《经济学人》（The Economist）是一份创办于1843年的英国杂志，主要关注政治和商业方面的新闻。它是英语专业学生课外阅读的必备刊物，更是考研英语命题小组最钟爱的题源，历年考研真题中几乎有一半的文章都选自《经济学人》。

Sweating on purpose is becoming an elite phenomenon. In a darkened room at the edge of downtown Washington, DC, electronic music pulses over the speakers as a crowd of mostly sweaty young women bop up and down. Candles burn at the front and inspirational slogans cover the walls.

译文： 有意流汗成为精英现象。在华盛顿特区市中心的边缘，幽暗的房间里电子音乐冲击着扬声器，一大群汗流浃背的女孩随音乐起起伏伏地跳着。前面点着蜡烛，墙上挂着励志标语。

Sadly, this is not a drug-fuelled rave, but rather a mid-afternoon spin class. It is run by Soul Cycle, which promotes the idea that riding an exercise bike to loud music is akin to entering a “soul sanctuary”. The experience, which also involves awkwardly lifting weights while cycling, costs about $35 for 45 minutes.

译文： 悲哀的是，它不是一场药物刺激下的狂欢，而是斯宾课（spin class）的下午场。这是一节由SoulCycle开办的动感单车课程，他推广的运营理念是在激烈音乐下骑行，就好比参加了次“灵魂救赎营”集训。一节课程45分钟，骑车同时可能还需要做一些笨拙地拉举动作，单次收费在35美元。

This does not deter its well-heeled customers: “Some of the women pay a lot of money to go here”, says a staff member, her eyebrows raised. The recession of 2008 damaged many industries. One which emerged remarkably unscathed was exercise.

译文： 这并不妨碍它的富有客户纷纷加入，一位工作人员扬着眉毛说“有些女人花很多钱来这里”。2008年的经济危机使很多行业陷入衰退。其中一个出现的健身行业竟然毫发无损。

According to figures from the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, an industry group, gym members now number 54m, up from 45m in 2009. Twice as many Americans subscribe to gyms as in the mid-1990s. Yet the population has not got visibly healthier. According to the Centres for Disease Control, a government agency, in 2013 a quarter of adults engaged in no leisure-time physical activity at all beyond the bedroom.

译文： 根据行业组织国际健康及运动俱乐部协会的数据，健身俱乐部会员现已达到5400万，超出2009年的4500万。这是90年代中期美国人报名参加健身俱乐部的两倍。然而民众的健康并未明显改善。根据政府管理的疾病控制中心的数据，2013年1/4的成人除了卧室内性生活外，根本不参加任何健身锻炼。

Between 2001 and 2012, the age-adjusted proportion of the population who are obese or extremely obese grew from 36% to 41%. That increase has slowed of late, but it has not yet reversed. The explanation of this paradox lies in who is doing the exercising.

译文： 2001-2012年期间，肥胖或极度肥胖人口的比例从36%上升到41%。这一增长已经放缓，但趋势尚未扭转。关于谁在做运动的统计解释了这个矛盾的现象。

Where once “prosperous” was a synonym for overweight, being fit (and thin with it) is a marker of status. Outposts of Soul Cycle are to be found in the Hamptons and Westchester County in New York.

译文： “丰满”一度是超重的代名词，保持健美（或瘦）是身份的标志。Soul Cycle的动感单车起源于纽约的汉普顿和威彻斯特。

In such places small gyms, yoga studios and the like, which make their money from hosting classes rather than through membership fees, proliferate. They advertise fitness as something close to religion. At CrossFit, which describes itself as a “word and a phenomenon”, though it mostly involves weightlifting, customers are described as “athletes”.Exercise is not quite yet a luxury good, but it may be getting that way.

译文： 在这些地区，小型的健身房和瑜伽馆数量激增，他们不收取会员费，而按课时收费。他们将健身宣传得近乎信仰。健身房CrossFit标榜自己是“流行词（CrossFit）和趋向“，虽然它主要是举重，客户被描述为“运动员”。健身并非奢侈品，但它可能正在变得奢侈。