Dozens of competitors risked their necks last Monday for a shot at glory in one of Britain's most barmy annual events — chasing a rolling wheel of cheese down a steep hill.
Around 3,000 spectators gathered in the rain to roar on the cheese-chasing daredevils who stumbled and tumbled down Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, southwest England.
They raced for 200m down the dangerously steep slope after the wheel-shaped Double Gloucester.
The photos show Jemima Bullock, 33, from Wellington, New Zealand. She won the ladies' race. You can see the cheese she was chasing in the photo on the right.
"It was a bit slippy out there but I think that actually helped. I guess you've got to be a bit mad to do this," she said as she nursed her bloodied knee.
While the winner keeps the cheese, the person in second place gets 10 pounds (NT$670). The person in third place gets a five-pound note (NT$325).
The unusual event is thought to have its roots in a festival to celebrate the return of spring.(Catherine Thomas, staff writer with AFP)
上週一，一群競爭者在英國最怪異的年度盛事中，因爭奪榮耀而差點摔斷脖子︰全為了追逐滾落陡坡的輪狀乳酪。
在英格蘭西南方的布羅克沃思，約三千名觀眾冒著雨，替追趕乳酪而一路跌跌撞撞跑下庫柏丘的參賽者加油歡呼。
參賽者追隨滾輪狀的雙層格洛斯特乳酪，爭相跑下兩百公尺高的危險陡坡。
這兩張照片是來自紐西蘭威靈頓的三十三歲女子潔米瑪．布拉克，她奪下了女子組大賽冠軍。你可以在右方照片看見她所追趕的乳酪。
她一邊照顧自己流血的膝蓋一邊說︰「那裡有點滑，但我想這有幫助。我猜要有點瘋狂才能這樣做。」
冠軍可以抱走乳酪，亞軍可以獲得十英鎊（新台幣六百七十元）獎金，季軍則可得到五英鎊（新台幣三百二十五元）。
一般認為，這項不同凡響的活動應該是起源於歡慶春回大地的節日。 （翻譯︰賴美君）
1. barmy adj.
怪異的 (guai4 yi4 de5)，愚蠢的 (yu2 chun3 de5)
例: You can burn that $100 note, but I think you're being barmy.
(你可以燒了那張一百元紙鈔，但我認為這樣很蠢。)
2. spectator n.
觀眾 (guan1 zhong4)
例: There were lots of spectators at the tennis match.
(這場網球賽吸引眾多觀眾到場。)
3. daredevil n.
鋌而走險的人 (ting3 er2 zou2 xian3 de5 ren2)
例: Stuntmen are often daredevils.
(特技演員往往冒著性命危險。)
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