Matthew Childs: 9 Life Lessons from Rock Climbing
难度标识：★★★★★
燕山大学 刘立军 宋葳 编写
◇INTRODUCTION
In this talk from TED University 2009, veteran rock climber Matthew Childs shares his nine points for rock climbing.
◇BEFORE VIEWING
TASK 1: VOCABULARY PREVIEW
1. let go: to give up an idea or an attitude, or control of sth. 放弃，摒弃（想法、态度或控制）。例如：
·It's time to let the past go. 该忘掉过去了。
·It's time to let go of the past. 该忘掉过去了。
(习语)
→let it go (at that): to say or do no more about sth. 不再多说（或多做）；就到此为止。例如：
I don't entirely agree, but I'll let it go at that. 我不完全同意，但也就这样吧。
I thought she was hinting at something, but I let it go. 我想她在暗示什么，然而我也没再多问。
→let sb. go
① to allow sb. to be free 放，释放（某人）。例如：
·Will they let the hostages go? 他们是否会释放人质？
② to make sb. have to leave their job 解雇；开除。例如：
·They're having to let 100 employees go because of falling profits. 由于利润下降他们将不得不解雇100名人员。
2. friction n. (不可数名词) (physics 物) the resistance (= the force that stops sth. moving) of one surface to another surface or substance moving over or through it 摩擦力。例如：
·The force of friction slows the spacecraft down as it re-enters the earth's atmosphere. 航天飞机重返地球大气层时因有摩擦力而减慢速度。
3. dimple n. any small hollow place in a surface 浅凹；小凹；小坑。例如：
·a pane of glass with a dimple pattern带浅凹形图案的窗玻璃
4. momentum n. a force that is gained by movement 冲力。例如：
·The vehicle gained momentum as the road dipped. 那辆车顺着坡越跑冲力越大。
5. pitch n. (单数, 不可数名词) the degree or strength of a feeling or activity; the highest point of sth. （感情、活动等的）程度，力度；（事物的）最高点。例如:
·a frenetic pitch of activity活动的狂热极点
·Speculation has reached such a pitch that a decision will have to be made immediately. 种种猜测甚嚣尘上，以至必须立即作出决定。
6. slab n. a thick flat piece of stone, wood or other hard material （石、木等坚硬物质的）厚板。例如：
·a slab of marble / concrete, etc. 大理石板、混凝土板等
·The road was paved with smooth stone slabs . 道路用平整的石板铺成。
·paving slabs铺路石板
7. basalt n. a type of dark rock that comes from volcanoes 玄武岩（火山岩，深色）
8. pull-up: (常用复数) an exercise in which you hold onto a high bar above your head and pull yourself up towards it 引体向上（单杠运动）
9. thrash v. thrash (sth.) (about / around) to move or make sth. move in a violent or uncontrolled way （使）激烈扭动，翻来覆去。例如：
·Someone was thrashing around in the water, obviously in trouble. 有人在水里乱扑腾，显然遇到了危险。
10. hang on: to continue doing sth. in difficult circumstances （在逆境中）坚持，不放弃。例如：
·The team hung on for victory. 这个队为了胜利坚持不懈。
TASK 2: TOPIC PREVIEW
Work in pairs and discuss the question:
Have you ever tried the following leisure activities in your spare time? Then choose one you have never done before but long to have a try and give your reasons.
LEISURE ACTIVITIES
| ACTIVITY | NEVER DONE BEFORE BUT LONG TO HAVE A TRY |
1 | Snow skiing | |
2 | Street dancing | |
3 | Video games | |
4 | Camping | |
5 | Bungee jumping | |
6 | Rock climbing | |
7 | Horse riding | |
8 | Flower arranging | |
9 | Go-carting | |
10 | Aerobics | |
11 | Water skiing | |
12 | Stamp collecting | |
13 | Canoeing | |
14 | Barbecue | |
15 | Yoga | |
16 | Cycling | |
17 | Internet surfing | |
18 | Jogging | |
19 | Fishing | |
20 | Playing cards |
|
◇VIEWING
TASK 3: DICTATION
Fill in the blanks with the information you hear.
RULE | | REASON |
No. 1 | Don’t let go. | But really, truly - often you think about letting go way before your body does. So hang in there, and (1) ________________________. |
No. 2 | Hesitation is bad. | Friction climbing doesn't have any sort of hard positive edges. You're climbing on little dimples and nubbins in the rock. The most friction you have is when you first put your hand or your foot on the rock. And then from that point on, you're basically falling. So momentum is good. (2) _______________________________. |
No. 3 | Have a plan. | Often what happens is you're planning so hard for like, "How do I get through the hardest part? How do I get through the hardest part?" And then what happens? You get to the last pitch. It's easy. And you're completely flamed out. Don't do it. (3)______________________________________________. |
No. 4 | The move is the end. | But you also can't forget that (4) ___________________________. |
No. 5 | Know how to rest. | It's amazing. The best climbers are the ones that (5)________________________________can get their bodies into some position where they can rest, regroup, calm themselves, focus, and keep going. |
No. 6 | Fear really sucks. | You're focusing on (6) __________________________________ at what you're doing because any given move should require all your (7) _______________________________ to execute it effectively. |
No. 7 | Opposites are good. | One of the things in climbing is, most people sort of take it straight on. And they follow the most obvious solution. … The cracks are too small to get your toes into, so the only way to climb is using your fingertips in the cracks, and using (8) ________________ and forcing yourself up. |
No. 8 | Strength doesn’t always equal success. | In the 35 years I've been a climbing guide and taught on indoor walls, and stuff like that, the most important thing I've learned was, (9) _____________________________________________. … So balance is really critical, and keeping your weight on your feet, which is your strongest muscle. |
No. 9 | Know how to let go. | I came up with rule number nine after I actually didn't plan for a fall, and went about 40 feet and cracked a rib. Once you get to that point where you know it's going to happen, you need to start thinking about how you're going to let go because that is (10)_________________________________________ - how you're going to fall onto the rope, or if you're climbing without a rope, fall to a place where you can actually control the fall. So don't hang on till the bitter end. |
◇AFTER VIEWING
TASK 4: DISCUSSION
Discuss the following topic with your partner.
Would you like to try rock climbing? And why or why not?
SUGGESTED ANSWERS
◇BEFORE VIEWING
TASK 2: TOPIC PREVIEW
Yoga is one of the activities I have never done before but long to have a try. I have always had an interest in yoga. On one hand, yoga is challenging. Controlling breathing and remembering all the details of every new pose is kind of intimidating. But on the other hand, yoga is relaxing and invigorating（令人精神振作的）. It makes you feel good at the end of a session. More importantly, it results in better health, more inner peace and more passion for life. However, as a busy college student, I never had the chance to take a yoga class. This semester I think I will have more leisure time, and would like to have a try.
◇VIEWING
TASK 3:
QUESTION | ANSWER |
(1) | you come up with some pretty peculiar solutions |
(2) | Don't stop |
(3) | You have to plan ahead to get to the top |
(4) | each individual move you have to be able to complete |
(5) | in the most extreme situations |
(6) | the consequences of failing |
(7) | concentration and thought processes |
(8) | opposing pressure |
(9) | guys will always try to do pull-ups |
(10) | the critical piece of not getting hurt |
◇AFTER VIEWING
TASK 4:
I would like to try rock climbing. It is one of the activities I have never done before but long to have a try. Whenever I see photos or videos of rock climbers pulling themselves straight up the face of very high rocks or walls, especially after watching this speech, I can't help exclaiming, "That’s cool!" I admire rock climbers very much and I long to be one of them one day. However, rock climbing is a high-risk sport which takes strength, control and good balance. I believe some special training is essential before I take part in this physically and mentally demanding sport.
附件：TRANSCRIPT
Matthew Childs: 9 Life Lessons from Rock Climbing
0:11
It's pretty simple. There are nine, sort of, rules that I discovered after 35 years of rock climbing. Most of them are pretty basic.
0:22
Number one: don't let go - very sure success method. But really, truly - often you think about letting go way before your body does. So hang in there, and you come up with some pretty peculiar solutions.
0:38
Number two: hesitation is bad. This is a friction climb, up in Tuolumne Meadows, in the Yosemite high country. Friction climbing doesn't have any sort of hard positive edges. You're climbing on little dimples and nubbins in the rock. The most friction you have is when you first put your hand or your foot on the rock. And then from that point on, you're basically falling. So momentum is good. Don't stop.
1:07
Rule number three: have a plan. This is a climb called the Naked Edge, in El Dorado Canyon, outside of Boulder. This climber is on the last pitch of it. He's actually right about where I fell. There is about 1,000 feet of air below him. And all the hard pitches are actually below him. Often what happens is you're planning so hard for like, "How do I get through the hardest part? How do I get through the hardest part?" And then what happens? You get to the last pitch. It's easy. And you're completely flamed out. Don't do it. You have to plan ahead to get to the top.
1:41
But you also can't forget that each individual move you have to be able to complete. This is a climb called the Dike Route, on Pywjack Dome, up in the Yosemite high country. The interesting thing about this climb is it's not that hard. But if you're the leader on it, at the hardest move, you're looking at about 100 foot fall, onto some low angle slabs. So you've got to focus. You don't want to stop in the middle like Coleridge's Kubla Kahn. You've got to keep going.
2:12
Rule number five: know how to rest. It's amazing. The best climbers are the ones that in the most extreme situations can get their bodies into some position where they can rest, regroup, calm themselves, focus, and keep going. This is a climb in the Needles, again in California.
2:32
Fear really sucks because what it means is you're not focusing on what you're doing. You're focusing on the consequences of failing at what you're doing because any given move should require all your concentration and thought processes to execute it effectively.
2:51
One of the things in climbing is, most people sort of take it straight on. And they follow the most obvious solution. This is the Devils Tower in Wyoming, which is a columnar basalt formation that most of you probably know from "Close Encounters." With this, typically crack climbers would put their hands in and their toes in and just start climbing. The cracks are too small to get your toes into, so the only way to climb is using your fingertips in the cracks, and using opposing pressure and forcing yourself up.
3:26
Rule number eight: strength doesn't always equal success. In the 35 years I've been a climbing guide and taught on indoor walls, and stuff like that, the most important thing I've learned was, guys will always try to do pull-ups. Beginning guys, it's like, they thrash, they thrash, they get 15 feet up - and they can do about 15 pull-ups right - And then they just flame out. Women are much more in balance because they don't have that idea that they're going to be able to do 100 pull-ups. They think about how to get the weight over their feet because it's sort of natural - they carry you all day long. So balance is really critical, and keeping your weight on your feet, which is your strongest muscle.
4:05
And of course there is rule number nine. I came up with rule number nine after I actually didn't plan for a fall, and went about 40 feet and cracked a rib. Once you get to that point where you know it's going to happen, you need to start thinking about how you're going to let go because that is the critical piece of not getting hurt - how you're going to fall onto the rope, or if you're climbing without a rope, fall to a place where you can actually control the fall. So don't hang on till the bitter end. Thank you very much. (Applause)