曾忆年少嬉戏时

In these days of high-tech entertainment facilities it's hard to recall a time when children were amused for hours on end with the simplest of objects. The children of every country in the world have always played games. These games were passed down from one generation to another and were often strikingly similar in different parts of the world. Games are an excellent way for a child to develop mental and physical skills that will prove useful in later life. They are also the origin of many sports. In this issue of Sports we take a trip down memory lane and take a look at the precursor to all sports: children's games.

在满是高科技娱乐设备的今天，很难再回想起那个简陋至极的东西就可以连续数小时让孩子乐此不疲的时代。世界各国的儿童总是在玩耍着游戏。这些游戏代代相传，而且在世界的不同地区里常常是惊人地相似。游戏是一项开发儿童心智和体能方面技巧的绝佳方式，而这些技巧定将在其日后的生活中发挥作用。游戏还是许多运动的开端。而在本期《运动网》当中，我们就来一个追忆之旅，了解一下所有运动的始祖：儿童游戏。

The Games

Around the world, children have one thing in common. They love to play games. The following list of games is by no means exhaustive. Many of the games here will be familiar to readers although you may have played different versions of them. Some of these games might be new to you. You might even want to try them out. It's never too late!

Elastic Band Skipping Game

Several elastic bands are tied together to form a larger band. Two players then stand inside this elastic band with legs apart and facing each other at a distance. A third player then performs a jumping act with the elastic band. The type of jumping act they do varies. The simplest one is to jump and stand on one side of the rubber band, carrying the two sides together. Then jump again and make the two sides separate. Then jump again into the middle and after that jump outside it. Each time a level is passed successfully, the height of the elastic band is increased. There are other variations that are so complicated they would ①tangle up a professional acrobat, to which the average mother would warn, "If you fall and break both your legs don't come running to me!"

Hopscotch

Hopscotch is played in one form or another around the world. In one particular game a grid, like the one in the diagram, is drawn on the ground. The player must then take a stone and throw it into square 1. That player then proceeds to hop on one leg (for squares 1, 2, 3 and 6) and on two legs (for squares 4 and 5, and 7 and 8) to the end and back again. They must then throw the stone into square 2 and repeat the action. The first player to complete all eight levels successfully is the winner. No touching the lines!

Tip The Can

An unmovable object, such as a lamppost, ②is deemed to be 'the can'. One child is 'on' and stands by the can and covers his eyes and counts to a hundred. No peeking! The other children hide. When the counting has finished the child by the can will shout out "ready or not, here I come" and will try to find the other children. If he finds one he must make physical contact by touching them. That child is then 'on' and must go to 'the can' to count. In the meantime, it is the object of the hiding children to get to the can before the 'on' child catches them. If you can 'tip the can' before getting tagged then you are 'safe' for the rest of the game. The last child left 'on' is the loser and is referred to as 'stinky-poo' for the rest of the day.

Bad Egg

A specific area is chosen, such as a square or a park. A tennis ball is used. The person with the ball is called the 'bad egg' and he or she must throw it at other players (with as much violent force as possible). The other players are allowed to dodge the ball. If it hits a child, he or she then becomes the 'bad egg'. Sometimes a 'freeze' rule is used. Someone would shout 'freeze' and everyone had to stop. The 'bad egg' would then try to hit another child from where he or she was standing. This process is continued until everyone is exhausted or angry mothers start shouting "this is the last time I tell you to come home. Don't make me come out and drag you back myself!"

Sardines

One child is 'it' and has to hide. When another child finds 'it' they must hide with him or her until there is only one child left. The game starts again with the last child being 'it'. This continues until one child says "I'm bored of this game. Let's play something else", to which one or more other children reply, "yeah".

Curbs

Two players stand on the edges of opposing footpaths. The curbs are the goals. The players will throw a football at their opponents curb. If they hit it they get a point and can stand in the centre of the road to take three penalty shots. The game ends when one player reaches a certain score (agreed beforehand) or gets called home for dinner.

Piggy in the Middle

This game requires three players and a ball of any size. One player is 'piggy' and must stand in the middle. The other two players attempt to pass the ball to each other without letting 'piggy' catch it. When 'piggy' catches it the player who threw it takes the place in the middle. This game can be played until an angry neighbour chases you away for constantly hitting the ball off his nice shiny car.

Marbles

There are more games involving marbles than there are people called Wang in China. They all usually involve trying to acquire as many of your opponents marbles as possible. Sometimes a circle is drawn and a certain amount of marbles are placed in it. Players then use a shooter marble to try and knock the marbles out of the circle. They get to keep the ones they knock out but lose the ones that stay in the circle. The kid that gets the most marbles is... like the king, or something.

游戏大观

环顾全球，儿童有一个共同之处。即他们喜欢做游戏。以下这个游戏清单绝不是详实的。即便你玩的版本可能有所不同，但以下所罗列的游戏中有许多还是为读者所熟知的。而且这些游戏中有些可能对你来讲还是新鲜的。你甚至可能想要去试一试。为时不算太晚哦！

跳皮筋

若干皮筋被系到一起，连成一根更长的皮筋。随后，两个游戏者站到皮筋里，两腿岔开，彼此相对隔开一段距离。而后，第三个游戏者就要用皮筋来完成跳跃动作。他们的跳跃动作样式各异。最简单的一种就是，跳起来，把两根皮筋弄到一起后，跳落在一根皮筋上。然后，再跳一下，把两根分开。之后，再跳到皮筋中间，随后再跳出去。每成功完成一个级别，皮筋的高度就会升高。还有其它的玩法，其复杂程度之高连专业的杂技演员都会搞得一团糟，对于这种情形，一般的母亲都会警告说，“如果你跌倒了磕伤了双腿，可别跑来找我啊！”

跳房子

“跳房子”游戏在全世界以不同的形式进行着。而这个游戏的一种玩法就是，在地面上画一个格子，就像图表中用的那种。之后，游戏者必须拿起一块石子，扔到方格1里。然后，那名游戏者要以单腿跳跃（跳过方格1、2、3、6）和双腿跳跃（跳过方格4、5、7、8）的方式前进到尽头并折返回来。随后，他们必须把石子扔到方格2中，重复这一套动作。第一个成功完成全部8个级别的游戏者就是赢家。不准触线哦！

摸罐子

一个固定物体，如路灯柱子，被当作是“罐子”。一个小孩“上场”，并站在“罐子”旁边，捂着他的眼睛，数到一百。不许偷看哦！而其他小孩就要藏起来。数完数后，站在“罐子”旁边的小孩就会大喊“准备好了没，我来了”，而后就会试着去抓其他小孩。如果他抓到了一个，他就必须以触摸他/她的方式做一个身体接触的动作。之后，那个小孩就“上场”了，必须走到“罐子”处数数。与此同时，躲藏的孩子们的目标就是，在“上场”的小孩抓到他们之前移动到“罐子”处。如果你能在被逮到之前“摸罐子”，那么你在余下的游戏时间里就是“安全”的了。最后一个“上场”的小孩就是输家，当天剩下的时间里都会被叫做“臭粑粑”。

坏蛋

划定好一块场地，如广场或公园。会用到一只网球。拿着这个球的人会被称作“坏蛋”，而他/她必须（尽可能使劲地）把球扔向其他的游戏者。其他的游戏者是可以躲球的。如果球打中了一个小孩，他/她随后就变成了“坏蛋”。有时会用到“不许动”的规则。某人会喊出“不许动”，所有人都得停下来。而后，“坏蛋”就要试图从他/她那时所站的位置上朝另一个小孩投掷。这一过程一直进行下去，直到大家都累了，或是愤怒的母亲们开始大喊“这是我最后一次叫你们回家了。可别让我出去亲自把你给拽回来！”

沙丁鱼罐头

一个小孩当“它”，而且得藏起来。当另一个小孩发现了“它”，他/她必须与他/她一起藏起来，直到只剩下一个（没找到“它”的）小孩为止。游戏再度开始时，最后的那个小孩要当“它”。这一过程一直进行下去，直到有一个小孩说“这个游戏我玩腻了。我们玩点别的吧”，且至少要有一个人回应说“好”。

路边投球

两名游戏者站在路两旁的人行道边缘处。马路牙子就是目标。游戏者要把一只足球扔到对方所在的马路牙子上。如果他/她击中了，他/她就得一分，而且可以站到路中间投三次罚球。当一名游戏者达到了一定的分数（已于事先进行了约定）或被叫回家吃饭，游戏就结束了。

小猪中间跑

这个游戏需要三名游戏者和一只任意大小的球。一名游戏者当“小猪”，必须站在中间的位置上。另外两个游戏者就要试着相互传球，且不能让“小猪”拦到。当“小猪”拦到球后，扔球的那个游戏者就要换到中间的位置上。这个游戏可以一直进行下去，直到一个愤怒的邻居因为你们不停地把球砸到他那锃亮的好车上而把你们赶走。

弹球

要用弹球来玩的游戏比中国姓“王”的人还要多。它们通常都规定：要试着从你的对手那里获得尽可能多的弹球。有时会画上一个圆圈，里面放上一定数量的弹球。游戏者随后要使用一个射杀球，试着把弹球击出圆圈。他们可以保留他们击出的球，不过那些留在圈里的球就输掉了。得到最多弹球的那个小孩就是……就叫国王，或其它的什么吧。

Ring-Around-A-Rosy

Ring-around-a-rosy is a popular game with young children. The kids will join hands and form a circle. They will all run around in a circle while singing, "Ring around a rosie, a pocket full of posies. Atishoo, atishoo we all fall down." At the end all the children will fall on the ground.

Many people believe that this rhyme is a coded reference to the bubonic plague epidemic which killed 30% of Europe's population in the 14th Century. The 'ring' refers to a ring-like rash symptom of the disease. The 'posies' are a reference to the remedies made of flowers that were used to fight the disease. The sneezing sound and the part at the end where they all fall down represent the large death toll of the epidemic.

Others disagree and say that the rhyme could not have existed that long. They regard it as originating from the Protestant ban on dancing in the 19th Century. Young people found a way around the ban by playing ring-games.

绕圈圈

“绕圈圈”是年幼的孩子们中间流行的一个游戏。小孩子们会拉起手来，围成一个圈子。他们所有人都会围着圈子跑起来并唱着，“Ring around a rosie, a pocket full of posies. Atishoo, atishoo we all fall down.（围着萝西歌唱，兜里装满花朵。阿嚏，阿嚏，我们都倒了下来）”唱完后，所有孩子都会跌倒在地上。

许多人相信，这首韵诗是在暗指曾在14世纪导致欧洲30%人口死亡的黑死病时疫。“ring”指的是这种疾病的环状皮疹症状。而“posies”指的是由用于治疗该病的花朵制成的药物。打喷嚏的声音和结尾处他们全部倒下的动作代表的是这一时疫造成的人员大量死亡。

其他人则看法不同，说这首韵诗不可能有那么长的历史。他们认为它起源于19世纪新教徒的禁舞令。而年轻人找到了一个以做拉圈游戏的方式来绕开这个禁令的方法。

curb /k9:b/ n.路边

marble /`m3bl/ n. (玩具)弹球

bubonic plague /b(`b4nik pleiG/ 黑死病

symptom /`simpt9m/ n.症状；征兆

death toll /deF t9ul/ n.死亡人数

Protestant /`pr4tist9nt/ n.新教徒

Chants

Many skipping rope games involved chants that dictate the speed the rope would be turned at and the actions the player must make. Here are some classics:

游戏唱词

许多跳绳游戏会用到一些唱词，这些唱词对挥绳频率或游戏者必须完成的动作做出了规定。以下就是一些经典唱词:

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, read the news.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, tie your shoes.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, go upstairs.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say your prayers.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn out the light.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say "Goodnight!"

Mabel, Mabel, set the table,

Just as fast as you are able!

Put on plates, forks, salt... (etc.)

And don't forget the

RED HOT PEPPER!

(Rope turners go as fast as possible! 挥绳人要尽可能快地挥动！)