今天带大家读一读滑雪冠军谷爱凌前段时间发布在外刊纽约时报(The New York Times)上的一篇文章。谷爱凌写给外刊纽约时报的一篇文章文章名为"I Admit It. I'm in Love With Fear." 全篇结合了滑雪这项运动，讨论了她对恐惧的认知。
下面是完整的原文，生词较多，已配上参考译文。推荐重点读一读①-③段和⑦-⑨段。
①FOR THE LAST 10 OF MY 18 YEARS, I’ve pursued a tumultuous love affair with fear. I’m a professional freeskier, and twin-tipped skis, 22-foot halfpipes and double-cork rotations are my main sources of adrenaline, the truly addictive core of extreme sports.在我迄今18年人生的后10年里，我一直追求着一种对于恐惧的强烈的热爱。我是一名专业的自由式滑雪运动员。脚上的一双雪板、22英尺长的u型池和各种特技动作是我肾上腺素的主要来源（肾上腺素是极限运动中真正令人上瘾的核心要素）。
②Like all bewitching lovers (at least the ones in the novels I read, for lack of real-world experience), this significant other can be … mercurial. "Fear" is really an umbrella term for three distinct sensations: excitement, uncertainty, and pressure. I’ve learned that the nuanced indicators of each of these feelings can be instrumental to success when recognized and positively leveraged, and harbingers of injury when ignored.正如所有那些迷人的恋人一样（至少是像我从小说中读到的那些一样，因为现实生活中我还缺乏相应的经验），这个重要的另一半有时可能会很……反复无常。实际上，“恐惧”可以算是三种不同感觉的总称：兴奋、不确定和压力。我已经发现，如果这些感觉中的每个的微妙的指标能被识别和积极地利用，就可以有助于成功，而如果被忽视，就会是受伤的前兆。③Though it’s easy to label extreme sport athletes as fearless or capricious, the countless hours I’ve spent visualizing tricks and practicing them in foam pits (foam. particles. everywhere) and on airbags (think giant Slip ’N Slide) suggest otherwise. It’s biologically counterintuitive for us to place ourselves in positions of risk, and while we make every effort to physically prepare, no amount of metaphorically safety-netted practice can equate to the unforgiving snow slope that rushes up to meet us after a steep kicker launches us into the air. Instead of ignoring fear, we build unique relationships with it by developing a profound sense of self-awareness and making deliberate risk assessments.虽然从事极限运动的运动员很容易被贴上“无畏”或“任性”的标签，但是我在构思滑雪技巧以及在泡沫坑(泡沫粒子到处都是的那种)里和安全气囊上训练所花费的无数时间都表明，情况并非如此。将自己置于风险的状态中，是违反我们身体的本能的。虽然我们会尽一切努力做好身体上的准备，但再多的安全模拟训练也无法等同于我们从陡坡上起飞、把身体抛到空中并即将落地时所将面对的无情的雪坡。我们培养深刻的自我意识，并进行深思熟虑的风险评估，从而与恐惧建立起独特的关系，而不是无视恐惧。④The work begins with visualization. Before I attempt a new trick, I feel a tightening high in my chest, between the base of my throat and the top of my diaphragm. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. As I ascend the gargantuan takeoff ramp, I imagine extending my legs to maximize lift. Then I picture twisting my upper body in the opposite direction I intend to spin, generating torque before I allow it to snap back the other way.这一过程起始于具象化：在我尝试一个新的技巧动作之前，我会感到胸腔（在我的喉咙底部和膈肌顶部之间）有一种紧张感。我深吸一口气，闭上眼睛。当我爬上巨大的起飞坡道时，我会在想象中伸展我的双腿以最大限度地提高升力。然后，我要在脑海中描绘如何以相反的方向扭转我的上半身，产生扭矩，然后再让它朝另一个方向弹回来。⑤Now, in my mind, I’m airborne. I see the backside of the takeoff immediately, then my flip draws my vision to the cloudless sky above me. My ears register the wind as a kind of song, every 360-degree rotation providing the beat to the music of my motion. As my feet come under me halfway through, I spot the landing for the briefest of moments before I pull my body into the second flip. I imagine my legs swinging under me as I return to a forward-facing position and meet the ground with my weight in the front of my boots. 1440 degrees. I smile. Then I open my eyes.现在，在我的意识里，我已经是飞在空中的状态了。我在跃起后立马就会看到自己的背后，然后身体旋转会把我的视线转向头顶万里无云的天空。风声如同我耳朵里的一种音乐，每一个360度的旋转都在为我的运动提供音乐般的节拍。在此过程进行到一半，当我的脚在我的身体下面时，我就可以在把身体拉到第二个空翻前的一瞬间发现最终落地的地点。当我回到可以面向前方的位置时，我会想象着我的腿在我的脚下摆动，并让雪鞋的前端承载着我的重量碰到地面。我露出微笑，然后睁开眼睛，一个1440度的翻转动作就完成了。⑥In the split second following my visualization, the knot in my chest flutters and spreads — those famous butterflies reaching their final stage of metamorphosis. Excitement, the child of adrenaline, my true love and addiction. That tantalizingly precarious balance between confidence in my ability to execute the trick safely and excitement for the unpredictable experience to come. I’ve heard this state called “the zone,” which is indeed where I was when I became the first female skier in history to land the double cork 1440 last fall.在完成“具象化”的一瞬间，我胸腔中的紧迫感会有一阵上下的波动，然后开始扩散——这个时候就来到了破茧成蝶的关键阶段。兴奋感是肾上腺素的产物，也是我所酷爱和着迷的东西。我既有着对自己安全创造奇迹的信心，也会产生对即将到来的不可预知体验的兴奋感，二者的平衡非常不稳定。我听说这个状态可以被称为“入境（zone）”，去年秋天，当我成为历史上第一个完成1440度偏轴转体动作的的女性双板滑雪运动员时，我就曾体会过这样的心境。⑦It doesn’t take much, unfortunately, for uncertainty to override confidence. Imperfect preparation moistens my palms, pushes that tight spot down into my stomach and makes each breath shallower than the last. The feeling isn’t panic, but something like dread. Danger! cries every evolutionary instinct. If I should choose to look past this safety mechanism, my body may act autonomously in the air, twisting out of the rotation and forcing me to brace for impact out of fear that full commitment to the trick may end in disaster. Every freeskier’s goal is to recognize the minute differences between excitement and uncertainty in order to maximize performance while minimizing the risk of injury.然而，心中的不确定感往往很容易就会压倒自信心。不完美的准备会使我的手心出汗，并使得我之前所说的那个感到紧张的位置被转移到自己的胃里，从而使你的每次呼吸都比上一次更浅。这种感觉不是恐慌，而是某种类似于畏惧的感觉。危险的信号会激发出进化的本能。如果我选择忽略这个安全机制，我的身体可能会在空中不由自主地行动，旋转会失去控制，并迫使我为即将遭受的冲击做好准备，因为这个时候的我真的要恐惧了：如果完全投入这个动作，可能会产生灾难性的后果。每个自由式滑雪运动员的目标都是要识别出兴奋感和不确定感之间的细微差别，以便在最大限度地发挥能力的同时，同时把受伤的风险减少到最小。⑧Finally, there’s pressure, an energy source that can be wielded in many ways. One’s experience of pressure — by far the most subjective facet of "fear"—is affected by personal experiences and perspectives. Expectations of family and friends, a competitive streak, or even sponsorship opportunities can provide the scaffolding for a high-pressure environment. Pressure can be a positive force for competitors who leverage it to rise to the occasion, but it can also single-handedly dictate competitive failure.最后要讲的就是压力。这是一种用途可能会很广泛的能量源。在至此提到的与恐惧相关的几个方面中，压力是最主观的一个方面。人们对于压力的体验会受到自身经历和思想观点的影响。家人和朋友的期望，竞争激烈的比赛时段，乃至于可能获得赞助的机遇，都可能为一个高压的外在环境提供支撑。对于那些能把握分寸的赛手来说，压力可以变成一种帮他们迎接挑战的积极力量。但光是压力也可能让一个人一败涂地。
⑨But whether athletes alleviate or compound their innate desire to “prove themselves” depends largely on confidence. As I enter my early adulthood, I’m proud of the work I’ve done to cope with pressure by bolstering my self-esteem and minimizing my need for external validation. I focus on gratitude, perspective, and on the joy this sport brings me, regardless of whether I’m alone or in front of a worldwide TV audience. Though my views of myself and the world are constantly evolving, one thing is for certain: no matter how much time passes, I’ll always be a hopeless romantic when it comes to fear.不过，对于这种内在的渴望“证明自己”的感觉，运动员是选择压制它还是强化它，很大程度上取决于他们的自信心。作为一个刚刚成年的女运动员，我对于这方面还是很有些自豪的，我可以增强自己的自尊，并尽量减少自己对于外界认可的需求，从而应对压力。无论孤身一人还是面向整个世界，我都专注于感恩、判断，以及体育带给我的快乐。虽说我对于自己和对这个世界的看法总会不断地变化，但有一件事是不会变的：无论时间过了多久，在恐惧面前的我都会是一个无可救药的浪漫主义者。
作为美国本土长大的谷爱凌，词汇量至少2万+。从这篇文章中便可看出来，作者对于词汇量的使用非常广泛，而且大多数都是非常书面化的用语，非常值得学习。整篇文章的水平大概相当于美国本土优秀本科毕业生的水平。
全篇一共9段，分为excitement、uncertainty和pressure三个主要方面，并结合其在滑雪中的经历，对fear进行了深刻的讨论。
原文较长，有700多词，这里选取部分词句进行讲解。
1 第一段提到了一个love affair，表示(对某事)极大的热情/兴趣，类似于passion。如America's love affair with the automobile美国人对于汽车的强烈热爱。当然这里的love affair也可以理解为比喻的修辞手法，表示本义“恋爱关系”。因为第二段提到了significant other(重要的另一半)一词：
Like all bewitching lovers, this significant other can be…mercurial.正如所有那些迷人的恋人一样，这个重要的另一半有时可能会很……反复无常。
这个短语来源于the other(两者中的另一个)。由于上文提到了关键词fear，因此这里使用了this。即the other→the significant other→this significant other
2 for lack of
Like all bewitching lovers (at least the ones in the novels I read, for lack of real-world experience), this significant other can be … mercurial.for lack of sth表示因为缺乏...，后面接名词。有时就相当于"主语+lack+名词"的简化，非常地道，如：Poor children are likely to lag behind their affluent peers for lack of(=because they lack)access to quality educational resources.寒门学习因为缺乏优质的教育资源，很容易落后于更富裕的同龄人。
3 第二段最后一句话写的很好，尤其是划线部分。非常适合仿写。
I’ve learned that [the nuanced indicators of each of these feelings can be instrumental to success when recognized and positively leveraged, and harbingers of injury when ignored.]我已经发现，如果这些感觉中的每个的微妙的指标能被识别和积极地利用，就可以有助于成功，而如果被忽视，就会是受伤的前兆。
can be是整句话的系动词，后面接了两个并列的表语，对应两种相反的情况：
instrumental to success when recognized and positively leveraged【好】
harbingers of injury when ignored【坏】
两个when后面都省略了主语+be，即when they are recognized/ignored，省略后更加简洁。如果能使两个并列成分的形式保持一致，读起来会更加优美。如：
...can be instrumental to success when recognized and positively leveraged, and predictive of injury when ignored.
这句中有两个词可以记一下：
①instrumental起重要作用的。常用作be instrumental in sth(doing sth)和play an instrumental role in在...中起重要作用。
②harbinger of...的预示。如：Melting icebirgs and rising sea levels are harbingers of more natural disasters in future.
在写作中也可以模仿这种句型。比如写到科技是双刃剑，可以这样说：
Technology can be a boon if used to benefit humanity, but a bane if exploited for illegal purposes.科技如果被用来造福人类，就是好东西；但如果被用于非法的目的，就是不好的东西。
4 suggest otherwise
Though it’s easy to label extreme sport athletes as fearless or capricious, the countless hours I’ve spent visualizing tricks and practicing them in foam pits and on airbags suggest otherwise.虽然从事极限运动的运动员很容易被贴上“无畏”或“任性”的标签，但是我在构思滑雪技巧以及在泡沫坑里和安全气囊上训练所花费的无数时间都表明，情况并非如此。
suggest otherwise表明情况并非如此。otherwise在这表示在其他方面；不同地。otherwise虽是副词，但在这个结构中相当于及物动词suggest的宾语，可以理解为suggest something else。类似常用的还有think otherwise不这么认为。另一个可以充当宾语的副词为so，意思与otherwise相反，如say/think/believe so。
这句话中还出现了一个实用句型：Though it is easy to...,... 也可以写成It is easy to..., but...人们很容易...，但是....(事实情况)。如：
It is easy to blame children's poor academic performance on schoolteachers, but it is parents and children themselves who play the decisive role.人们很容易将孩子成绩差的责任推给学校老师，但是起决定性作用的是父母和孩子自己。
不能按照汉语思维写成了People are easy to do sth.(X) 因为形容词easy的主语必须是事。之前的文章里还讲过一个意思相同的句型：It is tempting to do sth. (But...)。
①We
It’s biologically counterintuitive for us to place ourselves in positions of risk.将自己置于风险的状态中，是违反我们身体的本能的。
②one
One’s experience of pressure is affected by personal experiences and perspectives.人们对于压力的认知会受到自身经历和思想观点的影响。【这里的两个experience分别表示经验(不可数)；经历(可数)】
如果需要再次指代one，依然重复使用one。如：
One’s experience of pressure is affected by one's personal experiences and perspectives.
有些书中会说使用he/his来指代one，不过这种用法尚未被主流英语所认可。
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