分別看一段“中國女排擊敗美國隊”“中國乒乓混雙奪冠”“中朝韓選手自拍”的英文媒體報道：
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原文
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Thrilled Chinese users have lit up social media with fervent reactions to China’s victory over the US team in women’s volleyball on Monday night.
The Chinese team clinched their first win at this Games by toppling the defending champion US team 3-2. They surged ahead with a two-set lead before the Americans rallied to even the score. (South China Morning Post)
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China's Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin beat Democratic People's Republic of Korea's Ri Jong-sik and Kim Kum-yong to win table tennis mixed doubles gold. The pair, who are ranked world number one, won 4-2 at South Paris Arena 4.
In the bronze medal match, South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin thrashed Hong Kong's Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem 4-0 to take third. (BBC)
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Once the medals had gone around the six human necks, Lim had spoken the unspoken language known all over the planet: He had organized a selfie. He positioned himself in front of the other five, holding the camera aloft, trying to get everybody in, then adjusting to another angle, with the three women just behind him and the two remaining men in the background. (The Washington Post)
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解析
Thrilled Chinese users have lit up social media with fervent reactions to China’s victory over the US team in women’s volleyball on Monday night.
The Chinese team clinched their first win at this Games by toppling the defending champion US team 3-2. They surged ahead with a two-set lead before the Americans rallied to even the score.
週一晚，中國女排戰勝美國隊，這在中國社交媒體上引起了激烈反響。
中國隊以3-2的比分擊敗衛冕冠軍美國隊，迎來開門紅。比賽中，中國隊一馬當先，連續拿下兩局，儘管美國隊奮力追趕將比分扳平。
lit up 的原型是 light up，意為“點亮”，這裡引申為“引起、激起”，fervent 是形容詞“狂熱的”。文中 light up social media with 表示在社交媒體上引起了強烈的反響或熱烈的討論，《紐約時報》的一篇報道中也出現過這個表達：
除了 light up social media，我們還可以說：
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sth sparks a strong reaction on social media
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sth generates fervent responses on social media
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sth causes a buzz on social media
clinch 本義是“抓住”，這裡指“贏得（比賽、競爭）”，文中 clinched their first win 可以翻譯成“首戰告捷、迎來開門紅”。
此外，也可以用 secure, achieve, attain 表示“贏得（比賽）”的含義，看一句 USA Today 的報道：
譯文：週一，美國女子橄欖球隊在四分之一決賽中戰勝了英國隊，晉級半決賽，並創造了球隊在奧運會歷史上的最佳成績。
finish 在體育賽事中可以表示“成績，名次”，文中 secured the best finish 是指美國女子橄欖球隊獲得最佳成績。
toppling the defending champion US team 3-2
topple 本義是“推翻”，後面可以加領導人、政權，比如 topple the President 推翻總統。這裡指“打倒、擊敗”，相當於 beat, defeat。
看個美劇《妮基塔》裡的例句：
defending champion 指“衛冕冠軍”，動詞表達是 defend one's titles / champion。
比分“3-2”可以直接跟在 win/lose/beat/defeat/topple 這類詞後面，表示“以多少比分獲勝/輸掉”。
They surged ahead with a two-set lead 中，set 在這裡是名詞，指網球、排球比賽的“盤、局”，two-set 加上連字元就是形容詞“兩局的”，lead 在這裡是名詞，表示“領先”，所以 with a two-set lead 就是“領先兩局、大比分領先兩局”的意思。
此外我們還可以說：
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lead by two sets
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have a two-set advantage
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be ahead by two sets
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be two sets ahead
before the Americans rallied to even the score 中，rally 本義是“集會、集結、召集”，如：
The cabinet rallied behind the Prime Minister.
內閣團結一致支援首相。
Many national newspapers rallied to his support.
許多全國性報紙一致對他表示支援。
這裡指美國隊在比分落後的情況下重新集結和反擊。
此外，rally 也常出現在金融領域中，表示“股價反彈、止跌回升”，例如：
CATL's shares have rallied 6%.
寧德時代的股價反彈了6%。
even 在這裡是動詞，表示“使平衡，使平分”，它源自 even 的形容詞含義“平的”，此外，我們也可以用 tie the score, level the score, equalize the score 表示“扳平比分”。
China's Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin beat Democratic People's Republic of Korea's Ri Jong-sik and Kim Kum-yong to win table tennis mixed doubles gold. The pair, who are ranked world number one, won 4-2 at South Paris Arena 4.
In the bronze medal match, South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin thrashed Hong Kong's Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem 4-0 to take third.
中國選手孫穎莎和王楚欽戰勝朝鮮選手李正植和金琴英，奪得乒乓球混雙金牌。這對世界排名第一的組合以4-2的比分在南巴黎競技場4號館取得勝利。
在銅牌爭奪戰中，韓國選手林鐘勳和申裕斌以4-0橫掃香港選手黃鎮廷和杜凱琹，獲得第三名。
mixed doubles 指“混雙”。
rank 後面直接加名次，表示“排名第幾”，也可以用“take+名次”表示，如 rank world number one、take third.
thrash 本義是用棍子等“抽打，連續擊打”，如圖：
在這裡指“徹底擊敗，痛擊”，這個詞通常用來表示一方在比賽中以壓倒性優勢戰勝對手，和前面的 topple 意思相似，還可以用 defeat, crush, trounce, breeze past 替換，如：
Brazil trounced Italy 5–1 in the final.
在決賽中巴西隊以 5:1 狂勝義大利隊。
《華盛頓郵報》在報道“韓國隊擊敗香港隊”時用了 breeze past 一詞：
That meant Ri and Kim had shared the medal stand with South Koreans Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin, who had lost their tough semifinal to China but had breezed past Hong Kong for third place.
這意味著李正植和金琴英與韓國選手林鐘勳和申裕斌共同登上了領獎臺，後者在艱難的半決賽中輸給了中國隊，但在與香港隊的比賽中輕鬆取勝，獲得了第三名。
breeze past 意思是“輕而易舉地擊敗”，這個詞源自 breeze “微風”的含義，微風很柔和，引申到競爭或比賽中，breeze past 就形象地表示一種輕鬆、毫不費力地超越的動作。
Once the medals had gone around the six human necks, Lim had spoken the unspoken language known all over the planet: He had organized a selfie. He positioned himself in front of the other five, holding the camera aloft, trying to get everybody in, then adjusting to another angle, with the three women just behind him and the two remaining men in the background.
獎牌掛上六位選手的脖子後，林鐘勳用全世界通用的無聲語言表達了友誼：他組織了一次自拍。他站在其他五人前面，高舉相機，試圖把每個人都拍進去，然後調整角度，讓三位女選手站在他身後，兩位男選手在背景中。
gone around the six human necks 指獎牌掛到六個人的脖子上，“六個人”分別是中朝韓的混雙選手。
the unspoken language 指的是“不需要語言就能理解的行為或訊號”，在句子中它指的是自拍（selfie）這種全球通用的行為方式。
position 作動詞表示“將某物或某人放置在某個位置”，文中 He positioned himself in front of the other five 意思是：他站在其他五人前面。
再看幾個例句：
1）position oneself/someone 將自己/某人置於特定位置
He positioned himself near the entrance to greet the guests.
他站在入口處迎接客人。
2）position something 放置某物
They positioned the camera to capture the best angle.
他們將相機擺放在最佳角度。
3）position as 將某物或某人定位為
The company positioned itself as a leader in innovation.
該公司將自己定位為創新領域的領軍者。
aloft 是副詞，意思是“在空中，高高地”，holding the camera aloft 是“高高舉起相機”的意思，也可以說 raising/holding the camera high.