VOA标准英语2012--A Washington Gym Combines Politics and Exercise
时间：2019-01-14 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(十月)
A Washington Gym Combines Politics and Exercise
Not many people can say they have punched the president. But at the Washington Sports Club in Alexandria, Virginia, participants get their shot at Barack Obama - and his rival Mitt 1 Romney.
It’s just one exercise in a new class that combines exercise with politics. Instructor 2 Aimee Richardson says the class is helping 3 people in the nation’s capital deal with the stress of the long election season.
“This is Washington, D.C. People are all politics. When you take a topic that people are passionate 4 about, and you put it in a setting where you can really kick some butt 5 ((beat someone up)), that combination can be really empowering for people. I think people are working harder because of the theme of the class," said Richardson.
Katie Rodriguez, another instructor at the gym and a participant in the class, agrees.
“It’s really fun to get all of that political theme out of my living room, out of my computer, and into doing some physical activity and doing something about it. It felt great. It was really hard!" said Rodriguez.
Inside the gym, “balancing the budget” means something completely different than it does on Capitol Hill. “Running for Office” is very literal. The term “swing states” actually involves swinging a kettle bell. And whether you’re hoping for Michelle Obama’s arms or Paul Ryan’s abs, bi-partisanship is important when you’re “Crossing Party Lines” after a push-up or sit-up.
Sarah Heckenberg, who works at a non-profit organization in the Washington area, says the combination of politics and exercise keeps her going.
“I like it because it’s hard to stay motivated when you exercise, and anytime you can add a theme when you exercise, I think that’s very helpful," said Heckenberg.
Just as on Election Day, participants will have to make an important choice: Obama or Romney. But here, just for one day, they can make that choice as many times as they want.
“I did notice I was attacking one candidate instead of the other, and Aimee had to remind me to use both of my arms and give me a certain number of punches on each side," said Rodriguez.
“When you start boxing, people are hesitant, you encourage them to get into it, and they can get pretty ugly. They can get pretty mean with those hits," said Richardson.
This Washington Sports Club only has one more Fit for Office class before Election Day, and before things go back to politics as usual in Washington.
- I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
- Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。
- The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
- The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。
- The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
- By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
- He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
- He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。