一帮人偷偷帮他托运了数吨重的装备上到刚建好的塔顶上。为避免被发现，Petit蜷缩在横梁上数小时，整夜都在安装绷索。早上7点钟，他精疲力竭，几乎昏厥，但还是成功地花了45分钟走完在四分之一英里高空悬挂的钢丝，没有安全网，下面数以千计的人在观看。他为什么要这么做呢？因为“生命”，在电影中他说道：“就应该活在边缘。”
3. AS COW CONTROL 控牛之索
It gets a little crowded in New Deihi—for the stray cows, that is. Considered sacred by India’s Hindus, the animals have long roamed city streets, protected by law. In 2002, enough residents complained about traffic jams created by the roving bovines that the government authorized regular roundups. Designated cow catchers now rope the ornery beasts for shipping to the suburbs. So far, the city’s chief veterinarian has reported catching more than 100,000 cattle, with 20,000 more to go.
新德里变得拥挤起来了——因为走失的耕牛。印度人把牛看得很神圣，这些动物受法律保护，可以长时间在道路上游逛。2002年，足够多的居民抱怨这个由政府允许的常规集会中徘徊的牛儿们造成的交通阻塞。指定的赶牛人现在将这些坏脾气的野兽用绳牵着运到郊区。到目前为止，城市兽医的领头人汇报说已经抓获了10万多头牛，还有2万多头有待集中。
4. AS RODEO ROUTINE马术表演
Throwing a lasso takes a lot of skill—and purpose. Ranch hands often pick up a rope as early as age three, with hopes they’ll one day be able to keep a steer still while it gets branded or receives medical attention. “A very skilled person can even restrain a bull by himself,” says Bob King, who runs Cowboy School clinics around the country. To be a star student, you have to be able to swing a 60-foot rope overhead, keeping the loop open, which can take years of practice. Novices get used to rope burn, and be patient. “It doesn’t have to be rushed,” says King. “You have all day to rope a calf.”
扔套索需要很多的技巧和意图。牧场里的人们通常刚满3岁的时候，就会提起绳子寄希望于有一天，他们能够控制一只需要打上商标或接受药物治疗的小牛，让它保持安静。“一个十分熟练的人甚至可以独自控制一头公牛。”在全国开设牛仔学校门诊部的Bob King这么说道。要成为一名明星学生，你必须能够在头顶甩动60英尺长的绳子，保持环敞开着，这需要花费数年的时间来练习。初学者需要适应绳子的快速转动，而且也要有耐心。“不能太仓促，”King说道，“你有整天的时间去套小牛。”