雅思阅读真题（Part 2）
体育比赛中的不公平优势
本篇也叫：不公平优势、体育科技公平性、高原训练优势、东非跑者优势、奥运科技争议、运动中的不公平
Part 2 · 考频：中频 · 最近考试：2026.1.31南昌大学
本篇为雅思阅读真题（Part 2）《What is an unfair advantage in sport?》，共 12 题，2026.1.31南昌大学雅思考试真题回忆，页面提供完整原文、题目、答案与解析，并支持在线机考模式免费练习。本页同时提供 Markdown 版本 供 AI 助手与搜索引擎直接读取。
文章探讨体育比赛中科技与外部条件是否构成不公平优势。以1968年墨西哥城奥运会万米赛为例，澳大利亚名将Ron Clarke因高海拔缺氧失利，而东非肯尼亚、埃塞俄比亚选手却崛起。文章分析高原环境、科技装备等因素对竞技公平的影响。
Olympic athletes increasingly depend on technology to help them win—but is that fair?
A
What happened to the Australian athlete Ron Clarke in the 10,000 metres at the Mexico City Olympics of 1968 is now virtually forgotten, though at the time it was headline news. Clarke was the greatest distance runner in history—he'd broken more world records than anybody else. But in front of 55,000 horrified spectators, the event went disastrously wrong. In the third lap, one runner keeled over, and with six laps to go, two more were carried away. Yet the race was being conducted at a relatively leisurely speed: the halfway time was the slowest since the Paris Olympics of 1924.
With two laps to go, Clarke was in the leading pack. "I'd never felt better in a race," he says. But suddenly, he too began to struggle, and as the frontrunners moved up a gear, a gap opened up. Clarke remembers nothing of his last lap, which he ran in 90 seconds. "Normally I would run it in 64," he explains. He stumbled across the line in sixth place and collapsed. He was administered oxygen and stretchered off the track.
B
Mexico City is surrounded by mountains and is over 2,240 metres above sea level. That the altitude would have an impact on the Games was predicted. Clarke had raised the issue himself but had been told by the Australian sports authorities that complaining was regarded as bad sportsmanship. As it turned out, he had good reason to do so. Clearly, the link between athletic performance and altitude needed further investigation.
C
Although there were few standout performances in distance running at the Mexico Games, they marked a turning point: the start of an astonishing record of success by East Africans. While Clarke lay crumpled in a heap, runners from Kenya and Ethiopia were celebrating their gold and silver medals. The record books confirm how entrenched this pattern has become. The names of the seven fastest men in history over 5,000 metres are Bekele, Gebrselassie, Komen, Kipchoge, Sihine, Songkok, and Chereno. They are all from either Kenya or Ethiopia. Between 1997 and 2011, the 10,000 metres men's world record was smashed five times, dropping from 26:31.32 to 26:17.53. Each time, the record was broken by a Kenyan or an Ethiopian.
While there is a complex mix of economic, political, social, and cultural explanations for the pre-eminence of East Africans, one factor is surely that many of these athletes have lived most of their lives in thin air.
D
At high altitudes, a number of physiological alterations occur, most importantly, more red blood cells and haemoglobin are produced. This, in turn, increases the capacity of the blood to carry oxygen, which feeds the muscles and gives an advantage to the athletes when they return to sea level. However, it is impossible to train with the same level of intensity in the mountains—both aerobic capacity and cardio-respiratory function suffer at altitude. As a result, the consensus is that the optimum approach to athletic preparation is: Live High, Train Low (LHTL). Yet, that has obvious practical drawbacks. Not many people live in the mountains, and those who do would prefer not to spend several hours each day driving up and down winding, treacherous roads.
E
That's where the altitude tent—sometimes called the hypoxic tent—comes in. Around two decades ago, two different scientists had the same exciting thought. If they could artificially control the atmosphere within a confined space, they could simulate the effects of high altitude and save an athlete at sea level from the time and expense of traveling to higher ground. Altitude tents have improved over the years: they're not as hot or as noisy as the early prototypes, and are much cheaper too. They are also perfectly lawful. Five years ago, when the tents were investigated by WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency), it was ruled they did not violate the spirit of distance running. It is now routine for athletes to sleep in them in preparation for an event.
F
However, it is not the case that all new technologies gain approval. In 2008, a staggering 105 world records were broken in swimming, the vast majority achieved by competitors wearing the Speedo LZR Racer suit. These suits use a high-tech fabric tested in NASA's wind tunnels, which reduces drag and improves buoyancy. The LZR was initially sanctioned by FINA, the international swimming body. But as better suits were produced by Speedo and other manufacturers, and more records were broken, they became increasingly controversial. In a 2009 ruling, FINA changed its mind, banning all suits made with this high-tech fabric.
G
Going faster, higher, stronger is integral to the logic of athletics in general, and the Olympics in particular. Athletes believe they need records all the time. And the only way they can achieve records is by improving the clothing, the kit, the training, the nutrition—all to identify minute distinctions between people of 0.0001 of a second. But when a new technology is invented, the relevant sports authority has to consider whether to embrace or reject it. In some cases, athletes are granted permission to use the technology; in others, it is banned. But whatever the outcome, rulings should not appear arbitrary. Arguments have to be examined and weighed, and the rule logic ought to apply in every case.
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答案：the surprising outcome of a race
原文定位：What happened to the Australian athlete Ron Clarke in the 10,000 metres at the Mexico City Olympics of 1968 is now virtually forgotten, though at the time it was headline news. Clarke was the greatest distance runner;But in front of 55,000 horrified spectators, the event went disastrously wrong;He stumbled across the line in sixth place and collapsed
答案：well-founded concerns
原文定位：Mexico City is surrounded by mountains and is over 2,240 metres above sea level. That the altitude would have an impact on the Games was predicted. Clarke had raised the issue himself but had been told by the Australian sports authorities that complaining was regarded as bad sportsmanship. As it turned out, he had good reason to do so
答案：the runners who dominate
原文定位：the Mexico Games marked a turning point: the start of an astonishing record of success by East Africans;The names of the seven fastest men in history over 5,000 metres;They are all from either Kenya or Ethiopia;Each time, the record was broken by a Kenyan or an Ethiopian
答案：changes in the body
原文定位：At high altitudes, a number of physiological alterations occur, most importantly, more red blood cells and haemoglobin are produced. This, in turn, increases the capacity of the blood to carry oxygen, which feeds the muscles and gives an advantage to the athletes when they return to sea level
答案：a convenient method of acclimatization
原文定位：If they could artificially control the atmosphere within a confined space, they could simulate the effects of high altitude and save an athlete at sea level from the time and expense of traveling to higher ground. Altitude tents have improved over the years;It is now routine for athletes to sleep in them in preparation for an event
同义替换：「acclimatization」↔「simulate the effects of high altitude」
答案：the reversal of a decision
原文定位：The LZR was initially sanctioned by FINA, the international swimming body. But as better suits were produced by Speedo and other manufacturers, and more records were broken, they became increasingly controversial. In a 2009 ruling, FINA changed its mind, banning all suits made with this high-tech fabric
答案：the need for a rational approach
原文定位：But whatever the outcome, rulings should not appear arbitrary. Arguments have to be examined and weighed, and the rule logic ought to apply in every case
同义替换：「rational approach」↔「not appear arbitrary」
答案：The worries Clarke had before the Mexico Games were not taken into account.,At one stage of the Mexico Games 10,000 metres, Clarke was near the front.
原文定位：With two laps to go, Clarke was in the leading pack;Clarke had raised the issue himself but had been told by the Australian sports authorities that complaining was regarded as bad sportsmanship
答案：spirit
原文定位：Five years ago, when the tents were investigated by WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency), it was ruled they did not violate the spirit of distance running
同义替换：「was not contrary to」↔「did not violate」，「sport」↔「distance running」
答案：drag
原文定位：These suits use a high-tech fabric tested in NASA's wind tunnels, which reduces drag and improves buoyancy
同义替换：「cuts down」↔「reduces」，「aids」↔「improves」
答案：records
原文定位：Athletes believe they need records all the time. And the only way they can achieve records is by improving the clothing, the kit, the training, the nutrition
同义替换：「continually set fresh」↔「need all the time」
答案：nutrition
原文定位：And the only way they can achieve records is by improving the clothing, the kit, the training, the nutrition—all to identify minute distinctions between people of 0.0001 of a second
同义替换：「better」↔「improving」，「clothing and equipment」↔「kit」